We were on the Eurodam 1 1/2 yrs ago with an Itinerary to Alaska which hooked us on cruising with HAL. It was the best cruise experience we've had having over 30 cruises under our belt so we assumed this trip would be no different BOY were we wrong. The 180 degree turn of experience leads me to believe that these weren't minor changes ….this is how the current and future HAL experiences will look like due to cost cutting to more closely compete with their sister company Carnival.
Entertainment
The HAL entertainment and activities were almost non existent there was only 1 night that HAL dancers perfomed a dance act that was on another cruise we took with them in May. On other cruises with 3 sea day you would have a minimum of two possibly three performances. The other nights,they showed a movie offered in the room that has been out for six months. The other nights there was a second rate commedian and magician, the last night was a review.
One of the things I was looking forward to was going on a tour of the Pacifico Brewery. When we got onboard we found out that tour cost $49 per person, keep in mind that this is a free tour at the brewery and is within walking distance of the ship. We opted to do the tour on our own,BUT we found out that tours can only be arranged previously so, 1) you need to call them 2) you need to speak spanish 3) the HAL tour is a rip off for the $49, for a beer that cost $1 at most of the bars in town
Highlight was the Walmart and Sams club right across from where the ship was docked