Service
If our experience is any indication, everything you've heard about the service on Holland America is 100% true. The staff of this ship was constantly pleasant, punctual and perfectionist. Management must be doing something very right to have such a dedicated, loyal workforce.
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We received this cabin as an upgrade from our Verandah Guarantee and were quite pleased with our stay here. The view is completely unobstructed, the verandah is fully private and the accommodations are excellent.
This is one of HAL's "Spa" rooms, which means it comes with some added touches - a table-top waterfall (good feng shui, calming sound), organic robes (itchy... could have gone less organic), massaging shower head (no complaints on that one!) and yoga mats and DVD's (never touched these myself).
In terms of access, this is an excellent location. One quick flight of stairs either way takes you to Lido pool and dining, the fitness center, the spa, the Retreat and the Crow's Nest -- and the expanse of the Panorama deck is just outside your door (a gift and a curse - read below for more on this). The entertainment venues are a bit more of a hike, but the ship isn't too huge to make that a real concern if you're able-bodied.
The one downside of this cabin was the noise factor. Just outside the cabin is an exterior door that leads to the top deck outside of Lido's domed roof. No springs means this door SLAMS (quite forcefully and loudly) every time it's used - not constantly, but frequent enough to disturb our sleep nightly. Furthermore, just outside that door is a gate leading to the Retreat which SQUEAKS almost just as loudly. During our cruise I asked them to oil the gate (didn't figure I'd bother requesting a new door), and unfortunately it's the one request that was not granted on this trip. The Retreat is partially above this cabin, which results in some chair-sliding from above here and there, but this was not a frequent issue (the Retreat cabanas, though beautiful, do not provide easy access to the pool and were not particularly popular during this cruise, so that may have been a factor.)
The noise wasn't enough to make this cabin a bad spot. We absolutely loved it and would take it again in a heartbeat (but we might bring our own WD-40 to take care of that gate...)