I work for HAL as a musician from time to time and they are by FAR the best company to work for.

Their medical bays are basically small hospitals. my mother got very ill on ship a few years back,(pre covid) and the care she received was exceptional. I had been in the medical bays of other lines like carnival, which was a closet with a school nurse in it. But holland was fully staffed with 3 nurses, and 2 doctors, a 3 room medical bay and a full pharmacy compliment. On top of that the doctor sat with me and my mother for a half hour discussing care options, treatment, expected symptoms and side effects of the meds they percribed. It was incredible, my own GP isn't as competent or attentive as this doctor was. Best part? for the exam, the meds and the follow up care in cabin, the cruiseline charged us a mere $180! That was it! You can't go to a walk in clinic on land for $180! My mother now cruises exclusively with holland (for a lot of other reasons too) but the medical care in a crisis really tilted her towards them.

I took a week-long cruise with HAL this past June to the Norwegian Fjords, it was my first cruise ever. And as first impressions go HAL was amazing. The staff, the food, the excursions. Everything was top-notch. We somehow lucked out and got a bunch of extras for free when we booked: the wifi, a drinks package (for all drinks sub 11 usd, max 15 a day I believe but we never hit that limit), a credit for specialty dining, a 100usd credit to be used at our convenience on anything except the shops and the casino. I've always been hesitent to go on a cruise because most of them look so 'loud'. Loud parties, water slides, massive casinos, ... More a floating themepark really. And I was very happy that HAL couldn't be farther from that if they tried. Much more classy and aimed at experiences than partying which I absolutely loved. Everything was kept meticulously clean as well, to an honestly impressive and borderline obessive degree. The fact their ships aren't that huge is a big plus as well, we could sail through all the tiny fjords and just dock at the pier. Didn't need to use a boat once to get to land. I literally only have one minor gripe and that's about the included sit-in dining experience. The food wasn't bad in any way, it was just very average compared to the specialty restaurants. Like most of the food was cooked in massive batches and just reheated as opposed to cooked on demand. Which makes sense given the volume they got each day. The buffet and all the specialty restaurants though? Top notch, so we opted to eat at the specialty ones every evening except for 2 nights. One just to give the included restaurant a try and the second because it was the last evening and they were all fully booked! Ate some amazing foods and had an overall amazing time. 4.5 stars easy, honestly closer to 4.9. I'll gladly recommend anyone to take a cruise with them.

Their smaller ships are great. The whole family surprised our mom, and took her on an 80th birthday cruise. We were the only ship that could dock in downtown Hamilton, Bermuda. The Behemoths were stuck docking clear on the other side of the island. She passed 2 years ago. Great memories were made during that trip❤️.

My wife and I love HAL.Cannot wait until we can cruise again,Been on twenty HAL cruises and I can add one thing,About 90% of passengers are older hence no parties in the corridors and no mischief throughout the cruise.If you are looking for parties go elsewhere.

I'm 33, and have been sailing with HAL for the last 7-8 years. I would say that comparing Royal Carribean or Norwiegian to HAL, is like comparing Disney Land to a Sandals beach resort. It's not the same kind of loud "fun"... but the richness of the experiences are unparalleled. I would much rather take in the sight of a towering wall of ice in Glacier Bay with 2-3 of the most important people in my life - than ride on a brightly colored water slide...

Traveled to Alaska two years ago on a Holland America cruise, and would definitely take another cruise. I've done Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian in the past, and while I enjoyed all of those, the HAL cruise had the BEST customer service I've ever experienced (and I've stayed in the penthouse on Celebrity and the Haven on Norwegian - and the HAL customer service for a standard balcony was BETTER!). The bars and entertainment were great, educational programs fantastic, food was awesome, excursions were great and there was definitely an older crowd which I actually enjoyed because it felt much more like an "adult" experience.

