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Disappointed by
Elizabeth B. from San Diego, CA Sailing date: Jan 2010Pros: The ship is beautiful; the Veranda cabin was outstanding Cons: Poor customer service on board; Horrible communication to passengers This was my first "non-Carnival" cruise. I expected Holland America to be head and shoulders above Carnival, but it was not. When we first arrived in our Veranda Suite, there was no orientation (i.e., 'welcome' letter, 'things to know,' etc.); just a bunch of advertising. We think there was some sort of labor issue or insider quarreling going on during the first three days or so because we just couldn't get anything from our steward. When we DID finally meet him, he was very friendly and did a great job on our cabin. It was as if we had a different guy after those first few days. (There was no introduction to him, no names listed, no explanation of why service was lacking for the first few days.) That's why we think our steward wasn't assigned to our room in the beginning. Ship QualityBeautiful ship, great layout. Easy to remember how to get from one place to the next. Dining/FoodWe were consistently ignored in the Lido. We'd watch others get their water, coffee, juice refilled, offers of drinks (i.e., wine, beer, sodas) but the staff just walked right past us as if we weren't there.
The dining hours were a bit limited because we weren't always able to get food when we were hungry.Unlike Carnival, there were times when you just had to go without because everything was closed. Once food was no longer available, the room service became excruciatingly slow (minimum one hour). One night, we waited 2.5 hours for our room service to arrive, and as you can guess, it was cold. We were "enjoying" our food at 2 am (it was supposed to be a "midnight snack"). Stateroom QualityYeah, there are no complaints about the room. It was pretty ugly, but very, very spacious. The balcony was huge. The shower heads in the bathtub and the separate shower were both broken, so we had to be very careful not to mess them up which would make them unusable. Ship Staff QualityMost staff were very, very friendly, but we couldn't get service for our lives! I had to call 3 times just to get ice... (took 4 hours). I was quarantined to my cabin for 24 hours at one point and was told I could get excellent room service while confined... but nobody knew how to help me. Made me cry once I got so frustrated. Entertainment & ActivitiesThere was usually nothing to do, but the most critical thing was that it was nearly impossible to know what was going on because they only listed a few of the activities in the daily schedule. Most of the planned activities was related to advertising their own money-makers (i.e., sales events, photo events, on-shore shopping with their "partner" companies).  4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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  Oosterdam Thanksgiving cruise by
Louise L from Trabuco Canyon, CA Sailing date: Nov 2009Pros: Food, spa services, room size above average Cons: Food service average and slow, our room was changed to a much "rockier" at the extreme aft of the ship requiring my 88 year old mother to hike from one end of the ship to the other several times a day. Also residual cigarette smoke in the room gave me a bad allergic reaction the entire cruise. Overall a more upscale clientele than Princess, but by no means the level of Crystal. Also, because it was Thanksgiving, lots of large families with children. I am a 4 time Mexican Riviera cruiser on 4 different lines. The Verandah room was very spacious and our stewards were very helpful. We booked too late for a specific seating and had open seating. It was very difficult to get a seat after 6PM unless you wanted an 8pm reservation. One night we waited an hour for a table. Service was spotty. One waiter told us after waiting a long time between courses that there was a "struggle in the kitchen". This was the situation for the first 3-4 days of the trip. The shows were good, but not as large a production as other lines. The wine tastings and demonstrations in the Culinary Arts Center were good. Not as much to do on board as there was on Princess or Crystal. Disembarkation was very organized, and we were off the ship in fifteen minutes. We have left our car in an open parking lot two blocks away twice with no problems. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodFood good, service and ability to get a reservation difficult. Stateroom QualityVerandah rooms have larger baths with tubs and balcony was very large. Ship Staff Quality
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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A Long Cruise by
John E from Tampa FL Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: The ship, the food, the library, and the pools and gym Cons: No laundrymat, the price for shipboard laundry was overpriced, movie seated only 35 We were on the Oosterdam for 16 days. There was no laundrymat on the ship, the ships laundry prices were outrageous.$ 2.00 for a pair of socks ect. The movie theater had only about 32 seats. You had to get ib at least 30 min. before the start or you were shut out. They had the audacity to charge for a dvd rental. The nightly stage showss were only good about half the time, for example one night had a flute player, another was violinist.The gym was nice ant the pools were warm. Overall the ffood was tasty , the ship beautiful, and the entertainment lacking. Ship Quality
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Fun in the Sun by
Andrea F. from Cedar Run, NJ Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: The itinerary Cons: the limited time in the ports This was our first time on a Holland America ship. We were very happy with the staff, the itinerary, and the varied activities. Ship Quality
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Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Mykonos, Greece
Santorini, Greece
Katakolon (Olympia), Greece
Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Split, Croatia
Venice, Italy
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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It's a nice cruise by
Luba V. from San Diego, CA Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: Service Cons: Lack of entertainment The ship is nice. The air conditioner in the room was not working properly: too cold or too hot. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodBrekfast in restaurant was poor Stateroom Quality
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Read this user's port of call reviews: 
Barcelona, Spain; Corfu, Greece; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Katakolon (Olympia), Greece; Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Messina, Sicily; Nafplion (Nauplion), Greece; Venice, Italy
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Barcelona, Spain
Corfu, Greece
Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Katakolon (Olympia), Greece
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Messina, Sicily
Nafplion (Nauplion), Greece
Venice, ItalyDon't Miss: Barcelona 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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"We won it!" by
Laureen & Chris M. from Napa, CA Sailing date: Oct 2008Pros: The staff were very friendly and most gracious. Cons: FREQUENT toilet issue (clogged & unable to flush) & our mini bar broke down. This was our first cruise & also a prize (won in a raffle). The cabin included was
one with a fully obstructed view. We were offered a balcony room upgrade at time of booking, which we declined due to the $500.00 added cost. Holland's booking agent was very cordial & never tried to up-sell us; as she probably felt sorry for us, when told we had 6 teenage children (modern day Brady Bunch).
