We had always wanted to go on a Mediterranean Cruise but never thought we could afford it. Last Spring we found a great deal for the 12-day Oosterdam cruise so we took advantage of it. We stayed in Barcelona for a few days before the cruise and staye din Rome for two days after the cruise. The cruise line handled the transfers with ease. Overall we were very pleased with Holland America. We thought the food was better than Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. This was our first time using open seating and we liked it. However, service at dinner was pretty slow at times and I'm not sure why. Well we weren't in a hurry so it wasn't a major issue for us. The employees are very friendly and great to deal with. My bed was uncomfortable and they tried to make it better for me but the mattress was just too hard for me. The entertainment, on the whole, was pretty mediocre (few exceptions). I also would have like a few more options for things to do onboard. We did not book any of our excursions through them, instead we connected with passengers using the Roll Call and that worked very well. We would go on Holland America again and liked that it's not a party ship.