We have cruised several time with Royal Caribbean, P &O, Princess and Celebrity. We have always returned home happy in the fact that we have had a really enjoyable time. However we left the ship feeling pretty flat and would certainly not cruise with HAL again.
Embarkation was smooth and quick but no welcome bubbly! The balcony cabin was not the best that we have had, we prefer a sliding door, the balcony was small and the balcony furniture was not the best especially the table which was low and small not conducive to breakfast on the balcony. I wasn't satisfied with the level of cleanliness and had to ask the cabin boy to rectify. The tv system was poor compared to other cruise lines. The air conditioning was directly over the bed and could not be turned off at all so we had to get used to being blasted with cold air each night. It was a very tight squeeze between the wardrobe doors and the bathroom door.
At breakfast the cooked breakfast bar was very confusing and food was served up by the staff instead of being self service. The quality of the food was good. We enjoyed our meals in the main Manhatten dining room.