This was our 5th cruise on HAL, and our 7th cruise overall. This was our 3rd cruise to Alaska. We are in our early 70s, active and in good health. In brief, this was our best cruise experience overall. In fact, we would like to repeat this cruise in 2 years or so.
The Amsterdam is a first-class ship, well-maintained and well-run. We particularly liked 2 of the public areas on the ship, the Crow's Nest and the Library. During daylight hours, both were places where you could chat, read and simply observe the passing scenery and wildlife. Our cabin was clean and had more storage space than we needed. The cabin and the bathroom had excellent air circulation and A/C.
The food on the cruise was quite good. We ate most evening meals in the main dining room and enjoyed both the quality of the food and the variety of offerings. We especially liked the fish and vegetarian choices. The food in the Lido, where we had most breakfasts and lunches, was very good. We ate twice in the Canaletto, and thought the food and the service were vastly improved compared with past HAL cruises. And the Pinnacle Grill is exceptional, well worth at least one dinner during a cruise.
This cabin was well-located, near the aft stairs and elevators. It had a generous amount of storage, more than we actually used. The floor space was adequate for our needs. The mattress was firm and comfortable. The bathroom was functional. The A/C worked well and cooled down the room at night. The cabin is showing its age, but it was clean and certainly okay.