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Much of what you need for daily life onboard is located at the top of the ship between Decks 9 and 14. Highlights include the sliding glass dome-enclosed Lido Pool area, which also has a giant LED screen; the Explorer’s Central and Cafe/Crow’s Nest, which serves as a combination observation lounge, coffee and liquor bar, shore excursions office and card/games room. Popular restaurants such as the New York Deli and Pizza eatery, the Dive-In burger eatery, the Lido Market buffet and Canaletto Italian eateries are also here.
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Be sure to join my email list for my best cruise tips and handpicked deals each week. She’s also quite old in style, which has pros and cons – she’s not got many balconies or indeed much choice at all when it comes to cabin options, but she’s also really easy to navigate. The ship debuted in 2016 to a lot of pomp – this was the first new ship to launch for Holland America in six years and she helped to really bring the cruise line up to date with her stunning interior design. Overall, Holland America ships are seen as some of the most stylish in the world, without being overly glitzy or kitsch.
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On most Alaska sailings, Holland America cruisers are 60 to 80 percent North American, although this percentage skews towards Australian and New Zealand cruisers when the ship comes Down Under. However, you will still find many nationalities onboard, with Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians making up the majority of the passenger base. With an average age of 55, Holland America passengers skew slightly older than those of some major lines. On Alaska cruises, about 80 percent of cruisers are older than 50; about 40 percent are over 65. In general, Alaska cruises and those taking place during the Australia and New Zealand school holidays attract more families.
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From the symphonic orchestral beauty of the Lincoln Center Stage to the soulful, dance-floor-burning hits of B.B. King's Blues Club to the sing-along atmosphere of Billboard Onboard, you're guaranteed to find something your ears will enjoy. A three-story atrium midship sports a curvy green glass stairway crowned by a colossal Waterford Crystal compass. In the elevator lobbies, oversize urns sprout artificial foliage and busts of the Dutch royal family mix it up with ornate metal settees.
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Also, as noted on the deck plan, VH Category Verandah Staterooms on Deck 4 have views that are obstructed by the lifeboats. The smallest ship in the Holland America fleet is the MS Volendam, which was launched in 1999. She has an internal volume of 61,214 gross tons and a passenger capacity of 1,432. Her sister ship MS Zaandam has the same passenger capacity, but a slightly larger internal volume by just 182 gross tons. The results are really positive, with reviews mentioning how clean and welcoming the ship feels. What also stands out is the service – while some people aren’t as happy with the standards on the slightly newer ships, on MS Nieuw Amsterdam the crew are very highly spoken of.
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The best of Noordam's onboard programming skews toward the educational, such as cooking presentations, Microsoft-sponsored computer workshops and BBC Earth documentary screenings. On our Alaska and New Zealand sailings, the piano bar was about as rowdy as things got, with merry singalongs running until midnight. Australian and New Zealand cruises attract a slightly more lively crowd, although the vibe still tends to be low-key. King's Blues Club is the top pick for those seeking some less sedate late-night fun. Cabins to avoid would be at the very top and forward part of the ship for those with motion sickness issues and cabins in the forward to midships portion of Deck 1 to avoid noise from late night performances in the Music Walk, which is directly above.
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Although the ship accommodates all ages, Rotterdam’s guests largely tend to be of the Baby Boomer and early Generation X age groups, averaging between 55 and 65 years. On our Amsterdam-based cruises, 65 to 70% of guests were from Holland and Belgium, although announcements remained in English first, then Dutch. The ship welcomes people from all walks of life and provides specific gatherings for LGBTQ, Single and AA guests.
The negative reviews of MS Volendam do focus on the age of the ship though – she has been through renovations, but there are a lot of signs of how old she is, and passengers do notice them. If you don’t mind her feeling a little worn-in then you’ll still have a great time. Negative reviews tend to focus on the entertainment – both the lack of choice and also the quality, with some reviewers talking about how the evening acts are average but not particularly exciting. Guests criticise the quality of the entertainment too, which may be a sign that guests of other cruise lines with Broadway-style shows are trying the newer Holland America ships, and feeling disappointed with the comparison. However, the reason she is a little lower is something I alluded to with MS Rotterdam – to guests, it feels like the newer, bigger ships have lost a little of the Holland America magic, and the crew service isn’t quite as good when there are more passengers to handle. I think MS Rotterdam scores slightly lower than MS Nieuw Statendam due to teething problems.
