Choosing your first Holland America cruise sounds simple… until you realise the ships aren’t all the same.
Some feel modern and lively, packed with newer features and dining options. Others have a quieter, more traditional feel that loyal cruisers love.
That’s part of the appeal of Holland America. The ships are known for excellent food, comfortable cabins and a more refined style of cruising. But the experience can vary more than you might expect depending on which ship you choose.
So which Holland America ships are the best… and which ones rank lower according to real cruise reviews?
How I Gathered the Data
In this guide, I’ve ranked all 11 Holland America ships from best to worst, but I wanted to clarify exactly how I’ve done that.
Because, unfortunately, I’ve not yet had the pleasure of sailing on every Holland America ship. So to base it on my opinion alone would be a little unfair.
So instead, I’ve visited three of the biggest cruise review websites in the world – Cruise Critic, Cruiseline.com and TripAdvisor. And using those websites I’ve found the average review score for all 11 ships in the fleet, and I’ve based this ranking on putting those scores in order.
A couple of interesting points before I get started, just to add some context.
Firstly, something I always like to make clear is that “worst” ship does not mean “bad” ship. In fact with Holland America, the review scores are all pretty high. The “worst” ship on this list has an average score of 3.77 out of 5, which is pretty solid.
Secondly, the scores are also very tight, and so the difference between the best ship and the worst ship isn’t huge. The best ship on this list has an average of 4.03 out of 5, which means for the entire fleet, there’s only a difference of score of 0.26.
So as I take you through the list, just remember that we’re not talking about huge gulfs in class between each ship. The scores are based on thousands of reviews, so the ranking is accurate, but each ship is only marginally better or worse than the other.
With all that in mind, let’s find out which is the best Holland America ship (just), and which ship is unlucky enough to be in last place.
And the best ship is…
The best Holland America ship according to customer reviews is the MS Nieuw Statendam, although her average review score is only 0.07 better than MS Zaandam in second place and 0.13 better than the newest ship in the fleet, MS Rotterdam.
1. MS Nieuw Statendam
The MS Nieuw Statendam is the second of the Pinnacle-class ships to sail for Holland America, and in the review scores, she has come out on top.
The Pinnacle-class ships are very popular with the cruise line’s regular guests, since they offer more spacious public areas and staterooms without really losing the feel of a smaller ship, even if they’re somewhat larger than the older ships in the fleet.
MS Nieuw Statendam is widely praised in customer reviews, with particular focus paid to just how beautiful the ship is. Artwork plays a big part of every ship in the Holland America fleet, but the choices made for MS Nieuw Statendam particularly wow guests.
If the paintings and sculptures are worthy of being mentioned in a review, you know they’re special.
The service and food are also highly rated, while reviews of the cabins are majority positive, with just a handful saying that they are “adequate”.
The biggest negative for the ship is the entertainment options during the day and evening, with some guests finding them to be a little bland.
I recently sailed on this ship and I absolutely loved her! You can read my review here.
2. MS Zaandam
Up four places from last years rankings, MS Zaandam is one of the older ships in the Holland America fleet, and one of two ships still remaining from the R Class.
She definitely shows her age in some areas. There are far fewer balconies than on newer ships, and the cabin choices are more limited. But that smaller design also makes the ship incredibly easy to navigate.
And clearly, guests don’t mind the trade-off.
Many reviews praise Zaandam’s relaxed atmosphere, friendly crew and uncrowded feel. The ship’s smaller size creates a more personal experience that loyal Holland America cruisers really appreciate.
Negative reviews tend to focus on the entertainment – both the lack of choice and also the quality, with some reviewers talking about how the evening acts are average but not particularly exciting.
Read more: MS Zaandam Cabins To Avoid
3. MS Volendam
Also up four places in this years rankings is MS Volendam. She is the oldest ship currently sailing for Holland America Line, having first launched back in 1999.
Sister ship to the MS Zaandam, her design is very similar, meaning she has a very simple layout and she is lacking in a lot of entertainment facilities and cabin options, including those with a balcony.
Despite her age, her average scores are still high. That’s because people know what to expect from her, and are generally really happy with the experience. This is traditional cruising – exceptional service and a focus on the core relaxation and exploration experiences rather than a lot of flashy facilities to fill your day.
