We’re on a mission to find the Best Cruise Line in the ‘Premium Category.’ A list that includes Celebrity, Princess, Cunard, even Virgin. So, can a Holland America Cruise claim to be the BEST Premium line in the business?
Their latest Flagship is the Holland America Rotterdam. Launched in 2021, the third in the Pinnacle Class of Ships. We just came back from a 2 week cruise aboard the Rotterdam, so that we can find out what is on offer, and whether it has improved on the other Pinnacle ships the Koningsdam and the Nieuw Statendam.
As seen in the TV Documentary: Supercruising: Life at Sea
You Can watch our Cunard Queen Anne Review Here:
https://youtu.be/4MwZJG5JyP
The Captain during our cruise on Holland America was Eric Barhorst
The Cruise Director was Jayme McDaniel
Our Instagram is s:
https://www.instagram.com/ritzytravelguide
Our Facebook:
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In this review we will cover:
Cabins, and our Balcony Cabin
The Main Dining Room
BB Kings Blues Club
Billboard Onboard
Rollingstone Lounge
Casino
World Stage Theatre
The Lido Buffet
Lido Swimming Pool
Pinnacle Grill
Club Orange
Tamarind Asian Restaurant
Nami Sushi
Rudi’s Sel de Mer
Dutch Cafe
Holland America Cruise ship
Lincoln Center Stage
Holland America Review
Holland America Line
Cruise news
Holland America Cruise Ship Tour
Holland America Cruise Review
The Retreat on Holland America
Hi, welcome to Ritzy Travel Guide, my name is Bill, we are here bringing you our latest travel reviews from around the globe! We’ll be travelling right around the world on cruise ships, all inclusive resorts, tropical destinations… and the deals of the day.
In this video :
00:00 – Intro
01:10 – History of Holland America
02:06 – The Rotterdam Flagship
03:21 – The Look & Feel of Rotterdam
06:01 – Swimming Pools & Decks
09:50 – Main Dining Room
14:10 – Ritzy Travel Guide on Instagram & Facebook
14:51 – Music Walk
15:12 – BB Kings Blues Club
15:52 – Rolling stone Rock Room
16:07 – Billboard on Board
16:50 – Explorations Lounge Crows Nest
19:25 – Afternoon Tea
21:56 – The Buffet
25:13 – The Balcony Cabin
30:02 – The Retreat
31:19 – Specialty Dining
31:36 – Pinnacle Grill
32:18 – Tamarind & Nami Sushi
33:03 – Canaletto Italian
33:28 – Rudi’s sel de mer
33:56 – Club Orange
34:48 – Spa, Gym & Wellness
36:32 – Verdict & Conclusion
44:15 – Comparing to Cunard
44:58 – Coming in 2025
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ABOUT ME:
Hi, my name is Bill. The aim of this channel is to give interesting, and helpful insights into travel. We do not sell vacations. The information provided in this video, and all other videos on our channel, is for general entertainment purposes only. While I strive to offer helpful travel tips and advice, I am not a professional, and the content should not be considered as professional or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional, traveo, or legal advisor before making decisions related to travel, legal matters, or any specific circumstances. I am not responsible for any actions or outcomes resulting from the use of the information provided in this video. Please contact your travel agent, hotel, representative, or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
34 Comments
I have enjoyed 4 HAL Cruises which I have loved. Booked on their small ship "Westerdam " 15 Circle Japan voyage in October which can visit 12 ports which bigger ships can't do. Thank you for your review which brought back happy memories
Rotterdam was my first cruise. Wow has it ever changed! Beautiful!
Wow, this was great! You may have just shown me where I need to be. The lines I have been sailing with for the past 30 years have changed so much and not in a positive way. I have zero desire to be on an overgrown floating amusement park, that has cut back on services and has their hand out for every little thing that use to be included.
Wow, I have never considered a HAL ship before, but a Pinnacle ship is definitely in my horizon . Great information as usual. I was pleasantly surprised at their pricing as well. I will be at BB king every night ❤
Love your content! And yes, my partner and I would have absolutely gone for the tongue check.
That balcony is not wide, is it!
How much are the drinks on each ship and do they do drinks packages
I was on the maiden voyage of the new Rotterdam. Totally agree with you about very poor shows in the main show room. Lincoln Center was the only decent “entertainment” on our cruise so now that it is gone, HAL really disappoints for entertainment for our tastes. Main dining food was quite good. The “buffet” food was also good but the separate stations make is very difficult to get a plate of food. We will not return to HAL because there are many other cruise lines that are far better for our tastes.
Best part of Holland America is the exotic destinations, no children, no young parents, very few tattoos.
Love it, very relaxing…..
MANY THANKS for your FANTASTIC videos.
Keep Up the Good Work.
