Zaandam needs some help

We have been on Zaandam and underway for some 50 hours on 14-day Alaska itinerary. So far not terribly impressed. Some features and services are running fine, but there are constant irritations and hiccups.

Some examples: The Explorations coffee bar has run out of lids for the "to go" coffees. Cabin stewards had to be reminded of things that should be standard. Apparently they have run out of laundry bag slips, so we can't send in laundry, at least today. Cabin stewards had to be prompted to supply ice, laundry bags, and clean glasses. Bathroom linens are dingy and so poorly laundered that one supposedly clean wash cloth bore the marks of previous usage, ie masacara stains.

Service in many venues is perfunctory at best, and slow and substandard at worst. Crew seem to be stretched thin. A fellow passenger travelling with a diabetic relative reported inadequate accommodation for him in the main dining room. Nobody had even mentioned to them the "Always Available" menu. The Dive In takes forever to process orders. Crow's Nest is a morgue in the evening. We had to hunt down a bar attendant to place a drink order there, after waiting 15 minutes for service. Some public bathrooms have not been adequately cleaned or provisioned. Now, this is not in all bathrooms, nor at all times. But it shouldn't be an issue at all. Housekeeping throughout the ship seems to be lackluster.

I lay the blame at the feet of the hotel director, Francois Birarda. Standards come from the top down. There have been many positives on the cruise, but the things we've noticed have been so far below HAL' s usual standards. Others on our cruise may feel differently, but we're simply reporting our experience.

We are four star Mariners, and have done numerous cruises on multiple HAL ships, and have never encountered such slipshod standards. We hope things improve as we continue.

I have to say when I took it a few years ago it was not so great either. We had bed bugs and they had to move us and clean all our clothes. Food was pretty bad. I never saw our stewards but once. I’ve never gone it again. It was also very shabby. Our bedroom furniture was all nicked and scratched, toilet kept breaking. Etc

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Doesn't make for a great cruise, leaves a bad taste.

I am so sorry to hear about the condition of the Zaandam. It has been many years since we were on her.

We have had Hotel Director Francois Birarda on other ships and he was excellent. Maybe it is the captain not keep tract of what is happening in the various departments? Hopefully HAL hasn't made more cut backs stretching the crew even further.

I'm sorry to read of your experience. I agree that the buck stops with the hotel director as he looks after the hotel part of the ship. Can you send in a Let Us Know card?

And my experience after being on Zaandam for her repo to Alaska - was completely different. Dive In was efficient, almost always saw my stewards, always a new laundry bag - in fact sometimes 2. One time when all toilets in area were non-functioning [one night] warned about it ahead of time.

Could you just have had a crew turnover? I'm not discounting what you said, just showing it can be the exact opposite 3 weeks earlier.

The towels were dingy though. The crew was stretched thin but still seemed to cover everything.

What a shame to read of your current experience on the Zaandam. We haven't been on her since around 2012 but she was one of my favourite ships.

Friends of ours were on her for the Panama cruise and had the flooding affect their cabin along with other issues and they are 4* and were quite unhappy.

I know you're an experienced cruiser Old As Dirt Mom and trust you will address the issues on board and after. Hope it improves.

This is certainly troublesome to read. According to a post I read, Zaandam just finished a drydock in April. I know that doesn't speak to the staff problems but certainly everything should be well-stocked. We just returned from the Veendam and our cabin stewards couldn't have been better. Dining staff was fine but not outstanding. The library was a mess. The Explorations Cafe always had a nice array of goodies and drinks were delivered without any delay. There was about a 15 to 20 minute wait for the Dive In. Front Desk responded to us quickly the three times we were there.

I'm sorry that this trip on Zaandam has been so disappointing so far. Fourteen days is a long time to have these things happening without improvement.

Just off the may7-21 cruise and loved every minute. Crew were excellent. Maybe luck of the draw but I found all things to be good

We just disembarked the Zaandam after our fourteen day Alaska cruise. We found the ship and our stateroom to be in excellent condition and our room and MDR stewards were superb. We were located on the Lower Promenade deck three. I did feel sad about the library. With no librarian the books are no longer in any order and it is clear that no new books are being added. But the library itself had all new furniture with fewer computer stations which made it roomier.

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I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope things improve -- please let us know. :)

People on the same cruise can have such different experiences. Your stewards sound just like the ones we had on the Koningsdam. They couldn't get anything right -- very nice and pleasant, but totally inept.

