This was our fourth cruise on Holland America, and we have always been very pleased. Unfortunately, both the ship and the crew were well below the superior quality we have come to expect from Holland America. We had a Verandah Suite. The verandah doors were dirty and never cleaned during the cruise. The carpet was stained, and something that looked like mold was along two to three feet of the baseboard.

Most of the crew was friendly and polite, but we were rather surprised by the rudeness of others, particularly one of the bartenders at the Sea View Bar. The shore excursions were also mixed, with "Discover the Fjord Secrets" in Saguenay particularly awful. The scenery was beautiful, but the windows on the enclosed boat were too dirty to see anything, the seats were inexplicably facing inward and the guide was so uninteresting that after 2-3 hours, quite a few of the passengers were sleeping.

Overall, we were not happy with this cruise and are sad to say we may not sail with Holland America again. One last comment -- Apparently the reviewer who stated smoking is not allowed on the verandahs is unable to read. The policy posted on the website clearly states smoking IS allowed on the verandahs. If a neighbor's smoking will bother you, you may wish to book on a different cruise line with a different policy.