We chose the August departure on the Westerdam from Rotterdam around the UK because of the itinerary and were not disappointed. The weather was (for the most part)accommodating (although the crew had a challenge with tenders in Portree with 50 mph winds and five foot swells. The service was exemplary and the food quite good. The dessert extravaganza was not to be missed. The only negative part was the smoking. With so many Dutch on board, smoking in some of the lounges (and especially in the casino) was annoying, and some of the hallways smelled a bit of smoke. Our, non-smoking cabin, though, was pristine.

We enjoyed the extended stay in Edinburgh, which is crazy at festival time. The scenery in Skye was magnificent. Those were two reasons we chose this cruise, and we were happy we did.

One area that I think HAL can do better is their packaged shore excursions. In general we struck out on our own or did a pre-arranged tour. In all cases they were far less costly, more personalized, and in general better, than the HAL tours. Read more