[Not really a comment about Cruise Critic as such..]

But I'll throw it out there just  the same:

Holland America are selling off two of their older ships, ones that, recently have been having problems with engines, air conditioning, plumbing, etc. They're being sold off to P&O. If I had to deal with all the issues that come with taking..for lack of a better word, Holland America's sloppy seconds...I would be..I am so sorry.. P&O'd.

Hopefully P&O are more invested in the upkeep of older ships than Holland America seems to be. Holland America is really struggling to keep up with the Joneses-other cruise lines-in terms of ships with the latest amenities. They're doing that with the Konigsdam which starts sailing next year.It's bigger than any of their previous ships. The announcement that it was going to be  so big really ruffled the feathers of a lot of people at Cruise Critic. A lot of people said that they would not cruise on a ship that big. Hey, nobody's forcing you to go on it, you know.

The newer, cleaner look is a turn-off for a lot of the die-hards that post on Cruise Critic. They like the old-world, wood look that most of the Holland America ships have. The first time I saw pictures of  what the Konigsdam is going to look like, I loved it. I'm *really* glad that Holland America are upping their game and making Konigsdam a game changer.

One does wonder if they did a bit of asking around to see what people wanted from a new Holland America cruise ship, and a lot of people must have said "a cleaner, more modern look". And that is exactly what they're getting with the Konigsdam.