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Christmas in Central America
9 of 9 people found this review informative
 
Reviewed By: hunter, co down on 29th Jan 2012
Cruise Line: Holland America Cruises Times cruised before: 10+
Cruise Ship: MS Statendam Sailed: December, 2011
Destination: Panama Canal Age: 46-55
Cabin: Inside Occasion: Annual/regular holiday
This was our first time with Holland America and before going we were told it would be superb by a number of people. We have been accustomed to standards set by Celebrity in the same star rating bracket. When setting the Statendam beside similar celebrity ships we would probably give Holland America half a star less than Celebrity. The plusses were a friendly onboard ambience, well priced beverages and swimming pool on the aft deck. We must recommend the $250 beverage card which entitles you to 10% discount and no need for signing. They have happy hour between 4pm and 5pm in a couple of bars.

The captain was a real character and most people seemed to enjoy his daily updates in his "allo allo" strong dutch accent. Our cabin stewards were fantastic, kept the cabin spotless and amused us with their original towel art.

We were really disappointed with the food, the salads were particularly poor. The meals in the dining room tasted as though they had been bought in precooked and heated up. The food in the buffet was much better and appeared to be freshly cooked. We spoke to a number of other passengers who thought the food was good (they have never cruised with Celebrity). We had initially booked a set table for six but found out on embarking that this had changed to open seating. This was a blessing in disguise as we were able to meet some interesting fellow like minded travellers who also wanted to mingle.

In our opinion a few things could be improved - Mix Bar had separate bars attached i.e Champagne and Martini. These bars were unmanned so the ambience was not quite right. Also these bars are beside the shopping area with its garish bright lights and continuous people traffic. The whole ships decor is dated and the dining windows stayed dirty throughout our cruise. The dining room ceiling feature is horrendous and should be replaced. My husband does not usually complain about being cold but at breakfast in the dining room he had to wear his jacket every day. The aft deck needs renovating, the sun loungers were uncomfortable and a few were broken.

The Panama Canal was fantastic, I could believe how many passengers were up at 0530 to witness the first lock. Almost everyone. Quatemala and Costa Rica locals were really friendly. Tip for Cartagena, a new boat goes every half hour from the port to the old quarter for $5 return.

Overall we had a great cruise and will probably travel with Holland America again if the itinerary and dates suit and ship has less than 1500 passengers.
Quality of Food1
Rotterdam Dining Room
Entertainmentn/a
Shore Excursions4
Costa Rica zip lining = great
Staff4
The Captain and waiter Ron Ron
Children's Facilitiesn/a
Onboard Activities3
Cabins3
Overall Rating3
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