This was our first ever cruise and the first week went very well. We enjoyed good service, great food and met new friends. During the second week however, Holland America showed their true colors. A large group (app 1000 people) boarded and those of us not in that group were suddenly treated as second class citizens.

We had made reservations for dinner in the main dining room for 7 pm on the last night of the first week. When we showed up for dinner the first night of the second week, we were rudely informed we could not eat in the dining room that night and for the duration of the cruise we could only make reservations between 5:15 and 5:30 because the large group had the dining room exclusively all week. There was no notification before we arrived that night, no acknowledgment that they'd cancelled reservations we'd made, and no apology for the change in dining arrangements. This happened not only to us, but many other guests including 5 stars.

We asked for follow up by the front office but it took persistence on our part for 2 more days before anyone would speak with us. The customer service rep finally listened to my concerns and admitted they'd made a mistake and been caught by surprise themselves. Holland's head office tried to say everyone had been notified but that was not the case. I appreciated the meeting but there was no remedy. The large group continued to dominate every space and blocked various venues during the day. Many of their members did not choose the main dining room leaving empty tables there while clogging up the Lido restaurant where the remaining guests were trying to eat. HollandAmericaLine created instant animosity between two groups of people who didn't know anything about the other. It was not pleasant and we encountered many other upset guests the remainder of the cruise. Read more