This was my 15th cruise for my wife and me and the 12th cruise for my two boys ages 12 & 18. In addition, this was the second cruise with Holland America. We cruised 4 years ago on the Ryndam. We flew from Ontario California to Sea-Tac and arrived at 1:30pm. This is much later then we wanted to, however we booked this cruise at the last minute and really did not have too many other choices. We arrived at the pier just before 3:00pm and had to spend some time filling out luggage tags and paperwork, since we did not have any due to the last minute booking. Other than the last minute paperwork check in was fast, however the embarkation clerk just went through the motions. She did not smile once nor offered us any information. By eavesdropping on people, getting check-in next to us is how we gleaned some basic first day embarkation information. Sure, we have cruised many times; however, there seems to always be a little something different going on the first day of the cruise.

We were in Cabin 1820 on the Dolphin deck. We were happy with the ocean view however the cabin was a little more forward then we prefer. The next day the sea was rough and we really felt it in that forward cabin, the DW had to order some green apples and crackers to get through the evening. There were four of us the cabin and it was surprising that we had enough room to hang up all of clothes, also the closest have adjustable shelves that you can kind of customize. The only time we really felt crowded was getting ready from dinner.

We were very surprised at the cleanliness of the ship. It was well maintained and it is worthy to note that if a ship of this age was so well kept up. Since I have been on other cruise lines and ships, half their ages have shown wear and tear. There were always crews members cleaning and polishing. Read more