We have had Cuba on our wish list for some time and were looking to get away after my recent surgery. It was great to get away and have time to relax. The Veendam is an older ship and smaller than we are used to. We have sailed with many different cruise lines over the last twenty years and have never experienced a more friendly and helpful crew throughout the ship. Yes there are signs of wear and we had elevator problems, but the crew more than made up for that. Even the captain was very friendly and accessible. He set the tone for his ship. We were fortunate to have happened on a wonderful wait staff on anytime dining and we booked them for every night of our 11 day cruise. Kiki and Andrew made our dinners fun and something we looked forward to each evening. Even the people at the check in counter remembered our names and welcomed us every night. Even though there were fewer evening shows than on the big ships the evening shows were very good. This was our first cruise with Holland America, but it will not be our last.