Wain Wright
New Member
Love the smaller Holland Ships. 1400 passengers with 600 crew should absolutely rock! First time back to Holland since Covid, and I can tell you, they didn't weather the storm very well. They have cut back on so many amentities and food quality, that they have lost the culture that previously distinguished them from all others in their pricing tier. We were in the Neptune Suites, which offers many wonderful features and a private lounge & Concierge for those suites. We were told from the 2 top guys (Capt. & Hotel Mgr.) that Holland is being very conservative in offerings in an attempt to accelerate the financial recovery from the Covid period. Unfortunately, that translates to most offerings being Cheapened to the point of "really". Here are just some of the facts, both good and bad. Let's be honest, Holland's demographic is an older client base, mostly retired, looking for extraordinary food, and a very laid-back atmosphere. They will pay and they generally don't quible. Food (sad): The dining room featured the same core dishes every night for 14 nights. We had an all inclusive package which gave us one extra entree choice each evening, of which we rarely selected because the choices were rather weird dishes. The food was not even close to the Holland standard of past years. It wasn't bad, but not excellent. The deserts were much as you would expect at a Denny's - - I know, this is hard to swallow. Gone are the days of Baked Alaska, Hot Fudge Sundaes and such. The dining room wait service was an 8 out of 10, only because they were understaffed. The wait staff worked tirelessly to make the experience as good as it could be. That however, wasn't enough to offset the compromised menu and food preparation level. The Lido of yesteryears was always an extravaganza of great food, broad sections, and a daily change in offering and variety. Gone are the Holland signature Ice Sculptures. They more or less served the same dishes all 14 days with very limited variety. The food quality was definitely sub-pare for Holland, scoring a 5 out of 10. Even the slightly upscale Lido restaurant named Canaletto was restricted in offerings with almost no traditional Italian dishes. The Canaletto service, however, was a 10/10. I think you're starting to get the picture. So what about the Pinnacle Restaurant, their 4 star offering, here's the truth. The service was stellar, the food at dinner was very good, a solid 8 out of 10. The offerings for dinner were limited however, and the more upscale dishes were not offered at all. Breakfast in the Pinnacle (for Nepture Suite guests), was very pleasant, and close to the Holland of past years. The Breakfast service was a 10/10 and the food was an 8 out of 10, again weak offerings, and completely repetitive. They now offer a pool side grill service call the Dive-In, well named. This was the bright star on the food service side. They made the best burgers, made as you wish, in the Caribbean - - hands down awesome. This was a bright spot as could be evidenced by watching all the ship officers enjoying that food daily. The rooms, entertainment, and excursions were all excellent and can be scored as an 8/10 or 9/10. The nail in the coffin however was departing from Miami. In simple terms, if you are NOT below 35 years of age, Miami sucks on every level. Poor transporation, poor airport, outrageous room rates, and what used to be a bright star, Little Havanna, is now totally run down an in despicable condition. Holland, we'll accept a steady recovery in the weak area's but docking in Miami has to end - - it simply does not fit the Holland culture.
