Buyer beware

[howndder]

Good Morning All,

 

I just returned from my Trans-Atlantic cruise on the extremely poor lady, "Oosterdam" Yes she was going into Dry-Dock, but hardly an excuse for everything that went wrong.

 

But, first I must give congratulations on all of the people that made this cruise for me. The room stewards, fabulous. I asked for an early cleaning and got it in spades. Thanks gentlemen. The bar staff, especially at Ocean bar and Observation lounge, wonderful. At least I remember their names, Bong and Santos. The casino, even thought they were unable to find other Craps players, they allowed me to win enough to pay for my entire bill. Thank you, ultra. Great Cruise Director, "Shane", AKA, Shawn! The super wonderful passengers that I now call friends. At least we were there to commiserate with each other. Then there were the ones that didn't. Special mention to James in the Piano bar. Fantastic man. Wonderful in getting everyone to sing along. The "Fly Boys" an amazing act of Acappella with music and phenominal arrangements. They'll go far.

 

Special thanks for the Check-in people that bent over backwards to help me find my lost phone. Above and beyond, they were outstanding. Yes, I got my phone back.

 

The interesting thing is that some crew were terrific and then some were completely incompetent. The Guest Relations Manager, shouldn't be . The Hotel Manager, a coward for not letting me meet him with my complaints about his departments. The Executive Chef should be fired, for suggesting to me that I could make my own chicken salad with the available ingredients, The non-existant PA system. The non-working internet, with a completely unecessary IT guy who obviously wasn't, the constant state of repairs while everyone was on their vacations, My over-flowing toilet on 4 occasions. The non-working water in my cabin, The closing of some areas of the ship, The Observation Deck for one instance, in order to get the retro fit started, (not on my vacation, thank you very much), If you were going to give away the cabins for free, then maybe it would have been OK. The absolutely dreadful Tour Department and lack of info their wizard, "Tom", gave out.

 

OK, in depth. When I first noticed that the internet was beyond slow, I spoke to the Guest Relations people and they credited me 30 minutes extra and their apologies. Why so quick to give back? Probably because they already knew there were issues. If it wasn't for a fellow passenger named "Shane", who helped countless people with their issues, as opposed to the fellow that was working in the Explorations Lounge, who knew nothing but the basics, (his own words). I have never used a full 250 minute package before this cruise and I had to buy 2 of them. yikes!

 

My cabins toilet over flowed 4 times and each time a plumber came, he asked if this was the first call to my cabin. NO, I told him. Then I guess for good measure, he turned off the water to the sink and bath. It took them 8 hours to get it turned on. It also took 4 phone calls to Guest Relations.

 

The Executive Chef, when I asked him why there wasn't any, Chicken Salad, Egg Salad or Tuna Salad, he told me, and I quote, "It cheapen the display of the Salad Bar. Really? If I wanted to make my own, the ingredients were there. Really? I should make my own? OH, BTW, they had tuna and egg salad at the explorations café, hmm, there they weren't looking cheap, I guess. The dreadful service in the upscale, "Cannaletto", where they had to give me a free meal because they took too many reservations, Really? My problem? I don't think so. 45 minutes between courses? Give me a break. The dining room food was below par. Big changes needed there.

 

The PA system needs to be replaced. No one could understand anybody that spoke into it. Including the Captain, who seemed very nice, but I couldn't hear.

 

I don't know about all the other cruisers on this site, but I for one did not like that my vacation was infused with the constant repairs going on prior to drydock. Ceilings were opened and G-D knows that was inside them. The cables lying everywhere, that we all had to step over. The pulling out of the entire Observation deck in preparations for all the new cabins they were installing.And plenty more on that score.

 

The tour department should be fired in it's entirety. Not telling your passengers that there is a "FREE SHUTTLE" in Funchal to the City Center was despicable. The Guest Relations Manager "Anny", told me they didn't know that. Really? Fire the lot of them.

 

The Hotel Manager for not meeting me and sending the "Company" girl Anny, instead. COWARD!

