Holland America never again

[Seasick Sailor]

6 minutes ago, Brodysmum said:

We paid for Rudi’s dinner. A special night my husband did for me as congratulations on my three surgery’s in eight months.

Thanks for your positive remarks. I guess I was wrong listening to my cruise consultant as she was the one who got my hopes up. Not really blaming her, she has been wonderful through all this. I just guess customer service is not what it used to be.

 

Oh ok. You said you had 2 free dining options mentioning Rudy's. I guess that threw us off..

[DaveOKC]

6 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Oh ok. You said you had 2 free dining options mentioning Rudy's. I guess that threw us off..

It did me also!  Plus, if it was me for my two free HIA dinners on the Rotterdam I would have chosen Pinnacle and Tamarind - not the Canaletto.  A quick look at the pricing will tell you all you need to know on this.

[Shippy]

VERY sorry you were disappointed with your vacation.

But as a previous poster said....cruising is ALWAYS a crap shoot. We have been on over 50 cruises in the last few decades & been very lucky. We have never had the noro virus, sewage backing up into the cabin, lost luggage, etc. as others have experienced. We have missed ports I really wanted to go to for various reasons....no sense in whining, that happens sometimes.

 Like you, the last year for me has been very painful. I had my left knee replaced last November & the right one last month.

Horrid surgeries & long painful recoveries but the option was a wheelchair.. Our next cruise is the beginning of September. I REALLY need a break & hope all goes well but realize anything can happen.

  Luckily for me I can always find some kind of food I like. All cruiselines seem to be very accommodating about bringing you something else if you do not care for what you ordered.

  Cruising has a lot of variables and is not for everyone.

 

[Seasick Sailor]

1 hour ago, Brodysmum said:

 

we thought we would like Italian food that night, Canaletto. It was not good.

 

 

Oh, too bad. I love the veal liver on the Canaletto weekly special and I love the duck in Tamarind, Dover Sole in Rudi's.

[Seasick Sailor]

Just now, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Oh, too bad. I love the veal liver on the Canaletto weekly special and I love the duck in Tamarind, Dover Sole in Rudi's.

[Guest ldtr]

14 hours ago, Brodysmum said:

Idtr, thank you for your response. I did go to the cruise desk and ask them what I should do, I was told to write to customer relations when I got home, as they do not have the authority to give out refunds or another cruise, this is what my HAL cruise consultant said too. So I did, and have never heard back from them, so I wrote to the President of HAL, which I was advised to do by someone on the HAL site. I just feel beaten and disappointed by the way I have been treated. 😢 I have been crying about the way I have been treated on here too. Is there no understanding in this world anymore!!

For what you described refunds are most likely not going to occur, since the actionable item are the bug bites, general dislike of a given cruise, not so much.  When excursions are canceled it all depends upon the reason why?  

 

I expect that you might have gotten some OBC but refund or another cruise, is very much outside of what a cruise line would normally award.  If they canceled a major portion of the cruise, or if the ship totally broke down then I would expect some kind of refund, but one applied to everyone on board.  Other than that your issues seem to be

 

1. bug bites in cabin (action taken by cruise line move you to a different cabin).

   you did not mention if you requested something from medical to relieve the itching.  Just as a note bite that show up in a row is common in bed bug bites.

 

2. General dislike of food quality (just a note unless there was some kind of issue with the food on that particular cruise, why would whoever handles the response would think that you would like the food on the next cruise any better)

 

3. 2 canceled excursions.  You did not mention the cause or any response by the cruise line.

 

Potentially there might be something else here depending upon the reason for excursion cancellation.  But refund or another cruise not likely.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2022 by ldtr

[Mary229]

I didn’t like the Canaletto either.  It was the one specialty restaurant we did not like, I won’t book that again.  It was part of my package.  Sorry you had a bad vacation.

[DaveOKC]

15 hours ago, Brodysmum said:

Idtr, thank you for your response. I did go to the cruise desk and ask them what I should do, I was told to write to customer relations when I got home, as they do not have the authority to give out refunds or another cruise, this is what my HAL cruise consultant said too. So I did, and have never heard back from them, so I wrote to the President of HAL, which I was advised to do by someone on the HAL site. I just feel beaten and disappointed by the way I have been treated. 😢 I have been crying about the way I have been treated on here too. Is there no understanding in this world anymore!!

I am sorry you feel mistreated on this board.  I am very active on it and for the most part people here are kind and helpful.  I have learned a great deal here and it has really enhanced my cruising adventures.

 

 

[albingirl]

15 hours ago, Brodysmum said:

Sorry, I was having trouble with posting my letter and picture. They were not mosquito bites they came on me the first night on one arm then the second night on my other arm.

