This was our first Holland America sailing and we were impressed. We were worried that the ship would be crowded, being both a holiday cruise and knowing that many of the Carnival Splendor passengers were probably re-booked onto our ship. But we were surprised in how uncrowded it actually felt.

The San Diego Port was nice. Check in was relatively efficient. We arrived early and we were whisked directly to the Lido with our luggage. It was crowded, but we found a table for five in relatively short order. About 12:30, we were cleared to enter our cabins.

Our cabin was very nice. It was clean, relatively roomy for a ship, and even had a bathtub in our balcony room. We enjoyed a nice afternoon in San Diego on our balcany. The sail away was relatively uneventful...no big fanfare. This is not a real party cruise line, catering to a more sophisticated, if not a more 'mature' crowd. Read more