My wife and I sailed HAL Noordam through the eastern Mediterranean May 21-31, 2011. Ports of call included Dubrovnik, Corfu, Olympia, Santorin, Kusadasi/Ephesus, Athens and Messina. It was our first cruise on HAL, 4th cruise overall.

All in all, we give highest marks to the room, the crew who invariably were friendly and considerate and the ports of call. We opted for the superior veranda stateroom which offered room to move around, a king sized bed, reasonable sized bathroom including small Jacuzzi and, of course, the outside veranda.

Less good was the food which was not overly special, even in the dining room. The Lido eating area on the top deck, which was open throughout the day, was cafeteria-like, and an absolute mess in the morning for breakfast, particularly if there were early morning tour departures. Read more