Crowding on Zuiderdam

Just got off 11 day partial Canal transit of Zuiderdam, Jan 27, 18. Felt the ship always seemed too crowded-the Lido packed with no open tables, no seating available for entertainment at night, substantial waits for dinner in the MDR. Resorted to in cabin dining several times because there was just no place to sit. Am wondering if this is a characteristic of this class of ship, or demographics related to this particular sailing, or is simply the norm these days for HAL ships. Would appreciate any thoughts/opinions!

Just got off 11 day partial Canal transit of Zuiderdam, Jan 27, 18. Felt the ship always seemed too crowded-the Lido packed with no open tables, no seating available for entertainment at night, substantial waits for dinner in the MDR. Resorted to in cabin dining several times because there was just no place to sit. Am wondering if this is a characteristic of this class of ship, or demographics related to this particular sailing, or is simply the norm these days for HAL ships. Would appreciate any thoughts/opinions!

We have always had late fixed dining on the Zuiderdam - very sane dining experiences so far.. Plenty of seats at the late show. Which in fact is too late for us, but not because of lack of seating. I suspect there is a lot of impact for both dining and seating to get to the earlier show. On all our prior Vista ship experiences we had just the opposite feeling, they felt very roomy with lots of hideaway spaces. The Zuiderdam did add aft cabins so that upped its passenger carrying capacity to perhaps this now more noticeable degree. .

So hard to tell what was going on or what our different expectations were. Crowds we find are more a sense of timing and our experience could be vastly different because we have now learned when to best avoid the crowds. ( early or late for the Lido and late fixed seating in the dining room.)

On my last holiday cruise, it was very crowded and very impacted - think cabins are fuller during these cruies with 3 or four passengers when it can be accomodated. We have also noticed one needs to show up for events earlier and earlier to find a seat - like the code has been broken among those in the know. Shore excursions too - the bus is already full by the time of the embarkation call now that they often meet at the bus instead of the show lounge. So in those ways, yes things do feel more "crowded" because we get there on time, instead of well ahead of time.

For us we have found holiday or school vacation cruises do feel a lot more crowded, because people move about and take tables in larger extended family groups, instead of the more typical solos or pair that we typically see on non-holiday and non-school vacation days. By late Jan, I had assumed this holiday or school vacstion crush would have been over. Again, the shorter cruises feel more impacted than the longer ones.

Was there also a large group sailing with you? (Check the thread that identifies large groups on different ships at different times)

Just got off 11 day partial Canal transit of Zuiderdam, Jan 27, 18. Felt the ship always seemed too crowded-the Lido packed with no open tables, no seating available for entertainment at night, substantial waits for dinner in the MDR. Resorted to in cabin dining several times because there was just no place to sit. Am wondering if this is a characteristic of this class of ship, or demographics related to this particular sailing, or is simply the norm these days for HAL ships. Would appreciate any thoughts/opinions!

We have the same issue with the Lido on the vista ships. What we have learned is to try not to go at peak time. Find the table first and then we take turns going to get our stuff. Not ideal but it works.

Our last 2 Vista ships were the Westerdam and, from the sounds of things I am assuming you did any time dining? From what I saw on that ship, the anytime diners were seated quite quickly. Now, we were doing fixed dining at 8 pm (any time and fixed were intermingled on that cruise) so perhaps if you went around 7:15 it was busier and there would be a wait?

We have had no problem getting a seat at a show so I'm not sure if it was your itinerary, timing or if some people were "cheating". One show is geared for those that do early dining and one show for those that do late dining. Problems can certainly occur when the early diners opt to do the show for the late diners and/or there are just a lot of any time diners that opt for one show.

It's a shame that you experienced this. I've done your itinerary and it is a nice one. I am sorry to hear you had issues. They haven't been the norm for us (other than one cruise on a Signature ship) but, it's not fun when it happens.

