We had sailed with HAL before (2 x), once on the Zaandam (Buenos Aires to Valparaiso, as well as the Nordam (Barcelona to Rome), and have enjoyed the cruises very much. Compared with these this cruise was not as well organized, there were fewer activities on board and the cabins were much smaller. Also, it appears that the crew (with the exception of our dining room crew) were not as well trained, spoke hardly any English , and, in general did not seem as happy as the crew on our other two cruises. Furthermore, we had the impression that many more items were charged than had been in the past. Also, when compared with our previous trip on the Zaandam, it seemed to be a lot less personal. For example on the Zaandam, the captain, cruise director, and several other higher ranking crew members tended to mingle with the passengers a bit more during the cruise, especially on sea days. As far as scheduling of events were concerned, there were overlapping events that prevented us from attending both. An example of this was on the last sea day, wanted to participate in the "On Deck for a Cause" run as well the Mariner's luncheon (we are 2 star members). These events were scheduled so close (within an hour of each other) that it was impossible for us to attend both. Both of these events are highlights for us on HAL cruises