We were looking for a week of warmth away from NY cold. We got a lot of wind, rain, rough seas, slow passage (due to 1 azipod) & a skipped port. This was our 6th cruise, but first HAL cruise. It was an economical choice for a Caribbean cruise, but no bells & whistles. Half our passengers were from one group which made certain things difficult as they had 'whole group' activities to attend, then moved on (to dining or shows) as a cluster of hundreds! The ship is pleasant enough, if a bit dated looking in the dining rooms; the crew/service very friendly & helpful-our cabin was great, the bed comfortable, & our steward attentive; the entertainment was poor to ok (the 2 pianists could be really good or awful, depending on how high/drunk they were); the activities limited. Excursions offered seemed ok, but over-priced for what was offered. The stingray swim on Half Moon Cay was a great idea & the time with the ray in the group circle was interesting, but the other 4 stingrays were not interested in interacting or even coming out of hiding. It was a cool morning in the water, so perhaps they were too cold. Our time in St. Thomas was shortened due to the ship having only 1 propeller, so that explore was limited. We were unable to dock in Grand Turks due to high winds, so that port was cancelled. The ship could have offered a number of activities for the extra sea day, but had only a few. On & off ship goes smoothly, both at beginning & end as well as in ports. The food was fine. We have a longer HAL trip to Hawaii coming up, so it will be interesting to compare.