This is my third hal cruise and first on the Statendan ( sea of cortez cruise) and based on this cruise I would not sail HAL again.

First the positives : the staff were overall exceedingly nice,in particular some of the cocktail servers and bar staff. The food in the main dining room ( dinner) was very good- though service was way too slow at the beginning of the cruise but improved over the days. Embarkation and disembarkation was very good. Disembarkation being exceptionally good , unlike the mass chaos of the Oosterdam, last time we sailed it in 2010.

The Statendam negatives: the food in the lido at dinner was mediocre at best - think Denny's quality, and that is probably being unfair to Denny's . Plus there are no longer trays in the lido,so if you want an appetizer and Main course, you'll have to forgo a beverage unless you have 3 hands . The on shore expert who was supposed to give a talk on the history of the area in the showroom , talked down to us like we were 10 year olds and covered very little history, mostly tips on getting off the ship. We only went once as a result,, . But the overall worst thing was the complete lack of daytime activities on sea days - ring toss and napkin folding being the highlights, .granted most people on the Statendam appear to be 75-90 years old ( we are in our late 50s) but even still, I think you could find more interesting activities in an assisted living facility. Hal is not known for its entertainment or daily activities in general - and on this ship they were really pinching pennies,in the extreme - very unimpressed with the daytime activities as well as the limited entertainment , and with 4 sea days - this was totally unacceptable. Would not sail HAL again anytime soon as a result of this issue,