We sailed on Koningsdam in July and absolutely loved it. The ship is gorgeous and so well done. We didn’t mind the eve.y nights as we had our ten year old with us so it was perfect. Also meant we got enough sleep each night to be up in the mornings. The last night in the theatre room has an amazing show with dancing and then the BB Kings singer domes out to do a duet with Whitney on screen, sooo good!! We adored the piano duo too ❤️❤️ I’d recommend it.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

It is a beautiful ship! We loved all the fresh flower arrangements everywhere and the elegant decor! The early nights are not so bad, just worth mentioning for people who expect a night club or late night party on a cruise ship. For us, we like the late night piano bars, but still had a great time without it! Getting to bed earlier meant we were able to get up earlier, and that’s when we saw most of the humpbacks during our trip! We had a long travel day ahead of us, so we went to bed early on the last night. Too bad we missed that show! Didn’t even realize we missed it! Guess we will just have to go back 😉 😂 Thanks so much for watching!

One of our favorite things on HAL is that it is really quiet at night. We’ve enjoyed sitting under the moon or hanging out in one of the nooks in one the bars. It’s like living in a huge managed house - by ourselves!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

Love that perspective!

I'm a night owl, but tend to work on taxes at night while cruising, and enjoy the movies on demand. The food, service, and cabins make Holland our favorite mass market line. We're not picky with entertainment, so the cooking classes and orchestra are just as enjoyable as a beanbag toss or comedy show.

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

If only it had more trivia, it would be my absolute favorite! That’s the one thing I really missed. The food was great! I did an entire video just about the food and drinks! It was a great cruise, and we would definitely sail with Holland again! I feel like it’s important to make sure I share my full experience, that way people already know what to expect and don’t end up disappointed. I think most people will love Holland America though!

A really great Review. We're booked to go on Eurodam in January 2023, and it will be our first ever sailing with Holland America - we're very excited!!

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Have a good time! Can’t wait to see what you think!

@ew8944

Жыл бұрын

Just sailed on Eurodam last week, awesome ship and crew, music was fabulous, esp. the BB King band. The ship is not brand new but well maintained. You will have a great time!

@sailawaymag

Жыл бұрын

@@ew8944 Hello, thank you so much for your message of assurance. We're very excited to try Holland America, and travel on Eurodam. We've also been invited for a Press Trip aboard Rotterdam before she heads back to America - very interested to see how HAL compare to Celebrity :) glad you had an amazing time!!

Unlimited laundry! That’s pretty neat. I’ve never heard of that on a cruise line. Thanks for sharing.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

It’s at a very reasonable price too! Well worth it to not have to pack as much and not come home with so much dirty laundry!

Thanks for sharing your review and recommendations. Love the vibrant vibes out there.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Sailed on her in April 2024 in a Aft Neptune. We loved the ship so much we booked an 18 Hawaii trip in Jan 2025. We enjoy HAL. Thanks for sharing

@ThereToHereTravels

2 ай бұрын

That’s amazing! We love the pinnacle class ships also! Thank you for watching!

Now only book on Holland America. Great food, free room service, not a party ship thank goodness, smaller ships with not all the crowds. Perfect!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

They have exceptional service, and the food is delicious! I also love how elegant everything looked with fresh flowers everywhere!

New subscriber ... loved your focus on giving helpful tips. Much appreciated - we'll be on a HAL ship for the first time in a few weeks, so I liked hearing your thoughts and comparisons.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching! Glad it helped! You’re going to have a great time!

That must be so wonderfully exciting to step onto the ship for the first time! I would most definitely be spending my time in the casinos, quite fascinating that they have them on the boat!

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

It’s always thrilling to get on a new ship!

Just booked Konsingdam for 18 day cruise to Hawaii next January! We are platinum on Carnival and moved over to HAL pre COVID and we love HAL. Yes we are older and retired and the party days for us are in the rear view mirror. I can understand why you enjoy Carnival and I felt your review of HAL was very fair and honest. We really enjoy the food on HAL, no need for us to even visit the dining room. We also loved all the free movies available in our room. Night owl days have come and gone for us so HAL is a great option for us, We love sitting up in the Crow's Nest! Great video!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

We love HAL too, but wanted to share our perspective for anyone who might be used to Carnival and expect every cruise experience to be the same. We’re going on an 11 day sailing next month on HAL. Maybe we’ll see you on a HAL ship one day! Thank you for watching!

This is the first video of yours we’ve watched, and it was so helpful! We’re sailing with HAL for the first time this fall on the Nieuw Statendam. Glad to know about the alarm for the pool roof - I would’ve completely freaked out - and the laundry service and passport. Have never seen anyone mention those things before!

