41 Nights South Pacific Crossing & New Zealand Collec Cruise

Great combination of Asian islands for foodies

Having previously sailed Japan to Hong Kong via Korea and mainland China, this itinerary was a wonder alternative to see more diverse island countries with less stress, more sunshine and exceptional food. Favorite aspects: - Overnight in Osaka, where we decided to splurge with hotel rooms at the Conrad Osaka. Although early in our voyage, it was so fun to be in the center of the city to explore the famous Dōtonbori neighborhood late into the night. - Okinawa! It's not impossible to visit without a cruise ship, but realistically we wouldn't have gotten to these beautiful and relaxed islands without this itinerary. Now I'm hooked and will return for sure. - Staying in Keelung rather than making the effort for a few hours in Taipei. There was plenty to see (and eat) in the port city. Taipei would be better seen on a multi-day stop, or a pre/post visit traveling by air. Things I'd do different: - Being typhoon season, we encountered two storms, one of which rerouted our itinerary slightly. HAL did a great job and we couldn't complain. But, travel with patience and flexibility - not all ports are guaranteed (especially in the fall) - Manilla didn't capture our interest. Don't be shy using it as a pool / spa day on the ship

1st Time On Holland American - Great Time

1st time on Holland America. Had a great time doing the South bound cruise. I really like the food on this cruise. They had variety of options. We like eating in the main dining room which was very good. The Lido deck we ate at a few times and was very good as well. This is an older smaller ship which is the type of ship I prefer. Crew was very good and helpful. Look forward to trying other ships in the fleet. On this cruise we had a local native American Kevin on board for a day. He offered great information on living in Alaska. So much information. Just fascinated with the information he presented. At each port they had a variety of excursions, we enjoyed and were treated very well on all of them. Whale watching was one of the highlights of tis cruise. We had several excursions where we were able to see whales. Lots of other wild life on this trip.

Alaska is absolutely amazing!

This was our 3rd time going to Alaska but our first time continuing on to Denali. We absolutely Love Alaska! and there is no better way than to travel than with Holland America! We sailed up several fjords to Harvard Glacier and many other glaciers (but I forgot all their names). The seas were very calm the weather was clear (luckily) and we even saw a pod of whales off our balcony! The staff onboard could not have been more attentive and were genuinely happy, courteous and most accommodating. The food was excellent at all meals, even snack time. The cookies were delicious and of course the ice cream that goes with them. The dancers, piano players and other entertainment was very enjoyable. We also met some very nice people that we will definitely keep in touch with and hopefully travel together with in the future. We love Holland America, and the Noordam, and the crew, and the food and the whole DAM trip!