My title is based on rating the ship and service staff separately from Holland America Corporate. The ship, captain and staff were exceptional. Corporate's decision to nickel and dime you for far too many things left a bad taste in our mouths. Gratuities felt like nothing more than fees which should have been included in the pricing. Then on top of daily gratuities, you paid additional gratuities for any items you purchased. It felt at times like you given access to use the toilets but had to pay for the toilet paper + a gratuity. Too much selling on the cruise. Took a nice time and made it feel dirty.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Was handled relatively well by the team. People were kept informed and moving with relatively small delays. Staff were friendly and helpful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Over all the food quality was slightly above average. Some meals were excellent while many were not bad but not special. The main dining room staff were courteous, professional, prompt. No complaints at all. Same for the lido deck (buffet). There were wait times in the buffet dining, but never too long. We did not visit any specialty restaurants as we just didn't see any value in paying for the cruise... then access to a specialty restaurant...then paying additional for food choices then adding a 18% gratuity on top of that.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Pools were fine. Fitness center was very good. Most activities were merely dressed up promotions to SELL, SELL, SELL. which was very disappointing. Chose a fitness package (yoga, Pilates, spinning, etc.) but canceled after not getting advertised classes. Instructor not certified to teach yoga, Pilates or spinning. Took multiple visits for refund.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Band from Memphis was excellent. 4 pieces string group was excellent. Dance company was exceptional. One comedian was very good and the other, (Dino Vigo) was poor (we left during show). Band in Rock and Roll lounge was fair at best. Our favorite was onboard staff choirs (Indonesia & Philippines) singing Christmas songs. They were genuine.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service staff were excellent throughout the ship. Courteous, professional, friendly, competent and available. Actually felt bad not leaving gratuities for them due to Holland America Corporate charging 18% for pretty much everything. I wondered how much of the gratuities collected actually went to the service staff. This automatically collected daily gratuity as well as additional gratuities collected for certain items (Cappuccino, fitness package, etc.) was a BIG negative for us. More on this later in the review.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
No complaints here at all. Ship was well designed and easy to navigate. I would like to have had a few more semi private outdoor lounging areas, way from the noise of the pools and restaurants.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Room size was adequate and layout was too. I would have preferred an actual queen size bed without the separation between mattresses.
Ship tip
The Crow's Nest lounge offered a great view, quiet atmosphere, specialty drinks, games, etc. It was our favorite escape.
If you didn't want to spend a hefty price for taxis, then you had limited areas to visit. All shopping places...didn't feel overly safe outside of the main shopping drag.
Seemed more residential than Aruba but clean and we felt safe. We loved being able to get into the sea and swim some. The waters were magical and it was very relaxing.
Was a very nice city and walking experience. A variety of places to visit, take photos', speak with people. Had to most to do of all the POC. Noce place.
Very disappointed. This was a corporate made fake port where you either paid for excursions, paid a hefty fee for taxis otherwise you were locked in to a fake village all designed to sell you stuff. We have been to the Dominican Republic before and loved the country and the people. This was akin to visiting a shopping mall in any city in the US.
Secluded, beautiful island with pristine beaches. Would loved to have had more time here. A picnic was provided which was OK and the beaches and waters were breathtaking.
I agree. Gratuities are my least favorite part of cruises. I understand the excuse they offer: so that the “unseen” workers get a share of the pot, but there’s got to be a better way. Increase those people’s wages and let the other staff (bartenders, waiters, room staff, etc) collect tips from the cruisers as they would like to tip. I feel good about tipping the people who help me directly, but it’s kind of hard after you’ve been sucked dry by the cruise line for “gratuities.”
I agree with you, adding the gratuity, which is kind of mandatory (note that you can decline to have it included on your bill and tip as you wish) separately from the cruise, is a marketing strategy to show a low initial cost. It is also true for most of the cruise lines, not just HAL.
If you want a cruise company that includes everything in the price, you get into the luxury ones, with a scary price tag. I once sailed on a Seabourn cruise (regular price of $20k+ per person for a week, as advertised) for only $3,000 per person. Since this was a suite, included drinks and gratuity, it was a great deal, but still looked much higher than a $399 cruise on the regular brands. So you have to do your math, which is not easy and takes a lot of time.
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