To be clear, there was much to like and enjoy on this cruise through the Panama Canal. To start, the food in the Pinnacle Grill and main dining room was excellent and the staff throughout the ship was super-friendly and helpful. However, this was not their first voyage and there were annoyances that should have not occurred. For the first two days out of FLL, the phones did not work because noone would answer them - this is a security issue. The first dinner on board took three hours and the waiter got six of six orders wrong (he was just back from a month at home ??); a lot of the outdoor tables and deck chairs are worn and unsightly. Many of the chair pads are stained and ugly. The daily activities schedule was quite limited. According to the Cruise Director, Holland America is undergoing a lot of cost-cutting and the results were obvious. The Lido Buffet offerings were tasty but not as extensive as on other cruise lines. The on-board entertainment was generally enjoyable but the scheduling was strange and could not be fully enjoyed unless one ate dinner at their set seating times, (which half of the passengers do not). The production shows were pleasant but generally weaker than Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. The cooking programs were great and the culinary hostess was outstanding.

Having mentioned all that, we still had a good time and will return to Holland America, but maybe not to this ship, even though she is undergoing significant renovation in the fall of 2017.