 

It will be a very long time before I set foot on Holland America again. So that's why I tell you that Buyers should be wary of this line. Going to the Mariners luncheon, and seeing all the 4 and 5 star sailors, I can't imagine why, since they don't take care of their frequent passengers, like, Celebrity does. I guess I'll go back to them in the future.

 

Howard in beautiful and happy to be home , Fort Lauderdale.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home

 

So sorry so much went wrong on your cruise.

 

Hope you have a better experience with whatever cruise line you choose in the future.

[puppycanducruise]

Sorry you had so many problems on your cruise.

Hope your next one is better.

 

[chefestelle]

Wow. I would not have been happy on that cruise. I hope HAL takes those complaints to heart.

 

 

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[DaveOKC]

Thanks for your comments. They certainly confirm my thoughts that one should never book the last cruise before a dry dock, nor the first one after, if there are going to be significant changes made.

 

I certainly hope that after the dry dock the Oosterdam improves its operations. We were on her in Dec, 2015 and also were not impressed with the "details" of the operation. Not up to the great standards of the other HAL ships IMO.

[janmcn]

Sorry about your experience, but yes, in future, if you know a ship is heading to dry dock, they will often be starting repairs...so we avoid those.

 

That being said, we had a delightful 3 weeks on the Oosterdam in Feb/March this year and did not see anything to complain about. We thought perhaps we would, knowing it was soon going to dd, but in fairness, it was not in bad shape. They painted our verandah one day and washed and waxed the outside deck...yes, it inconvenienced me...a bit...but I just went to the Crows Nest.

 

Food was good...had egg salad sandwiches, tuna, and chicken salads, too in the premade sandwich bar...sometimes only on the baguettes, but sometimes on their excellent breads. They were not offered each day...too bad...my favorites. The attitude of the chef for you was very poor, I agree...not HAL standards.

 

Our only continuous complaint about HAL ships are the smoking on the verandahs which is still allowed and often disturbs our enjoyment of the area. We keep returning for the cabin size, itineraries, staff (usually quite good), and overall value. We've sailed on almost half the fleet and have our favorites and not-so-favorites...but we always seem to find an itinerary that beckons. (We like the longer cruises which HAL seems to do more of.)

 

I'm looking forward to the O next Feb. for 3 weeks of Caribbean sailing again on the refurbished ship.

[cabinluvn]

A few years ago we were on the Noordam TA to Rome before her dry dock. Not one thing wrong with the ship during the 16 days we were on her. No repairs or dismantling went on while we were on her.

 

 

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[Tampa Girl]

Good Morning All,

 

 

It will be a very long time before I set foot on Holland America again. So that's why I tell you that Buyers should be wary of this line. Going to the Mariners luncheon, and seeing all the 4 and 5 star sailors, I can't imagine why, since they don't take care of their frequent passengers, like, Celebrity does. I guess I'll go back to them in the future.

 

Howard in beautiful and happy to be home , Fort Lauderdale.

 

Perhaps the 4 and 5 star sailors know that not all HAL ships sail in such condition all the time. So you had a bad cruise; that does happen, but why would you think that every HAL ship is in such condition and such grievances are widespread in the line?

[SilvertoGold]

OP In respect to your statement about 4 and 5 stars returning to HAL:

 

We've been a five stars on HAL for several years.

We cruise HAL for the ambiance, the crew, the value (usually), the accommodation and the lovely ships that actually look and feel like ships, as opposed to floating resorts or theme parks.

 

Our take on cruise travel is that it isn't a hotel and we do not expect the same level of perfection that a land based hotel has a better chance of achieving.

 

On HAL we've had the A/C not working, the toilets overflowing (you have to put the big button in and hold it in such cases where the value sticks), noise, less than perfect food, problems with the Front Desk (not very knowledgeable or consistent) and the accounting of our shipboard account, some bar crew less than pleasant, a HD and CD who were just wrong for HAL.

 

Yes, we keep coming back. Likely 95% of our cruising has been wonderful. For the rest, we employ patience and through polite notes and discussions, we have had all our problems fixed.

 

We have been treated exceptionally well, not just as 5 stars. We often come home from a cruise and feel we have been treated royally. We think: that was the best cruise, we won't experience that level again. And then we do.

