First of all, we booked this cruise for relaxation and the fact that we did not have to fly. Now for the nitty gritty.
We returned late yesterday, and I do mean late, from our cruise to the Southern Caribbean which was round trip out of Norfolk. What a disaster!! What has happened to Holland America? And I am not referring to the broken engine exclusively, although that made it truly what many passengers were calling "The Cruise from Hell."
First of all, the new idea of deducting $10 per person per day instead of allowing tipping of our own individual servers is a disaster. This rewards those whose service is not up to par at the same rate as those who proffer excellent service. And there are some of each. We were lucky in our cabin steward, Yardo (cabin #634) and our waiter, Oscar (table #143, early dining.) Others were not so lucky. The service up in the Lido was spotty, with some excellent attendants and some who stood around and did nothing.