This is a beautiful ship with a great music program and comfortable well appointed cabins. The staff is excellent. The food did not seem to match the other experiences.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation went very quickly. Parking was close in the Palm Garage. Plenty of valets and staff to keep the lines moving. The process took 10 minutes at most!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We selected the early dining at 5:30 before we boarded and found out that that is the time Lincoln Center Stage Classical performs so we only ate there twice. The portions were very small and the food mediocre. The dining team was friendly but clearly learning the ship. Using a map to find our table etc. Buffet was ok but hard to see food selections. We got the Quench package but had trouble using it the first few days as we did not see servers at the events. By the end of the cruise they were everywhere. Caneletto’s was ok but again for the bread service we were presented with several accompanying items (oils, pepper, balsamic vinegar etc.) and one tiny piece of baguette. Same at the Tea Service 3 tiny sandwiches on the tray for 4 adults and of course several small pastries. This seemed to be a theme. The food was consistently lukewarm at the buffet and seemed to be sitting out for a long time.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We enjoyed a couple of Talks, there was Bridge and MahJong daily. The library is fantastic and like a Book Store! Pool and hot tub is nice as is the Spa area.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The Shows were very good. We love Classical and we’re surprised we had a Concert every night and in the afternoon on Sea Days! The main show is always at 9:00 and some people thought that late. We enjoyed it. Everyone seemed to love the Music Walk
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room stewards were great. The waiters were learning and got better and better through the week.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Beautiful and practically designed! Lovely art work. Staff cleaning constantly. Masks available instantly if you forgot, and you were kindly reminded.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Lovely cabin decorated in Platinum, Soft Gold and Ocean Blue. It was our first Aft Cabin and it was quite nice. However for us it is waaay back there and we will go for a Mid Ship next time! It was perfectly clean and serviced twice a day.
Ship tip
Check your preferred Music Show times and adjust your dining room time around that on your first day.
Thank you for sharing. We are on Rotterdam in February. Love HAL.
With everything so new and the restart of cruising again, there is bound to be a few hiccups.
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