Great return to cruising

Incredible experience for what my wife and I were expecting (quiet, laid back). Ship was very well maintained and staff were incredible. We chose HAL for the food and for the quieter atmosphere and both delivered. The food was really good, we ate at the MDR whenever available and every single meal there was a hit. The Lido was sometimes busy but never took too long to get food. The cafe on the 3rd floor had really great pastries that I got every day too! There was sometimes a long line to go to the pizza place for late night snacks but the ability to order pizzas online helped there somewhat. We didn't book this cruise for the on board entertainment but went to a couple shows which were OK. The music walk seemed like fun but it wasn't our taste of music which is also OK. Overall for us it was a great experience.

Koningsdam provides an outstanding experience.

HAL continues it's tradition of providing a quality journey for a mature traveler. Outstanding service in all areas and the ship has been maintained in very good condition. The only negative is that they allow smoking throughout the casino. This can be an issue when you make your way from the World Stage to other areas on deck 3. The Main dining room has quality servings. Strongly recommend the Pinnacle Grill, Tamarindo, for speciality dining. Our cabin was in very good condition and the cabin stewards kept it spotless during our journey. Walking the Promenade deck is a Holland American tradition that you don't find on other cruise ships. Some of the entertainment and guest speakers can vary in quality, but for the most poit their is something for everyone. The shore excursions that Holland America offers are a bit pricy. We purchased several directly from tour companies and through Viator.

Best Cruise EVER!!!

There is an article on this website that discusses changes in Celebrity and how it has spiraled downwards. I have done 60 cruises with Celebrity and my first Holland America (HA) cruise the past April 5th Celebrity has become a cash conscious taker, has cut so many things just to save a few bucks and I will not sail with them again. On the Koningsdam, everything was outstanding. The staff are very gracious, happy. joke amongst themselves and one can easily see that HA treats them well. Not so with Celebrity - I have had several run-ins with rude staff members. The food is far superior than Celebrity and unlike Celebrity, it arrives in a timely manner. It was evident that HA made most of the activities relatable to the cruise we are on. Celebrity does not, its just the same old, same old... The officers were kind and toured the ship talking with guests onboard. I had a nice decision with the Captain and his Deputy. I was given a reduced cost upgrade to a Vista Suite. In all the 60 cruises I have sailed with Celebrity, not once was I offered a free upgrade or a reduced cost upgrade. The size of the ship was perfect, the new Celebrity Edge class are far too big, They do not have verendahs. Don't let them fool you with their ridiculous virtual window BS. If you still want to sail with them, save some money and go for an ocean view room. Its a waste to buy Concierge Class ticket. The entertainment aboard HA was outstanding. I attended almost all events in the evening with HA and they really made an effort to do their very best. Celebrity on the other hand - their entertainment was of a very poor quality replaying and replaying several productions (Rock City and the timeclock thing). I stopped going to their attempt at entertainment long ago and just went to bed. HA is very careful about soliciting guests to buy things like upgraded beverages and wifi, i.e. they do not do it. You have to ask for it. Celebrity on the other hand, bombards its guests daily trying to sell amenities or upgraded ones. The dancers were exceptional. Celebrity has also shortened its cruises - there are no 14 night cruises in the Caribbean anymore. Quick sales for quick cruises. They have changed their strategy towards the younger folk, but have forgotten about us oldies (PS it is us who have money, not the youngsters). There is all kinds of variety of types and duration of cruises with HA. In my view, Celebrity has sadly set up to fail.. Celebrity has not strategically thought out their changes and it is going to haunt them in the near future. I believe safety is of prime importance - Celebrity is grossly lacking in this regard. They have reduced staff again so that guests have to plate themselves in the Ocean View Cafe and many with mobility issues are without assistance, or they have to wait for assistance. Not so with HA, everything is served by the staff in the Rido Market (I think it is called that) and it is much healthier. On Celebrity I have seen men come from the restroom after not cleaning their hands and sticking them directly into food. I had two stateroom attendants and two waiters with HA, and everyone did, regardless of your cabin. Celebrity did away with the second stateroom attendant and one of two waiters to save money. HA stateroom attendants wash down the walls - saw them doing so when I came back in. I am disappointed for two reasons: a. I am kicking myself for not trying HA much earlier in my cruise life; and b. Celebrity was once a great cruise line before corporate killed it and I have 1800 loyalty points with Celebrity that will be at sea. But I am not compromising again! With Future Cruises, I booked two more 17 night cruises with HA. This week I am cancelling all of my pending cruises with Celebrity.

7 Day Grandparents Cruise

This was the first time we have done a grandparents cruise. We brought our 2 granddaughters, ages 11 & 13. We knew that Holland America would not be a "fun ship", with slides and bumper cars and climbing walls. That wasn't what we wanted anyway. We wanted the kind of cruise we knew would be comfortable for us, deciding the girls wouldn't need all the extras. After all, they had never been on a cruise, so we figured the novelty alone would be enough. We weren't the only parents/grandparents that felt like we did. There turned out to be quite a few children, and none of them were the obnoxious kind. We saw them mostly around the pool, and on one sea day the ship hosted carnival games where we saw lots of kids. They had a great time on the ship and on land. Two days in San Francisco was great; the ship docks a 15 minute walk to Ghirardelli Square. We had a lot of fun together at the stop in Astoria, Oragon. That was a great little city. We did tea at the Empress in Victoria, which to be honest was overkill for these young girls. And we rented a car to go out to Butchart Gardens. On the ship, we went to dinner together in The Dining Room every night, which was fun for the girls night after night to choose whatever they wanted off the formal menu. For lunch there is a pizza place that will take your specific order, and a burger place; it was a great ship for kids! We were able to have the 4 of us in a veranda cabin, where one bed came down from the ceiling. It was a tight fit, but we were never uncomfortable.