Going through the first locks at Gatun Lake was very interesting. We sat in the lake, did not cruise around. The other ports were also good. The ship, overall, was a disappointment. It's the second HAL cruise in 12 years that I've taken and, in both cases, the ship broke down. I will no longer waste my money on HAL when there are so many other fabulous ships available.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
If you like being herded like cattle, this embarkation will meet your expectations.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was good but got very predictable after a few days. Few fabulous desserts, few sugar-free, no bread pudding.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
HAL has never been known for its onboard activities. The destination talks were good.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Depends. The cabin steward and dining staff were good. They are working for tips. Guest Services, however, was useless. When we reported internet outage and asked for a refund, we were told that we had to find the internet guy. So, their problem became our problem. When reported incessant door banging esp. early in the morning, they said that they reported it to housekeeping. It stopped one day and then started at 6:30 AM the next morning.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The ship is old. Throughout the cruise, the tiles in the Lido had some gray stuff oozing up through the cracks. Our verandah was rusty and paint was peeling. AND, at the last stop, the ship's thrusters went out, so we traveled two days with no stabilizers. The constant shaking was annoying at best. I could not sleep because of the constant rocking. Unlike other ships, we did not see crew cleaning handrails, public areas, etc.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
For a verandah room, it was very small. We could not stand up two large suitcases and move around comfortably. There were two closets but neither was wide enough for a suitcase. There was a drawer under the bed so you could not store the suitcase there. We put one on the couch because you could not adjust the tv to view it well from the couch anyways. You could only view tv well from bed. Speaking of tv, there were 5-6 channels, MSNBC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2 and FOX. There was no guide so you had no idea of what was on when. You could also watch movies. There was no clock in the room, not even the time on the phone. As I said before the verandah had a hinged door that folks generally slammed day and night. I was nauseous from the boat rocking and wanted to try to take a nap. From 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM., the verandah door downstairs was slammed 9 times. The bathroom had a tub, so when you wanted to shower, you had to lift your legs up and over. This was not a problem for us, but it could be a challenge to folks with mobility issues. Cabin steward was very nice. He had his hands full with folks next door. Lady had "issues" and could be heard crying, trying to open the door, and sometimes even walking up and down the hall at night making noise.
Ship tip
Don't. The ship is old and it broke down. The tiles in the Lido had gray stuff oozing up through the cracks, and the floors were constantly wet. Verandah rooms have regular hinged doors (as opposed to sliding glass doors) that folks are constantly slamming.
Since the thrusters broke on the ship, we arrived late. We waited and waited and once had permission to get off, were being rushed, rushed, rushed. If there were a few more signs, it would have helped.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
