Crew News

Welcome to CC. I just returned from the Zuiderdam cruise in Alaska and had a live thread on the HAL Forum that you should read for many answers. Feel free to ask questions: .Live Thread for Zuiderdam Here are links to your main dining room menus and daily activities: Main Dining Room Menus Daily Activities The links on the lower right of this post includes all of the Specialty Restaurant menus, beverage menus, Room Service menus, etc...

The Zuiderdam does not have the freestyle machines. When you are calculating which package to get take into consideration how much time during a day will you be aboard to take advantage of your package. Day-long excursions will leave you just a few hours to drink your minimum of eight sodas to break even. You do not need to make up your mind until you board the ship. On Embarkation Day, there should be a beverage package display and beverage person in front of the Deck 9 spa entrance to help you choose.

On my first MDR night on the Zuiderdam last month, I asked for a crisp and the waiter assured me that it was not available. After following my request to ask in the kitchen, my waiter returned and told me that apple crisp with a scoop of ice cream was available that evening if I wished. On subsequent MDR visits, I overheard my waiter offering the crisps to other diners.

There is a fee to use the hydro pool. The fee seems to be different on each ship so check when you board to take advantage of first-day sales. No Tamarind on Vista-class ships but there is a Taco Bar near the Dive In burger window on Deck 9 by the indoor pool.

The Shops on Westerdam sold orange party t-shirts.

The Baked Alaska waiter parade on Gala Nights in Alaska.

My fingers are crossed that someone will post a photo of the storefront to make it easier to find and if walk-ins are possible.

I carry two test kits from Optum with me in case I cannot find a test location. There is a test location in the Vancouver airport but I have not found it yet. Most passengers would gladly pay for a test while onboard if HAL offered it.

HAL cancelled all of their onboard testing for those flying back to the USA right after I returned from this cruise.

The Lido Market Late Buffet at 10:30 has not stopped as ship staff still have to eat. Current late menus are posted via the link in the lower right of this post.

Just to add to the list: packs of crackers cartons of milk art auction flyers cooking classes Mariner's Luncheons Mariner medal ceremonies open to all Mariners wine stewards crew smiles

I tracked them down and was promised by the Food & Beverage Manager, Jonathan, for a number of days that an electronic copy would be emailed to me. I emailed again once I got home to ask about them but he never replied.

The head chef meeting did not happen. The Executive Chef in the PG said they used vegetable oil while the PG Head Chef told a nearby table that scallops were seared (????) in olive oil. One of the chefs in the MDR told me that they used oil from a huge bottle marked "cooking oil". The Maitre'd told me that if you told your waiter the night before, you could be assured that an appropriate cooking oil will be used for your food the next evening. Since the PG food is cooked to order, specifying an acceptable oil should be easy.

No reservations for the theater for either movies or live performances. At reduced capacity, it will not be full. Unfortunately, only documentaries are shown. Your stateroom TV has free movies on demand. The wait for burgers is only 10 minutes and in the meantime, you can have a few munchies from the Taco Bar (15 feet away from the ordering window of the Dive-In). Here is a link to the daily activities: Daily Activities

I asked on the Nieuw Statendam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Zuiderdam over the past 5 months and they could not be found. Others may have found a bulk source onboard but I could not.

No hope for crackers. No individually package crackers. I brought a box of Triscuits and some water crackers to eat with my nightly cheese snacks.

Might even be able to make a swap with your neighbor if you can catch them before you both start unpacking. Never hurts to try.

Nothing worse than travel agents not checking with HAL before giving an answer. Sorry for not being clear on the luggage issue. Unless you are permanently leaving the ship, everything remains in your current or new stateroom. The stateroom change process is fast and fully supported by your Room Stewards. On Disembarkation Day, and as soon as your new stateroom is empty (not yet cleaned), Room Stewards open the room and will assist you in moving everything. Only minimum packing is necessary and drawers with their contents will just be exchanged with those in the new room. Your laundry basket is a good way to move shelved items from one closet to another. Make sure you keep your documents with you and not move them to the new room. After everything is moved, your new stateroom will be locked and you will not have access to your items until your new stateroom key is issued. If you are lucky, your new room may have been unoccupied or the occupants will be leaving the ship in the first groups to do so. The ship will send you a letter giving you a time to pickup your new stateroom key, probably when you return from the terminal or maybe it will be placed in your mailbox. Your account will be automatically extended to the next week with any new OBC added. You and your documents (paper or digital) will be all that is required when you meet in the BB King lounge (formerly known as the Culinary Arts Center). When all of the other passengers have left the ship (there are always stragglers), you will be escorted from the ship for processing through both Canadian Immigration, then through US Customs and Border Patrol, and finally to a seating area to wait until the ship is verified not having any passengers aboard (zeroed out). With no glitches, this should take about 30 minutes before you are allowed to reboard but sometimes an hour. Being the first in-transit passengers going through this process, my experience was one of confusion inside the terminal, The bugs should be worked out before you cruise.

I boarded in San Diego and then just continued on to Alaska. Much to my surprise, no COVID testing was required to continue on the same ship. Thanks for the compliment. I just want help others in their planning and am just one of many here who pay it forward. It is amazing just how much passengers don't know what they don't know. Those passengers who are fortunate to find us here on CC will be much better informed than those who have not. There was a Mariner welcome-aboard party for 3-5* Mariners on Embarkation Day with Catherine from Guest Services screening entrants into the Crow's Nest. No ship officers attended. No toasts and no snacks.

Sadly, the Zuiderdam does not have any cookies that can come close to those on the Pinnacle-class ships' Grand Dutch Cafe. The bread pudding available on request at the ice cream station is awesome. Some raisins would make it even better. The Taco bar is just a few feet from the Dive-in burger window next to the Indoor pool on Deck 9. At lunch everyday and often at the Lido Market Late buffet (10:30 PM), I ask for an empty bowl at the Salad Bar and take it to the sandwich station for a fill up of either potato or nacho chips. If you tell the servers at both stations that Roger sent you, you will see a lot of smiles and never have to ask for a salad bowl again. It will be held out to you as soon as they see you coming.

My April 27th Zuiderdam departure from Vancouver was delayed until 5:00 PM which caused the ship to miss the window for the optimum course/channel/speed. The reduced speed meant we were two hours late into Juneau. All other ports and speeds were normal and on time.

The roundtrip walk to the falls can be done in an hour with the return to the Visitors Center being uphill and not as easy as walking to the falls. Allow at least 15 minutes to walk around the falls area before heading back. A stop at the Visitor Center would be both a chance to use the telescopes to scan for bears and for a restroom break after a long whale-watching excursion in a small boat with VERY limited facilities.

In Alaska on the Zuiderdam last month, if you fumbled to find your digital excursion pass at the pier, the excursion teams just scanned your room card. No paper in site unless you brought your receipts from home.

My two Room Stewards deep cleaned every unoccupied room during their time not spent in mine. They cleaned my room during breakfast and dinner, but did have time to interact with me whenever I had questions.

My last two cruises on Zuiderdam had approximately 40% occupancy. My Room Stewards were responsible for 20 rooms but only three occupied.