We have been looking forward to this cruise for some time. At two weeks, it was the longest cruise we've been on. We had been on the Veendam about 7 years ago and liked it. However, since then we have been on the larger ships of HAL (Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam) and so the Veendam felt very small to us. But we quickly got used to the smallness of the ship. We picked this particular cruise because of the itinerary and the ports did not disappoint. We loved all of them. Things that we really liked: First, the food was great! Really very good. The only downside to that is that variety is not big in the Lido. Service was exceptional. I really have to give a shout out to the guys in the main dining room because they were just awesome. I enjoyed the entertainment very much and we did manage to go to most shows. Things that we didn't like: First, the variety in the daily activities was very limited. It was really just the same schedule of activities every day for two weeks. I found this very boring and disappointing. Thank goodness for my kindle! I also thought that the hot tubs could use a good scrubbing. Replacing the aft pool with hot tubs was not a smart move on HAL's part and even though there always seemed to be some sand in the tubs, we did not find them crowded and were able to enjoy them. Overall, this was a great cruise and the passengers were all so nice. Every day, folks would tell us that we look too young to be on this cruise--I guess because there was a lot of older folks and my husband and I are in our early 40s, but that what we liked about it. Everyone was kind, and calm and respectful. Loved it and love HAL