I want to start this review by saying that Holland American Line (HAL) is not for everyone. They tend to cater to an older (retired) crowd. My wife and I are both in our mid-30's and this was our second outing on HAL. We love HAL! It is quiet, relaxing and we do not feel pressured into doing anything on the ships. There is no climbing wall, no golf course, no Flowrider and if those things are important to you, then HAL are not the ships for you. Having said that, there was never a time when we didn't feel like there was something to do. Plenty to take in and participate in on HAL ships.

Traversing the Fort Lauderdale port is very easy. Hire a cab from the airport (less than $20). The cab drivers know right were to go. A porter from HAL meets the car and gets your bags, no fuss, no muss. Right inside into a short line and fill out the health questions. As we were booked into a suite we got to go into the priority check in line. Waited less than 5 minutes for an available agent at the counter. She swiped our passports, gave us the room keys and we were off. No waiting at all, straight onto the ship. The room was ready. From the curb to the door of our room was less than 20 minutes. Very seamless.

Everyone on board that you come into contact with on a regular basis (room steward, dining room maitre d', waiters, concierge) take great pride in their work and make a effort to learn your name. We were always addressed and Mr. and Mrs. except by crew members that we had told they could use our first names. Read more