This was our first cruise. I don't have anything to compare it to. We thought that the Volendam was a beautiful ship. It didn't have that worn out look that others have mentioned on other cruise ships. It was very clean and the service was exceptional. There were all ages on the ship. There tended to be more in the 60+ age bracket, but we found that they were the most friendly and helpful. There were very few children on the cruise, but the few that were there cried a great deal or were very misbehaved and often not supervised by parents when outside of the Club Hal. Our favorite things about the trip were the wonderful staff, beautiful settings, fabulous room service, unbelievable Pinnacle Restaurant, and terrific thermal suite. Embarkation, getting on and off the ship at ports and disembarkation were smooth and Holland America seems to have perfected it on the Volendam. It was simple to just come back to the ship for snacks or lunch each day. We were a bit disappointed in the quality of the food served in the main dining hall. The presentation was beautiful, but it was very average food. The buffets were fast but again, average quality food. After eleven p.m. you can forget getting any food except for through room service. There should be a small food bar opened until around 2 a.m. We were also concerned about the smell in the halls from the overflow of toilets. It was very musty in certain areas. The shows were better than we expected. We never went to any activities. Most of the ship activities were cooking, learning about wine, pingpong or bingo tournaments. We were never bored...the scenery was entertaining enough! I will never cruise without a balcony. It allows you to have some down time and sit privately sipping on your beverage of choice and really unwind. The excursions were very expensive. It was disappointing to find out how much cheaper they were when you just walked off the ship to the tour companies at each port. We heard from many people that the Salmon BAke near the Mendenhall glacier was horrible. I believe that too many people take advantage of the one time stop of cruisers at ports. I think that it would be worth it to rent a car and get away from the cruise ship areas. You will see the true area then. We found Vancouver to be a gorgeous city...very expensive...take plenty of money!