Holland America Line

Dismissing it as "an old person's ship" misses what it actually does well

The thing that actually sets Holland America apart is not the average age on board, it is the music. There is more live playing here, in more rooms, across more nights, than on almost anything else at this size, and it is a deliberate investment rather than a hangover from an older era. Add mid-sized hulls that fit into ports the giants cannot reach, and longer itineraries that stay put once they arrive, and you have a specific kind of cruising rather than a slower version of someone else's.

One correction worth carrying, because the reputation outlived the fact: the Lincoln Center Stage classical partnership ended in 2023, and the replacement was scrapped as well. If you remember it fondly and were counting on it, it is no longer there.