We are experienced cruisers in our early 60s, with over 30 cruises on ocean and river vessels. This was our first cruise on HAL - Princess is our preferred line. We found the ship to be outdated, despite its upgrades. Very dark long hallways and drab decor and lighting. The room was nice and the bathroom larger than most. The balcony was very small. We noticed a smell of sewage that came into our cabin on several occasions. The guest services staff said they knew this was a problem in a number of cabins and was coming from the ventilation! It was disgusting, driving us from the room or forcing us to prop the verandah door open.

Our cabin was over the spa and the staff in the spa tended to leave storage closets open. Hence, when the ship rocked at night the doors banged, reverberating into our cabin and keeping us up. We tried to get the guest services staff to investigate the problem but the best they could do was offer us earplugs! Finally, at 4:00 AM, my very frustrated husband went looking for the problem. He was the one who discovered the closet in the spa! We had to keep reminding them for the remainder of the trip to close the D**N door.

The food in the dining room was very good but the Lido was not good at all. The food was often cold and unappetizing. Also, the hours were not continuous. For example, we like to have coffee in the room and eat breakfast about 10:30. But from 10:00 until 11:30 there is no food service in the Lido or anywhere else! There is a limited menu from room service, but more often than not the order arrived and was incorrect. If you do order from room service, remind them if you want butter for toast or salt for the eggs - they don't send these items automatically. Read more