I love the S class ships. I have been on four of them and the Statendam was the last one I have been on. The staff was average and the DJ definately needed at attitude adjustment. Very friendly cabin stewards, in fact two of the best I have ever had.
The ship itself is in need of major refreshment. The carpet seams were pulling apart and rolling up. This could cause a fall and a law suit for HAL. The hull of the ship was green and brown with lots of rust. My verandah had peeling paint everywhere leaving exposed metal. Other than that, my cabin was very nice.
The activities were much improved from earlier HAL ships I have been on in the past 6 months. They had the Olympics which was very similar to the Dam Dollar program. I loved it. No ship building contest which is a major X for me. I built one anyway. Steve, the Cruise Director, loved the little ship. He was a little older than your typical CD, but was friendly and cheerful.
My cabin was very roomy and clean. The verandah had a lot of peeling paint that left the metal exposed to the salty air. Not good. The jets in the bathtub were too strong and had to turn them off. I tried adjusting them but nothing worked.