Average

This cruise was "fine".

Not exceptional, certainly not the best I've been on; but fine.

HAL ships always seem to be clean and orderly, well laid out and fairly easy to navigate. I appreciate their concern with health and the omnipresence of hand sanitizer. The food is solid, and the staff is generally very friendly and helpful.

The ports of call on this itinerary aren't the most exciting in the world, but certainly interesting if approached with the right attitude. Much more about culture, history, and lifestyle than anything overly thrilling or magnificent. Overall, I'd say this cruise is one of the most low-key I've been on.

Was incredibly disappointed that we were only able to cruise one of the three featured Sounds (Dusky) in the Fjordland National Park due to severe weather conditions. I understand no one can control the weather; but it was nonetheless a big disappointment, as that was perhaps the part of the trip I was most looking forward to.

Areas for improvement:

- The notably limited hours for general food availability on the Lido was a constant frustration. Holland America easily has the most restrictive food availability of any company I've cruised with.

- Internet connectivity continues to be a severely limiting factor in cruising. I understand satellite-assisted wifi is an ever-evolving field, but cruise lines need to increase investment in this area. Personally, I would probably cruise at least 3-4 time more frequently than I do now were I able to have access to consistently reliable Internet connections at a reasonable price.

- Bathroom electrical outlets -- need to be more accessible.

- Entertainment -- easily the most mediocre of the five cruises I've been on (the piano singer was especially bad!)

Highlights:

- The dining room staff was exceptional, as usual!

- The hydropool and thermal spa were great, and the spa staff were terrific. I especially appreciated that only once following my three spa treatments was I push with a not-so-hard sell to buy product -- big improvement over past cruises. (If I'm going to spend more money at the spa, I'd rather just book another treatment -- upsell me to that!)

- The variety of trivia events each day was a hit with my family, as was the considerable movie library available for check-out on sea days and evenings.