We took our first HAL trip on Oosterdam right before the big shut down. I am itching to go back. I loved Dive-in, the burgers. I loved being served in the buffet line. I loved the room service menu. I loved our balcony cabin with its little couch and table that converted from coffee table height to dining height. I loved the views from the top deck lounge. My husband loved Lincoln Center (where you had to go early to get a seat) and the non-smoking casino. We are seasoned Carnival and Princess cruisers, but we decided to try something new and loved it.

Used to play on these cruises with the Glenn Miller Orchestra quite often back in 1998 - 2000. They are a bit more classy than others. The passengers are usually a bit older, more mature, and the overall experience feels more relaxed. If you're looking for parties go elsewhere. Not the best for kids either although you can bring kids without any trouble. Great cruise line!

HAL = Excelence🤩 so I want to add, HAL also is one of the best places to work thats why the excelence of the service😉

What I found with HAL is that there has been a far more diverse collection of destinations than some other cruise lines. This might be changing as smaller ships are phased out. Docking in downtown Shanghai, the San Blas Islands, St Malo, Portimão, Trapani, and Guernsey are some of my special memories with HAL.

This video is about three years old. When I was on the Konigsdam in December 2022, there was NO culinary presentation and Microsoft technology presentations. The spaces and the logos remained but no programs. Also, there was no real educations that I saw that would tell you about the various destinations. One UNIQUE thing that they DID have on board is a Catholic priest who conducted Catholic Masses and Interdenominational services.

My husband and I LOVE your Tips for Travelers. You are articulate and interesting. Thank you for sharing your extensive knowledge.

Been on all the lines and found HAL (6 cruises) was very nice for a quieter venue .

HAL fan here. Smaller ships. Quiet elegance. Great service. Not too many kids. Not gimmicky. Old world cruising. Had an Alaska cruise booked on Oosterdam in May. Cancelled. Rebooking for this time next year.

I love their high teas in the afternoon (best pastries on any cruise lien by far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never cruised with Holland America and honestly, have not even looked at the line much. The quality of the information that they have provided during the recent pandemic (HAL at Home) has been so impressive that they have earned their way to the top of the list. I also like the fact that their buffet is served eliminating some of the concerns about sanitation.

Don't forget - they offer a number of longer cruises. They have several in the 30+ day range which you do not see nearly as often on the other lines.

Our first HAL cruise was to Alaska in 2015. Loved it so much that since then, we have taken HAL to the Med, the Baltic, Norway and the Caribbean. Our cruise-of-a-lifetime to Australia/NZ/Pacific islands was cancelled this year, so we have rebooked it for 2021. We love Lincoln Centre Stage, and the ambience of the ships.

Man the music walk is what I can’t wait to see for sure!

and we provide "the cute-small-washcloth" in every restroom 😍😍 #immapartofhousekeepingteam #HALstrong

We've sailed with HAL many, many times (as well as Carnival, NCL and Celebrity)...our opinion is that the main selling point of HAL (for us) has been their superior service level. We've never had a bad experience on HAL ever.

Our very first cruise was on the Westerdam in 1995 and we loved it. The ship was small and we were able to interact with the staff. The majority of the passengers were 60 plus. We had a senior Olympics and it was wonderful. I would prefer to stay with HAL on the smaller ships

I always enjoy this series for interesting, thorough & valid reports. I think this is an accurate presentation on HAL (although there are a few changes, of course, due to the pandemic, including fewer ships). Not mentioned, here, is the outstanding service provided by the highly trained crew members, the majority of whom are Indonesian & Filipino. Their presence is, in my opinion, an important part of the HAL culture & one of many reasons we love traveling with HAL.

Absolutely agree with what you've said. We loved the Lincoln Stage and Billboard Onboard. We always had to get there at least 30 minutes before the performance to get a seat. We also thought Explorations Central was a great concept and the staff were outstanding however on the Oosterdam the one thing that let it down was the lack of books. We were looking for books about the Panama Canal and sea and land birds of the destinations we visited. We raised the issue with various members of crew and the shops and the response was, "Our guests don't really read or request books" Not sure that's true. Cunard has amazing libraries and we'd expected similar. I would definitely cruise with HAL again.

