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Name: Pat M.
Email: webmaster@cruiseopinion.com
Age: 26
Occupation: Cruise Travel Agent
NumberOfCruises: 12
TravelAgent: Yes
Ship: Holland-Maasdam
SailingDate: 03/07/95
Itinerary: 10 Day Panama Canal
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 96
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 82
CabinAmenities: 96
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 88
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 60
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 75
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 80
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 92
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 94
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 25 Aug 1996
Time: 17:44:21
Remote Name: 206.173.98.48
Remote User:
This was a FANTASTIC CRUISE, and we aren’t anything like the target customer!! This was, at the time, Sonja’s favorite cruise (that spot has since been taken by the Legend-Hawaii cruise).
I’ll start with the positive aspects, taken right from our notes during the sailing: Very elegant ship, with beautiful 2-story dining room and a fantastic art collection. The dining room is breathtaking upon first entering. The ship’s public areas were kept immaculately clean and never felt crowded. The ship had a very nice cinema and library. In the cinema, a very informative move about the Panama Canal’s history was shown the day before our transit. The food was very good - better than any other cruise we’ve experienced except Celebrity, which is in a class by itself when it comes to food. We were fortunate enough to have a verandah cabin (#214), which was our first verandah. Wow! Was it ever worth it. I can understand why some people only sail in verandah cabins. The Indonesian/Filipino staff were fantastic. They were always very attentive, friendly, and smiling. In fact, they were the best overall staff we’ve ever experienced. Lastly, there was a really cool Global Positioning System on the cabin TV that keeps you up-to-date on your current heading, speed, and position.
The negatives were relatively few. Our cabin was located directly above the 2nd level of the dining room, and the first few nights of the cruise we could clearly hear very loud music coming from the dining room as they were cleaning up (about 12am-1am). After writing the hotel manager, the problem ended and we were sent a nice bottle of champagne. We felt that the Norwegian ship’s officers often treated the Indonesian/Filipino staff as second-class citizens. It seemed to us that the staff were the ones working much harder than the Norwegians, and we saw on several occasions the officers bark orders at the staff.
The only other "negative" really only had to do with our age. We expected to be the youngest passengers on board, and we were. Most passengers kept coming up and telling us we were doing a great job performing (they thought we were the singers and dancers)! This ship does an absolutely fantastic job catering to its target (50+) audience, but it is not a ship for your honeymoon. Despite the fact that most activities leaned more toward "grandmother’s get-together" than so-called "younger activities", we so thoroughly enjoyed ourselves that we would not hesitate for a second to board a Holland ship again. Hopefully, we’ll be able to experience the Ryndam or Veendam sometime soon.
The Panama Canal itinerary was very interesting, although everything after your canal passage is a little anti-climactic. Stake out your spot very early (before sunrise) the day of your transit, and enjoy the fascinating show while each stage is explained over the PA system. Costa Rica was a beautiful country, and the natives were friendly and intelligent. Guatemala was another story, with machine-gun armed guards standing at every corner near the industrial port. We felt very unsafe there, and if this port stays on the Canal itinerary we strongly recommend you remain on board the ship.
If you haven’t experienced Holland America yet, we can only say one thing - do it now!
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