The cruise provided us with a good weeklong getaway. But, there was little to do well on board. The cruise director did very little to make a weeklong holiday cruise special. It was Christmas and Hanukkah week. There could have been a holiday-themed production show on the main stage. The holidays were acknowledged in the daily printed schedule of activities, but that was all.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Smooth and easy
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was abundant, but not special. We liked the holiday cookies , egg nog ice cream and stollen (a nice touch).
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
There were no activities other than those intended to sell spa treatments and items from the onboard shops. ( We take cruises to get away from our computers, not to go to computer classes) Trivia games were scheduled during dinner, so we could not participate. There were no crafts of fun contests.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
There were no Broadway-style production shows with singers and dancers. The magician and comedian were scheduled on two different days to fill time. We did enjoy the classical string quintet on the Lincoln Center Stage. There were no crafts or games.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Outstanding service. Very poor job by the cruise director.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Older ship, but clean and well-maintained. The pool area on the Lido deck needs to be revarnished. The indoor pool is now a “pay only” concession. Jacuzzi tubs on deck were filled with unsupervised children. The pool was loud and rowdy due to large numbers of unsupervised screaming and running children.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Fully handicap accessible with room for two mobility scooters inside. The dirt did not have an automatic door opener switch, which was a bit of a challenge for us upon exiting and entering.
Ship tip
Bring plenty of books, games or puzzles because the cruise director is very weak and there are no activities.
Not sure where/when your info on Mazatlan is from. It was bad 8 years ago, but on my cruise 1 week after yours, we and many others walked all over the place (only a very few places where your scooter might find bumps), many friendly American hosts almost every block, and other local low key Mexican locals. My favorite port of the 3!
Sad..let's hope they bring back the musical theater productions. I find the cruise directors often lacking in awareness and connection to mire than a select few. I do love the room stewards on HAL...they're amazing!
Holland America is geared more towards 60+, if you’re looking for night life Holland is not for you. We will be doing our 2nd on Holland and just looking forward to relaxing.
Holland always has the best room stewards. Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your cruise. I do wish that Holland America would provide a true adults-only pool and jacuzzi. I would love to go for a swim but won't do it with Cannonball children who are usually unsupervised.
Holland America is not known for their activities or entertainment, however, I am glad they got rid of the production shows and prefer comedians, magicians or a tribute band. The production shows made me feel like I was watching the Lawrence Welk or Carol Burnett Show. We would cruise with Holland America again, but only if it was an itinerary that we could not get on another cruise line
How disappointing. Sorry your cruise was less than expected. Though not surprising about the number of rowdy children on board; that is to be expected during school holidays.
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