I am a youthful 52 year old single woman who took this cruise "solo". I have only been on one other cruise and it was on Carnival. I will say that Holland America was definitely an "older" crowd. The vast majority of people on the cruise were 65+ and retired and quite a few had health problems (walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen systems, etc.). Of course, there is nothing wrong with that and I greatly respect people being active and "young at heart" but the reality is that many of the activities and general vibe of the cruise was geared towards older folks. That said, people were very friendly, accommodating of this single lady and the cruise itself was lovely.

The ship is older but was definitely in good shape. Everything was clean, public restrooms were plentiful, elevators worked well, etc. I had a balcony cabin which was very nice. It was roomy (by cruise ship standards), the bed was comfortable, the bathroom was functional with both a shower and tub, flat screen tv worked well, plenty of storage space and quiet without a lot of movement. The ship has 2 pools and both of them were nice. They had pool chairs and then plenty of tables/chairs as well for people who wanted to eat by the pool, play cards, etc. My spa experience was just "ok". The massage therapist was nearly a half hour late for my appointment, she promised me an "extra 25 minutes" which I didn't get and she was extremely pushy, trying to sell me unneeded products after the massage and getting hostile when I said "no". She did a great job on the massage itself but the "hard sell" afterwards completely infuriated me and ruined any relaxation I had experienced. I did not go back. I did purchase a week-long pass for the Thermal Suite and used it daily. It was heaven-lay down whirlpool, steam room, sauna, thermal chairs overlooking the ocean (I fell asleep multiple times) and it was great to get rid of aches and pains after the day's excursions.

I have read complaints about the entertainment on Holland but I loved it. They had a good mix on the Main Stage of singers, dancers, an orchestra and other acts like a comedian, pianist and even an Oriental show put on by staff members. I thought they were all top knotch. I also enjoyed the "clubs" on what they call Music Row but that entertainment was all sort of similar...I would trade out one of the music clubs for a comedy club. Food was also very good. I ate in the buffett most of the time since I was alone and really enjoyed it. Good selection, food was fresh and warm and they had a salad bar to die for. I ordered room service from the start restaurant The Pinnacle Grill one night and it was a delicious filet mignon and cheese cake. I also had a burger by the pool at the Dive In and it was also great. They had the typical cruise ship shops with jewelry, souvenirs, etc. and an art gallery. Nothing special but ok. Staff was all good (except the massage therapist). My cabin was taken care of very well with nightly turn down service. Everyone was friendly and helpful. I also bought 4 excursions through Holland and enjoyed all of them. Most of the onboard "activties" were really just sales pitches trying to get you to buy things.The only complaint I have is that the Disembark process was rather confusing...the cruise line didn't give a lot of guidance and it was hard to know where to go to get off. Nobody was in the halls and there were no signs with directions. I just followed other people and we found our way off.