We excitedly booked the Sea of Cortez Cruise for our honeymoon. How disappointing! This was my third cruise, the second with Holland America, and the first for my husband. I hesitate to cruise with Holland America again.
The excursions, meals, entertainment, spa, and public areas were excellent. Tremendous attention to avoiding transmission of communicable disease was commendable, and only one passenger came down with a flu like symptom. The BUT and it was a BIGGIE, was the ongoing mechanical and plumbing problems on this trip. We were almost 8 hours late leaving port because the ship had to be towed in to San Diego. Hours later we finally were towed out to sea, after a few false starts. The plumbing problems were ongoing. Many passengers woke up to flooded cabins throughout the trip. Corridors were barricaded constantly, public washrooms closed, and the ship was crawling with plumbers attempting to resolve the ongoing issues.Odour, inconvenience, and stepping around busy workmen became the order of the day.
I also question the expertise of the public relations manager on this particular cruise. I caught my pant leg on the bottom ridge of the escalator on day two and wrenched my leg. The medical attention was excellent. The public relations manager was appropriately conciliatory, until she was certain I would not be suing the company. Then her shadow side emerged. At first I was told to purchase an outfit from the onboard store to compensate for the value of the ruined garment, and that the original outfit would be cleaned, repaired and returned to me. I took them at their word and after several phone calls, when I was repeatedly told my outfit would be rehemmed to a much shorter length and returned to me the next day, I found out my outfit would not be returned, and that if I did want it returned I would be charged for the new purchase from their store. This gem of information was provided on the second last day of the cruise, after 7 days of haggling. I was able to negotiate a reasonable solution after a face to face albeit unpleasant meeting, however it left me with a sour taste in my mouth. My subsequent communications to Holland America through email and my travel agent, have not facilitated a response.