We got back today from our cruise on the Zuiderdam and had a wonderful time. First off I should say that we have cruised to Alaska on HAL twice before from Seattle and there is no comparison. The Inside Passage from Vancouver is a far superior cruise and one of the reasons it was our favorite. It was a much smoother ride than the outside passage from Seattle, much more scenic and we saw SO much more wildlife. I don't think I saw a single whale in the past, but going up and returning between Vancouver Island and the mainland we saw whales including 4 Orcas who came up to see the ship as we were eating in Canaletto on the last evening. These areas are obviously busy feeding grounds for them.

We had anytime dining and all our meals were wonderful! I don't think I have ever enjoyed the food more on a HAL ship. The service we had at dinner in the dining room was also great. We got very lucky with our waiter Faizel the first night and asked for him every night after. Imam, the host at the Vista dining room also took great care of our family and made automatic reservations for us at the same table every evening. He remembered who we all were from the first day and even at lunch and breakfast gave us wonderful tables by the window. This was quite a change from our dining experience on the Amsterdam 2 years ago, when were became so frustrated with the poor service (cold cappucino, disappearing waiters, etc) that we ate our last 2 meals in the Canaletto. This time I had made a reservation for Canaletto for the last evening to avoid the "Master Chef's Dinner" (HAL: Please stop demeaning your waiters by making them sing and dance!) Although we were glad to miss MCD, we were sorry not to have one last dinner served by our wonderful waiter.

I would really recommend anyone doing the anytime dining to ask for the same waiter every night (If you like him). It really makes a difference in service level and probably makes it easier for the waiters to provide the good service as they already know what you like. Read more