excellent service, horrible food and entertainment
Zaandam Cruise Review to Alaska
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 5
Review summary
Fun cruise, excellent crew and staff, horrible food. Will NOT sail with Holland America again.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
food was good first few days then quickly went downhill. Seriously, lasagna with no sauce? Literally, crusty pasta with chunks of sausage and mushroom. Mac n cheese with VERY little cheese, mainly milky noodles. Rice reheated so many times it was crunchy. Flan advertised as tres leches. Undercooked cod and scallops. Overcooked meat. The food that was not horrible was just plain bland, as if the chef was afraid to add flavor to his menu. We skipped the third Gala night because we knew it would be a dissapointment. We went to the salad bar instead. I may be the first person to lose weight on a two week cruise. Seriously, I lost weight. Even the desserts were very hit and miss. How do you mess up cookies?
Onboard Activities
Had to beg to be able to use the spin bike in the fitness center. They claimed it was a safety issue. And yet 60 pound free weights are safe to toss about. They just wanted me to attend spin class for $12. In my opinion, the spa was very overpriced. I understand they are there to make money, but $200 after mandatory tip for a halfway decent 50 minute massage is pretty steep.
Entertainment
The sound guy needs to learn to not exceed the capacity of the speakers in the main stage. Distortion can be easily avoided. The selection of movies in the theater was very poor. Ship entertainment is geared more to the older population.
Service and Staff
Service was top notch. Everyone was always smiling and saying hello. Most all the crew remembered our names and went out of their way to help when my wife misplaced her phone. I cannot say enough good things about the crew.
Ship Quality
slight smell of urine in our cabin bathroom, otherwise ship was clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
If you like food, do not bother. We will not be cruising with Holland America ever again, mainly due to the very poor food.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska