We chose HAL as it was the only line that sailed from and returned to Vancouver on the dates we wanted. We had sailed with Princess before but there cruise returned to Seattle and we allowed that to deter us from sailing with them. We also trusted that HALs self promotion of luxury and "unrivaled service" would be exactly what we needed for our honeymoon...BIG MISTAKE!!!
We boarded the Zuiderdam on the 17th sept 11, the embarkation process was a nightmare, 2 hrs in a holding area waiting to go through US customs, there was no organisation and a much more staggered embarkation process is required.
The majority of our complaints is around the food, after all what is cruising famous for?? Great food, great service and making you feel special...? We were on our honeymoon so we planned to venture out of our cabin for excursions and meals, we missed a lot of meal times because we just couldn't be bothered to make the effort!