While I do not fault HA and I had read the reviews, I was surprised at the lack of activities for more active people. There were a lot of wheelchairs, walkers, scooters. There was way too much emphasis on jewelry and spa and we got more advertisements in our stateroom than we do junk mail at home in the same period. Too much and definitely not eco-friendly! Also felt nickel and dimed to death. Everything seemed to have an extra charge. There could have been more informational discussions, e.g. the history of the Caribbean, Haiti and Cuba when we sailed past them. BBC Earth was very limited and disappointing. They do have a great selection of movies in the staterooms which was good because there wasn't much else to do.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very organized and very smooth. We were there between noon and 1 pm and lines were no more than what is usual at an airport.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Very good especially baked goods. But the coffee was absolutely horrible! It was way too strong. Servers were quick, efficient and very pleasant. I give 4 stars because of undrinkable coffee.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
There were very few activities on this ship that interested us. There was little to do during the day unless you play bridge, mahjong or want to learn Windows. Overall felt like we were spending time in a senior citizen center.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
No steel band and others were mediocre.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service staff were all excellent especially our room stewards Putu and Sacha. In the buffet, the dining room, the bars even just meeting them in hallways etc. they were all overwhelmingly friendly and conscientious. Not so the ship personnel who only seemed friendly when disembarking or embarking for shore excursions. They would walk right through everyone without making eye contact or a smile and didn't seem they wanted to be there or at least didn't want to associate with the passengers.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cleaning was going on all the time which was very impressive and reassuring. It was easy too get around and the right size for us.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was very clean, view was great and the storage was amazing! We didn't even use all of it.
Ship tip
Don't go on this cruise unless you are into sedentary activities like bridge and mahjong. You will be bored to death on sea days.
Loved the submarine excursion. Other than that the town was okay but nothing special. Staying in port until 11 pm was overkill for this cruise crowd. Wish we had had this day in Willemstad instead.
Very much enjoyed the shore excursion but wish we had more time to explore the town as well. As stated previously would much rather this had been the 1 pm-11 pm day in port instead of Aruba.
Very organized and smooth. The only confusion is where to go for private excursion pickup. Could maybe use more direction such as airports use for hotel shuttles, taxis, etc.
Agree with everything stated above. We made identical observations on this cruise. Be glad you did NOT book a Panama Canal excursion. We did and due to a malfunctioning boat engine spewing exhaust fumes, we spent 4 hours breathing through wet towels. There was absolutely no assistance from that crew. One member of our group had a medical emergency caused by the fumes and we literally feared for her life. There was no medical assistance available on board of this boat. The excursion was useless and endangered our lives to boot. Holland America was made aware when we returned to tthe ship. They refunded everybodys excursion cost but otherwise did not care and as to date have not responded to our complaint. Lousy customer service.
We don’t cruise for the entertainment. We love the ports and just being on the ship. We hang out by the pool area that doesn’t have DJ’s or loud bands. Piped in music. Love it. We’ve only been on one HA ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam and loved it. Food for dinner in MDR was absolutely delicious.The staff in buffet was fabulous. Always friendly and smiling, and no long lines at all where they will actually serve you. Our cabin steward always greeted us by name and asked how our ports days were. Never had to ask for anything in our cabin and he always kept it spotless. We will be going to Panama Canal on the Zuiderdam this March so I hope we love it as much as Nieuw Amsterdam. Oh yes, my brother and his wife will be coming also so we’ll have a pack of Phase 10, a really fun card game, with us.
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