I was accompanied by 2 friends, one of which had never sailed before, and the other on their first cruise with HAL.

Embarkation went relatively smooth. No longer do the stewards line the hallway and escort you to your stateroom. Now, you have a dancer or a singer that points towards an elevator. The "welcome back" Mariner's Lunch was a sign of things to come for the week. With the entrée beings very limited (and one a cheeseburger), I had a feeling that the Carnivalization was still in the works on board Holland America. The baggage we checked at the pier showed up within 3 hours, which I thought was good.

The ship itself is going to need a drydock soon. I took numerous pictures of door frames rusted to the point of falling to crumbling pieces, worn carpets, missing tiles, rust, and badly chipped furniture. All in all, the décor looks like they picked it up at a yard sale before sailing. Yes, it's shabby. The windows weren't washed once that I noticed, as the same salt spray stayed on window all week. Read more