This was a very lovely crossing. Many more pros than cons. To begin with, the sailing was delayed by a full day due to strong winds and high seas preventing the ship from getting into port. The overnight in Barcelona spent waiting for the ship was expertly and efficiently handled. Considering the number of passengers HAL had to suddenly and unexpectedly accommodate, this had to have been no easy feat. A sterling performance.

Once on board we found the ship elegant, gracefully absorbing her 2000 passengers. The mostly Indonesian crew was nothing short of wonderful, friendly, kind and always happy to fulfill any request. Cabins were spacious, comfortable (we wanted to take our bed home!) and immaculate. Food, for the most part, was excellent. The specialty restaurants we tried, Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind, were superb.

Sadly, due to the loss of a day, we forfeited the Azores as a port of call; that was unfortunate as many on board were looking forward to it. Many felt it would have been far better to have sacrificed the uninteresting Alicante. Our major grievance was the lack of quality entertainment on board which was, for the most part, embarrassing. This needs to be seriously rethought. Among the educational offerings, Vivienne Rowan and her series on Ancient Egypt was superb. Read more