Prior cruises have been on 700+ passenger ships. This was a second try at HAL for me and a fifth for my partner (going back to the "student" ships of the '50's) Overall a great itinerary and and a fabulous captain who provided smooth seas, great information on what to expect and unexpected sites and views that included including local communities in our adventure.

On the other side, never again on a ship this size. The feeling on board is stilted and unfriendly compared to the smaller ships. The cabin for some reason had a foldout bed couch instead of a normal couch and chair. The couch was so deep no one short of 6'6" could sit on it without three deep pillows. I checked the Eurodam deck plans, and about two/thirds of the veranda cabins are configured this way. Because of the space taken up by this "couch," there is no room for a chair. If you want to spend any time relaxing in your room, avoid these rooms.

Food was fine. We actually ate most of the time in the cafeteria ("Lido") for all meals, since it took so long in the main dining room for food that was really no better and a menu that was more restrictive. We tried Tamarind for lunch and dinner (premium price) and were not impressed. The same for Canalletto (no premium charged), which we tried twice. Read more