Never again on Hollan America. Was told they were going away from production shows on all their ships.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation in Ft. Lauderdale was fast and easy. Trip from airport was short.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Dining room was nice and waiter was absolutely a charm, however the food which I was led to believe to be outstanding was only just standard to slightly below par. The food in the Lido buffet was almost the same every day and was seldom hot. Most areas are served by crew (they say because of sanitation, however there were some areas where it was self-serve with everyone using same tongs. Where's the reasoning for this?). I was alos led to belive most of the buffet was open at all times, however it closed very often for lengthy periods of time. One popular place was the Dive In by the pool (very good hotdogs, hamburgers and amzing fries) the only problem is it closed at 5:30 p.m and doesn't open till next day. I'm used to these kind of places to be opened till late night for nightime hunger. Room service is 24 hours which I guess is a good thing because there really isn't any place on the ship to get anything late night. The problem with that is I really don't like eating in my cabin and if you have a cabin mate that can actually sleep, unlike me, you don't want to disturb them with room service and eating.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Very limited onboard activities other taste kitchen demos and few other things. Pools are just ok and the back pool was extremely small and as a result the water was as hot as the hot tub. I don't even bathe in water that hot. Smoking isn't allowed anywhere on ship except by outdoor Ocean
Bat at rear of ship by the small pool. Was always crowded because of size and being only area to smoke. Smoking is not permitted in the casino which I found very strange since many gamblers also smoke. Vaping is also not permitted anywhere but Ocean Bar. Weird that the crew has 3 places to smoke but guests only have 1. I'm also accustomed to having fun poolside activities like games, ice carvings, contests, dances, etc. but none of this happened.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
Entertainment???? Almost non-existant. No production shows, crew shows, etc. There was a comedian that was quite good and a magician that was just standard. It was a friend of mines first cruise and I told her how she was going love cruising; the great shows and entertainment, great food, fun activities, shopping, etc. and I was so embossed and kept apologizing to her and saying not to judge cruising by this cruise. I felt bad. BB Kings was an ok (and only) nightclub type spot but closed early every night. I guess the main thing is because of the average age of guests (probably around 70-75), I'm 65. As I heard one guest comment, "Anyone seen walking around after 10pm curfew will be shot on sight!"
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
No knowledge of this as I don't have children and only saw about 8 on board. Also did not see any children's activities going on.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Overall the staff was great, exactly what I'm accustomed to on a cruise ship. Always friendly, smiling and eager to serve. Service desk personnel was nice and helpful to a point. When first going to cabin I found that the cabin I upgraded to in order to have bathtub/shower had only a shower. I had to wait till 4pm before the service desk was able to change me to the cabin I paid for.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
The ship is older and very small by today's cruise ships norm. The ship was kept mostly clean but it really shows it age especially since it was supposed to have undergone a refurbish a few years ago. Shopping is very limited and the atrium area is extremely underwhelming.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cabin (whe I finally got the right one) was very nice and comfortable. There was three of us in the room and the sofa that converted to a twin was just as comfortable as the other two beds. It's not a typical sofa-sleeper, but one that the back flips forward with a regular twin mattress attacted. the cabin layout design was good and we never felt cramped. The bathroom with tub was good size which made showering easy and helped me a lot to be able to use tub as I had 3 surgeries on legs in September. Closets were enough room for clothes, and that;s saying a lot considering 3 people on 10 night cruise is about 60 changes of clothes.
Ship tip
Consider another cruise line if you're used to what most cruise ships offer.
Rented a car since I've been here before and know what to see. Drove to Lighthouse and enjoyed it but was was unable to drive to many places since they recently had rains which made many roads on accessable by 4-wheel drive jeeps. Went to Eagle Beach for a lttle while (sister has timeshare there) and went to grocery store to get cheese and few othe things. Time got away from us and didn't do much else except a few minutes in casino and stopping for a bite to eat.
Legs were hurting so we didn't venture far. Stopped at the Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino near port and had a very nice time. Won a little in the casino (they hand out coupons for free $10 to play with on pier) and they also allowed us to enjoy thier man-made beach and pool area. The beach is large sand beach with palm trees, chaise lounges, towels and shade. The pool is a walk in form beach like ocean very large infinity edge salt-water pool. Absolutely beautiful and relaxing stay.
Was never excited about Panama Canal before but was this time. It's extremely interesting and if you have an ocean view cabin on a lower deck, stay in your roomduring the exit and see the walls of the canal as the ship goes down. This was incedibly exciting and strange.
Again exiting the canal was fasanating since I was in my cabin and watched the sip go down with the walls of canal only inches from the window and it goes down a long way and gets fairly dark.
Only had an hour in this port since ship had to make unplanned stop in Aruba on way to canal due to medical emergency of a guest which delayed canal and Colon. unimpressed by port area.
Took a private taxi tour that I booked at port.
Took a private taxi tour I booked in port. Drove around the town, stopped for while at a nice beach with very clean restaurant and nice grocery/gift shop. banana palntation was only 50 feet inside gate for a few minutes as it is not really open to tour and the coco plant was not open. Kinda a rip that these were places they told us we would see and they didn't tell us they were closed for tourning, however the day was still nice.
Sounds like cruising is not for you. Most other reviews are positive concerning food and service. Silly poolside activities like hairy chest and belly flops are for other party type cruise lines. As far as smoking goes, IMO, it should not be allowed at all! The stench can ruin the experience for the majority of cruisers who do nor smoke.
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