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We spent our mid-summer on the Zuiderdam of Holland America Cruise Line for their 35-Day Voyage Of The Vikings, and it was one the most phenomenal experiences we will remember forever. One of the many things that make us love Holland America Cruise Line, besides their amazing itineraries, is that they have a certain way of creating a truly hospitable experience that perpetuates making people feel like they matter, unlike any other cruise lines we’ve been on.
This was our longest lifetime adventure travel journey we’ve done with them yet, which began in Boston and sailed through Greenland’s raw beauty, Iceland’s crystal fjords and included several stops in Iceland with two days in Reykjavík. We also spent time in the ports of Cobh and Belfast, Ireland, two stops in Scotland, one stop in the Netherlands, and five of Canada’s colorful cities. The anticipation of waking up to new, unexpected, beautiful views each day upon sliding our balcony draperies open every morning was the perfect anti-stress dose we needed!! It was the ideal relaxing itinerary, as this was the first cruise that we did not book any shore excursions but opted to explore each place at our leisure, and it was great! It allowed us to sleep in every day, order room service for breakfast, and eat late lunches in the dining room on sea days, followed by going to whatever fun onboard activities were going on for the day – from wine tasting, mixology classes featuring different flavors of the day with breathtaking views of the phenomenal glaciers in the distance, or heading for spa treatments to enjoying a show at the theatre in the evenings. One of the things I looked forward to most was snagging coveted seats at our favorite bar, where we were always greeted with a smile by the bartenders who knew us by name. It was fun chatting with them, along with the same guests who came every day with whom we’ve made friends. It felt like fun family time to catch up and share our day’s experiences.
For the sake of keeping this post short, since we covered a lot of countries and places in thirty-five days to share and talk about, I’m only going to highlight the Holland America Cruise Line and why we love traveling with them so much. For one, their values aren’t just surface but run genuinely deep in how they operate and strive to do the right thing, which is felt not only by how they treat guests but also by their employees. They truly are ambassadors of joy in service not only to their guests but also to one another, which wins our hearts.
Once on the ship, we quickly adjusted to vacation mode because they’ve made everything much easier. As soon as we boarded, our room was ready and waiting for us; our room key was in an envelope at the door. Upon entering the room, you watch a safety video. Then, you head to your assigned muster station to report in so that you can physically locate where the deck and lifeboat are for your room.
The iconic businessman Walt Disney once said, “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” And that’s precisely what Holland America Cruise has managed to do. It is no wonder that they are celebrating one hundred and fifty years in the business. We were saddened to leave our HAL Zuiderdam family on disembarkation day.
Apart from their exceptionally friendly customer service and being made to feel like a family member, their ships’ classical elegant details woven in their beautifully crafted furniture, the fine fabric materials, and spectacular vintage black and white art collection throughout give their ships an ambiance that resembles that kind of an old European estate or manor that we love so much. On their ships, you can always find an intimate corner to tuck away in to relax, as well as a library for book lovers and numerous enriching activities that keep you going from the moment you wake up. There are also varied dining options along with different music lounges where you can grab a seat with your favorite cocktail served to you by the waiters at each area that are at your beck and call.
I think of cruise vacations like tapas. For those who may not know, tapas is a style of serving that originated in Spain and are basically small plates of food. So, when you go for tapas, you order a lot of small portions of a variety of foods. This way, you can try a selection of different dishes all at once. I look at cruise vacations sort of like that. You get to travel to a variety of countries all at once, where you can get to taste/find which places are your favorites. Then you can travel back to that particular country if you feel that you’d like to explore it more. Therefore, if you’ve been skeptical about whether it’s for you, well, you’ve stumbled upon the right blog article today. But, if and when you decide to try this style of vacation, just let Holland America Line be your first ship’s experience if you are looking for some of the most comfortable ships at sea, with award-winning service, delightful dining, enriching activities, and compelling worldwide itineraries.
There are three-hundred-and-sixty-five days in a year, and Someday isn’t one of them. And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.
Until you have tried the sea life, you will never know! One thing about sailing is that it makes you dream and helps the days pass happily as you explore the world without a care in the world for those days. It’s that extraordinary.
Happiness is having a planned voyage with the one(s) that you love on Holland America Line.
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