12 Night Cuban Explorer Holiday (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 22, 2017
Ship:
Veendam
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: 623
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
Cuba was worth the trip. While I like Holland I would not do this ship again.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
A little unorganized this time. I believe it was because there was an additional form for each passenger required to enter Cuba, and it was a first for Holland.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was great in the dining room and the buffet.
Ocean Bar
5 out of 5
The staff was great here. They were very attentive. Manny was exceptional.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Very slow, very quiet. Not many options for entertainment. The test kitchen that double as the movie theater could have been used more often. The cooking presentations were scarce. Movies could have been rotated and shown several times a day, instead of the same movie twice a day. Bingo was played 3 or 4 times total on a 12 night cruise. The casino events, (all two of them), were mis advertised for the wrong days, which meant low attendance. Due to the low attendance they dropped the winnings for the tournaments. We have been on other Holland cruises. This was the slowest, quietest, most lacking.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The ship performances were old and stale. The comedian and the magician were very good.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent service
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I liked the ship. It is very clean, and was comfortable. Some things are showing wear like the carpet in the cabin.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Clean and comfortable. Good size for an outside cabin. Had plenty of storage.
Ship tip
Make sure you have a few good books and a deck of cards. The library is well stocked with both if you leave yours at home. There is very little organized activities.
Good ruin sites. If you want a beach day, this area is run by the cruise lines.
We booked a ruin tour through Crises only which was exceptional. I highly recommend their tours. Small groups and great value.
Again we booked a tour through the cruises only web site. Excellent!! Our group consisted of a total of 5 of us and the tour guide. We walked, ate, and drank our way through Havana. The people are great. Very friendly. I would go back.
Grand Cayman is a nice destination. If it's your first time you should see Hell, the turtle farm, & the rum cake factory. The island is a nice drive if you chose to rent a car. Sting ray city is great if you enjoy the water. You can stand in this area and the rays will come to you.
What ship did you do? Did you do a people to people excursion? Which one? We are going with Holland veendam in February. Has anyone done the Tropicana night club if so, how was it.
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