We have taken 10 cruises, mostly on Princess & Celebrity & this was our first cruise with Holland America which we chose because of the proximity of the embarkation port to our home and we loved it. We drove to the port & parked our car in the parking lot which is located a short walk from the dock. Both embarkation & disembarkation went very smoothly. The service on board was outstanding, food was very good (we ate mostly in the Rotterdam dining room for all meals) and the ship was spotless & well maintained. We also paid the extra $10 each to eat at the Canaletto which was excellent & well worth it, but we were less impressed with Le Cirque as, although the food was good, we did not think it was that much better to warrant the extra charge of $69 each.

Our cabin (7255, an oceanview on deck 4) was comfortable & quiet with adequate storage & a large bathroom (compared to other cruises we have taken). We saw almost all the nightly entertainment & enjoyed most of it and the singers & dancers were excellent. The activity director, Jude, was one of the best we have had in our opinion because she was very natural & down to earth & was not over the top like so many others. We loved the Explorations Café & spent some time reading & enjoying some quiet time there. All in all a great cruise & we would do it again.