Oh No....I am so sorry to hear that.....!!

Our guys....on the previous 14 days.....had a great trip....all three of them filled out their HAL surveys and only had one problem that had been quickly fixed thru guest services....

Because there was three of them.....they had two laundry bags a day....and commented that they had gotten their money's worth using the unlimited laundry....

I hope you report this......and that the rest of your cruise is much improved.....!!!!

I'm sorry to read of your experience. I agree that the buck stops with the hotel director as he looks after the hotel part of the ship. Can you send in a Let Us Know card?

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Well, we haven't seen one yet. Guess Old Mom and I will have to hop over to the front desk.

 

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Well that's another issue!! Our last cruise we had one every day on our bed-I filled it out the first time not realizing they'd put another one on our bed.

Yup-time to pay the front desk a visit. When we handed our card in the first time the front desk looked at it offering to discuss any issues right away.

Well, we haven't seen one yet. Guess Old Mom and I will have to hop over to the front desk.

 

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Check inside the folder with the room service breakfast menu for the "Let Us Know" card. We were just on the Zaandam for the Panama Canal cruise and that is where the form was.

Also...if you log on to the Navigator webpage, there is a link to provide "feedback". At one of the coffee chats it was mentioned that their goal was to respond within 4 hours of receiving any message. I did send a request and they got back to me almost immediately.

I've hesitated to weigh in here. We were on Zaandam May 7-21, the 14-day Alaska Explorer. It was truly one of the most pleasant cruises we've been on in a very long time. The port stops were a joy, we saw every kind of wildlife possible, and we had delightful, delicious dinners in the MDR with a fabulous waitstaff team. We availed ourselves of the new higher-tier wine package, and the wines were all lovely.

That said...the OP makes some really valid points. We were in a verandah suite, 6th deck. I went to wash up immediately upon boarding and was appalled at the state of the towels and washcloths. The washcloth looked like somebody washed their make-up off and then washed the car with it. I was upset. I have to believe they were expecting a delivery of new towels at dry dock and it didn't arrive in time. The bed linens were fresh and clean and nice, so the towel situation is just odd.

Also, the Lido was very disorganized. After two weeks, nobody seemed to know which way the lines started. It was a scramble for eggs in the morning. I started ordering room service instead. And there are for sure other signs of staff cutbacks around the ship -- less frequent pouring of water in Lido, etc. But, also a lot of new crew members came on for the Alaska run, so there is a learning curve there for the crew.

The big one, though, is that I'd read reviews that mentioned flooding in the bathrooms, and we did experience this. The water kind of shot out from the bottom of the toilet. We just woke up in the morning and the whole bathroom floor was covered in water. The bathroom was re-floored during dry dock. I believe there used to be drains in the bathroom floor, but now they are covered up, so the water can and will overflow onto the adjoining carpeted area. Ours situation didn't reach that point, but had we been away from the room longer, it would have been a bad situation. This flooding is something that HAL is really going to need to address on the Zaandam -- or at least keep plenty of staterooms unoccupied so that people can be moved, if need be.

Again, we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. While doing scenic cruising, we saw brown bears on the shore; we saw tons of sea otters, bald eagles; we ate wonderful food, slept well, and had great interactions with all crew members.

OP, Old as Dirt Mom, I hope you are able to get in the groove as the cruise progresses and have a wonderful time. Alaska is so beautiful, and it's nice to be there on a smaller ship. Look away from those towels! Lol

Well, we haven't seen one yet. Guess Old Mom and I will have to hop over to the front desk.

 

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Mine was in the folder they put on your bed each evening, that also contains the breakfast order menu.

Karin and Lisa Ann

Sorry you are having a hard time.

I was on the sailing May 7 - 21st and was always begging for the Laundry slips. They would send the bag back when the laundry came back without the laundry slip. The last time they put the slip in the bag.

Our stewards gave us a pad and paper to write things down that we needed. Most things were consistent except the laundry slip and it did get irritating.

Had a good time but not all things ran smoothly. The staff were definitely stretched thin.

I let them know them know in my review.

Check inside the folder with the room service breakfast menu for the "Let Us Know" card. We were just on the Zaandam for the Panama Canal cruise and that is where the form was.

