The embarkation was efficient and speedy and we were in our cabin within 30 minutes.
However the lunch on the Lido deck was truly sub-par. Roast Beef that so tough that it could not be cut and dinner that evening was not much better. Overall the food was way bellow the standards that we have come to expect from Holland America
The ship was over crowded and from what I was told had at 100 more passengers than is listed as its capacity. Often the Lido dining room was so crowded that there were no napkins of silverware available. Some of the dinners were excellent but several lacked any real creativity and the deserts were just plain boring This is amazing since one evening the was an incredible desert buffet set up at about 10:30 long after everyone had eaten. It would have made a lot more sense to put the effort into every dinner instead.
The big plus for HAL is most of the outside and veranda cabins have full baths not just showers.