After 28 days of sailing on the MS Prinsendam I could not wait to get home to eat decent food. The only meal that gets stars is breakfast. Although the crew smiles a lot (unlike the cruise we took on the MS Westerdam where NO ONE smiled) and the crew in the LaFontaine dining room works hard on service, they cannot make up for the poor menu selection, overcooked, over spiced, just plain not good food - where were the just plain sandwiches for lunch - when I finally asked they were made for us specially - it should not be that way.

The travel guide needs lots of education on the ports - she could not tell me bus fare at one of the ports - really? Why is she there but for the details?

Officers - where were they - we received an invitation to lunch from the Captain and the Hotel Manager - neither of whom were at the door to greet us. We are accustomed to seeing and speaking to all flag officers as well as others during the course of any cruise. Where were the Senior Officer cocktail parties? We kept being told that HAL has the highest return rate of any cruise line - be that as it may, people do not know what they are missing if HAL is the only line they travel. Read more