I cruised with HAL a few months ago on the the Eurodam to the Caribbean. It was a great experience. I had nothing negative to say about it. Figured it would be a sure bet to sail with them again. Got a great price on a 15 day New England/Canada itinerary so off I went. To start, the ship was 5 hours late arriving due to mechanical problems. Not a big deal for me, but felt quite bad for those who were arriving and missing flights and other transportation arrangements. I am going to focus heavy on the negative and finish up with the positive.

Cons: Had an ocean view cabin that showed obvious signs of aging. The paint was very badly chipped around the bathroom door frames, the long old-fashioned lighting above the bed had several wooden shims between it and the ceiling so it would not vibrate, and the carpet was so old and dirty looking I would not walk barefoot in there. The food in the Lido was mediocre, redundant, and the wait staff was either overworked or just didn't care. I never felt welcome and often had to seek out help. The seating in the movie theater and the show auditorium were extremely uncomfortable. The overall lack of comfortable seating in common areas was a definite issue on sea days.

Pros: Excellent cabin stewards and the Veendam singers and dancers were very good.