 

We are truly sorry that your cruise was so unsatisfactory to you!

Edited April 6, 2016 by SilvertoGold

[galensgrl]

Sorry to hear about your unhappy experience with HAL. We had our first cruise with HAL on the Veendam last May, and we enjoyed it so much we are going back to the Veendam for a different itinerary in a few weeks. DH and I are so looking forward to it. Which is funny for my husband, he enjoys vacations but doesn't really get that verbal about them, but he LOVED the Veendam and the HAL experience. He gets very enthused about the staff and the level of service we experienced with HAL. And the Veendam is a smaller, older ship that certainly gets mixed reviews, but we have no complaints about her so far. Our first impression was good, unlike yours, which makes it easy to look forward to going back to HAL. As long as we have good experiences and no real disasters, we will keep choosing HAL. Good luck with your future cruises.

Edited April 6, 2016 by galensgrl

[ski ww]

That sounds like the cruise from hell. I've read enough posts from people to try and avoid the last cruise before or the first cruise after dry dock. It seems that the dry dock schedule is too tight, they should allow an extra week so that things are not been done while there are paying guests on board. Bad plumbing seems to be a reoccurring theme on some posts. Hope fully one bad experience does not mean that the whole HAL fleet is not up to standard. We also experienced work in progress after a dry dock. Elevators out of service, carpets having to be fixed, AC not working as it should, plumbing. Any way hopefully HAL paid attention to your problems is fixing them.

Allan

[kevingastreich]

 

I agree. It is not a land-based hotel. Expect things to go wrong. If they don't, well then, it's a nice surprise. If they do, well then, you are not surprised. :p

[KirkNC]

Sorry you did not like you cruise. Some of your concerns are more legite then others but having sailed on multiple lines I would tell you they all produce unhappy customers on occasion.

[OlsSalt]

I take a lot of those exact things now in stride - there will be problems and we just go with the flow which can include over-flowing commodes and internal repair projects going on during our cruise time . It is a ship for goodness sakes and carries a lot of passengers who exercise varying degrees of care about their shared surroundings.

 

Things happen We know and expect these things to happen and no, it does not matter to us. We adapt and get on with it. Sure some staff will be wrong for the job. Always amazes me they find so many good ones for this type of 24 job in the first place. I am not paying for nor do we expect to get 100% rocket scientists in every single staff position. We love the fact we get as many as we do, as you also appeared to experience.

 

300 cruise days with HAL and counting. But I get this was not a happy experience for you at all. Yes, agree you need to take your business elsewhere. Not a good mix. But did you also say you won enough in the casino to actually pay for the trip? NCL sounds like a good choice if you like ship board gambling.

[Despegue]

the only people that "should he fired" are those with short fuses and those being rude to crew.

this however does not mean that the OP is one of these people.

[teamflames]

No chicken salad [emoji22]

Make your own salad at a buffet salad bar ... How dare they !!

 

Other issues sound very legitimate

 

 

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[joepeka]

No chicken salad [emoji22]

Make your own salad at a buffet salad bar ... How dare they !!

 

Other issues sound very legitimate

 

 

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I believe the OP said he was told by the chef to make his own chicken salad (like the kind you spread on bread to make a sandwich). I would think it's kind of difficult for a guest to do that. Unless the chef misunderstood and thought he wanted a regular salad with chicken in it?? :confused: I kind of doubt it.

Edited April 6, 2016 by joepeka

[LMaxwell]

Any hotel director, any cruise line, any ship, that will not meet with a paying guest at request should be fired.

[SilvertoGold]

Any hotel director, any cruise line, any ship, that will not meet with a paying guest at request should be fired.

 

Not sure why.

 

The Front Desk is the first line place to go; then a supervisor; then the GRM.

 

GRM will bring this up at the staff meetings and a decision will be made whether enough has been done or not.

 

Can't see passing on to the HD every pax who makes such a request.

