This was our first Holland America cruise after going on 5 Carnivals and 1 Royal Caribbean. Immediately, I noticed a beautiful and super clean ship that smelled fresh upon boarding. Fresh flowers and smiling, warm faces greeted us.

Embarkation was almost painless and took about 15 minutes total. Super friendly staff. We arrived about an hour before our assigned time and were on the ship within 30 minutes of arrival. We found out later that there were only 1095 out of 2100 guests aboard the ship .

Our stateroom was super clean and our steward Jan (Indonesia) kept it spotless the entire trip. We had two balcony rooms that the partitions were opened to allow a larger balcony. If you have never cruised in a balcony room, it is well worth the extra money. Read more