My wife and I have sailed over a dozen times with Holland America and we keep returning because of the quality of service that is provided by the crew staff. It might have been the itinerary this time but I noticed an overwhelming number of elderly passengers on this 10-day cruise to Mexico. I'm talking people in their 80's or 90's. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but admiration for seniors that want to travel, but I truly have never seen so many mobility assistance devices in my life in one location. Because HAL is known for its opulent ships, this cruise line tends to attract a more elderly clientele. However there are exceptions. I've sailed to the Caribbean on HAL ships several times, and the passengers tend to be much younger.

On this cruise we had to tender into Cabo San Lucas and Loreto. In Loreto I witnessed an elderly woman nearly have her leg crushed when it slipped between the dock and the tender. The only thing that saved this woman from being seriously injured was the quick action of the crew, and the bumpers on the dock. Crew members were forced to lift heavy electric wheel chairs onto the tender. Again, I'm not against the mobility impaired, but when it comes to the safety of the crew and other passengers common sense should dictate who should be allowed to board tenders that are bobbing in the water.

This is the first cruise that I have been on where I heard announcements made requesting a "stretcher team" respond to a cabin, and for the medical team to respond immediately to the ICU for an emergency. At two of the ports there was an ambulance waiting on the pier to off load a passenger. (A reminder to purchase travel insurance) Read more