My husband and I are Five-Star Mariners who have sailed on many of HAL's ships. We chose this cruise for the itinerary--not for the ship. We were on the Koningsdam in November, 2016 and were hoping some changes had been made. However that did not happen. There is still NO library; music from all three venues (especially B.B. King Blues) blast every evening. The main dining room and the theater are too small. There are now three shows scheduled each evening. Stewards in the dining room are overwhelmed----and still provide excellent service with a smile. Happy Hours are scheduled to conflict with the early dining hour---which is now 5:00 P.M!

Since we had visited most of these island before we just booked one Shore Excursion in Puerto Plata. We enjoyed the day there and learned a lot about the local history. Our cabin stewards were excellent----and again overworked.

Embarkation was orderly and relatively swift. Disembarkation was another matter. When our luggage number was called we walked from the ocean bar all the way back to the entrance to the theater and then back again to mid-ship where the gangplank was located. Why not have guests wait comfortable and go in smaller groups directly to the gangplank? Read more