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for watching! We hope you have an amazing time!

This was an excellent reviews and I wanted to hear and view different prospective. Thank you for sharing.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

This is very helpful. Will come handy for anyone planning a cruise trip.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Nice video! Love cruising 🤙🤙 Subbed and all ✌✌

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!!

Hey thanks for the useful information. Cruising is quite fun I can see.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Yes it is! It’s our favorite!

Very useful information, thanks for sharing

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

You check off the number of each items in your laundry so they can do quality control to make sure you get the same number of items back.

@ThereToHereTravels

6 ай бұрын

It made sense after we did it, but I didn't know at the time. Now we do! Thanks!!

I thought you were gonna win the drawing. Cute video, thanks for sharing.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

That was the last of 3 tickets he pulled! I was so close!!

Ha! The first time we sent off laundry on HAL, we forgot to mention how we wanted our laundry returned. Even the underwear was on hangers!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

😂 That’s too funny!

Just finished a 22 day cruise on the Oosterdam. There was trivia 3 times a day.

@ThereToHereTravels

6 ай бұрын

Awesome! Our Koningsdam trip was when they were still recovering from the shut down. They didn’t have as much going on. We sailed with HAL again on the Rotterdam and it had a lot more activities! We sail on the Rotterdam again in 2 weeks! We can’t wait! We love HAL!

What was the drink that’s pictured right at 7:03? It looks like maybe some kind of coffee or chocolate drink with cloud of whipped cream! Yummy looking!!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

The drink all the way to the left is a iced latte. Most likely a caramel iced latte. That was from the grand Dutch café. The one on the right is the hot version. We loved the grand Dutch café! Thanks for watching!

@2ysur2ysib

Жыл бұрын

@@ThereToHereTravels Thank you!!😋

awesome place! love watching.

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Yes they close earlier than the pub at home, but if you start in the early afternoon you'll be fine by eleven. Plus you may be fresh enough to see the sunrise at sea and that is something you will remember for life. By the way bartender Jeffery on the Rotterdam will keep you in stitches also. I leave on the Konningsdam in November and will definitely be stopping every day most likely at the Ocean bar. 👍

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

That was the benefit earlier nights- earlier mornings! That’s when we saw most of our humpback whale sightings! The earlier time would probably have bothered us more if we were in the Caribbean. Alaska has so much to see and we’re docked in the ports so long, that you can really get the most out of your day! We don’t stay up that late at home, but we do enjoy a few late nights on our Caribbean cruises. For us it was more that the piano bar wasn’t open all night, but we still had a great time anyway! If we end up on the Rotterdam, we will definitely visit Jeffrey and make sure to tell him you sent us! If you meet Vincent, please let him know you found him on KZread! We’re sure he’ll get a kick out of that! Have an amazing time!

I've never done a cruise holiday like this, but this looked a lot of fun

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Cruising is the best! Definitely try it sometime!

I've never been on a cruise but this looks amazing 👏

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

It’s our favorite way to vacation!

If you expected a Carnival experience on Holland America, you shouldn’t be surprised you didn’t. Holland America is traditional cruise experience. We have been cruising with Holland America for at least fifteen years. We know we will never travel on a Carnival cruise.

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

We weren’t expecting a carnival experience, but did hope for a little bit more activity, or at least things open until midnight. I think it was still slowed down coming off of Covid. We still thoroughly enjoyed it though! So much so, that we booked a sailing on the Rotterdam. That was this past March, and was one of the best cruises we’ve ever had! Rotterdam had much more entertainment, trivia, later hours available, while also being what you would expect from a Holland America cruise. We don’t necessarily like the crazy party atmosphere of carnival, but we do love trivia and late night piano bar. Holland America is definitely working towards, including that well also maintaining the traditions of cruising that you expect from a Holland America Line! Thanks for watching! Maybe we will see you on a Holland ship one day!

@briannickerson6858

Жыл бұрын

@@ThereToHereTravels You may have boarded the Rotterdam just after we got off in March. We did 21 days, which is our usual winter getaway from Maine winters. In January 2024, we will do our 21 days on the Eurodam. It is a little older than the Koningsdam and Rotterdam. But it has a few features we like better. The Promenade deck is not obscured by tenders. That means better visibility, a wider walking path and deck chairs. It also has larger top decks so we can watch stars at night. Downside is the Music Walk. The three Koningsdam class ships had it designed into the construction. The older ships are adapting. Eurodam is slightly smaller with less staterooms, but it isn’t that noticeable. We started cruising when we were still in our 40s. The first few cruises were with Princess, a bit more like Carnival than HAL. We switched to HAL in our mid-late 50s when we were in the middle of their demographic. I am now 80 and we are at the upper end of the age group. If you are sailing with Carnival and HAL, are you aware of the benefits for owning Carnival stock? If not, check it out.