You know what, forget it, I am Canadian and not American so I won get any help from anyone

What does not being an American have anything to do with it?

[gdy0354]

When was this cruise and what ship please?

[kazu]

17 hours ago, Brodysmum said:

Sorry the post didn’t go through correctly.

No I am not happy with my results, my flea bites or bed bugs were very itchy for about four or five days, and they looked a lot worse after the next few days from the picture. People did see the bites and I said I got them off ship because I didn’t want them to know I got them in my cabin. We tried to make a good time of our cruise, what with the three operations I had had in the eight months before. Sorry people, but I thought you would understand

 

I’m sorry but I don’t understand this post.  There are lots of Canadians on these boards including myself.

 

I am truly sorry you had a disappointing experience but I fear you have let the bad outweigh the good.

They do look like bed bug bites and sadly, bed bugs can hop on and in luggage from a hotel, airport, etc.  Why I stick my luggage in a bathtub before I do anything in a hotel 😉 

the ship would have given you anti-itch stuff, I’m sure if you would have asked.  I’m not saying you didn’t get it on the ship - I am just saying that there are lot of causes for bedbugs and they can easily be brought with you unintentionally (or by the previous passenger even).

 

I feel for your 3 operations but lots of us have been through lots over the last few months.  I am not going to compare tragedies or sufferings but simply say I am looking forward to my first cruise in over 3 years (thanks to Covid) in the Fall even though I am sailing solo having lost my husband.

If I do get bed bug bites (heaven forbid)  I will be like @USN59-79 - I’ll take the action to get it fixed and my problem solved and move on.  There are bigger problems in life.  Bed bugs can happen in 5* hotels.  They can happen anywhere, sadly.  They are little devils that find a way to travel.

 

so sorry you are not feeling you are getting the results you wanted from your post - I understand disappointment - food is subjective and sadly can vary from ship to ship.  I would hope you had some good experiences on board and if I may be so bold as to suggest - focus on the good and not the bad - Life is too short.

[1ANGELCAT]

1 hour ago, gdy0354 said:

When was this cruise and what ship please?

See post #8

[gdy0354]

6 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

See post #8

 

[gdy0354]

Not sure how I missed it. Glad it wasn't Zaandam.

Thanks

[Storylady]

5 hours ago, Brodysmum said:

No we did not bring fleas on board…

we thought we would like Italian food that night, Canaletto. It was not good.

 

Interesting. I love the Canaletto’s Spaghetti Alle Vongole, pasta with seafood. And I love their calamari so much that we ordered a second dish to add to the Spaghetti. We have had this same main dish on the Rotterdam and the Koningsdam. Not every Italian dish is always made to the way you like it. My brother complained about the Pizza in Italy.
 

I am really sorry someone brought fleas or bed bugs onboard one of the Pinnacle Class ships and that you got bitten. Sounds like HAl solved that problem.  As for the bronchitis, we wear masks onboard ships so that we don’t catch bronchitis due to people not covering their mouths when coughing. I would recommend doing this when you cruise during the cold and flu season on any cruise line. Better to mask than spoil your cruise.I know what it is like to be quarantined due to chronic coughing due to passengers thoughtlessness.

 

As for the entertainment, HAL used to have big production shows, people complained so HAL has finally dropped them. If you are cruising for production shows then you need to cruise on a cruise line that has a lot more passengers than the middle size ships HAL has. Good luck finding another cruise line that has excellent food and Las Vegas show productions. 
 

We have cruised a lot and have had quite a few cancellations of shore excursions, especially lately. Most of the recent ones are due to lack of staffing by the people HAL books the excursions with. They are not a HAL company despite HAL taking care of shore excursions. And sometimes there aren’t enough people on the shore excursion. The operate has a minimum requirement. We always book another excursion. You can still get one even if you have last minute cancellations. A lot of this you learn from cruising.

 

As for us, we cruise on the Pinnacle Class ships for the itinerary, the crew and the wonderful restaurants such as the Pinnacle Grill, Rudi’s,Tamarind and yes, even the Canaletto. 
 

I suspect you shouldn’t have been so negative in your title of your posting that is why you are not getting the sympathy you feel you should get. As someone else said life is too short to stew about the minor discomforts. 

Edited June 15, 2022 by Storylady

[highscar]

@kazu from one unfortunate solo cruiser to another.  WELL SAID.  

[gocruiser]

To speak to someone after returning home from a cruise, contact guest relations at   1-800-599-8256 or 206-626-7393 (option 6). Or you can email them at guestrelations@hollandamerica.com. Be sure to have your booking number, ship, and cruise dates. Like another post stated, be very specific about your situation and what you would like to see to resolve it.

