This was our first Holland America cruise and though it wasn't a poor experience, we'll definitely stick with other cruise lines in the near future. We were with a group of about 20 people ranging from teenagers to seniors. The cruise line is definitely focused on an older crowd therefore not too much going on that interested us - in terms of ship activities. The details that Holland America focuses on - fresh flowers, etc - definitely set a different atmosphere. Enjoyable. Just not things that make us go wow! But I'm sure many people appreciate this.

Embarkation was hit and miss. We arranged for the transfer through HAL from the airport to the ship. We waited at the airport for about 40 minutes before our bus arrived. This was a tad bit frustrating. We could have taken a taxi and avoided the wait and with two people the cost would have been equal. Fast forward to debarkation. Outstanding! I love that HAL assigns a time and you're off the ship quickly. Plus there weren't hundreds of people crowding the door to get off. There were a few people lingering but not like our past experiences on other cruise lines. Embarkation, the actual check-in process was great! With the debarkation, we used the express baggage service. Loved putting our luggage out for pick up and then not seeing it until we arrived at our home airport. I was a tiny bit nervous that it wasn't actually on the plane but that's just a sign of my failure to not be in control. Ha ha ha.

Let's see. What next. The food was quite good. Equal if not better than other cruise lines we have been on. The lido deck attendants were constantly offering extra attention - delivering plates to your table or getting drinks. The dining room was great as well. There were a few nights where I wasn't thrilled with the selection and I am far from picky. Maybe I wasn't hungry enough? The Pinnacle grill was outstanding!!! I had the lamb chops, my husband had the ribeye - both amazing. Do make the time and funds available to eat here. Make your reservations early! They are not joking that the restaurant gets booked up. Though somehow they booked us for two different days and three different times. Maybe this is why they were so booked? As a group, we ate in the Italian restaurant on the Lido deck one night. How nice! Probably my second favorite night of eating. You must try the tiramiso trio. I was tempted to sneak up there nightly for dessert. One of my favorite desserts. The lido deck also serves a bread pudding with vanilla sauce. Yummm. Read more