This was an excellent cruise and itinerary despite some bumps along the way as described above. The ship is beautiful and well maintained. This was probably the friendliest cruise that we have been on out of 14 cruises in terms of the passengers. The average age was 50 -70 years of well travelled people with most passengers doing 20 plus days. A very interesting group. The ship had many varied activities for the guests which were for the most part well prepared. The entertainment was skilled and varied. The only thing I think Holland America should reconsider is the Club Orange, which based on my discussions with other guests, think it is an elitist concept that is not consistent with the friendliness and inclusiveness that is promoted with the Holland America line and its position in the marketplace. They should leave this concept to the other lines that cater to the upper class.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Smooth. Got to the transfer shuttle early, got through the terminal quickly, and our room was ready.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food was well prepared and presented with good variety. Did not try Specialty Dining as the Holland America has dropped their Culinary Arts Center since last year, which was their best restaurant, in favour of Club Orange, an elitist concept for Suites passengers. Everyone on board thought this was a stupid idea.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Loved the multiple versions of Trivia. Are trying to introduce PaddleBall, but it needs more a better net and some supervision by staff, Pools were not crowed due to the cool weather.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Had a good variety of entertainment around the ship for every taste- rock- Blues- Pop. The new modern production, Humanity, is Fantastic integration of synchronized lasers, LCD wall panel illumination and Dance. The "Stages" production is a bit corny and dated for my taste, although the dancers were excellent.
Children's Programs
no childeren
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All the staff were very friendly and personable which made for a terrific altmosphere on board. Our room stewards were wonderful and created towel animals every night for our entertainment.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is beautiful, functioned very well in choppy seas and is well maintained although only 2 years old. The captain and the crew are doing a terrific job. The 10th Floor rear stairwell is confusing to many guests as you cannot access the front areas of the ship, bacause of the location of the HAL program for kids, without going outside or back down to the 9th floor to gain access across the ship
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The room is a good size, is very clean, and has more storage than we required. The shower is large and the bathroom is well configured.
Not the prettiest port- very commercial in nature and not much to do in town. Transportation from Rome for the budget conscious involves a train, bus to the port transfer station and a port shuttle. This can be a lot to handle with large bags. Ships transfer is expensive although convenient.
This day was a BUST. It was the May 1 holiday and Olympia was closed. Olympia is the only reason to do this small port. A big disappointment for most of the guests. Someone from Holland America screwed up the scheduling on this one.
The port is not the most beautiful but its access to Athens with all that there is to do there is the reason its here. Many alternatives for transportation on your own- Metro- Hop-On Hop Off- ship tours
A beautiful port with access to Delos by tour or Ferry. Many alternative things to do. Excellent Sea Bus transport to town from the ship. Did a great ship excursion that took care of all the transportation.
This is the second time we have had difficulty getting into or out of Santorini due to high winds. This was a huge disappointment for many guests as it was suppose to be the highlight f the crusie. Must commend the Captain for making the right safety call and the many in which it was handled.
More see and do in the town of Naples than expected. Of course there is the access to Pompei, Herculaneum, Capri and the Almalfi coast for those that want a peak.
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