We chose this cruise as transportation and lodging for visits to Livorno, Monaco, Tunisia, Sicily, and Naples. In that aspect, it was very good. As a cruise ship for comfortable open spaces, people watching, and relaxation, it misses the boat (no pun intended) completely. I completely agree with GrannyJKP - it looks like the 70's, is dark and dreary. It was clean, but the carpets worn. There is no open main area to sit and watch the world go by, have a drink, or listen to music. Due to weather, we had to skip Tunisia, giving us 2 consecutive sea days. If there had been a 3rd, we would have jumped overboard from boredom. We did, however, think the crew was good, and the food very good. We did not dine in the main dining room due to our excursions which provided lunch (we were not very hungry at night). Speaking of the excursions, they were EXCELLENT (we spent as much for these as one cruise fare). Livorno - Lucca, Farmhouse lunch, and villa - well worth it. Monaco, Nice, and Eze - FABULOUS. Sicily - Segesta and Erice - very good, Erice is a treasure. Naples - Sorrento & Fantastic, not long enough in Sorrento, though.

To sum up - to use this as a "tour", it was fine. The thought of sailing on this ship in the sunny, warm Caribbean, trying to have some fun - forget it. We will most likely never cruise on HAL again.