As usual, I had a great time on the cruise. We had some problems but I felt that most were handled very well.

Problems first....

Probably the very worst was the embarkation in San Diego. Getting checked in was awful. First there was a line to go through security (took me 30 minutes), then a line to register your wine if you were bringing any on (15 minutes), and then the worst - checking in with HAL. Computers continually “went down” and representatives disappeared. I was in line for over 50 minutes but people who arrived a half hour later than I were in line for 2 1/2 hours. Being a long cruise (30, 33, or 35 day options), most of the passengers were older and standing was very difficult for many. I am not sure how much of this was the port authority and how much HAL’s fault. Regardless, it could have been handled better. Read more