This was our 5th cruise , our second with Holland America and as always we chose it for the itinerary which offered 3 different Asian countries including 4 in Vietnam and overnight stops in Bangkok and Danang with a round trip from Singapore offering the extra opportunity to celerbate the New Year there . Surprisingly the ship was just over half full which meant that the public areas , pool, bar and especially the Lido were easier to navigate than is normally the case.

We found the ship and our stateroom to be immaculate. For details of our cabin see below . Service by all the members of staff was excellent - with the obvious note that around the pool and in the buffet is can be a bit slower than elsewhere because of the number of people vying for attention but in general is was better than our experience on other boats . We found the layout and design on the ship pretty friendly in particular the number of different bars and place to hang out - the Gallery bar and the Crow's nest were particular sanctuaries. Even the 4pm happy hour didn't seem overly crowded.

We thought the food was pretty good overall. We had one poor experience in the main dining room with an overcooked steak . One poor lunch time service I think because we skipped the starters and somehow that meant our main course still only arrived with everyone else's and one breakfast in the cabin with cold tea - but otherwise service and standards were very acceptable for this kind of ship. The menu choices were good for us and we always had a few options which appealed. Read more