I've always thought this ship looks absolutely stunning, although I'm so surprised the retractable roof is so non-relaxing when it opens, haha!

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

It is beautiful! At least the roof opening is brief 😂

Are adult beverages included? If not what is the pricing, per drink or unlimited and costs? Thanks great review!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

They change up promotions frequently. We are going on another Holland cruise next month. It’s 11 days, and the current “have it all“ promotion includes the “signature drink package“. Signature package includes all beverages under $11. This covers most alcoholic drinks. Beers are around $8, sodas are around $3, water is around $4. Most cocktails fall under the $11 limit. Same for wine. I have it all package came to $50 per person per day. Since we’re gone for 11 days, it was $1100. It also includes premium Internet, $200 each towards excursions, and two nights in the paid for restaurants. We decided to get it. We had a version of “have it all“ during the sailing in this video. Except instead of excursions, it included gratuities. The signature drink package allows 15 drinks a day. That includes alcohol and non-alcoholic. So if you got 10 water bottles, that only leaves you five alcoholic beverages for the day. We never ran into an issue. When we had leftover drinks for the day, we would get Waters before heading to bed. That way we already had some for the next day. For people who don’t drink that much alcohol, Holland also offers a coffee drink package. There’s also the elite drink package that covers more stuff. I believe that one is unlimited, but I’m not 100% sure. Hope that helps!!!

We did Norwegian for our Alaska cruise a few years ago. The destination was amazing but the ship itself was a meh; so always looking at options for our next Alaskan adventure so this is great!

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

We usually sail with Carnival, but I really wanted a stop in Glacier Bay. Carnival didn’t have any options that included it, so we chose Holland America. I’d like to check out Princess sometime also!

we are doing our 1st cruse 18 days to Hawaii , kind of nervous 1st time but kind of excited. lots of sea days to see what the boat offers.. its like 150 days till the cruse and every... every outing is booked, so we had to do waiting list, this is disappointing as no one told, or informed us of when we could begin booking, so not sure if we like this, off to a bad start. :(

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

An 18 day cruise! That is awesome! check back to excursions often. They may add new ones. In the meantime, do some research on the best things to do at each port. Some of our absolute favorite port days have been ones that we did ourselves. It will take a little bit of extra planning, but you can have an even better time for less money sometimes! Don’t let this bring you down, you are in for an amazing experience! Sidenote, my first cruise, I actually got horribly seasick. I tried everything and while some stuff helped make me function better, nothing really made me feel 100%. I found MQ patches on Amazon. Very inexpensive and no side effects. My tip that I share with every first time cruiser is to grab themselves a box. If you don’t get seasick and don’t need them, it’s not an expensive loss. If you do need them, you’ll be happy to have them! For many people, when they get off the ship, they feel like they’re still rocking. The patches help with that too! I don’t get anything for recommending them, I’m just a satisfied customer! I love cruising and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them! sorry for the super long response, but I hope it helps!

@remziwigett5472

Жыл бұрын

@@ThereToHereTravels Update Holland offered a perk to the have it all package that would include Crew Appreation(tips), orgnailly it was going to be like a 300+ per person charge for the cruse, after calling them, we ended up getting that included keeping all the ohter perks as well as not gaining about 50$ per person on board credit that we did not have before. im guessing people dont know or do this, .. now to get off the waiting list for all our shore outings since they where all sold out. :( still some good news..

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

@@remziwigett5472 That’s great news! Make sure you check back regularly, especially when final payments are due. There are some people who may cancel before the final payment is due and then they’d be canceling their excursions. If you’re able to, I would check back daily. You never know!

I never win at the slots ever 😔 wow the laundry service looks like a great deal.. I feel it is so worth it for a bigger family.. Not sure if it’s worth spending so much for 2 ppl.. 🤔 Thanks for sharing …

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

It was definitely worth it for two people in this scenario. We were flying and we were in Alaska. So we had to pack a lot of thick layers. We were able to pack less items since they were able to be washed. We fit everything in one checked luggage and two carry-ons. If we had to bring an extra checked suitcase, it would’ve been $30 each flight. So technically we saved $10 and didn’t have to do laundry! If we were driving to the cruise port or if we didn’t need as many clothes, maybe we wouldn’t have needed it. Thanks for watching!

Seeming like you cruise a lot. Do you have a cruise company preference?

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

So far we prefer Carnival, but there are so many cruise lines we haven’t tried yet!

Loved this video! How far in advance before de departure date can you download and access the HAL Navigator app?

