Overall a great cruise. The only "issues" we had were minor and easily fixed. One was that the "When and Where" printed and online versions rarely matched and were often not accurate. This can easily be fixed. Other issue was that we did not get our boarding passes and baggage tags until 10:30PM the night before! And there was a rather large line of people at the main desk who were in the same situation.
I have posted some travel videos on youtube. These show the excursions we took along with some tips.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJfB20GbP44qdu1YCLIjs6w
Embarkation
3 out of 5
They sent half the people emails telling them not to board until 2PM. So when we got there at 1PM it was a mess. We had to stand in line for about 30 minutes. We were also 30 min late leaving the port.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate in the main dining room most evenings. A few nights in the Lido and one in Tamarind. All were very good. After 20 days on a cruise the breakfast gets a little boring, but otherwise the food was excellent.
Explorations Café
3 out of 5
On the Eurodam it was moved into the same bar as the old Crow's Nest bar. It seemed very crowded for the workers and there was never a menu! I even sent them "feedback" asking that they at least put a piece of paper on the counter with a menu and it never happened during the 20 day cruise. But the drinks are good and the servers work very hard.
Piano Bar
5 out of 5
This was probably the best entertainment on the ship. Two talented people. Not the best singers, but entertaining performers and they really got the audience involved. This was a highlight.
Ocean Bar
5 out of 5
Love the 4PM daily happy hour! Get there early because it gets busy.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
HAL typically does not have a lot of activities. And that really was illustrated on this cruise. Also the "When and Where" printed and online versions never matched. So there were confusions as to which version was the accurate one.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service was excellent. The beverage team was great. Peter, Von, Scaba, etc. All were friendly and efficient.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Great ship. We love this layout and the size.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Ship tip
We always tell the room steward to empty the fridge. That lets us use it and we don't have to worry about any charges.
We loved Costa Rica. Did a tour with GioTours. Our favorite tour of the cruise. We ended up docking at the main port but GioTours was there to great us.
We did the 5 bay catamaran cruise offered by the ship. That was very nice. Spent the rest of the day relaxing on a beautiful beach, enjoying cheap beer, only steps from the ship.
We booked an tour on the CaboRey. (online) The boat takes off from the same pier as the ship shuttle. It was 2 for 1 online so we thought it was an excellent value.
We used to live in Northern CA so this was nothing special for us. But it was fun visiting as a tourist! Only 4 stars because of the homelessness in the streets.
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