I'll try to limit this review to mostly the Westerdam, but have to say that Alaska as a destination was amazing! Even though I was skeptical about going someplace cold on a ship, the scenery and wildlife made this a wonderful trip I will never forget. We flew in Friday night and stayed at a hotel near the airport. We took light rail to the end of the line downtown (Westlake station) for $3 then Uber to the ship for about $12. Check in was fast and efficient. We were able to go to our room, dump the carry-ons, and have a nice lunch on the Lido. We splurged for a room with a balcony. We found it MUCH bigger than the inside staterooms we're used to with extra space for a small couch and table, an actual tub in the bathroom, and plenty of closet space. It was smartly designed with extra drawers under the bed and even the stool under the makeup mirror was hollow for storage. There was a hair dryer and DVD player provided, but no iron. I was concerned about cleanliness after reading previous reviews, but our room was always spotless. It was cleaned and turned down twice a day.

I've cruised previously on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival, but never HAL. My taste leans towards subtle and understated so I've never liked general overall cruise ship design. So HAL falls in line with most. The Westerdam has a lot of bright colors and fancy gaudy decor everywhere. To me it is fine - very similar to all the competition. However HAL varies from other lines dramatically in a couple of aspects. A lot of the reviews complain about the limited quantity and accessibility to food. I certainly could see this, but it wasn't a problem for me. Personally I liked that they served the food because it limits fellow cruisers exposure to my food therefore limiting exposure to illness! I did have to ask for more a few times but they serve you with a smile, and are more than happy to accommodate.

The other thing I noticed was that to me the food was of a much higher quality than I've had before. I'm sure their methods mean less waste which means maybe they can provide better quality. Please don't expect 5 star dining! I've never gotten that on any line. But for example, one night I was craving a steak. I have NEVER had a good steak on a cruise before but it was pretty good! I had 2 more as the cruise went on and they were better than I've ever had on a cruise. Still not top quality but I was happy. I enjoyed ALL the food! Even the sushi was not bad. We loved dinner in the main dining room. We also tried both the specialty restaurants which were great. (Included as a perk). I would have liked more coffee shops. There was one that didn't open until 7am, and it was on the other end of the ship. Read more