Holland America Line

Holland America is a classy operation, offering all-around appealing cruises with a touch of old-world elegance and such cushy amenities as plush bedding and flat-panel TVs with DVD players in all cabins. Though the line has been retooling itself to attract younger passengers and families, it still caters mostly to older folks, and so generally offers a more sedate and stately experience than other mainstream lines, plus excellent service for the money. Its fleet, which until a few years ago consisted of midsize, classically styled ships, is in the process of being supersized, and the new Vista-class megaships are a mite bolder in their color palette, that's for sure. New or old, the vessels are all well maintained and have excellent (and remarkably similar) layouts that ease passenger movement. More so on the pre-Vista-class ships, throughout the public areas of the fleet you'll see flowers that testify to Holland's place in the floral trade, Indonesian fabrics and woodcarvings that evoke the country's relationship with its former colony, and seafaring memorabilia that often harks back to Holland America's own history.

Pros

Great service: HAL's primarily Indonesian and Filipino staff is exceptionally gracious and friendly.

Traditional classic ambience: The Vista-class ships are pushing the HAL envelope, but overall the line's ships are classy, with impressive art collections and a touch of traditional ocean-liner ambience.

Chocolate! The once-per-cruise dessert extravaganzas and the occasional spreads of sweets guarantee you'll gain a few pounds.

Cons

Sleepy nightlife: While there are always a few stalwarts and a couple of busyish nights, these aren't party ships. If you're big on late-night dancing and barhopping, you may find yourself partying mostly with the entertainment staff.

Fairly homogenous passenger profile: Although younger faces are starting to pepper the mix (especially on 7-night cruises to warm weather destinations), most HAL passengers still tend to be low-key, fairly sedentary 55-plus North American couples.