Holiday Cruise Line

SCAM! Avoid it!!!
These guys wasted my weekend!!! Its just not 118 $, they will transfer to a manager who will keepon adding some many packages to ur initial commitment. Dont even answer these guys phones!!!

As I was making a call to a NJ State number, the call was rerouted to Holiday Cruise Line. Spoke with fast-​talking «Tiara, agent #FL1865» (sounds professional, right?); although she was courteous, she spoke so fast I had to keep asking her to repeat herself. She offered a «one-​time special promotion because of unused cabins» of $ 59 per person for up to a family of 4 to the «wonderful» Grand Bahamas Island aboard the Grand Celebration. This immediately raised a red flag. After many questions, I later learned it was $ 59 one way for a total of $ 118 per person. I have never heard of a cruise ship booking this way. I asked for other hidden fees and she said only gratuities and gambling. I understand the gratuities, but why even mention the gambling? Obviously, you gamble whatever money you desire. I asked what time the ship sailed, how many hours we would be sailing and how many hours the ship would be docked in the Bahamas and she transferred me to her manager because she did not know. Her manager sort of told me and I had to do the math myself because he only mentioned the time the ship sailed to and from. He quickly asked me to give him my credit card number to book and as I was talking to him on the phone, I did a computer search on them and saw it appeared to be a scam. When I told him no, he VERY QUICKLY hung up! After reading all the reviews, I was glad I did so!

This review is for Angelynn, I called the number 1−800−247−4128 provided on my reservation/​ticketing number same day I purchased in total $ 120 for two. Being put on hold for abut 15 minutes after my call was transferred since the first person I spoke to said she could not help me with my request since I just booked and I had to wait 72 hours. I immediately wanted to cancel because of the reviews. She made me feel pressured into wanting to either sell my reservation to someone else or persuade me into thinking they no longer work for the scammers and that this company in new as of last February. I told her I would much rather be safe than sorry. After the pressure is gone, she put me on a hold while she was processing my cancellation. She told me the cancellation request has been sent and it would take 7 – 10 business days for my refund and provided my a cancellation tracking number. After that she totally hung up on me right when I asked if I could take a survey to share my positive experience with her in the cancellation process. I also wanted to get a receipt of my cancellation but none of this was brought to her attention due to her hanging up on me… I will update you all on my cancellation.

Received a free cruise voucher from Holiday Cruise Line. When I called to see if it was legit the rep started explaining how great it would be. I felt rushed and pressured to book & when she asked if I was ready to pay the $ 59 port fee & I said, «No, not today but I would like to book it when I have dates in mind» she LITERALLY hung up on me right then & there. I was in shock. I work in customer service & that pressure for booking & then hanging up on me on top of that was beyond unprofessional. Do not book with them. It is a scam.

We flew in middle of January from Chicago for the two night cruise with a day in the Bahamas. I was extremely skeptical at first. Booked the package with a car rental and two night stay at the Ramada in Tamarac. The hotel is a bit outdated. Actually quite a bit old. I would recommend skipping the package and just go straight to the cruise if you’re local. We drove to miami one of the days before the cruise and then palm beach on our departure date after we checked out of the Ramada. The food at the hotel was buffet ayce however, the food options were not very good. Hot dogs, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, corn, and depending on the nights they had ribs, meatloaf, lasagna, greenbeans, etc. Dessert (cake slices) did not taste good and the majority of the food lacked flavor. Also, they’re not exactly «free» you must pay service charge ($ 4-​$ 5) per two people every meal, which if you do the three meals a day can add up.
The food on the cruise though was divine. There were different areas that had food at different times throughout the day and night. We skipped the burger, hotdog bar that is available 12 – 6 out in front of the pool and it was worth it. The actual ocean view buffet food variety and quality blew us away. There were assortments of cheeses, fish, steak, chicken, ethnic foods (gyros, indian, sushi, latin make your own tacos, etc.). We don’t drink alcohol, but for those that do you’ll have to pay for drinks plus a 15% tax. We did not reserve seating at any of the two restaurants, though, which was fine because we weren’t interested in formal dining. But many did eat there. I believe there was a $ 20 cover for dining there. It was nice that the ocean view had their dinner and then the late night hours too starting at 11pm.
The entertainment was excellent, mind you, the majority of people on this cruise were older. mid 50s-​70 I would say. The live band played oldies music which was fun to watch people dance to. There was also karokee out by the pool in the evenings, a latin room, an actual nighclub, and hip hop outside on the outdoor deck. Also, the comedy show at the theatre was amazing. Funny comedians, magicians, and a Christina Aguilera/​Lady Gaga impersonator.
It was easy to be without phone service or internet but I ended up paying $ 10 on the way back from the Bahamas because I can’t be away from technology, but it’s good for 24 hours. Also, had to pay ($ 34) for parking by the dock in riveria beach. You do have to pay for the hotel taxes every night both at the Ramada ($ 30) and also on the ship ($ 48). You also have to pay for the car rental taxes and fees (~$ 50). and this was without purchasing insurance from them so we were taking our chances without being fully covered.
Once you get to the Bahamas or even before you’ll be presented with tour options that are very pricy. The weather was raining so for us we did not think many options were worth being in the water for. We ended up getting a taxi when we got there that took us to port lucaya marketplace for $ 10 round trip/​person. Better than that $ 23 a person that was offered by the tour. Which was the least expensive tour option. The most expensive is $ 199 I believe. So you get just a ride for $ 23 to the marketplace for an hour or get a multi– hour fabulous jeep/​snorkeling/​fishing experience and pay a lot per person.
All in all, you get what you pay for. $ 425 for the package since we purchased insurance.$ 25 for that. The sales people on the phone say things like ‘free’ and ‘all inclusive’, but they do not tell you you’ll have to pay all the taxes and fees. For our flights and fees and we ended up spending over $ 600/​person on average for the 5 days. For that price I recommend going for a better cruise line. But this was fine for a first– time cruiser with low standards. There was no talk of time share presentations of any sort. They do not have those presentations at all.
Like I said, I’d recommend skipping the ramada and just flying into west palm beach airport instead of Fort Lauderdale and just getting on the cruise. The sales people neglect to tell you about that airport but it’s an international airport with many flights going there. Then you can save on the car rental and parking fees and also the not so good experience of staying in Tamarac.

