Welcome Back to LFL at Sea

Still Unhappy with Holland America
I apologize for abruptly ending the entries from my April-May 22-day Mediterrean cruise in Naples rather than taking you through the end (leaving the Zuiderdam in Rome and returning home to Tucson via Toronto and Minneapolis).  As you may recall, although the ports were all wonderful, I was extremely unhappy with the problems on the ship, the attitude of the crew, and the response of Holland America to my criticism, and I really didn't have happy memories to make me want to continue with remarks about the trip.  I did report the major problems, especially regarding the flooding of my cabin, both as they occurred and after the end of the cruise.

I am still totally dissatisfied with Holland America's response to my complaints about the cruise and their continued unwillingness to tell the truth about the uncompleted dry dock repairs, the construction unpleasantness throughout the cruise, and the refusal of staff and crew to assist passengers.  They would not even acknowledge that they left me stranded at the airport in Rome, even though I had pre-paid for transfer to the cruise port (resulting in my loss of almost $300. for the combined prepayment and the money I had to lay out to hire a car at the last moment to take me the ship, 90 minutes away).

As a result, I can no longer recommend Holland America to any travellers and I will try to avoid sailing with them as much as possible.  I can't promise that I will never take a Holland America cruise again since I certainly don't want to give up the advantages of my significant frequent sailing benefits (Mariner's Club) because of their failures. 

In the meantime, I have added a new Page Tab at the top of the blog, for those who wish to read more details about all the disasters on the cruise.  And I am trying as hard as possible to find other cruise lines that meet my specific needs as a (usually) single traveler.

Our Next Cruise:  
"Mayan Mystique" on Oceania Round-trip from Miami 
December 12-22, 2-15
And I have found one:  for our next trip Will and I are sailing on a 10-day cruise on Oceania's 1200-passenger ms Riviera in December. This cruise sails round-trip from Miami, with stops in Key West, Costa Maya (Mexico), Santo Tomas (Guatamala), Belize City, Roatan (Honduras), Cozumel (Mexico), and George Town (Cayman Islands).  Key West and George Town are the only ports I have visited previously.  While the brochure costs for Oceania cruises look higher than those for Holland America, when you take into account the free airfare and other benefits (free alternate restaurants; free supplies of sodas, gourmet coffees, and bottled water; unlimited internet usage; complimentary loans of ipad/laptop; and no gratuities), we are able to sail in a Penthouse Suite for not much more than we would pay for a smaller stateroom on HAL.  We have already signed up for a number of shore excursions (which are also reasonably priced), and will be emphasizing visits to a series of Mayan ruins.  And because we are in a Penthouse Concierge Suite, we have been able to make advanced free dinner reservations at four specialty restaurants on board the ship.

I hope to sail more Oceania cruises in the next year, especially on those that offer single cabins at only 25% over half the cost of a double --a lower rate than Holland America!  And I will continue to share the facts and details of my horrible experience on the Zuiderdam to all who ask.

Happy Thanksgiving
But before sailing in tropical seas, Will and I are preparing for our six-day November visit to NYC for his birthday celebration, with an additional four days in Charleston, SC, for Thanksgiving with members of my family.  I spent many summers in Charleston in the mid-1960's; most of my father's family had moved there from NYC in the early 1950's.  I know the city quite well and have continued to enjoy visits pretty regularly since I moved to Virginia in 1971.

Obviously much has changed as Charleston has become a major tourist destination. We are looking forward to re-exploring the historic district (where we are staying) and sampling some of the exciting new restaurants.  We fly from Tucson to NYC on 18 November and then fly from NYC to Charleston on 24 November, returning to Tucson from Charleston on 28 November.

I will post more from that trip as we travel (NYC and Charleston may not be "at sea" but they are "on" the sea coast).

In the meantime, I look forward to future Bon Voyages.  And I will be back with more details about the December cruise after we return hom from birthday and Thanksgiving celebrations.