We have been on the Zuiderdam (and all her sister ships) and enjoy that class of HAL vessels. As to crowding, this is a "choice" of each cruiser. On HAL (and some other cruise lines) a large majority of the passengers follow a similar schedule. They go to breakfast early, go to the lunch buffet within 30 min of opening, and go to dinner early (before 7). If you fall into that schedule you will often find crowding and lines at every turn. On the other hand, if you go to breakfast a little later, go to the lunch buffet around 1, and eat dinner around 8 (or later) this is no longer a problem. And its the same with the HAL shows. Go to the show that is targeted for the early diners and you will fight for a seat. Go to the show for the later diners and the theater is often not even 2/3 full. On my last HAL cruise (Rotterdam) I used to go down the MDR around 11:30 to check out the luncheon menu (on sea days) so we could decide where we wanted to eat lunch. Even at 11:30 (a half hour before opening) we would see a few cruisers waiting around the entrance so they could be among the first into the MDR (for lunch) at noon. Lunch in the MDR is never very crowded and anyone could shop-up at 12:15 and be seated with very little delay. But yes, there are those that will wait in line (or near the door) for 30 minutes or more just to be first. Go figure,

So the choice is truly yours. And this is not just true for HAL. Alter your personal schedule to avoid queues and its an entirely different cruise.

Hank

We have always had late fixed dining on the Zuiderdam - very sane dining experiences so far.. Plenty of seats at the late show. Which in fact is too late for us, but not because of lack of seating. I suspect there is a lot of impact for both dining and seating to get to the earlier show. On all our prior Vista ship experiences we had just the opposite feeling, they felt very roomy with lots of hideaway spaces. The Zuiderdam did add aft cabins so that upped its passenger carrying capacity to perhaps this now more noticeable degree. .

 

So hard to tell what was going on or what our different expectations were. Crowds we find are more a sense of timing and our experience could be vastly different because we have now learned when to best avoid the crowds. ( early or late for the Lido and late fixed seating in the dining room.)

 

On my last holiday cruise, it was very crowded and very impacted - think cabins are fuller during these cruies with 3 or four passengers when it can be accomodated. We have also noticed one needs to show up for events earlier and earlier to find a seat - like the code has been broken among those in the know. Shore excursions too - the bus is already full by the time of the embarkation call now that they often meet at the bus instead of the show lounge. So in those ways, yes things do feel more "crowded" because we get there on time, instead of well ahead of time.

 

For us we have found holiday or school vacation cruises do feel a lot more crowded, because people move about and take tables in larger extended family groups, instead of the more typical solos or pair that we typically see on non-holiday and non-school vacation days. By late Jan, I had assumed this holiday or school vacstion crush would have been over. Again, the shorter cruises feel more impacted than the longer ones.

 

Was there also a large group sailing with you? (Check the thread that identifies large groups on different ships at different times)

When did they add cabins? I've never found the dining room to be crowded or slow (early fixed). We usually get out of dinner in plenty of time to get a seat at the shows. The only place I've found difficult to get somewhere to sit is the Lido pool area. Not enough tables and chairs and too many "reserved" loungers.

We have done your Zuiderdam cruise a few times over the years.

We do eat early because of DH having to take so many medications at various times of the day. Late dining is not for us.

But we have not encountered the problems you did.

I don't think the addition of the cabins up by the Crow's Nest would make that big of a compact on the dining and entertainment.

Just to clarify, we did not have fixed dining and needed to wait (with pager) more than once for dinner. Seating at the Lido seemed impossible-DH ended up taking food to cabin to eat most mornings. Just a big hassle.

The problem with Lido seating is people keeping the tables tied up doing crossword puzzles after eating. Celebrity has signs on tables politely asking people to allow other diners to have the tables. There is plenty of room on the HAL ships for people to do their puzzles.

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We have been on the Zuiderdam (and all her sister ships) and enjoy that class of HAL vessels. As to crowding, this is a "choice" of each cruiser. On HAL (and some other cruise lines) a large majority of the passengers follow a similar schedule. They go to breakfast early, go to the lunch buffet within 30 min of opening, and go to dinner early (before 7). If you fall into that schedule you will often find crowding and lines at every turn. On the other hand, if you go to breakfast a little later, go to the lunch buffet around 1, and eat dinner around 8 (or later) this is no longer a problem. And its the same with the HAL shows. Go to the show that is targeted for the early diners and you will fight for a seat. Go to the show for the later diners and the theater is often not even 2/3 full. On my last HAL cruise (Rotterdam) I used to go down the MDR around 11:30 to check out the luncheon menu (on sea days) so we could decide where we wanted to eat lunch. Even at 11:30 (a half hour before opening) we would see a few cruisers waiting around the entrance so they could be among the first into the MDR (for lunch) at noon. Lunch in the MDR is never very crowded and anyone could shop-up at 12:15 and be seated with very little delay. But yes, there are those that will wait in line (or near the door) for 30 minutes or more just to be first. Go figure,

 

So the choice is truly yours. And this is not just true for HAL. Alter your personal schedule to avoid queues and its an entirely different cruise.

