We were scheduled to go on Celebrity in October 2019 but had to cancel so thought we would cruise in December. Always wanted to try Holland America and liked the itinerary. In general the ship is very nice, loved that the pool was never crowded, elevators came quickly and the standard balcony was nice. However, as others have said the shows were lacking and only had a couple of comedians, a five piece band playing music from the 70's and a poorly acted production by the crew members. The BBking band was excellent and listened to them every night The other two venues - the duel pianos and the classical venue were not to our liking. it would have been nice to hear music while having a drink before dinner. The lido buffet was ok - felt the selection of food was the same every day and the food was just ok. The dinner selections were just ok also; however, the staff throughout the entire ship was very accommodating and friendly. Getting on and off the ship was a breeze. We were seated with another very nice couple at dinner and they felt the same as us about the whole experience on this voyage and were disappointed. I could get the sense that Holland America wants to please its passengers and always asks what they can do to keep their passengers or bring on new passengers - they need much better music venues, better shows and better quality shows.

Any questions please feel free and I will try to elaborate. Would I go back on Holland America, no - it was just too quiet for us and lacking pizzaz. I know the question is always asked about the age group of passenger. The answer is it was a mix anywhere from the 40's to the 80's.