I cannot in good faith suggest anyone take Holland America. I was scammed and there is nothing that I can do about it. They resent when you book through an agent. They are not helpful and will only to the bare minimum for you even though their charges are really high.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
The procedures were awful. You have to keep showing your passport. I was interrogated by the Customs agent because I was traveling alone. I felt very uncomfortable.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
okay. nothing to rave about.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Really did not have a lot of choices.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Only had a few stage shows on the same stage with basically the same dancers on the nights that they performed. they did add singers on 2 occasions.
Children's Programs
I did not take any children
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The customer service staff was okay if you got the right person. The Lido staff acted like they were doing you a favor. The stewards kept leaving me towels that I did not need. They added a bathrobe for the one that I used but did not take the used bathrobe.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
It was clean
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
I had the bed to myself because I was traveling alone. The small pillow were not soft. If the cabin floor had a piece on lint on it, it stayed there until I removed it. The stewards restocked the refridgerator on my last day when I went to breakfast, even though I had water and soda in it,
Ship tip
DON'T! Use Royal Caribbean and sail from Seattle, Avoid Canada. They are not the nicest people.
The Pan Pacific Staff were not real helpful and only gave you a little information to your questions, ie, where to eat.
The Cactus Club restaurant people were not nice. I just left.
There are homeless people EVERYWHERE!!!
Everything is just over priced.
The Sea Otter/Wildlife Quest that I chose was an absolute rip off. We saw a few otters on a buoy, an eagles nest, and the excursion lasted 2 hours, not the 4.25 hours that was listed.
The whale quest excursion was a total rip off since we were told that the whales don't come up until June at the earliest. there were a couple that had made it up but you only saw the tip on their tails. The Glacier was better and we did see a whole lot of eagles.
You have to show your passport over and over. The Customs Agent questioned me intensely because I was traveling alone and did not buy anything in Canada. Those people treated me awful in Canada. I only bought what I needed to eat and I bought some things for my family after I got to the airport.
Thanks for sharing. I've always had good experiences with HAL, so this review is a bit of a surprise, but I understand the HAL experience is not for everyone. Hope your next cruise is better.
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