This cruise was very relaxing. Because of weather two stops were cancelled (one each week). First was Key West and the second was Half Moon Cay. We were lucky, since we were able to go to Half Moon Cay the first week so we didn't feel like we lost out too much. Because of this, we ended up with 7 sea days total. We found that we enjoyed the days at sea more than we expected. It gave us time to relax and sit on our verandah.
One thing worth checking out are the EXC Talks in the World Stage. They are done by the cruise director Vince. They had quite a few during the week, usually one at 10am and one at 2pm (all on different topics). They were really well done and informative. They are about 35-45 minutes and definitely worth checking out.
Overall, I really recommend HAL to most people who want to relax with good food and service. Definitely more for couples or an older crowd. We are 40 and 43 and it was perfect for us.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was fairly quick and painless. Rooms were ready and the luggage came within an hour.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We find the food to be fantastic. So many options and variety. We are not picky eaters and are as happy with beef filet, fish, lamb or sushi as much as we are with pizza and burgers. The options are endless. Although we are not vegetarian, we still ordered from the vegetarian menu in the main dining room a few times. They have it, you just have to ask. We would often order an extra entree to split too. Tamarind is also worth a try, it was great.
Happy hour runs from 4-5 in both the Crow's Nest and Ocean Bar (with the exception of disembarkation day). It's buy one, get one for $2 (must be the same drink). If you are a beer drinker, ask them not to open it so you can bring any extras back to your room to have for later.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There are two pools and each have hot tubs. The fitness center was large and had plenty of machines. Activities can be fairly subjective depending on what you enjoy. We don't need alot of daily activities since we go on vacation to relax. I can see some people could get bored on sea days, but that just depends on how busy you like to be.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
For the most part the entertainment was good in the music venues, but the songs were very repetitive. Same songs every night.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service is fantastic. Everyone goes above and beyond, and they always do it with a smile. They remember your name, drink orders, how you like your food, etc. Our waiters, Bedi and Ryan were the best we have ever had. I could go on and on, the service was just wonderful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The design of the ship was nice and the art throughout was great to see. Ship was very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was fantastic. It is an obstructed view, but compared to other obstructed view verandahs in the same category, this is the best one in my opinion. Larger balcony and more space. We have had unobstructed in the past and I would still choose this cabin over any others. Our favorite cabin so far.
Ship tip
If you have children or teens or you need to constantly be active and busy, this may not be the cruise for you.
We love Aruba. One of our favorite places to vacation. Very safe island with and great restaurants. We headed down to Palm Beach area/Moomba beach bar for a few hours. Busy beach area, with lots to do. The rest of the time we walked around Oranjestad, closer to the port. Stopped at some bars/restaurants. It was Xmas day, so most stores were closed, which was fine for us since we don't like to shop.
One of our favorites. Go down the beach to Jack's Shack. Less people, less rocky and beautiful sand. Jacks shack is a great place to spend your day. They have good food and drinks too.
Fort Lauderdale is a great place to vacation, even when you are not going on a cruise. Plenty to do and see, great restaurants and nice beaches. Large range of hotel options in all price levels.
We really liked it here. We walked around the Renaissance fort area then headed across the pedestrian bridge to the other fort area. It's a little further away, but there are a stretch of restaurants right on the water.
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