Context: I'm a 40-something gay man traveling with my husband and our 19 year old kid (first cruise for the kid). This was my first cruise on HAL, and his second. Other lines we've done: Celebrity (twice), RCCL (twice), Norwegian (twice), Princess (once). Our favorite lines are Celebrity and RCCL.
A little context to this review. Apparently, this was the first fully booked cruise on Koningsdam since the pandemic, and the ship was way, WAY understaffed to handle the load. This understaffing was most evident in the MDR, but it was also evident in other public spaces - the pool deck, in particular, where guests' messes weren't cleaned up promptly, and getting a drink required going to a bar rather than having someone come by and ask. I'm going to try to cut them a little slack in this review knowing the special circumstances.
Let's break it down.