We have enjoyed previous holidays with HAL and were anxious to get back cruising after two years stuck at home. As we prefer not to fly, a trip out of Vancouver was very convenient. The price was reasonable for a balcony cabin and we opted for the Have It All package. The pre-cruise requirements were a bit of a hassle (Covid testing, ArriveCan and VeriFly documentation) and a lot of people seemed to be confused. While not all these requirements were demanded by HAL, they still made embarkation more stressful than normal. Happy to say that we didn’t hear of any Covid cases on the ship so that was a plus.

The ship was only a third full and it was a nice change not to be searching for a seat in the Lido or theatre. Despite this, we found dining room service to be less efficient than in the past. As well, waiters now have to look after alcohol orders because there are no more wine stewards. If this slowed service down when the ship was a third full, I wonder how much worse it will be when every cabin is occupied. We missed some items that are normally on the menu like the cheese platter, crème brûlée and lobster with the surf and turf. While it’s happening everywhere, we don’t like seeing upcharge items on the menu in the dining room. I thought the menu was a little disappointing and there didn’t seem to be as many choices as in the past. Our meal in the Pinnacle Grill (part of the Have it All package) was excellent and service was exceptional.

The ship is showing its age and could use some touch ups especially in the bathrooms which seemed a little shabby. Our cabin was comfortable and in a good location. Even though it was cool, wet and windy, we enjoyed having the balcony to watch the scenery and look for wildlife. Our cabin stewards Anto and Anadan were very friendly, efficient and helpful. Read more