Just got off the Rotterdam a week ago. This was my first HAL cruise, although I've been on many other cruises before. I would say our cruise was fair to midland. We got a great deal so you can say we got what we paid for. Check-in was horrific (waited in an hour line after getting there at 12:45). The ship itself is showing signs of wear and tear. Additionally, we did have plumbing issues in our bathroom which I have to say were resolved very quickly by HAL. Have no clue what our stateroom steward looks like (only saw him briefly the first day) but our room was always kept clean - no complaints at all. We were on the Dolphin Deck - tons of closet space and lots of hangers.

Food was good but our waiter never even introduced himself on the first day. Do not order from the vegetarian menu. You have to order 24 hours in advance and then it took FOREVER to actually get our food. They ran out of ice often, whether it be on the Lido Deck or the MDR (but we always found it in our stateroom which is a total waste!). I thought the entertainment was horrible (the Rotterdam singers and dancers are not that great). We had a fabulous piano player one evening (Paul Pappas) and Andy in the piano bar was top notch.

HAL definitely caters to an older crowd so you are not going to get the loud DJ on the pool deck or singer waiters in the dining room, like you might on a Carnival Cruise. Also, I didn't think there was a ton of activities do. I would sail on HAL but probably not for another 20 years (I'm 50 yo).