My first cruise and my husband’s first on HAL. We were among the younger cruisers for sure, but we chose this cruise because of the laid back atmosphere and great food reviews! We had an amazing time and are so excited to go again soon!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was very good. We ate in the MDR mostly and I enjoyed everything I had. For dinner, sometimes the vegetables were cooked in a way we didn’t love (too mushy), but I learned pretty quick to stick with fresh items or a dish where the vegetables are meant to be very cooked (curries, pasta dishes, etc). The lido deck food was good, no complaints. They had an awesome salad bar, they tossed it or chopped it at the end, delicious. The breads were fantastic overall. We had pizza once and thought it was great. I didn’t really have the dive in bar, but my husband did and it was awesome. It’s a lot of food! It was hard to get hungry, but we had a blast with the food.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We loved the fitness center…on vacation, apparently we work out together! Had to bust off all the food. We went everyday after breakfast and while some machines were out of order, there was always something open. I don’t know how people run on the treadmill on a cruise, I could not stay on!
We went to the Lincoln Center Stage every night before dinner and it was beautiful. We met one of the musicians at a port and the group is fresh out of college with their music degrees and got this opportunity to play on the ship! So cool!
I went to the This American Life test kitchen once and thought it was so fun.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
In addition to Lincoln Center Stage, we went to the planet earth presentation in the theater and loved it. We didn’t go to anything else until we took a walk late on the last night and made it to the dueling pianos. It was awesome! Sad we didn’t go other night!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We only met our room stewards on the first day and they were lovely. Our room was well taken care of for sure. All the crew we encountered were very cool and helpful. We got to know our waiters at dinner really well, so grateful to have the opportunity to get to know them!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very roomy inside cabin with a couch. Not until a few years later when I was researching another cruise did I find out this was a large interior room, we were upgraded. My husband commented on its size, he’s cruised before on RC and carnival, said it was the biggest room by far. Storage was good, the bathroom was much better than expected: roomy shower and lots of counter space. My only complaint is that it seemed stuffy at night. But I was 6 weeks pregnant at the time and my pregnancy symptoms were ramping up like crazy the whole time!
Really not fair to rate Ft. Lauderdale so poorly when it was the Airbnb that was awful. My home port is a beautiful city with many great restaurants and a gorgeous beach.
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8 Comments
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