I was eagerly waiting for cruise day. Living in the Norfolk area and always wanting to take a HAL cruise this seemed to be a perfect combination. Cruise day was April 3 and we arrived at the pier at 2:30pm. We were processed and in our room by 3:00. Our luggage arrived very shortly thereafter. So far, so good.
The room was probably one of the nicest I have had. Clean, bright and lots of storage. Sahri, our room steward was outstanding. Never seen, but everything done while we were gone. That was the end of the good things!
I realize that this was Spring Break, but I never expected 300+ children on a 10 day cruise on a line with a reputation of usually having older cruisers. HAL obviously did not expect this either and their Staff decided to take the 10 days off themselves! The Staff I encountered were usually deep in conversation with one another and if you saw them alone, their eyes were downcast to avoid any conversation. There were not enough activities for the children and consequently they took over the ship. RUNNING and SCREAMING at all hours of the day and night. Both pools were taken over by the children, including those in diapers. I lost my desire to use the pool.