 

These could be sand flea bites. They are brought on the ship unknown by passengers from the beach. We had this happen many years ago while on the Maasdam. They are very itchy and painful.

 

Hoping you can get the resolution you wish. AA

[Florida_gal_50]

7 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

It did me also!  Plus, if it was me for my two free HIA dinners on the Rotterdam I would have chosen Pinnacle and Tamarind - not the Canaletto.  A quick look at the pricing will tell you all you need to know on this.

Not for me.  On the koningsdam in March the service was so bad in the pinnacle I refused to go back.  I friend that sailed for 6 weeks on the k had the same experience.  Her husband refused to go back.  I understand you aren’t talking about the k here but I’d almost always choice Canaletto and tamarind over the pinnacle even if it’s cheaper.

[albingirl]

We were blown away by how nice Canaletto was on 2 cruises lately...staff was exceptional.  I'd do that again in a NY moment! Pinnacle leaves me dry lately; maybe it's all the formality and attitude.  I just find a friendlier staff in Canalleto and good was very good.  I don't get caught up in the upscale restaurants to begin with but nobody loves good attentive staff more than me.

[Mary229]

Just now, albingirl said:

We were blown away by how nice Canaletto was on 2 cruises lately...staff was exceptional.  I'd do that again in a NY moment! Pinnacle leaves me dry lately; maybe it's all the formality and attitude.  I just find a friendlier staff in Canalleto and good was very good.  I don't get caught up in the upscale restaurants to begin with but nobody loves good attentive staff more than me.

I agree about the service, it was excellent.  I just didn’t like the recipes. The veal was excellent but it was a pretty boring presentation.  We each have different preferences and a single meal on a cruise ship is not a deal breaker for me

[albingirl]

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

I agree about the service, it was excellent.  I just didn’t like the recipes. The veal was excellent but it was a pretty boring presentation.  We each have different preferences and a single meal on a cruise ship is not a deal breaker for me

Right, and at the end of the day, who really cares? I've had better food in certain cities in the Italian sections, for sure, but you are a captive audience on a cruise ship.  Does it really make or break my cruise?  No way.

[Florida_gal_50]

12 minutes ago, albingirl said:

We were blown away by how nice Canaletto was on 2 cruises lately...staff was exceptional.  I'd do that again in a NY moment! Pinnacle leaves me dry lately; maybe it's all the formality and attitude.  I just find a friendlier staff in Canalleto and good was very good.  I don't get caught up in the upscale restaurants to begin with but nobody loves good attentive staff more than me.

I think that’s what it is for me too.  

[Andi Land]

5 hours ago, kazu said:

 

I’m sorry but I don’t understand this post.  There are lots of Canadians on these boards including myself.

 

I am truly sorry you had a disappointing experience but I fear you have let the bad outweigh the good.

They do look like bed bug bites and sadly, bed bugs can hop on and in luggage from a hotel, airport, etc.  Why I stick my luggage in a bathtub before I do anything in a hotel 😉 

the ship would have given you anti-itch stuff, I’m sure if you would have asked.  I’m not saying you didn’t get it on the ship - I am just saying that there are lot of causes for bedbugs and they can easily be brought with you unintentionally (or by the previous passenger even).

 

I feel for your 3 operations but lots of us have been through lots over the last few months.  I am not going to compare tragedies or sufferings but simply say I am looking forward to my first cruise in over 3 years (thanks to Covid) in the Fall even though I am sailing solo having lost my husband.

If I do get bed bug bites (heaven forbid)  I will be like @USN59-79 - I’ll take the action to get it fixed and my problem solved and move on.  There are bigger problems in life.  Bed bugs can happen in 5* hotels.  They can happen anywhere, sadly.  They are little devils that find a way to travel.

 

so sorry you are not feeling you are getting the results you wanted from your post - I understand disappointment - food is subjective and sadly can vary from ship to ship.  I would hope you had some good experiences on board and if I may be so bold as to suggest - focus on the good and not the bad - Life is too short.

I don’t spend much time online much anymore so I hadn’t heard about your husband. I am so very sorry for your loss. 😔

[kazu]

9 minutes ago, Andi Land said:

I don’t spend much time online much anymore so I hadn’t heard about your husband. I am so very sorry for your loss. 😔

 Thank you for our condolences 💜    It was not expected 💔 

[julia]

@kazu  You are SO correct...  the OP needs to move on from an unfortunate situation.  My condolences to you on the loss of your husband.