HAL came through again with excellent service, food, music & excursions. We are looking forward to our next cruise. We love the Pinnacle Class ships & look forword to sailing on the Ryndam.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
A bit slow since many passengers ignored their designated time to embark, but went very smoothly. There was also a larger than normal group of individuals who had mobility issues & needed assistance.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
When possible we ate most of our meals in the main dining room. Our waiter Kadek & his assistant Mark were outstanding. The wine stewards, Jenny & Bombe, were very attentive. We mentioned to the Food & Beverage Manager that we were disappointed that Cassoulet was no longer served in Rudi's Sel De Mer & he had it made especially for us. Chef Stanley who prepared the dish came out to ask how we liked it & we thanked him for preparing it. We each did a bottle of wine at the Blend & the presentation by Allen, a Wine Steward, was very informative. Additionally, the Dutch Café has delicious sandwiches & the best beer on the ship.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The Port to Table presentations by the Cruise Director & Chef Stanley were very interesting & better than the Old American Test Kitchen. The after noon tea was very relaxing. The Wine Blend was a lot of fun. We also enjoyed the presentations in the theatre by Christine the Cruise & Travel Director . There were also some outstanding beverage tastings.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Music Walk was even better than the last cruise we sailed on. We viewed very few performances on the main stage. If I had to pick a favorite between the Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. King's Blues Club, Billboard Onboard or The Rolling Stone Rock Room I would select B.B. King's Blues Club. The musicians had it together & the male & female vocalists were outstanding. We had seen the comedians previously & they were just as entertaining with all new material. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the movies on demand & some of the other shows while at sea.
Children's Programs
No children with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Outstanding as always. This includes our Cabin Stewards Sutarno & Heri; our Waiter Kadek & his assistant Mark; the Maître d' Reynold & his assistant Edy; Jenny & Bomba the Wine Stewards, Allen who conducted The Blend; Neila for coffee in the Crow's Nest; the Dining Room Hosts Putri, Mariana & Cyrine; & Tegu for making the great bird figures. Last, but not least was Christine the Cruise & Travel Director who is a great asset for HAL. HAL was very accommodating in honoring our request for a specific waiter that had be recommended.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
HAL normally has exceedingly clean ships & with the concerns about the corona virus they went above & beyond. The Pinnacle Class ships our a huge step up from the Vista & Signature Class ships.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Plenty of draws & sufficient room for hanging up our cloths. A very nice wide screen monitor & a great glass enclosed shower with a very functional shower head. No problem charging phones & tablets. A very comfortable bed with the topper & adequate room on the veranda. Also top quality towels.
Ship tip
There is a lot of useful information on the Navigator.
We had a wonderful tour of the island with another couple in a van. The driver was Moses a retired police officer who was very informative. We would highly recommend him.
We went snorkeling at the Divi Flamingo. Unbelievable fish, probably the best snorkeling in the Caribbean. After going back to the ship to change we went to the Brewery to drink some excellent Dutch beer.
After crossing the Queen Emma pontoon bridge we took in the sites around town. We then went to the Renaissance Hotel to have drinks & lunch at their sand beach & infinity pool on the second floor of the hotel - a must see!!!
We went on a HAL excursion which took us to both the French & Dutch side of the island. It was very interesting & it was a small bus which is much nicer than the big buses. We had several stops to take pictures & to have a light lunch. A great way to see the island.
I went snorkeling here. There were far fewer fish than in Bonaire. However, on the first stop we were able to enter the entrance to a cave which was full of bats. The ocean floor was much different than Bonaire which made it very interesting. On the second stop I was able to follow a sea turtle for about 10 minutes. The turtle did not seem to be afraid of snorkelers.
HAL was not allowed to dock here because of the virus. They tried Antigua as an alternate, but again the ship was not allowed to dock. Consequently, we had another sea day.
Four of us had a great tour on an open-air van driven by Elvis (yes Elvis). He took us around the island & to the highest point for some great pictures. This was one of several picturing taking stops. He also provided a lot of information about the island
No problem. We were able to have breakfast first & didn't have to disembark until 10:00 am. Extremely fast getting our bags, clearing Customs & catching a van to the parking lot because of the porter who helped us.
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