Great Cruise but is Holland America on a Downhill Slide?

Item: Nieuw Statendam
Rating: 4.3
Author: Prests

Nieuw Statendam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Prests

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 6

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

7 Night Tropical Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 05, 2020

Ship: Nieuw Statendam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 4140

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

Normally we like Holland America but this cruise seemed like they are experiencing some cut-backs and staff reductuon especially in the dining experience area. Food quality did not seem to live up to their standard. In some cases staff did not seem happy. We have two more HA cruises booked, so we will be in a better position to evaluate when those are completed. I don't think HA is at the "top" of our preferred list anymore!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Perfect

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Clean ship but Holland America staff did not inforce hand washing and quality of food is not the same as in the past.

Lido Market

3 out of 5

Food quality varied on some days. Handwashing stations need to be monitored. Only a few passengers wash their hands upon entry. Other cruise lines do a much better job in this area. We observed some sneezing and caughing in some areas. If you manage your time , you can avoid some chaotic activity!

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Fitness Center is great....however staff were indifferent and sometimes rude.

Sun Deck

4 out of 5

Not all lounge chairs were set up which created a feeling of overcrowding.

Photo Gallery

2 out of 5

Staff are indifferent. Some seem overwhelmed at times!

Fitness Center

5 out of 5

Excellent facilities.

America's Test Kitchen

3 out of 5

We saw no evidence of this on this voyage!

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Orher lines have better entertainment. We experienced one of rhe worst comedy shows ever!

Children's Programs

We did not travel with children on this trip.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Some waiters were excellent. Room steward was ok...but there was a general feeling that there was a cut-back in staff.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship is fairly new so good marks in this area.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Excellent

Ship tip

Do your homework. This is a very competitive business.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5

Excellent....but note the flies on the desserts at the outdoor BBQ, and make sure your hamburger is cooked! Great beach!

Thumbs Up 1

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5

We recommend you stay within the compound and have a drink at the bar at the top of the hill.

Thumbs Up 0

Key West, Florida

5 out of 5

A safe place to tour on your own! Lots to see.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Excellent.

5 Comments

DrueNSandy 4 years ago

Read a lot of reviews and have made the following conclusions: Two individuals can go on the same cruise and come up with entirely different experiences. If you go on a cruise and expect everything to be perfect, you will be disappointed. If you travel with a relaxed attitude and go with the flow, you will relax and enjoy your time at sea. There are many variables with a cruise: Weather, port crowds, excursion quality, age and size of the ship et al. RELAX and enjoy.......

Thumbs Up 0

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wanderess 4 years ago

Interesting. I was on the same cruise, first time on Holland America, and had a very different experience in regards to food and service staff. We found the food much better than Princess and staff seemed much happier and more professional, so much so that I commended HA on it. We did however notice the same issue with the hand washing stations. The Humanity dance show was outstanding, but we heard poor reviews of the comedian show as well. We were quite happy with the spa, music and overall vibe of the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

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4Goodtimes 4 years ago

Thanks for sharing.

Thumbs Up 0

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cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Thank you for the review. Holland America is not at the top of our list but we thoroughly enjoyed our Panama Canal cruise last year with them. We are going on another cruise next month and we are just looking for a relaxing cruise plus by going on Holland America we are able to go out of our local port (San Diego).

Thumbs Up 0

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CruzeFan 4 years ago

Glad you made the best of it. We have cruised twice with Holland America and would only choose them again if we could not find a similar itinerary on another line. We expected more based on the reviews and reputation, but found the food, service and entertainment below what we experienced on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. After reading numerous reviews, it seems that those that rate HAL highly rarely, if ever, cruise any other line and have nothing else to compare it to.

Thumbs Up 1

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Other reviews of this sailing

Great cruise