Thanks for really great overview of Holland America. Your overview is actually so good that people could use it exclusively to actually decide on whether they would want to cruise or not on HAL.

You Sir are a professional and come off as one. Too many new “Cruise Channels” just jump online on Cruise Blogs and copy ideas from the forums. It is painfully obvious too. I dont have to be Lida Loco to see that. I enjoy your videos tremendously!!

So happy to read that all positive comment below,,we will be back #one of balinese crew work for HAL✋...

HAL has turned into my favorite line, you can't beat the itineraries, food, and cabins for the money. The entertainment is weak for those not interested in the music venues / America's Test Kitchen, but we don't have any problem with it. Being 41 and 43, we are a bit younger, but I find that the younger people gravitate towards each other, we talk to the crew, plus I have no problem different generations. The Celebrity decor was a bit more my taste, but the art deco is fine too.

It`s really great that you explain the differences between the purposes of different lines

Thank you Gary, this was very informative and made me see HAL in a different(more positive) way. I will definitely consider them for our next cruise.

we love Holland America, long cruises and places other cruise lines dont go, Sips are small customer service is great, our favorate cruise line

And HAL is usually the first cruise line into new ports! Love HAL!!!

We have done an Alaskan and Caribbean cruise on Holland America ships. My wife and I are wheelchair bound and we found them to be very accommodating to our special needs. I enjoyed the video, it brought back some great memories. We are planning our next cruise as soon as the Civil mess settles down.

Best cruises I've taken have been on HA! Oh, and the food is superior as far as quality on HA to the other lines in their category

Another great, informative video, Gary. HAL is a wonderful line. It caters to a more mature crowd, no need for rock walls or go karts. Cruising is the experience HAL regulars want. Service, good music, fine dining, interesting destinations and attention to detail. Our 3 generation family is taking a HAL cruise to celebrate our 50th anniversary. The only thing we have requested is that we all have dinner together. Different generations have different ideas on how to have fun.

Spot on, Gary! We‘ve been on a couple of „Soul Train“ Cruises ( and the whole ship is partying 24hrs straight)that makes use of HAL and I can‘t wait to return in 2021

Excellent video and information on Holland. Let's keep the momentum for cruising building!!

I love the smaller ships such as the Maasdam, Rotterdam, that carry 1200 to 1400 +/- people. I STILL miss the Prinsendam (800 passengers). We made so many friends on that ship. Also love the crow's nest for relaxation and reading. I haven't been on one of the newer ships where to sell their excursions; I hope the didn't screw it up!!

As a younger cruiser, I really liked their whole Exploration Central area and the cool modern theater the newer ships have. And thanks for actually showing g(r maps and screens in the Exploration Central area. Many videos mention it but don’t show it off.

My very first cruise ever was on the old ms Westerdam, a much smaller ship than what is common today. And while I've cruised on several different lines through the years, HAL is still probably my favorite. My most recent cruise in December was on the ms Koningsdam. They were a little ahead of their time as they were already mostly eliminating the self service food in the buffet. My only "complaint" or observation I guess is that they do seem to attract an older passenger pool. I was 58 on my last cruise and I'm quite sure I was well under the average age of all the passengers. What stands out in my mind about HAL is that they don't do these huge megaship monstrosities and as such, they can go places that some other cruises lines can't. They have some outstanding itineraries. But they are a bit more pricey (in general) than say, Carnival for example.

I am so proud, i been experienced and working for that cruise line company for 2 years, come on in everyone, reserve your ticket, go travel and see the world

Great video! Very informative. We have never taken a cruise, and I think we will take a closer look at Holland America. Your videos are very helpful!

