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Poor review of Amsterdam

btobey

By btobey,
in Holland America Line

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agabbymama

agabbymama

Posted
Posted

DON'T PANIC. I don't know about the Amsterdam, I've never sailed her.

 

But another poster posted a bad review re: the Zuiderdam, and I just returned from her and thought she was lovely. We saw nothing to take away from our cruise experience, but good memories. We loved the furnishings, decorations, bed linens, bathrooms, etc. The other posters were complaining of floors falling apart, furniture in need of repair, etc. Maybe those things were present, but not in our area of the ship. Or the dining room, or the main atrium, or the Lido, or anywhere we went. There was a spot in the Crows Nest that was uneven, but overall, we loved the whole ship.

 

Even back in '99, we sailed the "old" Noordam and thought she was absolutely lovely and she was definitely showing her age. But they are sailing ships, they aren't brand new vessels either. The cruiselines do the best they can with the numbers of people that walk, run, trample through those ships, it's a wonder any of them can pass scrutiny.

 

Wait for others to post before you take this one review too seriously. Or go to the review section and look up Amsterdam and see what others have to say.

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btobey

btobey

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AirGorilla, I thought it was well-written too, which is what bummed me out. :( I'm not sure what you mean about getting a good value for our money--we are paying good money for this and were expecting a more upscale ship, not one that is falling apart.

 

KAKcruiser, glad you had a good time on your trip! Did you agree with the reviewer's comments about the ship looking very old?

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AirGorilla

AirGorilla

Posted
Posted
AirGorilla, I thought it was well-written too, which is what bummed me out. :( I'm not sure what you mean about getting a good value for our money--we are paying good money for this and were expecting a more upscale ship, not one that is falling apart.

 

KAKcruiser, glad you had a good time on your trip! Did you agree with the reviewer's comments about the ship looking very old?

 

My perspective on value is that, with the exception of the Prisendam, most HAL cruises are heavily promoted as "deals", with low prices being emphasized.

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O2B@C

O2B@C

Posted
Posted
I thought the Amsterdam was in excellent condition. I didn't notice any wear and tear. Of course, I can't comment on an individual cabin but mine was in wonderful shape. Maybe it was a problem with the cabin steward. The reviewer should have asked for better service.

 

Good point! If the cabin was really that filthy, why didn't the reviewer ask the steward to do a thorough cleaning? And if satisfaction not received that way, escalate to Hotel Manager? What struck me about the review was that there were a lot of positives, if you looked closely, and no indication that the reviewer ever brought any of the correctable defects to the attention of anyone on board. This doesn't make me doubt his/her word - I'm willing to believe that he/she experienced what was reported - but it does make me wonder whether his/her overall satisfaction would have been higher if he/she had spoken up at the time about the problems, and gotten at least some of them corrected.

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

Posted
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I was aboard the Amsterdam in April and found the ship to be in typical HAL fashion: spotless. From sailors on deck to the General Purpose Attendants in the public areas, cleaning, painting, and general maintainence was constantly going on. The ships have a Guest Relations Manager. I believe that would be the person one would direct problems to first. That person would work with the other officers, such as the Chief Housekeeper, to get the problems solved. If that procedure failed to solve the problem, then contacting the Hotel Manager would probably be appropriate.

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DFD1

DFD1

Posted
Posted

It seems to me an honest, well written report. I'm not surprised about the bland food. Was a bit surprised about the unkept stateroom and the writer's impression that the ship was tired and old.

 

I believe HAL is in a state of uncertian transition. I'm just not sure where it is going. I'm also uneasy about current top management.

 

JMO

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dimidgi

dimidgi

Posted
Posted

I've never posted before, we're sailing in December on the Amsterdam. This will be my third HAL cruise and I've never been disappointed. Nothing is perfect of course, and there were a few glitches. I read the gentleman's post, and I wonder if there is more to the story than he is letting on. I wonder if the poster had other issues and was taking it out on the Amsterdam, kind of like kicking the cat. My gut feeling is that the ship is fine, and you'll have a great time.

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kakalina

kakalina

Posted
Posted

We have spent some time on the Amsterdam and have found her to be exceedingly clean, neat and in good order. We saw no problems with the carpet, the upholstery or other housekeeping details. She is a beautiful ship with a wonderful and caring staff and you should have a marvelous cruise on her.

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burlingtoncruiser

burlingtoncruiser

Posted
Posted

We were on the Amsterdam on a 10 day Panama Canal cruise Nov. 06 and loved it - it was spotless and the service the best we've received anywhere. I would sail again tomorrow on it.

 

I particularly liked the furnishings, the Explorers lounge and afternoon tea. The beds were very comfortable. We did not notice anything untoward. This has been my favourite ship up until now.

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jayjaycan

jayjaycan

Posted
Posted

Don't take this review too seriously. Poster sounds like a chronic complainer. I doubt things are as bad as they state. Everybody can find something wrong if we all look close enough.

If the cabin was as dirty as they say why didn't they report it to the hotel manager. I bet things would have ben set right immediately.

Read other recent reviews of this ship and you will find many with positive comments.

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Stevesan

Stevesan

Posted
Posted

Once, and only once, I had an incompetent cabin steward on a HAL ship. The steward was hard working and personable, but completely disorganized.

