We were a group of 8 adults and none of us had sailed on Holland America before. We had one couple who had never gone on a cruise in our group. Our experience on HAL was excellent. Although the ship was continuing on a voyage that had started in Egypt and had had problems with a gastro virus on board, when we boarded in Civitavecchia (Rome)the ship was immaculate and they followed every precaution regarding sanitization and food distribution until they were sure it was safe to return to normal protocol. The weather we had couldn't have been more perfect (no rain - 11 days!) and the itinerary was interesting, too. We were supposed to port in Tunisia, but that was changed to Sardinia and we didn't find out until we boarded.
Our cabin was wonderful (VA8134). We were on the 8th level at the back of the ship. The views were stupendous, and, although I heard that the room could be noisy because the pool deck was above us, we were never bothered, even in the afternoon when there were lots of people up there. Our friends had the adjoining stateroom, so we had the steward open the connector on our verandahs so we could walk back and forth. It was a great experience.
Our cabin service was top-notch, as were the services in all the food and dining areas. We ate at the Pinnacle Grill when they had Le Cirque night and the food and service were fantastic. We loved the staff celebrations of birthdays in the dining room! The menus were always varied and interesting and not one of our group had any complaints about the food at all.
Great view, not noisy, a little congested near front door, plenty of space for storage/clothing, good-sized bathroom with tub, comfortable beds, very clean, wonderful verandah views!