Overall was a great Cruise for us - Myself, wife and a 7 year old. This was our first time on HAL ( after several cruises with Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival ). Overall a great cruise. Excellent food, entertainment and service. Details and some nitpicks below.

Pre-Cruise - We arrived in Amsterdam 2 days earlier and spent two days going around time and recovering from jetlag. Nice city to just walk around, do the canal cruise and walk around.

Embarkation - Very smooth. Took us an hour or less from arrival to the port and to be on the ship. We got there around 11:30 and onboard by 12:30. Cabin was ready and we dropped off the bags and headed to the Lido deck for lunch. Muster was a breeze as well as we don't have to carry the lifejackets anymore. Just see a video and then go to the muster station to get counted. Read more