No Flexibility on Dining and Poor Management of Drink Packages
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 20
Review summary
If you want flexible dining options DON’T travel on Holland America. Also, the beverage packages are confusing. First day experience was pretty awful. The dining room had a long wait so we thought, no problem we’ll go to the buffet or Lido deck. It was 7:45pm. Half of the food options were already closed and food selection was limited. I started with a salad. By the time I went back for my main course EVERYTHING was closed. I was confused- it was 8:00pm at the time. I thought for sure that this was a mistake but it wasn’t- they close the buffet at 8 pm and don’t open again until 10:30pm!!! The only way to get food at this time is to go back to dining room and wait or order room service. The beverage package is also confusing. We were traveling with our teenager and found out that his card did not include the drink package. When we found out, we stopped using his card but unfortunately we had already incurred $12.00 in charges. I went to customer service to explain the situation but they were unwilling to refund the charges. The problem is that none of the servers seem to know the rules/policies around beverage packages. Even the food and beverage manager refused to refund the amount even though we were way below our allowed 15 drinks per day. I asked him, if he was willing to lose a customer over $12.00 and basically he stated that would be my choice. Didn’t seem to care a bit about my business. As an advent cruise traveler, I will NEVER travel with Holland America again. Poor food selection, inflexible dining options and poor customer service by senior staff is enough to keep our family away!Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
If you want flexible dining options DON’T travel on Holland America. Also, the beverage packages are confusing.
First day experience was pretty awful. The dining room had a long wait so we thought, no problem we’ll go to the buffet or Lido deck. It was 7:45pm. Half of the food options were already closed and food selection was limited. I started with a salad. By the time I went back for my main course EVERYTHING was closed. I was confused- it was 8:00pm at the time. I thought for sure that this was a mistake but it wasn’t- they close the buffet at 8 pm and don’t open again until 10:30pm!!!
The only way to get food at this time is to go back to dining room and wait or order room service.
The beverage package is also confusing. We were traveling with our teenager and found out that his card did not include the drink package. When we found out, we stopped using his card but unfortunately we had already incurred $12.00 in charges. I went to customer service to explain the situation but they were unwilling to refund the charges.
The problem is that none of the servers seem to know the rules/policies around beverage packages. Even the food and beverage manager refused to refund the amount even though we were way below our allowed 15 drinks per day. I asked him, if he was willing to lose a customer over $12.00 and basically he stated that would be my choice. Didn’t seem to care a bit about my business.
As an advent cruise traveler, I will NEVER travel with Holland America again. Poor food selection, inflexible dining options and poor customer service by senior staff is enough to keep our family away!
Onboard Activities
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ports of call
Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands
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