 

Hank

I was on the Zuiderdam Dec. 27-Jan 7. It was crowded no matter when I went to the Lido. The only time it was easier for me to find a table was between 3:30 and 4:30, well after the lunch was served. And while I enjoy the Dive In & Taco Bar, it's not what I wanted for lunch every day. And having "lunch" at 3:30 was not my choice. People were everywhere, and the people saved seats all day, without ever appearing to come claim them. It was a FULL ship, and many passengers were simply rude.

This ship was crowded, far more so than the same ship was in October 2016 when I was on it. It's not a problem with the Vista ships when they are not FULL. But FULL ships are crowded and it's hard to find places to sit for meals, especially if you have a large party and all want to share the meal together.

We were on the Zuiderdam on the cruise right before yours. We did not encounter any crowding in the Lido or in the theater, but we don't eat right at noon -- don't know if that affected the situation or not.

At the 10 p.m. show, there was always plenty of seating. As we always do late fixed dining, I've never been to the theater for an early show -- never thought about it being crowded. We DID notice that the demographic on this cruise was a little older than others we have been on -- maybe the itinerary and length (only ten days but harder for working people to arrange), so MAYBE that accounted for busier venues at earlier times (I hate to stereotype but it's a possibility).

We were on the Zuiderdam partial transit exactly one year ago this week. I assumed the ship was full or close to full but at several times over the course of the cruise DH and I remarked to each other "where is everyone?" We too, eat our meals a little later, breakfast after 9, lunch between 1-2, and fixed late seating dinner. Except for the morning when we entered the canal, and more people were up early, we could always find a table in the Lido. And of course, it helps if you are willing to share. On the first night we switched from anytime to fixed late seating and were able to get a very nice table for two. There were a few empty tables in our waiters' area so our service was excellent. By the time we left the MDR around 9 - 9:15 pm. the ship seemed very empty. We guess that early eaters had already gone to the early show and were already in their cabins for the night.

There were two areas that were consistently crowded: the first two sets of the BB King Blues performances (they were so good - SRO) and the TABLES around the pools. There were plenty of lounge chairs, but the "hogging" happened at the tables. I'm sure some of the same people sat at those table from early breakfast through lunch to dinner. We were never able to enjoy a meal outdoors.

And except for one night in the Ocean (?) Bar, even the Happy Hours were not as crowded as I have previously experienced.

I was on the Zuiderdam Dec. 27-Jan 7. It was crowded no matter when I went to the Lido. The only time it was easier for me to find a table was between 3:30 and 4:30, well after the lunch was served. And while I enjoy the Dive In & Taco Bar, it's not what I wanted for lunch every day. And having "lunch" at 3:30 was not my choice. People were everywhere, and the people saved seats all day, without ever appearing to come claim them. It was a FULL ship, and many passengers were simply rude.

 

 

This ship was crowded, far more so than the same ship was in October 2016 when I was on it. It's not a problem with the Vista ships when they are not FULL. But FULL ships are crowded and it's hard to find places to sit for meals, especially if you have a large party and all want to share the meal together.

I wonder if the issues in December were because of the holiday season. Maybe there were more families with more than 2 people per cabin compared to October? And when there are a lot of family groups (not only on HAL), I've noticed that they tend to "hold" a table by the pool or a bunch of loungers by keeping someone there all the time to save their turf. I'm trying to recall Zuiderdam's Lido, and I can't picture very many large tables.

I wonder if the issues in December were because of the holiday season. Maybe there were more families with more than 2 people per cabin compared to October? And when there are a lot of family groups (not only on HAL), I've noticed that they tend to "hold" a table by the pool or a bunch of loungers by keeping someone there all the time to save their turf. I'm trying to recall Zuiderdam's Lido, and I can't picture very many large tables.

After doing several holiday cruises, I find those very impacted, feel crowded, not particularly pleasant, and a totally different feel from our regular non-holiday HAL experiences. They are also shorter cruises so that gives them a very different feeling too - everything feels rushed, fewer at sea days, less time to get into a comfortable cruising routine, and then it is time to pack up again. I only reluctantly chose this time, but some times it best meets other family holiday needs.

Interesting! My DH and I just returned from 11 day partial transit 1/27 to 2/7/18. We often ordered room service for breakfast but when we did go to the Lido or dining room at about 8:00 or 8:30 we did not have a problem finding/getting a table. We usually did the Lido for lunch about 11:30 or 12:00 again no problem with finding a table and any line at the service islands were short. Dinner was an as you like, which for us was about 5:30 with never much of a wait but we did always make a reservation the day before. As far as the shows, we have seen most of the main stage shows so didn't go often and then try to do the late show. I will agree some areas did seem crowded, especially the Test Kitchen shows and the Billboard on board shows.