I have done ten cruises with HAL and will be going again next year. My choice of HAL is based on great itineraries. I never look at cruises that focus on water slides, go kart track, etc as the ship for me is my transportation, hotel and dining to as many cities to visit.

Well, here I am female, 68, thinking of my first cruise, solo, and I reckon I am falling into the Cunard and HA camp. I had been thinking I would never be able to cope with too many youngsters enjoying their trip as well. Now I have the answer... thank you for such informative vids, I am soaking them up!

Love your videos. Should be must watch before booking any cruise lines.

Thank you so much for putting out these videos. Your channel has become my go to for all things cruising and I’ve learned an enormous amount from your videos. You do an awesome job and I cannot imagine how long it must take you to make these videos. They’re so informative! I have only sailed on three cruises but I have become hooked on it. My last cruise was with NCL Star recently. I wasn’t all that impressed but they do seem to have more destinations or leave from more ports than HAL. I’m planning my next cruise on HAL. From what I’ve learned about them from you, they would fit me very well.

We love HAL, booked on a transatlantic in October 2021 on the new Ryndam.

My favorite Cruiseline! Classy, good entertainment, optimum music, sedate and dignified cruisers, high decorum and no noise!

We've booked HAL to Alaska this summer. As always, this was very insightful, thanks for sharing.

Love HAL went on old retired ship and had a tub in the huge bathroom and 900 on board. Able to go to places like St. Barts. I’m relatively young and loved the older crowd, pool was always empty, almost no children. Went on the newest ship a year ago which was bigger but still manageable and did love the music walk. They serve you at the buffet which I usually avoid. It was a younger crowd on the new ship.

Most of my cruises have been on HAL ships. Miss the Crows Nest and it's evening dancing. Never see many people using the EXC features. Also find the public spaces, especially the music venues over crowded. Good Info.

I really enjoyed this video, and I didn't consider Holland America until I watched the video. The music walk sounds like a great option.

Nice review. My very first HAL experience was a transatlantic crossing from Rotterdam to NY when I was 3 yrs old! Now hooked and loved the Nieuw Statendam’s Club Orange option this past March. Thanks for taking my question earlier on the live video! Looking forward to your Antarctica adventure if you go. 🤞

Excellent content. I will definitely look to HA for a future cruise.

Went on 2 HAL cruises on Oosterdamn back in 2014. One was from Sydney Australia to around Pacific Islands and the other from Vancouver to Sydney. Couldnt fault them, everything was perfect.

The food in the Pinnacle Grill is the BEST food at sea. We normally eat there every night.

On the Koningsdam they had a Dutch Cafe which we really liked. We took our lunch there most days.

I need to look into this line. Thanks for the info.

That was extremely interesting and informative. I might have to try them once the chance of being abandoned in the middle of the ocean because of viruses is over.

I love how they focus on the location

Thank you for the rundown of HAL. Got a cruise credit with them- looking forward to Alaska someday :-)

Thank you Gary. Very useful. We have never sailed with this line. Now open to researching further 👍🥂

I will have to start looking for their solo cabins

Thank you Gary for this informative video. I have just booked the 150th Anniversary cruise out of Rotterdam on the Rotterdam.

Light on lat night entertainment probably because of the geriatric crowd but way less younger low lifes on board is a big plus

We did the Baltic cruise in 2019 with HA and can highly recommend them.

Excellent video thank you

I have to prepare a ppp about HAL and tbh I have never heard of them before. This video really helps me to visualize everything! Thank you very much!

Very nice overview of Holland America Cruise Line, Gary. My wife and I cruised on HAL in January 2020 from Ft. Lauderdale to Panama Canal and returning to Ft. Lauderdale. I would say that your comments are ‘Spot On’ and represent a fair assessment of what to expect onboard an HAL ship. We were on the Eurodam which was quite comfortable. We were fortunate to be able to upgrade to a Pinnacle Level Suite, which was quite nice, with access to the Pinnacle Lounge, and had a very comfortable Suite on the same Level as the Pinnacle Lounge. Anyway, another very informative and interesting video...Ed

We had a nightmare of a cruise with Holland America. Our room was flooded and they would not move us. It took 3 days to enjoy our Very Expensive Suite. They offered us a bottle of wine! The only time they made an effort to work with us was when my travel agent contacted them after we got back. Terrible service in the dining room Will never travel with them again.

