WE chose Holland America's Westerdam OCTOBER 18, 2021 repositioning from Venice to FLL to return to cruising at what we thought was the end of the COVID pandemic., October 2021. WRONG!
The 2021 cruising season morphed into a strange version of the book "Ship of Fools" . Four different HAL ships ( Westerdam cancelled) had their itineraries and cruises cancelled and consolidated onto the ...
Old ship, not remodeled. Staff on the ship work very hard, could not overcome poor management and worse leadership.
1- no smoking ship but when we complained about the cabin next door smoking all time. They were to busy to do anything. Several trips to the front desk.
2- very poor communication from the top.
3 - should have left and returned from Venice but instead we got a very ...
The expected changes due to the pandemic were the requirement to wear a mask any time or place outside your stateroom. There were temperature checks available and PCR testing was done at least twice during the cruise. The important test was just before getting off of the ship so as to be able to meet USG rules for getting back into the country. The staff was relaxed about using a mask in the ...
We selected this cruise to celebrate my husband's retirement. The combination of ports and transatlantic cruise was the perfect fit and the time of year was just what we were hoping for. We flew into Venice a couple of days prior to sailing and enjoyed checking out the city. The problems started once we arrived in our cabin and discovered the toilet did not operate. Nor did it work the next ...
We loved pretty much everything about the cruise, despite being caught in bad weather (like, hurricane level bad weather) that made us miss one port and bounced us around for a few days. The crew was amazing, the food was excellent, the ports were better than I could hae ever imagined, embarkation and disembarkation was a breeze, even the shopping surpassed our expectations. My only real ...
We chose this cruise because of the extended time in Malta. The embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly as did the process for boarding tenders in ports that required them.
The crew was fabulous- the ship not so much- disappointing really- badly in need of updating- carpet worn in public areas, many lights out on the observation deck, bathtubs should be removed as ours was so ...
We enjoyed a very nice 12 day cruise on the Oosterdam. We took a water taxi direct from our Venice hotel to the ship, so easy. Embarkation was a snap.
Our aft cabin was clean and spacious and our cabin stewards Edy and Oman were very gracious and helpful.
We would have liked a Tamarind on board for a 12 day voyage so we dined at Pinnnacle Grill five nights. Katalin was our server for three ...
Our group booked this cruise because of the great Ports of Call. This was our second cruise departing from Venice, so we arrived ready to explore Murano, Burano & Tarcello and the Doges Palace which were must sees for this trip. Our hotel ordered a water taxis to take us to the pier and embarkation was fast and easy. On our first night aboard we had a magnificent dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, a ...
Before the cruise, we had the 2 day package in Venice that came with being in a Signature Suite. On my own, I’m not sure I would have chosen the Bonvecchiati Hotel, but its location was perfect and the room was fine. Transfers were handled by HAL and went off without a hitch.
Embarkation was very fast with priority Mariner status. We liked the ship a lot.
Our cabin was great but it had a ...
We took the Venice to Barcelona itinerary in Aug/Sep 2018 and we loved this ship! The size was perfect for us. It was easy to get from one end to the other and the ship was in great shape. The food in the main dining room was the best we’ve had on any Holland America ship. The filets were nice and thick and cooked to perfection and the variety each evening was wonderful. And as on all our HAL ...