Embarkation on Saturday was so easy! We arrived at the Port from our overnight hotel around 11:00 AM, and were on-board before noon. It is fabulous that HAL has rooms ready. We were in the Lido and dining al fresco on the aft deck overlooking Seattle, soon after.

Most of our interactions with staff on the ship were stellar. Special kudos should be given to our room stewards, to the young lady who ran the culinary school, and to always smiling Lido staff. The only negative on the entire cruise was the Main Dining Room staff. I am not sure why it happened this way; perhaps HAL has cut back like everyone else, but our MDR service was shockingly substandard. For example, at one point, one of my tablemates was giving her order to the waiter and he simply walked away. At another meal, my water was left empty for most of the meal, while our requests for attention were ignored. And we were the quiet table. Perhaps, it would be better to be a big, boisterous group table and we'd have received better attention.

But enough of that and onto the good stuff! The culinary classes were wonderful! The trivia matches were so much fun! The art onboard the ship is just amazing! Most of the staff go out of their way to make sure we felt welcome and well cared for! Read more