We’ve been sailing with Holland America for many many years and have really enjoyed each cruise A fun thing about holland America is they reuse the ship names. So I’ve been on the Statendam 4 and 5 and just waiting to find an itenary to get on the Niewe Statendam

The way you showed the angles of the ship is spot on. The ship looks very ellegant. The rear is where redesigned Vista-class suffer dearly though. But from the front and the sides, the ship looks gorgeous, like a yacht.

This is a super video; just the right amt of detail while covering bases. We love Holland America. One other thing they do differently: Holland America is (I think) the only line that guarantees Catholic Mass every single day on board (scheduled outside the port times, too!). (IIRC correctly they offer some deal to vacationing priests in exchange for daily services and a few other ministries on board) Services are always full when we go. So if attending Sunday or even daily Mass is important to you, there's another thing setting HAL apart from other lines.

Oh man can’t wait to to see that old maritime atmosphere

Love the Dutch Cafe on the newer ships!

Hal and Cunard are the best and oldest lines that are out there I wish i could get on the Queen mary 2 soon

Love the taco bar onboard.

I find that HAL still makes the dining room experience better than Celebrity. It’s more classy and you feel less like in a cafeteria. They have less all inclusive options than other companies. I like them very much.

We just got back from our first cruise as adults with HAL to Alaska. We were a multi-gen group with my Grandma (almost 80), our parents (in their 60s), and my husband's sister and brother-in-law (all of us are in our 20s). We had a really great time. The population was definitely older. Some of the people on board I was shocked to see able to travel at all at their age. That said, there were also several families with young kids (even in early May) and lots of middle aged people. There were only 4-5 other groups I saw who looked to be in their 20s and 30s however. The food seemed to be very hit or miss. It was either not worth eating at all or totally delicious. And the alcoholic beverages, to me, are not worth it. We had the "Have it All" deal which included drinks or I would not have spent money on any, and I would not pay for the beverage package in future. The drinks were so sugary and light on alcohol. I am a total lightweight and normally get tipsy after half a glass of red wine. I was drinking 5-6 cocktails a night and could have still driven due to how little alcohol I was actually consuming. I would definitely not pay their standard $10.75 per drink and would stick to the free beverages and an occasional soda. One thing we absolutely loved was their featured "EXC" cultural talks and I think they are a major reason I would want to cruise with HAL again. They do a great job of honoring the area and culture you are in and helping you to learn. Our cruise director Rachel was amazing and so full of knowledge, as was our Wildlife Expert Natalie and we really enjoyed each session with them. We also loved the music walk although we were sad that what used to be 4 music venues had been pared down to only 2, at least on our ship (Westerdam). The dueling pianos was a major highlight and we spent every evening in Billboard Onboard. However all nightlife ended by 10:30 pm, which was disappointing. We are not huge party people but we would have wanted to stay out another hour or two each night with activities to do or shows to attend. However the thing I absolutely could not stand and drove me absolutely crazy, and is the sole reason we didn't book another trip while onboard, is the dining times. The Lido is only open for what I consider to be inconvenient and minimal hours and there was no food to be found on the ship anywhere at all from about 2-5pm or after 8pm. You could order room service but it was a very limited menu and took an hour to arrive each time. Dining times were often scheduled right over port times (which we only had 4-5 hours in each port) meaning if we were on an excursion or shopping instead of eating in port, we would miss a meal. I was frequently hungry on our trip and several times unable to find anything to eat for several hours which made me HANGRY instead of hungry! We are now looking to book our next cruise (open to lots of destinations) because we loved the experience and want to keep doing this. But we are seriously looking into other lines simply because of the dining times! Surely someone has to have a 24 hour buffet, or at least one that's open at 3:00, 8:30 or 9:00!

