The Holland America line of ships delivers a premium cruising experience for its customers. Onboard, ships feature traditional decor including dark woods, original artwork, and elaborate atriums. And while refined decor and upscale amenities attract mostly tradition-minded passengers, a range of new offerings and fleet-wide enhancements now broaden the line’s customer base.
Top 5 Reasons to Cruise on Holland America
The Culinary Arts Center program led by Master chefs or guest chefs
The sophisticated, reservations-only Pinnacle Grill
Spacious staterooms with luxurious, upscale amenities
Holland America at a Glance
Holland America asserts that its attention to detail, service and crew, extensive amenities, and food/dining experience distinguish it from other cruise lines. Offering a Culinary Arts Center, a New York Times-powered Internet café, and enhanced stateroom features — such as flat-screen TVs — the line continues to stay on the cutting edge of cruising amenities.
Holland America’s philosophy of cruising is rooted deep in 135 years of experience. Throughout this period, the line’s offerings have grown to nearly 500 cruises with the fleet of elegant ships sailing to 314 ports of call. The sophisticated onboard atmosphere — from award-winning service to five-star dining — places Holland America as the leader in cruising’s premium segment.
Holland America garners praise for everything from its value to its itineraries and private island, Half Moon Cay. The line’s achievements also extend beyond these awards with initiatives such as the Signature of Excellence program; at its conclusion, the program will result in comprehensive ship enhancements (to the tune of $425 million) in the areas of accommodations, dining, service, itineraries, and enrichment programs.
Onboard Atmosphere
Holland America offers elegant, upscale shipboard travel. The dining experience features innovative menus, fresh ingredients, and an As-You-Wish™ dining format with a choice of open or set seating in the main dining room. Holland America’s staterooms include premium bedding, massage showerheads, and Egyptian-cotton towels.
Added amenities and enrichment also enhance the Holland America cruising experience. The Culinary Arts Center program presented by Food & Wine Magazine allows guests to engage in a hands-on cooking class (plus wine tasting). And, at Holland America’s Digital Workshop, passengers learn to craft digital memories — through scrapbooking, blogging, movie-making, and more — via complimentary workshops hosted by Microsoft-trained personnel. The line also hosts a popular fundraising initiative, On the Deck for the Cure™, in which passengers partake in a 5K walk around the ship's upper deck in benefit of breast cancer research.
Club HAL provides children and tweens with age-appropriate games, play areas, and supervised activities. Passengers ages 13–17 have an exclusive hangout area as well, with video games, contests, karaoke, and sports tournaments.
Fellow Passengers
Affluent leisure travelers continue to make up a large number of Holland America passengers, however, the line has more recently drawn a broader range of passengers with enhanced activities and entertainment options. Club HAL — the line’s youth program for children ages 3–17 — attracts families in particular. Dining enhancements also appeal to Holland America’s newly extended audience; the line now offers open seating in the ships’ main restaurant in addition to the existing traditional set seating.
Explore the Ships
Holland America’s origins date back 135 years with the 1873 launch of the line’s first cruise ship sailing from Holland to New York. Holland America sails to nearly 100 destinations throughout the world, and the line boasts over 60 years experience in its Alaskan cruise tours alone. The line continues its growth with additional new launches, and, through its Signature of Excellence initiative, the existing fleet has undergone extensive product and service enhancements.
Cruise line reviews are provided by CruiseCritic.com, an award-winning cruise community, giving you objective, unbiased information to help you choose the right cruise.
Top
Holland America asserts that its attention to detail, service and crew, extensive amenities, and food/dining experience distinguish it from other cruise lines. Offering a Culinary Arts Center, a New York Times-powered Internet café, and enhanced stateroom features — such as flat-screen TVs — the line continues to stay on the cutting edge of cruising amenities.
