We've had three cruises on HAL - in a standard outside (old Noordam), mini-suite with balcony (Rotterdam VI), and full suite (new Noordam). It's quite true that HAL is not Regent, but the experience is quite good on its own merits.

The full suite was larger than a standard suite on Regent by quite a bit, and it was nice to have a butler. The private Neptune area for suite PAX made the experience quite luxurious, and the breakfasts in the Pinnacle Grill for suite PAX were fantastic - maybe even better than Regent.

We prefer Regent because the HAL ships are still too big for us, there are long lines for many things, the food (while pretty good) isn't as good as Regent, and we prefer all-inclusive to nickel and diming. Still, you can have an excellent experience in HAL, particularly in a suite; and we may go back to HAL if Regent keeps raising its prices.