Best wishes, Jeff and Sian Pembrokeshire
I was on a Holland America to Alaska from Seattle. It wasn’t Premier boat. I tell you I thought the people were very low class, and I thought they were very unfriendly. The food was OK. The service was excellent. The cruise was wonderful because it was in Alaska, but it certainly wasn’t pretty near the quality of the people and the fact that they did absolutely nothing for somebody who is traveling alone. I wouldn’t rush back to Holland America again I wouldn’t not go on Holland America but I’m sorry I think your whole video of whether it is a premier is a joke.
Hello. Ritzy. Where's. The. Ship. Now?
I think I would consider HAL Rotterdam.
I really don't need entertainment, but it all looks relaxing.
I like your balcony stateroom.
I am sad to say, that our trip on Holland America's Nieuw Statendam September 2023, was not great!. It was our first and last HAL cruise. There was NO classical music on board our cruise, which was the main reason for me to book that line and particular cruise. It was all loud and obnoxious bands and loud piped music all day long, even very early in the morning in the indoor pool. There was no quiet place to relax. HAL did not inform us that the Lincoln Centre Music would not be happening on the cruise, even after heavily advertising that it would be. We had no hot water in our cabin for four days and nights of our cruise, with no offer of an alternative. I had to chase up the fixing of the issue. It turned out to be an error on their part where the hot and cold water pipes had been mistakenly crossed. I had to shower at the pool, so as not to freeze. It was a disgrace. For an expensive cruise, it was a major let down and a dissappointment. Give me Cunard (three times since) any day over HAL! Princess and Royal Caribbean mid-sized ships are fabulous too!
You left out their beautiful oak ping pong tables. The best I have seen. And they are out of the wind unlike a lot of other cruise ships.
I went to the Caribbean this past March on HAL. The overall experience was fun, the cruise ship is a sight and so beautiful, the downfall for me was the lack of flavor at the buffet. It was just meh for me. That’s the only reason I won’t choose them again. Which is a bummer because the cruise ship was gorgeous!!
So glad you and your wife enjoyed the HAL experience!! 🎉🎉
So far I have sailed on Carnival, Chandris, Costa, Royal Caribbean, NCL and Holland America. So far I enjoyed the Holland America line the most for relaxation. Carnival was the best for a party and I am sad to see the changes. I like the live and let live vibe they used to have.
Carnival was my very first cruise way back in 1985. Chandris was my second. Since then we have sailed on Carnival again and lately the Disney ships (which I'm quite fond of)! Looking for a cruise through the Greek Islands that hits the smaller islands which prompted me to consider HAL, Celebrity, and Princess. We aren't gamblers but like music and activities and love to immerse ourselves in the culture of the places we visit (probably why we love Rick Steves land tours). Is there a cruiseline that fits this bill without being ridiculously expensive? We aren't fancy people 😊
The answer is no.
HAL is not my favorite cruise line; their ships are old and dated but still has that classic, Old World charm. Their entertainment especially live entertainment needs improvement. But they are more of a destination-based cruise line, and they have longer itineraries. Personally, I prefer sailing with Celebrity (their Edge class ships) with its modern elegance. I find their daytime activities, especially on sea days, are way better than HAL. But their ports of call are getting stale, and they don't have longer itineraries. Service and food are about the same. Passengers seem to be a lot older in HAL than in Celebrity. HAL is also a bit more relaxed when it comes to "dressy" nights. Both me and my husband are retired so we don't get many chances to dress up. I love to the get "dolled up" once in a while and I like to see other passengers do so too. I am not talking formal nights like ball gowns and tuxedos, but a little dressier than your average casual nights. Celebrity calls it "Evening Chic" which is a step down from formal attire.
I like the ship's style overall, cozy, warm, and soft lighting, and choice of blues, jazz, .. music.
But still seems a lil crowded around pools, chairs so close together.
Cunard seems more spaced out it, even qm2 which has more passenger capacity.
Cunard 3 older ships are my fav for now from vids I've seen.
Ill try check out other holland ships vids.
The mega ships are too crowded, abd too much commercial stuff packed in them.
Hi Bill, I’m just watching your series on the Rotterdam and very much enjoying them. We are regular HAL cruisers and have been on most of their ships. I agree with your opinion on the promenade deck being narrow on the Rotterdam. However, the other 2 pinnacle class ships Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam have the old school wide promenade with great views . The reason Rotterdam doesn’t as the crew explained to me is the Rotterdam was built to access the Panama Canal because the canal authority would not accept the width of pinnacle class ships if the life boats extended out from the sides of the hull. So Rotterdam had to bring the life boats in even with the hull and lower them at the cost of the wide promenade deck. FYI thanks for your you tube reviews
Holland Am. has taken the BB Kings Blues Club off some of their ships. Big Mistake! BB Kings is a great venue and people love it! Food ranks above the best in cruising. The World Stage Theater is a disappointment. Not close to other cruise lines! Needs upgrading immediately! Sailing Rotterdam in Nov 25 and Eurodam Mar 26. No BB kings blues club on Eurodam is also a big letdown. Bring it back on all ships! Otherwise HAL is one of our favorite cruise lines.