Can’t believe I fell for this scam! So upset with myself. It seemed legit at first but when I tried to reserve the actual trip I can’t get through to anyone. They keep hanging up on me or transferring. My hard earned money down the drain I hope this place gets shut down. SCAM FOR SURE!

This is a time share scam… a friend of ours was duped into thinking she had reservations to go on a cruise… unfortunately she did not know any better and wasted time going down to this place only to turn around and come back home. They have multiple complaints on the better business bureau… they are smart and do not leave a paper trail… just phone calls. Avoid at all costs. most likely the people posting positive reviews on this site were paid to do so.

Scammers!!! Got a few calls from a strange number when I finally answered and they claimed I won a free cruise. Payment was only $ 59 from a company clamming they are giving away tickets because I was the 15^th caller. Company called KFLA 98 hits. I’m not sure if the cruise ship actually exist, but After researching online I was confirmed that they are indeed connected to scammers. BEWARE! These people should be reported…

I was attempting to call to book a hotel when I was asked to complete a survey. I completed the survey because I wasn’t given an option and I thought I would be able to talk to who I was looking for after the survey. I was transferred to a Holiday Cruise Line representative who began giving me his speak about the «free cruise» I had won. When he was done he asked if I was interested. I informed him that I already had a cruise booked somewhere else and was not interested. He then asked why I completed the survey if I knew I was already going on a cruise. I then informed him that I had called to book a hotel and was forced to take the survey when I didn’t want to. Then he hung up on me!

Avoid at all costs! Our trip was a disaster. There were 2 small positives I must mention: the spa on the cruise ship and some friendly crew members. However, this did not make the trip worth it! This cruise line tricks you by advertising low prices or giving away free nights, but they make up for it at the end when they tack on surcharges for EVERYTHING: room charges, fuel charges, gratuity, port tax, etc. not to mention you will have to pay for every beverage, including sodas!
During your time in Florida they stick you in an outdated Ramada in Tamarac (which is far from everything — 25 min from the airport, 1 hour from the ship’s port, 30 min from the timeshare place [more info below on that]). The Ramada is part of the package, they don’t give you a choice to stay anywhere else. And it’s YOUR responsibility to arrange your own transportation everywhere (so there goes another $ 150 for a rental car!). The absolute worst part is that they force you to sit through a time share presentation in Weston, FL, which took up FOUR HOURS of our time! The salesmen are horribly rude and try to pressure you into spending thousands on a small timeshare, and they do not take no for an answer. We were polite and patient for the first 3.5 hours but by the end we had to yell & argue with them to just give us the cruise vouchers and let us leave!
The welcome center at the Ramada is terrible, I won’t mention their names but the 2 women we worked with were rude and unhelpful. And everyone acted so surprised when we told them we didn’t know the timeshare presentation was mandatory. They said, «oh, they were supposed to mention that on the phone when you booked, didn’t they?» NO! Everyone gives you the run-​around. Dealing with customer service before the trip was impossible, nobody we could get on the phone had any information about the trip, they just kept giving us other phone numbers to call. So unprofessional, unorganized, and rude.
Trust me, it is not worth it. In the end you won’t even be saving money because they add on so many surcharges. For the total sum we paid, we could have had a much nicer, more relaxing vacation without the bullying & abuse from the timeshare people. We sure learned our lesson.

