Just been on the southern Caribbean 10 day cruise and it was awesome. The ship is catered for the old folks and the food is better than other Cruises, but entertainment not as great. HAL allows smoking on the cabins which is the prime reason I like HAL. Excursions are plentiful but pricy if you book from Hal. On most ports you are better off just going to peer and there is lots of tour operators at half price for similar tours.
Verandah VB 10002 on observation deck. These are new addition. We were located near the elevator, and you could hear chimes (faint) in the morning but not a bother. I would re-book same verandah. Spectacular views from the balcony . The balcony is a bit smaller than other decks, but enough for two people. We were short walking distance from Crow's nest lounge and took back drinks on happy hour each day 4-5 pm to enjoy on deck. The lounge has no music (bands) and very quiet. Cannot be heard from our suite.