This was our 11th cruise and our first with HAL. There were some small bumps in the road but overall we enjoyed the cruise and will sail with HAL again.

The good

The embarkation in Vancouver was the best ever as it was quick and well organized. The food was very good in the dining room. We were impressed the dinner had 7 choices plus the three standard choices for entrees. Most entrees were well prepared and tasty and the portions were not too large. The soups were all great. The crab legs were excellent and our waiter brought extras when we requested them. We recommend eating in the dining room for both breakfast and lunch rather than fighting with the masses in the Lido. The food in the Lido was fine but not outstanding. We had an ocean view cabin on the Lower Promenade deck and it was fine(subject to comments below). It was handy on this deck as we had quick access to the outside deck which allowed you to walk around the whole ship. 4 laps to a mile. The rooms were cleaned twice a day and the cabin stewards did a good job. We only went on one HAL excursion and that was the train trip to White Pass. This was a worthwhile excursion and was well organized and went off without any problems. The guide provided an interesting talk on the trip. The trip to Glacier Bay was the highlight of the cruise. This is a must see place and on our first visit we saw a large calving of the Glacier which impressed everyone who saw it. Our friend took some great pictures of the calving which are quite impressive. The size of the ship was perfect compared to our previous cruise on the Liberty Of The Seas. On a smaller ship you have more contact with the staff who were outstanding. Our waiter Bambang and assistant waiter Sena were a great team and remembered your preferences especially Sena with our cappuccinos. The bar staff were great especially Fabian who made the best Bloody Marys and Joanna who was both pleasant and efficient. Our wine stewards Mydel and Raphet were great and extremely friendly. Ron the cellar master was great to talk to about wines and was the first time on a cruise we ever had such a friendly cellar master. The itinerary was good for one week but on the return trip it wasn't as exciting. We would recommend a one week cruise instead of a 2 week cruise. The disembarkation ( we chose self disembarkation) was quick and efficient. Read more