Mexico with the Melvilles 2018
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Mexico
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 62
Review summary
Had a great time with our long time friends on this cruise. overall it was great, just a little disappointed that it being Valentines Day it was as if nothing was going on. They Showed a Animal Movie as the main entertainment that day. Hubby Loves Holland but I'm note so sure I do. Wait Staff were the best part of the whole trip and relaxing watching movies in my room.Embarkation
perfect, no waiting got right on and our rooms were ready.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Main dining room and the Lido were our only restaurants and both were excellent. Notice changes from the past cruises and I like them. Like more personal drink service in the Lido. Love the new Large Salad bowls and the new glasses.
Onboard Activities
Digital Microsoft classes were great. Desiree was an excellent teacher and patient with our questions
I was disappointed with fun activities and the Cruise Director. Seemed like he thought we were all over 80 and I found nothing to do but watch movies and go to computer classes. Did not feel like advertisement was very good if there was any for most events. TV upgrade was excellent though so I gave you 3 starts considering it.
Beauty Salon
Manicure and pedicure person was excellent. She was very experienced and mature and i enjoyed her very much. My toes were a mess and she made them beautiful.
Entertainment
Sorry but after 4 cruises with Holland and 10+ with other ships this time the entertainment sucked. The shows lacked entertainment value. They were a step down from the past. Comedian was bland and told political jokes that were inappropriate I felt. He was slow and redundant. The Magician was just ok. Nothing out of the ordinary. We have come to expect the best from Holland considering they are in the top of our Cruising expenses and adventures. Have always wowed us in the past and this time failed big time. Song and dancer performers were good but small time shows. And only preformed two nights, the rest were filled up with Earth imagined something that didn't appeal to me at all. I pay for live entertainment not movies of animals. BB King was the main reason we booked this cruise and ship and they were great performers but main singer Marvin and he was sick and didn't even apologize for him lack of attention to the audience. He kept leaving the stage suddenly. I am sure to cough but then apologize and let us commiserate with you. He just walked off, several times and several performances. The band was excellent but some sets they only played 3 songs total. Valentines night was the worst. Nothing but slow dragged out long boring songs. Again same song for 10 minutes. Painful to watch and was boring. Disappointed is what we were on this ship this time. Being Valentines you missed the mark in all categories for entertainment. Nothing special and felt like it was an after thought.
Service and Staff
Here is where Holland excelles. You wait staff are friendly and bright individuals with personality and a heart to serve us in every way. Enjoyed all of our experiences with room service to bedtime towel animal enjoyment. You shine in this category!
Ship Quality
Clean and updated. We were on this ship just a few years ago and felt it needed updating and you did it. Was very old but elegant now more modern and plain but newer and appealing. I enjoyed the flowers on ship very much. Great large arrangements everywhere. I liked that a lot. Missed some of the elegance but I understand it needed to be upgraded and brought up to date.
Cabin / Stateroom
We were on the 5th floor at the end right before the elevators and I was worried about noise. No problem. It was fine. Occasionally heard someone laughing in the hall but never heard our neighbors or hall traffic. Did hear the ding dong of the elevators but soon got used to it and didn't even notice after a while. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new TV's and upgraded movie experience. Hate the old movie watching. Start one and never got to end it sometimes. This time was excellent. Started a movie, closed it, went to dinner and came back and it was still there waiting for me. Could fast forward and rewind. Watched over and over if I wanted to was such a change from before. Good job here, Holland. being on the 5th floor this time I was concerned. I like being a little higher. We had to look out at the lifeboats and I didn't like that at all. Missed being able to see the water. Midship is usually great and it was this time as far as motion. Although this was the smoothest sailing we have ever had.
Ship tip
Don't book a holiday cruise. It costs more and there was nothing to even know it was Valentines Day other than all the jewelry were hearts.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Love Cabo, have done most of the excursion already. We were blessed with a trip to a resort for free from a family friend who owned a time share there and got us in for the day. It was the best part of the whole trip. Massages on the beach, lunch near the water. Relaxing and fun!
port is very nice and looks like more growth, but it is a boring port. Shops were all gone, so you had to take a taxi to town or go on an excursion. Excursions were all too high for what you got. Except the Pirate Ship. We did it the previous year with our grandkids and it was exceptional and a good value for what we got. We did no excursions since they were all too much for what they were.