First of all the veranda cabin was much smaller than on other ships and the great bedding that all HAL customers are used to no longer exists. Instead there is a narrow mattress of twigs, bamboo and leaves (my interpretation) which crackled when you sat on it or during the night when you turned around on it or when you or your significant other left for the bathroom. Absolutely horrible.

The bathroom was long and narrow and did not have a night light so that you had to put on the full lighting in the room if you had to use it during the night. The toilet was cati-corner to a corner at the far end of the room close to the shower which was as long as the room with a slate floor that was quite slippery.

The food was not great in the dining room. Weird choices and not even half as good as all the other cruises that we have taken on HAL and we are 3 star mariners. It seemed to us that they were trying to get people to pay at the up-charge restaurants on board whereas, formerly, the main dining room food was as good as any expensive up-charge restaurant. No more cakes or pies from European pastry chefs, NONE!, just mouse pies, ice cream or fruit crumble. Even the Pinnacle Grill was not up to previous par. Read more