Venice Pilot

We were on the Niew Statendam in January and it was a major disappointment. My wife is a five star with HAL and I’m a three star, but we are not likely to go back for two reasons. First the service and food were very disappointing along with up charges for what used to be options in the dining room and elsewhere. The ship’s senior staff were very indifferent and often rude. The second reason is the horrible customer service experience during and after the cruise. They dropped the primary shore excursion on our next cruise and the agent said that it should not have been in the sales literature. Since our trip, we’ve heard others discussing similar cuts that are severely cheapening the experience and lowering the standards of a once very enjoyable line. It’s a sad thing to see.