Just back--Rotterdam T/A

Well, as wonderful as the Noordam was a couple months ago,that was going to be hard to equal---

AND IT DIDNT

the whole cruise (which was a Mariner cruise with Ms Margaret)just felt OFF--nothing major--if you dont count cookies and ice cream--just OFF---

Food was good -not wonderful--as the Noordam was

Entertainment--dance troup were GREAT!!

Bars and such--average at best

daytime activity--nonexistent

FRANK

I thought so too. Room service breakfast a bit stale. Lido breakfast same stuff every day for 2 weeks. Same stuff every day in the Neptune Lounge. Dinner food a bit bland. Ship a bit shabby. Good speakers tho. New to me association with H Stern. They provided lots of free shuttles to town center at some of the ports. Great arrangement in Rio where they provided a private car, driver and Guide for 2 days free in return for a 1 hr visit to the factory and showroom very low presure. We bought nothing. Still love HAL.

I didnt go into the STALE chips,peanuts,etc.--as I told Ms Margaret,it felt like they were using up everything left from the European cruises--nothing but plain cookies with choc chips in them for 2 weeks --then plain cookies with nuts in them that were stale--menus were funky--food was good ,just some rather obvious missing items and Prime Rib every nite--carved 1 nite then sliced the next--

Ship was in average shape--air cond was worked on every day---toilet problems on Veranda Deck---

I heard many people comment that they couldnt believe this was their "Flag Ship"--

the longer we are home , the less warm and fuzzies I have from this cruise---after 70 cruises, we might need a break--

FRANK