We do recommend Holland America and this ship in particular. We can't wait till we can cruise again!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Lunch was available upon arrival and activities began immediately. Luggage was delivered and taken into our room promptly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We didn't go to the specialty restaurants but the main dining room provided lovely and delicious gourmet meals. There was good food at the Lido Market buffet and great burgers & fries at the pool area. We ordered in-room breakfast the last day which also was great.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We attended a few health seminars and netted a few free consultations/services and were offered discounts after doing so. The fitness center is well equipped but we didn't have time to use it. Don't go to the shopping presentations. They kept promising a $99 tanzanite bracelet with a free tanzanite necklace which they never had in any of the 3 ports we tried but of course they were eager to sell you something else for many thousands of dollars instead. I was also shamed for asking for the $99 bracelet in the 3rd port after it had been highlighted again in the on-board shopping presentation the previous day.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We went to many performances of the Lincoln Center Stage string quartet with piano. All were superb. We also saw a number of Billboard piano players performances which we liked until they became a little repetitive. BB King's lounge group was also good but beware it isn't all blues. We went to 3 different comedian performances which we enjoyed. The program on the history of Holland America cruise line was interesting and informative as was the Deep Blue program.
Children's Programs
We had no children with us and did not attend any programs specific to children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All were cheerful, friendly, pleasant and professional.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It can be a hike to get iced tea or lemonade if you are at the front of the ship for the spa, gym, or main stage. Alcohol, on the other hand, is available almost everywhere.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We felt we had a very good cabin. We were warned that it might be noisy as it is positioned under a hydro pool. We had no problem with noise except that we were next to a workroom for the cabin attendants and sometimes they were noisy in there and in the hall -- never at night and never before 8 AM though.
Ship tip
One of us had trouble with motion sickness one day. By chance I mentioned this to a woman I met in an elevator and she told me that there was medication available at the guest services desk. I would never have known this except for this chance conversation.
We had purchased transport to the airport from the ship a few days prior to the cruise. We checked at customer services 2 days before the end of the cruise that everything was in place for this. However, they did not provide us the right luggage tags to indicate these arrangements. We didn't know that until we were off the ship and trying to board the bus to the airport because we were first time cruisers.
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