Overall a good experience. Ship is nice an clean and the food is good as cruise ships go. The tours booked thru Holland America were pricey and not that good. Booking some with outside vendors gave us a much better experience. Generally, we would probably do it again.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Like all cruises, it was a tedious process, but overall pretty well organized
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room was very good, but was sorely lacking in good vegetarian options. Out of a usual 4-5 entrees, there was often only one appealing option. Vegetarians do not just eat salads! The market buffet was OK, but largely the same things over and over. in 21 days it gets kind of boring. Drinks are over priced.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Main pool was always taken up with people who camped out in the lounge chairs and mostly just slept! We never used the main pool. The3 aft pool was better and because it is outside, there were fewer lounge lizards out there. We spend quite a bit of time
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The stage shows were excellent and very well done!
Children's Programs
no children
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Wait staff and stewards etc were very good and helpful. General services on the other hand, while still pleasant, were way too busy and it took too long to talk to anyone. There needs to be twice as many available to take care of passengers questions. I often had to wait more than ten minutes on the phone or in long lines to get simple questions answered. Holland America can do better!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship in showing signs of age and wear, but it is overall very clean. Ship could have been better laid out with dining facilities more in the center of the ship and other activities more fore or aft. But the ship is designed that way and there is no way to change it.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
It was of adequate size for 2 of us , but the closets were not tall enough to fully hang suits and dresses without folding or wrinkling.
Ship tip
For an extended ocean transit, book your cabin onf 4th or 5th decks midship. Ocean voages oftern have rougher seas than Meditteraem or Carribean cruises and the rolling of the ship is a bit less midships.
ANY tours while in Rome are less than appealing. It takes 60-90 minutes by bus from the port to the city, each way, with the ship boarding and ab out 4:30, it leaves very little time for anything. The Coliseum takes about 3 hours to tour and the Vatican tours can take up to 4, not including standing in line, so you would be wasting your money on those tours.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
