Great way to show elderly parents some of Europes highlights in comfort and without the hassles of overland transport and accommodation and introduce them to cruising, Cruise itself was great, ports visited from Barcelona to Venice gave a good snapshot of Italy and organised tour in Florence was very good. However, whilst it was nice to see Rome briefly, traffic meant that spent more time ...
I'm a seasoned cruiser.
Platinum on Princess and Elite on Celebrity.
I've also sailed with Cunard, RCI and Costa.
This was my first sailing on Holland America.
Arriving at the Port in Barcelona embarkation was smooth and easy.
The Ship:
Eurodam is ten years old. She just emerged from dry dock.
All Public areas had new carpet including my state room Cabin 5009.
The Cabin ...
The lovely Eurodam! just came back from Gems and Glamour HAL cruise of western Italy and southern Spain.
Smooth embarkation, great room 1013 (a little noise from the Billbaoard on Board at night but really quite managable). Can't beat the room for ease of getting on and off ship and bonus we were very close to the elevators that go to the crows nest. Room was comfortable with a big screen ...
We chose the 7-day Gems of Spain for a short getaway, and it was perfect. Embarkation was hassle-free and fast. We had a Signature Suite and loved the size - especially the double sink in the bathroom. We attended the embarkation lunch, and our luggage was in our room when we returned from lunch. At first, we had a small issue with cleanliness in our bathroom, but it was fixed immediately and ...
I have been with various cruise lines and i was told by my friend that Holland America cruise lines are good. I was most disappointed ! Firstly , they changed my cabin without asking me. The cabin had no table or chairs to sit (if we order room service). the shows were most disappointing. The daily programmes were mostly monitory. The food (free style) had little variety. i would not reccomend ...
Having never before tried Holland America, but, knowing they were rated 5*, we took advantage of the spring break, hoping for lovely time, good food and good weather. Sadly, these expectations were not met (apart from the weather).
Safety drill:
The drill was chaotic, assembling on the promenade deck, bunched up under the lifeboat you were assigned to and then given a roll call and very ...
This was the second cruise with HAL as they promised they would get it right this time as they got it so wrong on our first cruise. My wife is very hard of hearing and when she takes her aids out to go to sleep at night she is totally deaf as she can't wear them in bed as they would whistle all night. So the answer is to fill out an access form send it to HAL and they install equipment in the ...
This time last year I wrote that Holland America were a company to be avoided. This resulted from problems experienced on the Veendam on a cruise from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego, their dissembling as to the reasons for the problems and the subsequent lack of reasonable compensation. I am happy to report that the company has more than redeemed itself as far as my wife and I are concerned.
The ...
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. ...