We are also just off the Zuiderdam (1/27-2/7). We choose any time dining and the first night on board the line was so long, we waited 40 minutes to be seated only to have to go upstairs. Needless to say we were not happy with this situation and learned to make a reservation for the time you wanted. This avoided any other delay. As far as the show room when there was only one show it was very difficult to find seating even if you got there 15minutes ahead . Again thats the problem when 1950 passengers want to be at the same place at the same time. When there were 2 shows it was no problem with seating. I guess timing is everything. All in all it was a great cruise and enjoyed the Zuiderdam.

We do think that its a good point about the Lido being crowded on some cruises. It seems to be more of an HAL issue then what we encounter on other cruise lines. On many of our HAL cruises we have noticed that quite a few cruisers simply stay in the Lido most of the day. We have seen knitting tables, card tables, social tables, etc. These folks make the Lido their daytime lounge and do not even leave between meals. This does make it more difficult for those who simply want a place to eat to find a seat. DW reminded me that we were on a long Oosterdam cruise when we went to the Lido for a late breakfast and grabbed 2 seats at a larger table that happened to be empty. About 10 minutes later a lady came over to us (while we were eating breakfast) and asked us to please move. This was just after the time when they were closing the breakfast buffet. DW politely told her we would be leaving in about 15 minutes after we finished our breakfast and the lady got somewhat irate. She told us that her knitting group "always used that table in the morning" and the others in her "group" would be arriving shortly. At that point I became somewhat annoyed and told her the Lido was a dining area, we were dining, intended to finish dining...and she could take her knitting group to a public lounge. We did notice that her group later managed to find another table in the Lido and they were still there hours later when we came into the Lido for lunch.

So what's the answer? Perhaps HAL's dining staff needs to be politely assertive in asking social groups to please go to social lounges and not camp-out in the Lido. But I suspect that will never happen...just like the staff does little to nothing about chair hogs around the pool....who save chairs/loungers for hours with a towel and few personal items.

Hank

She told us that her knitting group "always used that table in the morning" and the others in her "group" would be arriving shortly. At that point I became somewhat annoyed and told her the Lido was a dining area, we were dining, intended to finish dining...and she could take her knitting group to a public lounge.

Hank

Good for you!

We were on the 1/27 sailing also. Seemed like an escape from the frozen north for folks from New York and other northern states (and Canada) who had been cooped up in their homes. Hence the busy venues.

As far as the evening activities, we set our priorities and when we definitely want to see the theater performances we go very early, sometimes an hour before. Others have learned this too....we are never alone.

My take away from this cruise is that HAL has stepped up their game a lot....Billboard lounge, BB Kings are hot!

The biggest surprise for me was the SRO crowds attending the Americas Test Kitchen sessions. HAL may have something here.

We were on the 1/27 sailing also. Seemed like an escape from the frozen north for folks from New York and other northern states (and Canada) who had been cooped up in their homes. Hence the busy venues.

 

As far as the evening activities, we set our priorities and when we definitely want to see the theater performances we go very early, sometimes an hour before. Others have learned this too....we are never alone.

 

My take away from this cruise is that HAL has stepped up their game a lot....Billboard lounge, BB Kings are hot!

The biggest surprise for me was the SRO crowds attending the Americas Test Kitchen sessions. HAL may have something here.

The BB Kings Group was awesome. We saw them every night they played. I was less than impressed with the Billboard Onboard Dueling Pianos singers, but that was me. That was the preferred venue on my cruise from what I could see, they always had to bring extra chairs into the space for the performances.

Just got off 11 day partial Canal transit of Zuiderdam, Jan 27, 18. Felt the ship always seemed too crowded-the Lido packed with no open tables, no seating available for entertainment at night, substantial waits for dinner in the MDR. Resorted to in cabin dining several times because there was just no place to sit. Am wondering if this is a characteristic of this class of ship, or demographics related to this particular sailing, or is simply the norm these days for HAL ships. Would appreciate any thoughts/opinions!

We've been on the Oosterdam and Noordam (same class as the Zuiderdam) and honestly, we never felt crowded. I believe your report but I am surprised. That's one of the things we feared when we moved to "bigger" ships, but have not experienced it ourselves.