A couple days before sailing we were offered the same upgrade for $99.00p/p, which my husband "jumped on", as he is a smoker. The tuxedo ordered from the cruise line's formal wear company was initially, "missing in action" but was located well in time for the first formal night. Ship staff was delightful; friendly & very accomodating. For some unknown reason our cabin & corridor experienced frequent toilet issues, where we/they could not flush. This was an ongoing issue. Our mini bar broke down, but was promply replaced by a maintenance worker. On board entertainment was average; found the talent of several passenger's to be far better. I did however, enjoy the piano bar, which was pretty much standing room only. We enjoyed the "any time" style dining, as we were able to meet new people every night. Everyone we met appeared equally as pleased with the trip as we were. This was an excellent trip & we cannot wait to go again! Ship QualitySome of the decks appeared worn & in need of sanding and new varnish.
The ship was easy to "navigate", even for us novice cruisers. Dining/FoodAlthough we enjoyed the food, entrees were not always very hot. Stateroom QualityWe enjoyed our cabin; with the exception of the plumbing issues! Ship Staff QualityThe staff were terrific! Entertainment & ActivitiesPiano bar was fun, but alot of the other shows were mediocre; found many of the passengers to be more talented! Children's ProgramsThis was our honeymoon trip, so we left all 6 kids behind! From what we saw it looked fine. I did observe some staff bringing small children to the dessert bar one afternoon; the staff had the group well organinzed & encouraged proper manners. The children were very well behaved & appeared to be having a great time. 16 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
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Disappointed by
A Traveler from St Louis, Mo Sailing date: Jul 2008Pros: Dessert Night Cons: Food & Stateroom The food on the Ship was horrible, we have been on other cruises and the food was plentiful and excellent. The stateroom was okay, but needed a thorough updating, the sofa was worn and dirty, along with other areas in the room. Most of the staff was friendly and helpful, except for several servers in the Lido. We like to get what we want to eat, no serving line for us.
Entertainment was okay, needed variety, one of the people in the Fitness Center asked those people not interested in paying for using the Equipment, not to come back to the free seminars. Overall, I wouldn't go on another Cruise on this ship, or with this line. Just my opinion. Ship Quality
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4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Anniversary Cruise by
Neil A from Dana Point, CA Sailing date: Dec 2008Pros: Being with Family. Good Food. Nice Ship Cons: Lack of Information prior to cruise The ship was nice, but in need of some refurbushing. Seats at the Lido Restaurant were worn out and should have been repaired. Some fo the walls were in need of touch up paint. Our last Holland America cruise was over 12+ years ago (before the Carnival acquisition) and it seemed that the ship was far more meticously cleaned and kept up than this time. Ship QualityNeeded some maintenance work in the Lido Restaurant and in many places throughout the ship Dining/FoodFood was very good. Would have liked more variety at the Lido Restaurant. IT seemed that it was the same food each day for breakfast and lunch Stateroom QualityNothing to complain about other than our light in the bathroom kept going out and they tried to fix it 3 times and couldn't fix the problem Ship Staff QualityThis was probably the highlight. Excellent service at the dining room Entertainment & ActivitiesNeeded more variety. Maybe a comedy show or something more current.
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Mazatlan, MexicoHad a great city tour which we contracted for right on the dock.
Puerto Vallarta, MexicoHad a city tour also that was great.
Don't Miss: Zip lining Cabo San Lucas, MexicoToo many vendors and beggars at the dock. Couldn't even walk 5 feet without someone peddling something. A lady put an iguana on my daugthers head to try and solicite a $2 fee. SHe was terrified and was very upset by it. THen, this lady held on to my shirt until I handed her money
Don't Miss: A restaurant on the dock that had live music was great with a bucket of Corona's and chips for $10 4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Excellent Stateroom by
Vicki C from So. California Sailing date: Nov 2008Pros: Staff was very accomodating Cons: No trays for the buffet, horrible juggling act Well maintained and highly responsive staff. Ship QualitySome public restrooms on deck were out of order Dining/FoodFood was plentiful but not very good. The lack of trays for the buffet made it impossible to make more one trip. Given that I have a handicap, I had to pass on dessert/ Stateroom QualityI have sailed holland before and will again, but only if the food improves and trays are provided. It broke my heart to watch some very elderly people trying to juggle plates. Ship Staff QualityMost of the staff were wonderful, some however had a language barrier. Entertainment & ActivitiesThis is a ship and not Las Vegas, I do not expect great entertainment but it was satisfactory.
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Puerto Vallarta, MexicoI enjoyed he local shopping by Taxi. Wasn't able to navigate the broken sidewalks.
Cabo San Lucas, MexicoThe old churches were impressive.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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An Excellent Cruise by
Jeff S. from Baltimore, MD Sailing date: Oct 2008Pros: The ship, food and staff were excellent Cons: The internet service was slow and very expensive. Really enjoyed the cruise. The ship and room were great. Excusrsions we good. Food was excellent.
Internet service needs a lot if improvement. Ship Quality
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Mazatlan, MexicoDidn't do any excursions, just walked around shop arrea
Puerto Vallarta, MexicoSnorleing excursion was the best we've had so far
Cabo San Lucas, MexicoSnorleing excursion was excellent
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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