Thanks, as always, for your balanced reporting. I am curious about your different categories of cruise lines. You refer to HAL as being premium. What are the categories that you have above and below that, and can you give us examples of lines that fit within the various categories? Apologies if you have already addressed this in a different video. If you have, could you provide a link to that? Thanks.

Love Holland America. My last cruise was on the Konigsdam which ended because of the pandemic shutdown on March 13th in Fort Lauderdale. Regarding the music, I do feel they miss one style of music that would be a wonderful addition and that is jazz.

Thanks for the very complete review.

Excellent video. I feel I am very much at the bottom of the scale for HAL's demographic at 31 but I really feel they are trying to make a push into younger generations with the Pinnacle class ships. I prefer the laid back, traditional experience onboard. You can't beat the relaxation one feels aboard a HAL ship. Plus, in my experience at least, they are often cheaper than Princess and Celebrity but feel less crowded.

We cruise on Holland America because they offer unique itineraries. Not really interested in the normal Caribbean, Alaska cruises Have sailed to Spitsbergen, Komodo Island, Pago Pago, Newfoundland, Greenland, etc. on Holland America.

I read the history of HAL a d was very impressed. So sad my March cruised had to be cancelled by HAL due to the virus but I will rebook for a future cruise on the Neu Statendam.

I love cruising with Holland America, I like that they do two completely different itineraries back to back, for instance in Europe I did the Baltic and stayed onboard for the Highlands and Fjords. I've also done the Aus & NZ Christmas/New Year's cruise they are one of the few cruise lines that you are away for both Christmas and New Years which really suits me as that's when our office shuts down. I was supposed to be doing their Japanese cruise in October, but because of COVID and Japan not really opening up, we decided it was too dicy, with having to book airfares so far out, so are now trying Ponant's Greek coasts to Atlantic shores

I really like the outside appearances of HAL ships, our first cruise was on the old Niew Amsterdam, then in 2014 we took my mum-in-law from the UK on an Alaska round trip 7 day from our hometown, Vancouver. It was fine but the food was a real let down this time. We usually go with Princess or Celebrity, even better cuisine.

For Alaska , Holland is the way to go ....

My favorite!

Was supposed to sail Mariner earlier this year, but..... Took FCC for Caribbean cruises this winter. Looking forward to our first HAL existence.

Love Holland America and can’t wait to get back to cruising again when the Australian government gives permission for the cruise lines to come back into Australia.

Just signed up! Always liked your videos, now I'll get every one! We have sailed on two HAL ships, first one great, the other not so much. To be honest, last one was on Veendam on New Year's Eve. Very little in the way of entertainment, but to be honest, Veendam did not have a lot of entertainment venues. Would like to try them again, as they sail out of our home port FLL. I would like to try the Nieuw Amsterdam, any recommendations? Also, all this is dependent on approval of the Chancelloress of the Exchequer (AKA my wife!) Can't wait for the next videos as we are loosening up cruise wise!

Very interesting and informative topic. It seems you have cruised with Holland America many times. One day I'll try them.

They just do everything better. Five star mariner here!

Interesting to see the differences!

I worked for HAL (Westours HAL) in the 80s as a motorcoach driver, and I think something that WAS unique about HAL was a "no tipping required" policy. I think it was a "dutch" thing, and I can't speak of other ocean liners. But it seems the automatic tip thing happened with other lines, with HAL following later.

HA was the 1st to get a cruise ship into roratonga harbor in over 100 years. It was great

Love ordering off main dining room menu for room service

Sorry to see the Crows Nest replaced with something else. It used to be a great spot to put your feet up and read a book while watching the ocean go by.