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! You can download it as soon as you are booked and connected to your account. Once you are onboard and connect to the ships, free Wi-Fi, the app will change and include different features.

@leslier9417

Жыл бұрын

@@ThereToHereTravels Thank you very much! Your video is really useful 🙂

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

@@leslier9417 thank you so much!!!

Very informative video! Was the $49 laundry per person, or per room? Am looking at doing an HAL Alaska cruise next year but can’t decide between May or September…will gladly accept any tips!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

The laundry is per cabin! It’s a great deal! I think when it comes to picking the best time of year to go, it should depend on what’s most important for you to see/do. This chart was something I referred to when trying to decide for us. Hope it helps you!! Let me know if there’s anything else we can help with!!! You’re going to have a great time no matter what! www.alaska.org/advice/best-time-to-visit-alaska

@samanthapatrick1685

Жыл бұрын

@@ThereToHereTravels Thanks so much that’s really helpful. Was feeling September and this chart cemented it! I live in the Caribbean so will have to go to BC a couple of days early to go sweater shopping 🤣

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

@@samanthapatrick1685 definitely! But remember, you won’t need too many sweaters if you use the laundry service! 😉😂

you had me at the intro. if you guys won, I was turning it off!! 😂😂

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

HAL is much classier, you can go on Carnival for a PARTY ship!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

We enjoy both lines for different reasons. Yes, Carnival does stay open later, and we enjoy all the activities- mainly trivia. HAL is a beautiful ship with amazing food and the service is second to none! We will be on the Rotterdam next month for 11 days. We hope our review prepares people who are interested in trying out HAL after Carnival.

Looks like a nice ship. What port does this one leave from?

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

This one was out of Vancouver and cruise to the inside passage to Alaska. Leaving Vancouver was the nicest port we have ever sailed out of! Usually after we leave a court, we are in open water fairly quickly. This one follows along A channel between two pieces of land. So there was something to look at on either side of the ship for hours! I’m not sure where it will head when Alaska a Cruising season is over.

NICE AND INTERESTING VIDEO! NEW SUBSCRIBER NOW

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Love the Orange night, wear orange and go party honoring Netherlands. They have special drinks and free food from Netherlands. Lots of fun. I did two trivia’s every night on my recent cruise with them

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

Orange night was fun! Our sailing typically had one trivia in the afternoon and one in the evening. The topics were things like “the color orange”. I’m a little more used to five or six trivia games per day, with things like “Game of Thrones” and music trivia. It wasn’t quite what I was used to, but still a good time!

@amybradley5821

Жыл бұрын

@@ThereToHereTravels ours had a general trivia every night and a music trivia at the piano bar every night! Won a music trivia and won a food trivia.

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

@@amybradley5821 that’s awesome! I wonder if ours was still just getting started with a newer crew and wasn’t fully set up? We didn’t have that much. We’ll have to try again soon!

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

@@amybradley5821 you convinced us to try again! We just booked an 11 night for March on the Rotterdam!!

@amybradley5821

Жыл бұрын

@@ThereToHereTravels so glad. I only go HAL now. Not a party ship but they had great bands in the Rolling Stone lounge. And I don’t remember them shutting down so early but I’m not a night owl and was tired from excursions. They also had a great chocolate night with chocolate drinks, chocolate snacks etc.I’m booked for next May! Enjoy!

i have to say unlimited laundry for $49 sounds like a pretty good deal! id be sending everything in every day i think! Looks like a pretty fun time all round!

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

It was a great deal and a great time!

lol that won’t work with the third party that booked this cruise for us. There’s so many night owls and they will drink and eat all night! So that will not happen.

@ThereToHereTravels

8 ай бұрын

I’m happy to say that when we went on Holland America in March this year, it was a different experience. Places stayed open later than they had during this recording. Perhaps it was because it was still adjusting after Covid shut downs. I’m sure you’ll have a great time!

🎉😂

@ThereToHereTravels

2 жыл бұрын

😁

It’s for old people the line. My peeps.

@ThereToHereTravels

Жыл бұрын

I think a younger crowd can appreciate it. As long as they know what they’re getting into. We knew it was geared towards an older crowd, but not the details on what actually makes it different. I don’t think anyone ever goes into details on why. Before sailing, I kind of just thought it meant there wasn’t going to be salt in the food 😂. The food was delicious by the way!

@chicagomike

Жыл бұрын

@@ThereToHereTravels thanks. I want an older crowd now. I am 65. I am just there for the scenery. I wanted to go this year but for Alaska I think it’s too late. Thanks. Might take a car trip. For Alaska you need a pre Covid test cuz it goes through Canada that scares me. If I have it then I gather I lost all that cash. Thanks good luck.