One of the nice things about Holland America's onboard ambience is that its arty, colorful ships, though all carrying an individual decorating theme, have a pleasant consistency. Holland America ships have numerous traditions -- such as afternoon tea, gentlemen hosts for dancing on cruises over 10 days and a quaint "chime ringing" to announce dinner -- that are consistent throughout the fleet.
The line distinguishes itself with an eclectic yet thoughtful collection of artwork onboard, and art tours are definitely worthwhile. Self-guided iPod tours are even available. The devices can be borrowed from each ship's Explorations Cafe.
Holland America offers some special-touch services not found on other cruise lines. If you're on a warm weather itinerary, you'll find waiters roaming the decks with tall glasses of iced tea or lemonade. In Alaska, you'll warm up on the outside decks with mugs of delicious Dutch pea soup.
The line was a pioneer in introducing the alternative restaurant concept with the introduction of Odyssey Restaurant onboard the Rotterdam. These days, the concept has evolved, and the line's signature restaurant, the Pinnacle Grill, is in place, fleetwide, as the alternative dining venue. The Pinnacle Grill is a reservations-only venue with a $10 cover charge for lunch and a $20 charge for dinner. The atmosphere is elegant, and the menu features meat and seafood dishes with a Pacific Northwest theme. The line's newest vessels, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam, introduced Tamarind, an Asian specialty restaurant featuring fee-free Dim sum and $15 dinner.
Holland America has long been one of the more traditional cruise lines when it comes to main restaurant dining, but it does now offer passengers more flexibility with "As You Wish" dining. It works like this: One level of the ships' two-deck-high dining rooms will be dedicated to traditional, early (5:45 p.m.) or main-seating (8 p.m.) while the other is open from 5:15 to 9 p.m. daily. (Breakfast and lunch are already open-seating.) Passengers opting for open-seating can make reservations ahead of time -- or simply walk in.
Evening entertainment, consistent with the Holland America experience, is fairly understated with pre-dinner cocktails generally being the liveliest time. However, there are numerous entertainment options, from disco-style dancing in the Crow's Nest and flicks in the cinema to Vegas-style revues in the main theater.
Fellow Passengers
Holland America has long had a reputation for catering to a well-heeled but somewhat traditionally minded crowd. Perhaps that's due to the line's insistence on maintaining its traditions with set-seating dining, elegant afternoon tea, ballroom dancing and on-ship tennis courts. But Holland America is also making an effort to entice a younger, hipper customer base by integrating some of cruising's most important new features, such as Internet cafes with wireless access, alternative boutique restaurants, concierge service for upper-level accommodations and indoor-outdoor pools for year-round use. Camp HAL has also been upgraded to meet the needs of younger families with children -- especially during summer sailings to Alaska and the Caribbean and on weeklong (as opposed to two-week-plus) voyages. Although Holland America is not likely to rival Disney for the breadth and depth of its programs, most of the ships offer Club HAL children's programming, particularly during the summer and other school holiday periods.
The Club HAL programs are divided into three age groups: 3 to 7, 8 to 12 and 13 to 17. All of the ships now have expanded children's facilities, dedicated teen lounges and parent-free zones with computers, conversation areas and gaming stations. Teens can take advantage of these spaces, which bear names like The Loft and The Oasis and have themes to match.
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