I Needed This Trip
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 21
Review summary
Cruise was great. There was a paperwork error at the beginning which turned into a huge headache. Once we finally got that cleared up, I could enjoy the remainder of my cruise. It was GREAT to finally travel abroad again and put all my worries behind me for a few weeks in the most beautiful part of the world.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
There was a lot going on that I participated in. They did have Singles meet-ups, however, no one was there to facilitate. It was very awkward. Couldn't tell who or if anyone was also there to connect with other singles.
Entertainment
The musicians/DJs were fantastic. I was not as impressed with the stage shows.
Service and Staff
Everyone was great and remembered my name.
I only really had one issue but it was a HUGE one. I had purchased the Signature Drink Package with my cruise, however, when I arrived on the cruise, that package was not included. I went to the front desk on the ship 9 times over the next 5 days to try to clear it up. I'm still not sure exactly what happened as the Reps on the ship kept telling me that had removed that package from my order 3 days after I purchased it. They also told me they couldn't get in touch with my Rep (Rebekkah Morris) and that the communication from was very confusing.
When I got back in town and touched base with Rebekkah, I received a very different story in that Holland America had removed this package from my ticket and kept pushing back over 5 days, not wanting to take accountability. They still haven't taken accountability. This is inexcusable as I spent the first half of my cruise stressing and not taking advantage of the package I had purchased and but also having to continuously check in with the front desk to get updates. 5 days. 5 days while my friends enjoyed their drink package and I stressed out about why my trip didn't include that package.
My understanding was that the supervisor at Holland America finally had to listen to the recording of the call where my booking took place and finally determined that Holland America was in the wrong. I would like an explanation and a credit to my account.
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
I had issues with the sink until the day before we disembarked. It only shot out steaming hot water. I could barely wash my hands. Ketut really tried to help, but unfortunately this wasn't fixed until the end of the tour.
Ports of call
Absolutely amazing.
Thumbs Up
0
Sarande, Albania Did not visit port
Spent my entire excursion going to and coming from Corfu, Greece. Didn't get to see Albania. The excursion to the small boat to check out caves and the blue eye was absolutely amazing. I could have done without the rest of the trip. And we literally had 30 minutes to shop and eat at the end (at 3pm).
Went to Capri. On the tour, I had to choose between going to the museum or taking the single chair up to the very top of the island. Couldn't do both -- but would have liked to. Tour guide didn't seem interested in making sure he had everyone throughout the tour -- there were a few ladies who couldn't handle the walking and honestly probably shouldn't have signed up for this type of tour.
I did my own thing in Rome. We were told we would have shuttle buses pick us up at the train stop in Civitavecchia, but there was no bus there when we arrived. So we tried walking to the ship and about 12 of us got really lost. We tried calling the ship and weren't really given good direction. We finally started walking backwards and took a different turn and found a place where a shuttle was picking us up. Made it back to the ship with 1 minute to spare.
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
I did a tour of Nice, Eze, and Monaco. The excursion said it would be in that order so we could gamble in Monte Carlo. Unfortunately when we got on the bus, they decided to do Monaco first and we visited the casino before it had opened for the day. So I ended up wearing a suit all day for no reason. Was not impressed.
Had signed up for a bicycle tour, but it was cancelled a few days before. Jumped on board an overview tour of the city, but had no time to shop.
Disembarkation
Traveler Photos