The negative reviews of MS Volendam do focus on the age of the ship though – she has been through renovations, but there are a lot of signs of how old she is, and passengers do notice them. If you don’t mind her feeling a little worn-in then you’ll still have a great time.
Read more: MS Volendam Cabins To Avoid
4. MS Rotterdam
The MS Rotterdam is the newest ship in the Holland America fleet and she shares a lot of the same positive feedback as her earlier sister ship MS Nieuw Statendam, with the artwork of the ship again being notably popular.
Overall, Holland America ships are seen as some of the most stylish in the world, without being overly glitzy or kitsch.
MS Rotterdam tends to score slightly lower than MS Nieuw Statendam in reviews, although the difference isn’t huge.
Some guests mention slow service, inconsistent food quality or communication issues during their cruise. These aren’t universal complaints, but they do appear in a number of reviews.
A few comments also suggest that the larger Pinnacle-class ships feel a little less personal than Holland America’s smaller vessels. Some guests feel the service doesn’t have quite the same attentive, intimate feel they experienced on the line’s older ships.
That said, Rotterdam still receives plenty of positive feedback for its modern design, excellent cabins and wide range of dining venues.
Read more: MS Rotterdam Cabins To Avoid
5. MS Eurodam
Despite the popularity of the newer Pinnacle Class ships, MS Eurodam remains one of the fleet’s better-reviewed ships, even after dropping from second place last year to fifth.
Despite her age, she has been carefully refurbished to a high standard so that she still offers a comfortable ship environment, even if the decor isn’t quite as sleek as the later ships.
Guests love MS Eurodam because she epitomises everything that is good about Holland America. She’s a mid-sized ship that mostly doesn’t feel crowded, with a great variety of food and excellent service from the crew who really go out of their way to make guests feel special.
The entertainment on MS Eurodam is well-reviewed too. The bigger criticisms are more towards the couple of spaces that can feel a little busy at times – namely the Lido Marketplace buffet, and the reception area at the (very popular) spa on-board.
Read more: MS Eurodam Cabins To Avoid
6. MS Koningsdam
In 2024 I said that I was a little surprised MS Koningsdam was so low on this list, as she was down in eighth (though she did still have a very good score). In 2026, she’s climbed up to sixth place, closer to her newer sister ships.
The ship debuted in 2016 to a lot of pomp – this was the first new ship to launch for Holland America in six years and she helped to really bring the cruise line up to date with her stunning interior design.
However, the reason she isn’t troubling the top of the list is that, to guests, it feels like the newer, bigger ships have lost a little of the Holland America magic, and the crew service isn’t quite as good when there are more passengers to handle.
Guests criticise the quality of the entertainment too, which may be a sign that guests of other cruise lines with Broadway-style shows are trying the newer Holland America ships, and feeling disappointed with the comparison.
Read more:MS Koningsdam Cabins To Avoid
7. MS Oosterdam
The MS Oosterdam is another of the four ships that make up the Vista class, each one named for a point on the compass in Dutch (“oost” = “east”). She launched in 2003 and remains a very popular ship in the fleet, thanks to her comfortable atmosphere and balance of the traditional and modern sides of cruising.
MS Oosterdam is not a big flashy ship although she does feature Holland America’s Music Walk which features live music in the evening. During the day things are more sedate, which may suit some people more than others – if you like a long list of activities, you might feel a little bored.
The ship feels like classical cruising, but with a more modern update thanks to careful renovation. There are still some parts of the ship that feel a little dated though, which is noted in some reviews.
Read more: MS Oosterdam Cabins To Avoid
8. MS Nieuw Amsterdam
MS Nieuw Amsterdam is the sister ship of MS Eurodam and is an almost identical size – officially she is marginally smaller by just 3 gross tons.
She launched back in 2010 and then underwent an extensive refit and refurbishment in 2017 to bring the public spaces more up-to-date.
The results are really positive, with reviews mentioning how clean and welcoming the ship feels. What also stands out is the service – while some people aren’t as happy with the standards on the slightly newer ships, on MS Nieuw Amsterdam the crew are very highly spoken of.
