Memories with my family
Westerdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
7 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: April 05, 2009
Ship: Westerdam
Cabin type: Inside
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
We recently sailed on the Westerdam and I must say there are pros and cons to the vacation. It is hard for me to complain when I received quality time with my family, time off from work and a good sun tan. But there are a few things that I was disappointed in from the Holland America Company. Understaffing: It is clear that through this economic hardship decisions must be made to effect the business and clearly the staff had been dramitically cut. The dining rooms did not have enough staff, resulting in multiple 3 hour dinners. Due to the length of time spent in the dining room, my family was not able to make the nightly shows. This was a huge disappointment. The lack of staffing was also clear on the pool deck, as finding someone to provide seating, refreshments or towels was basically impossible. The staff that WAS on the ship was wonderful though. It was clear that they were doing the best that they could. But it's a shame, because all through the boat the patrons were complaining. Many were getting comped on certain items to make up for the disappointment. If Holland America is saving money by cutting staff, then the overall price should had been cut as well. The expectation remained the same from patrons, if I'm paying the same price, then I deserve the same service. And that was clearly not the case here. I must say that it was my families favorite cruise line until this past trip, and that is no longer the case. I do hope that Holland America finds away to save money in other ways so that you will maintain the repeat customer. Because if they keep on the same journey they are on now, Holland America will soon find an empty ship.Ports of call
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)
Pros: customer service
Cons: understaffed shipped