I have just begin my Holiday cruise promotion offer. I have not been on the cruise yet, but so far it’s a living hell .So far there is is a lot a hidden fees that wasn’t disclosed in the promotional call by the sales rep. I have to come with at least $ 300.00 and have not started my cruise yet. Just be careful when buying this .I will keep you guys posted of my cruise and my stay in the Bahamas.

I was trying to call an insurance company when I was re-​routed to Holiday Cruise Line, saying I had just been selected for a 2 night Caribbean Cruise, free, for 2 people. It sounded very exciting (but hardly realistic) and when I was not able to provide a credit card number, I was told I could not call back when I had my credit card since they did not have a direct telephone number AND the promotion was only offered 1 time! Obviously, the gentleman was not being honest. I don’t think this promotion is legitimate.

SCAM!
Some rep called me up saying she was from Caribbean Cruise Line and said she would give me a free cruise if I will spread the word of the trip to other people. When I said I was unable to do so, she just hung up. I called back and when I confronted her, she changed her story and suddenly she was from Holiday Cruise Line.
I looked up the Holiday Cruise Line website and guess what? There is no phone number or address or anything.
Someone should report them to the Federal Trade Commission.

I don’t know whether their phone calls are a scam, or what, however I told this person to take me off the list, when they were calling a number that is on the do not call list, and I got 3 phone calls within 48 hours. There are plenty of warning on here about telemarkets. I cannot believe that anyone legitimate would use this tactic.

DO NOT USE THIS CRUISE LINE. I tried to cancel my $ 59 while still on the original call, as I didn’t want to pay for extra hotel/​car rental stuff, and they wouldn’t let me! The original operator put his supervisor Stephanie (Employee #FL3026) on the line, and her response to my desire to cancel the transaction was «Then why did you purchase it in the first place?» She told me it was not refundable, as it had already gone through, which was a lie (I immediately called my CC company and they confirmed). She would not stop talking to listen to me (HORRIBLE customer service), and told me I could not speak to her supervisor as she was the only person in charge.

Booking our trip was extremely easy. Everyone was very nice and accommodating. We took our cruise in July and also stayed on the island, it was all we expected and more. We will definitely travel again! For those that say they had a poor experience with the telemarketer or sales person, its a shame, because the vacation is definitely worth taking advance of. Great price for what you will receive. They say how much you pay for something will determine the quality, this is such an exception to that «rule». Can’t wait to go again!!!

Sailed 7÷7÷15 with my daughters and parents. Everyone had an excellent time on the ship.
Food — 9 out of 10. Main dinning room was great and the staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. My girls wanted to eat dinner quickly and get back to some camp activity and the staff brought the kids food quickly and first. The buffet is a buffet, good choices but it’s a buffet.
Cabin size and cleanliness — 10 out of 10. For the price paid had low expectations but was very surprised.
Casino — 8 out of 10. No poker table with cards, only digital poker no poker tournament. Played black jack instead.
Entertainment 8 out of 10. My kids loved the camp and stayed most of the time with the other kids. They wanted to do all the kids activities. I don’t remember her name but the lady who ran the camp does a great job. Scavenger hunt, hula hoop competition, etc. My kids stayed both nights until closing (midnight, their choice) The broadway type show was okay but I have never been a fan of cruise shows. My patebts enjoyed the show. Comedian was decent some what funny. Magic show was the best.
Overall had a good time, this is a smaller ship compared to the mega ships now, but it makes it up with great staff, good food and decent entertainment.
It is only two nights so once you get into the swing of things it’s over. But very good and would recommend to others.

Sailed July 23−25−2015 Amazing experience, the crew was absolutely lovely! The food was amazing, I loved the fresh smoked meats on deck the second day of the cruise! Played blackjack and the dealers were just wonderful! Cabin was spacious and clean! Can’t wait to sail again!

We received a call from a friendly person saying we had been selected to receive a free cruise for only port fees to be charged to us at $ 59 each. after about an hour on the phone with this person who made it sound great. After she took our credit card info, She then explained that she needed to get her manager on the phone to confirm everything. The «manager» was rude, sarcastic, unprofessional, who tried to up-​sell us on resort nights close by, car rental, ocean view room, didn’t shut up for at least another half hour.
Was one of the worst experiences ever on the phone with someone, don’t know how holiday Cruise line can hire such rude idiotic people. We don’t know if we will be able to get our money back that they charged immediately.
If anyone books a cruise, I wish you good luck, hope the actual cruise personnel is nothing like the telemarketers they apparently hire

Sailed 2−25−15 Only problem with cruise — would have been nice to be on ship more than 2 nights.
The Ship — The Grand Celebration was very nice. The entertainment had something for everyone… Variety show in the the theater. regal room easy listening. country rock band by the casino … karaōke on deck 10 (i think) and a very dance club. Food was awesome. 11 pm buffet was incredible.
Staff was the nicest I have ever encountered. LOVE IT!!!