Our cabin was on deck 5 near the aft elevators. Very convenient to go up to deck 9 and step into the Lido Market and down to deck 2/3 for main dining. Cabin #5179. We scored this cruise as a solid 9. Disappointed in change in itinerary from Key West to Montego Bay, JA. Our transportation from port to town was in a 12-15 passenger bus. We simply wanted an affordable ride into the town shopping area. Immediately upon getting on the bus, the person organizing drop-off & pickup, began trying to ‘upsell’ us to a “highlights” tour and/or to a nearby beach, both costing more money. I, along with others on the bus, tried to tell her that we didn’t want either the highlights or beach options. She just continued to give us all a bunch of double-talk never addressing our request. Finally, we told her we just wanted off the bus at the shopping area. Then, she insisted we pay in advance for the return trip. No, I refused! She got huffy with me but finally agreed to meet us at a specified location and time. While I don’t hold HAL accountable for this unpleasant experience, I will bring it to their attention so they can perhaps eliminate future encounters of this nature. I will never again get off the ship at Montego Bay, JA.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Somewhat different boarding than other cruise lines. After check-in guests had to wait (sit) for your group number to be called…15 minutes +/-. Staterooms were available immediately to drop off carryons.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main Dining, Pinnacle, & Tamarind:
Servers - impeccably attentive. Could not have been any better.
Food - all offerings were good but
selection seemed considerably different/unusual from other cruise lines. I guess it’s whatever you are accustomed to.
Drinks - Cocktails & Wine delivered promptly.
Pinnacle Grill
5 out of 5
Steaks were excellent! Service was excellent! Not to miss this place.
Explorations Cafe
5 out of 5
Delicious pizzas & sandwiches served hot. Hot wings available in the evening, not at lunch. Service was very good…never had a long wait.
Grand Dutch Cafe
5 out of 5
Enjoyed the specialty coffees & wonderful service at Grand Dutch Cafe. Nice, quiet place to enjoy wonderful coffee.
Dive-In
5 out of 5
Dive In Cafe had very good burgers. Best we’ve ever had on a cruise ship.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Sea View Bar & Pool area were quite popular due to the location overlooking the aft wake. Service was as good as could be expected due to the large number of guests in the area. The main pool was nice with adequate number of lounge chairs around the pool.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
BB King Blues Club
OMG! The band was the absolute best 6-piece group I have ever heard. Two lead singers belted out all the Motown you can imagine. Awesome! Absolutely awesome!!
Rolling Stone Rock Club was also a popular venue with a live rock band. We spent our afternoon dinner hours at the BB King Club. Watching other guests dance is entertainment in itself. The only reason I didn’t give this segment 5 Stars is because the main World Stage did not have sings & dancers & an orchestra.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As usual, the entire Holland America staff (waiters, room attendants, bar & restaurant servers were courteous & always eager to help with anything one might ask for…always wore a friendly smile. HAL is hard, if not impossible, to beat in this category. We had an issue with the safe & A/C in our cabin. Both were attended to promptly, followed by a nice plate of chocolate covered strawberries.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was beautiful! Every deck, every public/common place was beautifully decorated and clean. 5 Stars says it all!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Enjoyed having the standard ‘swing open’ door as opposed to a sliding patio-type door leading out to the balcony. Cabin was very clean & kept that way daily by our room attendant. Cabin size was adequate for the two of us.
Ship tip
We learned after 4 or 5 nights that our main dining room servers could provide other, basic food not listed on the evening menus. Don’t be afraid to ask for something different.
Disembarkation went well. All tags/numbers were called on time. Luggage staging area was adequately large enough to avoid overcrowding. Our luggage was waiting for us when we got off at 8:30am.
Thanks for the honest review. We sailed with you and heard so many problems with Jamaica we didn’t leave the ship at that port. Key West doesn’t want big ships at their port anymore. We were disappointed with that too. Glad it was otherwise a great cruise for you. Thanks for the tip about the MDR.
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