Criticisms of the ship mainly focus on how she is tailored towards an older market, and so late-night entertainment is limited, with some noting that the food has some issues and some of the popular public areas did still get a little crowded at times, despite the overall space of the ship.
She has taken a bit of a dip in the rankings – previously she was fourth – but with a review score still above 3.8 out of 5 she is still doing a lot right.
Read more: MS Nieuw Amsterdam Cabins To Avoid
9. MS Zuiderdam
MS Zuiderdam is a Vista-class ship, the first of the class to launch back in 2002. She shares many of the same positives and negatives as her sister ships, including décor that has been updated over the years but still feels a little dated in places. The pool area in particular gets mentioned in a handful of reviews as looking its age.
This year, Zuiderdam has seen the biggest drop in the rankings, falling from 4th place in 2025 to 9th. Looking through recent reviews, that seems to come down largely to comparisons with newer ships in the fleet. Guests still enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, but some feel the ship now lacks the variety of dining, entertainment and modern features found on Holland America’s newer vessels.
Like her sister ships, she still offers good-quality evening entertainment thanks to the Music Walk. Daytime activities, however, are a little more limited. Guests do praise the enrichment programmes, including destination lectures and the library resources, but it’s certainly not a ship that feels action-packed during the day.
Service standards remain high overall, with only occasional complaints about food quality or isolated issues during a sailing. Most guests describe Zuiderdam as a relaxing ship, though one that is clearly best suited to a more mature crowd.
Read more: MS Zuiderdam Cabins To Avoid
10. MS Noordam
MS Noordam is placed 10th in this year’s rankings, among the lowest by customer reviews but still scoring well overall.
Launched in 2006, she was the last of the Vista-class ships and many of the reviews are similar in nature to her sisters.
This means customers love the size of the ship, and the balance between spacious public areas and a more intimate cruising experience, helped by the high standards of service from the crew who take the time to learn everyone’s names and drink orders, making you feel special.
Negatives are the lack of real excitement during the day, and limited options at night, including a lack of quality to the evening entertainment when compared with other cruise lines. Some reviews do mention her feeling a little older too, but it’s a minor quibble generally – more reviews comment on how clean and well-kept she is.
Read more: MS Noordam Cabins To Avoid
11. MS Westerdam
MS Westerdam was the third ship in the Vista Class to launch, first setting sail in 2004. She has been carefully renovated over the years, including the addition of Holland America’s Music Walk entertainment venues, which helped modernise the evening experience on board.
Despite those updates, Westerdam now ranks lowest in this year’s review rankings. Looking through recent guest feedback, that seems to be less about major problems and more about comparisons with the newer ships in the fleet. Some guests mention that parts of the ship still feel dated, and that the dining and activity options are more limited than on Holland America’s more modern vessels.
That said, there’s still plenty that guests love. Reviews frequently praise the excellent service and the relaxed, comfortable atmosphere on board. While food service occasionally receives mixed comments, the quality itself is generally regarded as very good.
Like many Holland America ships, daytime activities are fairly low-key, and the kids’ areas feel a little dated compared with family-focused cruise lines. But for guests who prefer a quieter cruise with great service and a classic cruise ship feel, Westerdam still has plenty to offer.
Read more: MS Westerdam Cabins To Avoid
Choosing the Best Holland America Ship for You
When it comes to choosing the best Holland America ship for you, it really depends what you’re looking for.
The newer ships are very popular, with the added size used to good effect to increase the spaces where you can relax. But a lot of passengers prefer the feel of the smaller, older ships where the crew feel a touch more personable.
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The Bottom Line
It’s worth remembering what I said at the start – the score difference between the ships in the Holland America fleet is relatively minimal, and on pretty much any ship you’ll have a great time.
Still, it’s worth bearing the review comments in mind because the ships are different, and will suit different cruise guests. The larger, more modern ships have more to do onboard, and they’re much more contemporary, but you can expect to pay a price that reflects that.
Meanwhile, choose an older ship and you’ll still get the great service and food standards that the cruise line is known for, but with a much more intimate atmosphere and potentially a lower fare.
Your experience onboard will also be dictated by the type of cabin you choose, so make sure you read my guides on the best and worst cabins on each ship, and check out the Holland America suite perks too, to see if upgrading is worth the cost.
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