Please enter your review. Since most of our cruising friends have been long-time fans of Holland America, and we had never tried them, we opted for a short seven day trip to the Eastern Caribbean. Our reservation was for a Superior Veranda Suite and we could not have been happier with the accommodations. In our suite we had the usual queen sized bed with 14" pillowtop mattress, six feather pillows (two each of soft, medium, and hard), with quality bed linens; a double-sized leather sofa and two chairs with coffee table that converts to dining height; a separate lighted and mirrored vanity table with stool; a large desk and chair with a nice window over it; three closets; loads of floor and storage space; a veranda large enough for two wicker lounge chairs with ottomans and a dining table with two wicker dining chairs. The bathroom was large with double sinks, two large mirrored storage cabinets, a separate shower stall, as well as a shower in the whirlpool tub, both with handheld spray fixtures. As lovely as the bathroom was, neither of the handheld sprays was in good working order meaning multiple wild sprays with resulting unintended wet hair. Additionally, the toilet was nonfunctional on three different days for several hours each time. We received a letter of apology attributing a system-wide disturbance to "foreign objects being flushed" but still feel it should never have happened.

As far as checking in was concerned, out embarkation process at Port Everglades was flawless. We had preregistered online, our paperwork was in order, and we were ushered right through to our cabin. Unfortunately, that was the last of the good service that we experienced.

First night dinner we were seated at a table for six, although we had requested a table for two. In defense of HAL, they considered us to be at a table for two since they had posted two different numbers on the table - one for the party of four, and another for the two of us. This always presents a problem for me since I am very hard of hearing, and although I wear hearing aids I still suffer some impairment which is enough to make a group dining situation very painful. We did go to the Dining Room Host to request a different table and he, grudgingly and not gracefully, assigned us to a true "table for two". His attitude seemed to be a precursor of things to come because we felt that, all in all, the service shipwide was "matter of fact" at best. Neither at breakfast nor lunch did we ever have a waiter offer to carry a tray for us, fetch a drink for us, or assist us in any way in the Lido Buffet. However, there was always plenty of time to laugh and joke with each other which, I think, was a major reason why service was so lacking. In the Vista Dining Room service was adequate but not overly friendly and, again, we felt that they were just "doing their job". The food, however, was consistently superb and we marveled at the fact that it was served piping hot everytime. The only crew member to give that extra little edge on service was our Cabin Steward and he was, indeed, hard working, friendly, courteous and eager to please. Our cabin was kept spotless and we were entertained, nightly, by his whimsical towel animals. Read more