 

On day three I talked with his supervisor. The very next day and the following he was accompanied full time by two white coat supervisors advising and directing him in his chores.

 

That did the trick. After only two days of supervision he made a turnaround from hopeless to accomplished.

 

There are two points here:

 

1) When there's a problem do something about it on the spot. If you do nothing and accept subpar performance, then don't b**tch about it later.

 

2) Reporting the steward did NOT get him in trouble. The steward's supervisors handled it professionally: Retraining, not discipline, was the solution.

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HeatherInFlorida

HeatherInFlorida

Posted
Posted

I don't think the reviewer seems like a chronic complainer at all! Funny how people can read the same review, sail the same ship, and see it all entirely differently.

 

It seemed to me the reviewer was trying to be positive and made many positive comments about the cruise ... that is not what chronic complainers do.

 

However, it's still just the reviewer's opinion and since you've read many other rave reviews and seen many positive comments right here, I wouldn't worry. Go on your cruise with a positive attitude that it's going to be amazing and it probably will be.

 

As to the cleanliness of the cabin, I really don't think we should be required to go after the Steward or take it to a higher level to get the cabin clean. The cabin should be spotless upon arrival. I have never arrived in a dirty cabin and I would be upset if I did.

 

I do agree with the reviewer about HAL as far as food and service is concerned. I know I'm in the minority here, but the staff is overworked particularly in the dining room. And I find the food sort of ho hum but I am extremely fussy about how food is prepared.

 

But in no way has any experience on HAL taken away from us having a fantastic time. So it couldn't have been that bad.

 

Have an amazing cruise and don't forget to come back and write a review!:)

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SDHALFAN

SDHALFAN

Posted
Posted

I have spent 52 days (or thereabouts) on the ms Amsterdam this year (can you tell it's my favorite HAL ship?) and I have to admit that I saw none of the worn carpets, furniture, etc. that the reviewer did. Then it occurred to me that I am not one to go looking for things like that. I don't expect the ship to look as though she was just commissioned and if there is a little wear and tear then it makes me feel more "at home" since my own home is exhibiting more than just a little wear and tear:D .

 

I don't understand why the cabin was not taken care of until 2:00 or 3:00 p.m., but then the reviewer didn't mention what time he/she/they? left the cabin in the morning (or early afternoon). I always try to leave my cabin by 9:00 a.m. for the convenience of the cabin steward and usually come back around 11:30 a.m. to find it "shipshape and Bristol fashion". I have never yet found a cabin on a HAL ship to be filthy despite having sailed with HAL for more than 325 days over a period of 20 years.

 

I can't disagree with the reviewer about the food. The quality has certainly been downgraded over these past 20 years and my dining experience is more for my enjoyment (or not;) ) of my dinner companions. All in all, the food in The Lido or from room service is usually much more palatable, but doesn't allow you the interaction with those seated at your allocated table. I have had some dinner companions who were fun; some who were both fun and fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them and never even noticed what I was eating; and some I would just as soon forget.

 

I'm glad that the reviewer enjoyed the shows in The Queen's Lounge because I usually find them dreadful and am "forced" to go to the Casino for my after-dinner entertainment;) .

 

Okay to sum up, and to set future Amsterdam cruisers' minds at rest: she is a great ship, with a terrific complement of officers and crew who are all dedicated to making your particular cruise a fun vacation (and of course they all hope that you will come back to visit). She is beautiful, as are all women of "a certain age' (as the French so delicately put it), she is not without her faults, but then who amongst us is? You will have a wonderful time aboard the glorious ms Amsterdam if you go with a positive attitude.

 

A reviewer's opinion is simply that and my review would be quite different from the one referenced.

 

Have a great cruise, no matter which cruiseline or ship you choose.

 

Valerie:)

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eh2zed

eh2zed

Posted
Posted

I think the reviewer was obviously well balanced in his/her comments. Never been on the Amsterdam but have been on several others. I have to believe the state of the cabin is anomaly and certainly anomalies always exist. Food is a subjective matter but there are some variations from ship to ship. You have to take the good with the bad.

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dmlee1990

dmlee1990

Posted
Posted

btobey.....My family and I sailed the Amsterdam to Alaska in August. We had a wonderful time. Our cabin was in great condition, cleaned twice a day. We loved the food.....even my daughters, 14 & 9, who are picky eaters but enjoyed the adult meals. Our only disappointment was that escargot was not offered on the menu during the week. The crew was OUTSTANDING! Everyone worked extremely hard to make sure that all the passengers were happy.

 

Please don't let one or two negative reviews scare you. Everyone has their own opinion. Have a great time and judge for yourself.

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Copper10-8 "Live from...." Rare

Copper10-8

Posted
Posted
There are two points here:

 

1) When there's a problem do something about it on the spot. If you do nothing and accept subpar performance, then don't b**tch about it later.

 

2) Reporting the steward did NOT get him in trouble. The steward's supervisors handled it professionally: Retraining, not discipline, was the solution.

Awesome!! Couldn't agree more!

Wonder if the reviewer was addressing the ship's photographers on formal night(s) when he referred to power cords being "taped down". That would be the only time I've ever seen that (saw it last week) and it's being done to prevent pax from tripping over said cords specifically in the area outside the casino bar and around the atrium.

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