We know that the world has changed post pandemic and that cruise companies are trying to get back to pervious service and staffing levels, so l understand some of the issues, however you took my money which I gave to you(HAL) 90 days before sailing. I believe that like any smart corporation you knew the big picture and still sailed with a full capacity ship without the staff to operate at proper levels versus the costs that I paid. The most common phrase I heard on the ship from fellow passengers was , HAL customer services level was well below expectation.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Told to arrive for 10am did not board the ship till 12:45. No water or restrooms and reason as to why the delay. No apologies from Holland America.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was slow coming out of the kitchen. Super small portions in the dining room. Desserts were very below pervious HAL experience.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
The bingo was fun.the colouring for adults was also fun.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The Lincoln Center was amazing the comedians were average to sub par.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Staff at the bar were great. The dinning room was very inconsistent with serve. We had to wait 10 to 15 minutes for a coffee in the morning in the dining room. Lido deck staff did not clear the dirt dishes and were slow with drink orders.Not enough variety of desserts in the Lido deck
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Was OK
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had a Vista Suite which we found to be a good size. The bed was not bad.The room was very clean.
Ship tip
I would make sure you bring a few good books 10 days at sea is a long time.
The shore excursions we selected was a beach get away. We paid 130 US per person for 3 hours on a beach with two chairs,the umbrella for those who did not want heatstroke was additional 39US. The beach it self was great. It was 5 star hotel and 5 star price for food (one hamburger with fries and pop and beer..35US.
We selected the wine and cheese tour. The cost was 229US per person. For this price we receive the following experience 2 hours around trip of driving without any communication from the driver. Once on site in the middle of nowhere we sat outside under a tent and were present with plate of RIZE crackers and scoop of home made cheese.Sorry I almost forgot about the wine I understand that we all have different taste buds, however this wine serve in small class was average at best. I also almost forgotten to mention the two cold teas we had. Once complete we were offer a tour of the facilities which took 10 minutes and then back on the bus.
We had two days at this location. Tour of North Shore ….which include a stop for Shrimp Lunch which was outstanding.
On day two we booked a Pearl Harbour Star and Stripes which was great however the portion was to include a visit to the Arizona Memorial. However due to maintenance work on dock and a barge blocking the loading area that portion of the trip was cancelled.No refund from HAL, not even a drink a voucher. They knew about the issue and took my money not cool.
Thanks for the review. Staffing reductions and cutbacks are likely to continue for a few more years until the cruise lines are back to being profitable and reducing debt.
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