What will cost you extra is all drinks beyond water, tea, basic coffee and some juices; all specialty restaurants; most fitness classes; spa and salon services; shore excursions; gratuities; laundry and purchases from any of the onboard shops. Holland America Line cruisers usually run 50 or older and are evenly split between being retired and employed -- the longer the cruise, the older the demographic and the more retired passengers there are. They tend to be foodies and music-lovers (two things for which HAL prides itself), and most are from the U.S. and Canada, though about 20 percent of the passengers are international, with the U.K. Still, it’s worth bearing the review comments in mind because the ships are different, and will suit different cruise guests. The larger, more modern ships have more to do onboard, and they’re much more contemporary, but you can expect to pay a price that reflects that.
Negatives are the lack of real excitement during the day, and limited options at night, including a lack of quality to the evening entertainment when compared with other cruise lines. Some reviews do mention her feeling a little older too, but it’s a minor quibble generally – more reviews comment on how clean and well-kept she is. The Pinnacle-class ships are very popular with the cruise line’s regular guests, since they offer more spacious public areas and staterooms without really losing the feel of a smaller ship, even if they’re somewhat larger than the older ships in the fleet. Extra fee dining on Rotterdam includes Tamarind, which is quite possibly the best pan-Asian eatery afloat. But you can also choose the excellent Pinnacle Grll steakhouse or the upscale Rudi’s Sel De Mer, a French seafood bistro with a twist). An additional plus is that room service is complimentary (unless ordering specific a la carte priced items), with courses delivered punctually and, when applicable, piping hot.
Noordam has an impressive number for such a small ship, which means there is seldom a wait for those who prefer not to take the stairs. As in other HAL vessels, some impressive and eclectic artwork provides lovely visual surprises throughout the ship. Historic photos of HAL cruisers from days gone by line the hallways and are a good fit for the ship's traditional feel.
During the day things are more sedate, which may suit some people more than others – if you like a long list of activities, you might feel a little bored. So instead, I’ve visited three of the biggest cruise review websites in the world – Cruise Critic, Cruiseline.com and TripAdvisor. And using those websites I’ve found the average review score for all 11 ships in the fleet, and I’ve based this ranking on putting those scores in order. The biggest downsides of the ship were related to the number of people onboard compared to the size of the public spaces. For example, it was often very difficult to find pool chairs at either the main or the aft pools and waiting in line for meals or popular events was very much the norm. If peace and quiet is what you're seeking, the key is to find spaces of solitude wherever you can.
Because, unfortunately, I’ve not yet had the pleasure of sailing on every Holland America ship. In this guide, I’ve ranked all 11 Holland America ships from best to worst, but I wanted to clarify exactly how I’ve done that.
There's also the aft open air SeaView Pool and Bar, where smoking is permitted. Overall, the flow here is good but can be a little challenging when crossing from one side to the other with access blocked on the right side of Deck 11 for crew. Like most new ships, Rotterdam is laid out with public areas concentrated at the top and bottom of the ship, with decks of accommodations sandwiched between.
This is particularly true of the line's Alaska and Canada/New England itineraries. Meanwhile, choose an older ship and you’ll still get the great service and food standards that the cruise line is known for, but with a much more intimate atmosphere and potentially a lower fare. Sister ship to the MS Zaandam, her design is very similar, meaning she has a very simple layout and she is lacking in a lot of entertainment facilities and cabin options, including those with a balcony. Guests don’t seem to mind the lack of balconies, which is understandable since they know what they’re booking when they choose their cruise. The dated style of the ship doesn’t get much of a mention either – again, guests on Zaandam seem to have a good idea of what to expect, and love the ship for her smaller, more personable atmosphere.
Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners who list cruise pricing on Cruise Critic are required to provide prices for cruise only or cruise packages, per person, double occupancy, and are based on specific cabin types and sailing dates, and may not be available for all cabin types/sailings. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. Passengers onboard Holland America Line's ships love the line's dedication to traditional cruise activities, including afternoon tea and ballroom dancing, but they also flock to the line's newer options.
