We are seasoned cruisers, my husband has cruised over 30 times and I have cruised approximately 20. We were on the inaugural cruise 2/22/06 from NYC. Embarkation was long & tedious, very unorganized. The ship was beautiful, our stateroom was on Deck 8; large room (over 350 sq. ft). Our balcony was spacious and have lovely comfortable furniture. Bathroom was gorgeous! Loved the dual sinks, separate shower and jacuzzi tub. Tommy, the cabin steward did a fantastic job keeping the room clean. Wonderful service throughout the cruise..everyone was polite, friendly and helpful.
Now, for the bad news!..........the food was HORRIBLE. Breakfast and lunch were ok, but dinner in the dining room was awful. Out of our 10-night cruise, we only had 2 good meals. Never saw such small, mushy lobster tails in my life, and who wants meat loaf? The quality of the food was poor and didn't have any flavor or taste. We thought the food on the maiden voyage would be wonderful but it wasn't.
Disembarkation was probably the worst part! People were trying to enter the terminal while passengers were exiting through the same door! Luggage, passengers and porters were everywhere! It was a nightmare...Holland America needs to have a separate entrance and exit. It was confusing and chaotic.