Very disappointing . We have been on this very ship several times before. Things have changed. Very little entertainment and slow dining service. They seem to have reduced dining wait staff. For a transatlantic there was very little to do, limited music options. One piano player who started late every night. Poor production shows. Trying to but the BB King Blues show in the Queen's Lounge was a ...
I am a member of the Mariner Society and have sailed a number of times on Holland America. It had been a few years between sailings and this past cruise was a hugh disappointment in almost every respect. Only the Indonesian staff have keep the high quality. The food was sub-par. The selections were terrible. Lunch at the Lido was just a mad house of trolling plates and not enough seating. ...
This was a very lovely crossing. Many more pros than cons. To begin with, the sailing was delayed by a full day due to strong winds and high seas preventing the ship from getting into port. The overnight in Barcelona spent waiting for the ship was expertly and efficiently handled. Considering the number of passengers HAL had to suddenly and unexpectedly accommodate, this had to have been no easy ...
Sailed out of Barcelona on the Nieuw Amsterdam and the experience was wonderful. The staff was very friendly and worked very hard. Our rooms attendants made sure our room was cleaned everyday with clean towels and ice in the bucket. The Lido and Manhattan Dinning Room staff of food Servers and Waiters were excellent. The whole crew seemed happy doing their jobs.
The ship was unable to ...
We got a deal on a Pinnacle suite and were very surprised at how nice it was. Disappointed that the only amenity was free laundry. Free water and free internet would have been nice.
The staff was friendly and accommodating. Breakfast and dinner were great. Lunch was so so. The ship looked new. Nightly shows could have been better, as compared to other cruise lines. Over all we were very ...
I have been on HAL ships 4 or 5 times before including in family groups but have not sailed with HAL in3 or 4 years. Was surprised at the dramatic decline in quality control in all areas - late night snack buffet menu listing two items not actually available, 3 carvery items in dinner buffet repeated twice in a 1 week cruise, one random chair in dining room without arms when all neighbouring ...
Not a cruise line I would recommend. We chose this cruise because of the ports of call. But once on board were informed that two ports we had booked to berth in had been change to tender ashore. Two of these ports were cancelled because of "rough weather", some experienced cruiser said it was absolute rubbish, compensation, 1 hour free drinks with 2000+ passengers. The third port to be tendered ...
We were on a 12 day cruise from Barcelona to Venice. This was our first experience with Holland America. Everything went really well. Loved our aft balcony cabin, nice full bath, plenty of closet space, and great service. The ship appears to be in good condition, although not as glamorous looking atrium as Princess and not as beautiful as Royal Caribbean with the street, etc. This was a very port ...
Mediterranean Cruise, Holland America
I wanted to share this review for other travelers. It is a long review and I will try to include details that may or may not be important to others. We stayed two nights at the Colon Hotel. The hotel staff was friendly. We arrived around 12:00 p.m. and our room was ready. We had a superior room for three. There is a coffeemaker and small mini bar in ...
This was our second HAL cruise, and the first one was nearly flawless. On this trip, our group really felt like we were being gauged for extras or being sold more services. This took away from the relaxation factor of the cruise and was a sore spot with us, so I am downgrading to just very good. My basis for "very good" (instead of average rests on the great service from most of the staff. ...