When we boarded the Statendam and went to our room, we immediately felt at home. Having sailed with HAL many times and on this size boat, we like the feel of it and have become quite acquainted with the ship's amenities.

We like the friendly staff who despite long days and sometime demanding pax, always seem in a good mood though the odd one does seem to be self absorbed. It's a difficult life I'm sure. Being gone for months, far away from family and loved ones must take its toll but hey, it's a great living compared to the alternatives.

The captain was always on top of things regarding keeping us well informed about the weather and sea conditions. While his announcements were infrequent, they were timely and informative. He took great pains to avoid rough seas, even going out of the way to give us a 'good ride'. One day however, huge swells couldn't be avoided so we had to enjoy the ups and downs of sailing. The breakfast cooks and bell boys got into the act with Oooooooooooooos and Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaas as the ship went up and over the swells. The staff was very fast and competent at cleaning up the seasickness and in a short three hours, all was back to normal. Read more