Edited April 6, 2016 by SilvertoGold

[Despegue]

Some here really have no idea about the complexity and amount of work a HD has on a regular sailing. It is very much a Top Management role, and if he/she would have to be disturbed to smooth talk any complaining passenger, the HD would not be able to do his regular tasks and thus creating more complaints instead of solving operational issues and running a smooth department in sometimes challenging conditions ( like a pre-drydock sailing where Seattle dictates what is done)...

And again,this "firing" threat comes from people who hopefully have never managed people, let alone potentially lead them in a "executive position".

[Heartgrove]

The Westerdam will be in dry dock next year. If you look at the Westerdam's 2017 14-Day Passage to Rome, the fares that are published are rather reasonable. It seems that HAL has taken that into consideration considering that following this passage, it will head into the yard. Some inconvenience for passengers may already be assumed.

[pmcubed]

 

I haven't cruised a lot - 4 cruises with my dh. But I have led a few trips with students. At our last meeting before we leave I tell them:

 

"Something will go wrong. I guarantee it. And whether you have a good time or not on this trip will depend on how you handle it. Everything is attitude. We all will get tired and cranky. Attitude. I will NOT tolerate any complaining because we are all in this together. Attitude."

 

So far, we have had great trips. Yup, things have gone wrong but we have NEVER let it affect our good time on our trips.

 

So, you had to step over cables - leave that area. It's a big ship.

They didn't have chicken salad - there was plenty of other food.

 

Some things were upsetting. But many of the things the OP complained about were not worth getting upset about. . . it's all in one's attitude.

 

One thing I don't get when I am on a cruise is the people who are demanding and complaining. . . you're on vacation. . . find the good. It's there.

 

Just my two, okay, maybe three cents.

 

Pat

[IRL_Joanie]

OP In respect to your statement about 4 and 5 stars returning to HAL:

 

We've been a five stars on HAL for several years.

We cruise HAL for the ambiance, the crew, the value (usually), the accommodation and the lovely ships that actually look and feel like ships, as opposed to floating resorts or theme parks.

 

Our take on cruise travel is that it isn't a hotel and we do not expect the same level of perfection that a land based hotel has a better chance of achieving.

 

On HAL we've had the A/C not working, the toilets overflowing (you have to put the big button in and hold it in such cases where the value sticks), noise, less than perfect food, problems with the Front Desk (not very knowledgeable or consistent) and the accounting of our shipboard account, some bar crew less than pleasant, a HD and CD who were just wrong for HAL.

 

Yes, we keep coming back. Likely 95% of our cruising has been wonderful. For the rest, we employ patience and through polite notes and discussions, we have had all our problems fixed.

 

We have been treated exceptionally well, not just as 5 stars. We often come home from a cruise and feel we have been treated royally. We think: that was the best cruise, we won't experience that level again. And then we do.

 

We are truly sorry that your cruise was so unsatisfactory to you!

.....I wish I had your way with words. You stated exactly what I wanted to say just moments after the OP posted, but I could not think how to say it. I was going to try now and am thankful I read all the posts since:)

 

Joanie

Edited April 6, 2016 by IRL_Joanie

[denatravels]

There is nothing more amusing than when someone posts a legitimate review that is not 100% positive, the line 's cheer leaders come out in droves to bash the OP. As to whether the OP is fun to work with. Fun is not what he gets paid to do I would imagine it is to run a smooth business.

 

 

The review may be legitimate. "Buyer beware" and then spun into the cruise from hell because there wasn't chicken salad and slow internet seems over the top. Toilet issues and water is a concern. And I'm not a cheerleader: first HAL cruise yet to come.

I was on the post-hurricane anthem of the seas cruise. There was some damage and things out of service. Yes, I was disappointed but you make the best of your vacations or end up miserable.

 

 

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[RDC1]

I believe the OP said he was told by the chef to make his own chicken salad (like the kind you spread on bread to make a sandwich). I would think it's kind of difficult for a guest to do that. Unless the chef misunderstood and thought he wanted a regular salad with chicken in it?? :confused: I kind of doubt it.

 

I get the feeling that it was more of the Chef being fed up with the individual. Note that the OP even says that chicken salad was available at a different venue on the ship. Not unusual to have different things at different venue's, for example Princess has salads at their International Cafe for lunch that they do not serve in their buffett.