I was on the Rotterdam in November 2024. My biggest complaint was the crew serve buffet. The lines were long and by the time you got your food, it was cold by the time you could get seated. If you needed butter, you had to stand in another line to have someone hand you a single pat of butter. I also found portions to be toddler size. Who can make a meal out of one pork rib? Yes you can ask for more and they will give you a second rib! All around, I felt like they were just plain stingy.
We have always enjoyed HAL cruises. They annoyed me greatly when we boarded a cruise and found that not one desktop computer for passenger use was retained. But overall they are pretty good- at least they were when we last cruised three years ago- and caught COVID of course! But that disgraceful promenade deck would in itself stop me from booking on that ship!
thx for showing us around; this is the line i want to take on a repositioning cruise to japan. I love the art deco feel; much rather this type of experience than the manic monster ships.
We have never sailed Holland America. I would go, just for the BB King lounge😊
I am currently on the Caribbean sailaway with the Zuiderdam, departure on Nov. 8 2025. And even while still on board I will never book another HAL cruise ever again. Mind that I am currently 3-star mariner so this is not my first HAL cruise. And it is definitely not the first time I had issues with them either.
But this time they went above and beyond what I will accept.
They refused to give clarity on what their intent was after the hurricane in Jamaica. I pushed through different channels multiple times without any straight answer except “there was no change planned”. Foolishly I did not imagine that they still intended to stop at Ocho Rios. But they did, and every day preceding the stop the captain and cruise director defended that decision purely on how this would help people earn some money. We can discuss the pros and cons of it but in the end: it is disrespectful of the passengers and people living there as well. I have had talks to some other passengers as well. I went ashore as did other people. I have spent some money and gave some directly to people. But all of the (not that many) people I had talked to told me they felt the same way as I did: like a forced stop just to feel sorry. And we do feel sorry for the people. But they feel it was not how a holiday should feel.
But our first stop was Coco Cay. The wonderful place where elite beverage package does not apply, drinks are heavily overpriced and the beach houses you can rent are stripped of their
airco units while increasing the price almost 300% after I booked the cruise. They can keep the island. It can sink for all I care.
The other stop is now Cayman Island. We were told late last night the tenders would not go ashore at the cruise port in George Town, but instead would stop 20 minutes by car away from that port.
But own plans be damned with HAL. We will kick you ashore in the middle of F-ing nowhere and figure it out! No shuttle, no details (actually after being told by their crack team (or is that ON crack) at the shore excursion desk) that it would be near the original port landing.
But after rescheduling our plans low and behold: 15 minutes before tendering “we will go to the original tender port”. So cancelling our transport and not going where we expected with a very limited time in port to start with: thanks butt cracks!
Icing on the cake was that I was expressing my dismay the day before of how putting people ashore without transportation to the original point of call is ridiculous, while I had my phone in my hand (on the counter) the reception person started to accuse me of filming her without any reason (and no: I was not).
That was for me the last straw. All other communication issues I have had with HAL, bar personnel pushing very expensive drinks repeatedly ($100 and up), bartenders that appear to be rather somewhere else, a balcony cabin where is it scorching hot. I have had it with HAL. I am done. I have done an equal amount of cruises with Celebrity and never had this much to complain about. They ruined my vacation that was expensive enough and I have had it with them. NEVER AGAIN!
I wonder if customer service relocated you to a different cabin because they were aware you do reviews?
Interested to see your review on Allura! Oceania Vista was a ridiculous experience for me. I loved Celebrity Xcel! I was on Maiden Voyage for BOTH. You really ought to follow me if you can catch up! 😂
I've done 6 cruises on Holland America starting Oct. 2022 and the last one on the Rotterdam Oct. 2025. For me, they're by far the best. Not sure that the ship matters, because I've done 4 ships with HA including Amsterdam, Statendam, Eurodam, and Rotterdam. One of these was a Mediterranean cruise and another was a Panama cruise. They are consistently superior and above the rest… especially regarding their staff.
We just did our first Holland America on Nieuw Statendam and we were very disappointed. Food and service was hit or miss and some of the music was great but others not so much. We talked to some folks who said we should try the Rotterdam and so we will give them one more go. We found the age of fellow cruisers was much more diverse than we were lead to believe. Great video and lots of useful information.
We love HAL, the service is the best we have had on any cruise ship. Beautiful ships and decor, ships crew were amazing.
Hands down, HAM, is the best major cruise line operating in America. I’ve sailed a few other cruise line…but never Carnival and never will….and always keep coming back to HAM