 

 

 

Also...if you log on to the Navigator webpage, there is a link to provide "feedback". At one of the coffee chats it was mentioned that their goal was to respond within 4 hours of receiving any message. I did send a request and they got back to me almost immediately.

Here is what I was referring to. You can find the feedback form towards the bottom of the drop down menu.

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Wow. We were on the cruise prior to yours and everything onboard was pretty good. In fact our group thought it was one of the best HAL cruises we've taken in many years. The operative word is HAL. A step up for HAL but still behind compared to the other lines. I guess we spoke too soon. :(

Service was good, rooms were cleaned, laundry was a bit slow but we figured it was because this was the first Alaska cruise and many new staff. Food was meh. Canaletto needs a food do over. Selections just weren't very tasty or good. MDR was acceptable. Pinnacle was okay but again selection is dated and after a few nights not much left to try.

Hope it gets better. We had a lot of rain and cool temps. Maybe yours will be warmer.

Dan

I also regret learning about the OP's experience on the Zaandam. My December/January cruise aboard her, with Mr. Birarda as HD if my memory is correct, was exemplary in all respects. Those who follow my posts should know that I. based upon my experience, put much responsibility for the on-board guest experience on the shoulders of the ship's Senior Management. Realizing that these good people have to follow directions from Seattle, the Senior Management can interpret them in such a way that minimizes negative guest impacts and , most importantly, provide the proper work environment that leads to crew satisfaction. A happy crew makes for a happy ship. And, that provides us guests a great cruise experience.

I have no explanation for what the OP is experiencing. Using the Comment Card wouldn't hurt, but making an appointment for a face to face meeting with the Guest Relations Manager might be more useful in resolving the OP's concerns.

We were on the cruise prior to the OP's, and had a similar experience. While our steward was fine and the food and beverage people in the Lido were great, there were problems with almost everything else. I overheard numerous complaints about the public restrooms and can verify how very poorly maintained they were. A number of things had out of order signs on them and were not fixed in the two weeks of the cruise. The one day we tried the Dive-in it took 40 minutes to get our food. Our room smelled like paint thinner three days in a row (not a good thing when you have respiratory issues), and the front desk staff was the most sullen, unhelpful group I've ever encountered on a ship. It was not a pleasant experience.

We were on the cruise prior to the OP's, and had a similar experience. While our steward was fine and the food and beverage people in the Lido were great, there were problems with almost everything else. I overheard numerous complaints about the public restrooms and can verify how very poorly maintained they were. A number of things had out of order signs on them and were not fixed in the two weeks of the cruise. The one day we tried the Dive-in it took 40 minutes to get our food. Our room smelled like paint thinner three days in a row (not a good thing when you have respiratory issues), and the front desk staff was the most sullen, unhelpful group I've ever encountered on a ship. It was not a pleasant experience.

May I respectfully ask why you did not ask for a meeting with the Guest Relations Manager?

Sorry you're having a bad cruise, OP. Fortunately, I'm able to report that my 12 nights aboard Zaandam in February 2018 exceeded all of my expectations. That Colors of Brazil itinerary will remain one of my favorites for a very long time.

That said, I empathize. Of 15 cruises on NCL, I had one sailing on their Norwegian Jewel that was remarkably unpleasant. It was mostly because the crew had that disinterested, overworked vibe that you are describing. It does happen, but that doesn't make it any more fun.

Persevere. You're on a cruise.

We were on the May 7 Zaandam voyage and it was excellent. I was surprised that the towels were rough, but they were clean. And besides, a little dermabrasion can’t hurt! We certainly were not repulsed.

Our room stewards were thorough, pleasant and professional. Our rooms were made up promptly and the ice bucket was filled twice a day. We were on the Promenade deck aft, an excellent location for deck access.

The dining room food and service at breakfast and dinner ranged from good to excellent; Pinnacle Grill lunch was off the charts good. Dive In burgers and dogs were good, but finding a seat by the Lido pool was a challenge. It did take 15-20 minutes to receive our order, but the Dive In staff was slammed. I can’t comment on the Lido food because it seems like eating in an ant farm, with worse manners.

We did have issues with our toilet not flushing, but it was eventually fixed and we were rewarded with a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a $200 shipboard credit by the very pleasant guest relations staff.

All in all, an excellent cruise on a beautiful, if older, ship. We were grateful to be on this boyage. Cheers.