After an excellent short Alaskan cruise on Holland America's Zuiderdam a couple of years ago, my wife and I decided to choose HA for a 12 day Mediterranean and Adriatic cruise in April | May this year.

The voyage route and port stopovers from Venice to Rome were fine, but the cruise itself was a letdown.

The Oosterdam is a tired ship, badly in need of a serious facelift. While some of the more visible public areas appear to have been fairly recently upgraded, the passageways are dull and gloomy, paint is peeling off the walls in the elevator cars, and in several instances we found bar and restaurant furnishings sagging, uncomfortable and desperately in need of replacement. Read more