Disappointing Hawaii Cruise on Zaandam

[Jemima]

My guess is you didn't have an a/c issues or engine problems on the Statendam. Others have not been so lucky.

 

You had a bad cruise on the Statendam over a year ago as I recall. So did some others around the same time. Since then most of the Statendam reviews have been good. We did not have any problems. We also didn't overhear any more complaints than usual; possibly less.

[erewhon]

Hope that HAL has these problems with the Zaandam solved before she sails across the Pacific to Australia later this year.

[iancal]

I do not think that the "Signature of Excellence" program did not extended as far as HVAC upgrades.

[world~citizen]

Zaandam was last in drydock at BAE Systems-San Francisco Ship Repair for twelve days, from 07-19 JAN 10. While there, her shops and casino were reconfigured and standard maintenance and upkeep was conducted. As a side note, we sailed her to and from Hawaii just prior to that drydock (NOV 09) and thought she looked just fine but I don't profess to have Brian's eye for certain details;)

 

She was delivered to HAL in APR 2000. An eleven year-old ship is not considered old by cruise line standards

 

I agree that an eleven year-old ship is not old by cruise line standards. Properly maintained I have no problem sailing on a 20 year-old ship and the QE2 still reigned over the Atlantic when we sailed her when she was 30 years old.

 

Properly maintained though - there is the rub. I have little tolerance for engine failure on a passenger ship. We forget sometimes that sailing is serious business. What if the vessel is in a gale and needs that engine? Of all the things you have to get right, engines are number 1 - without exception.

 

I know even new ships lose engines. That points to different problems though.

 

I would gladly trade Holland America's moniker "the spotless fleet" for "the reliable fleet" in a heartbeat.

 

I don't know but I suspect a lot of these problems are the result of the ambitious newbuild program that HAL and just about every other cruise line embarked on before the financial crisis.

 

Yes, Carnival has a responsibility to its owners, but its owners have a responsibility to its passengers.

 

Engine failure is not just "ship" happening. If HAL cheerleaders refuse to understand that, I promise you ship safety inspectors do.

 

Get the engine room right! Full stop.

 

Smooth sailing...

[nobbync]

Hi Everyone... interesting thread and I know we all have our own points of view or just the way we look at things. Just like anyplace when humans are involved mistakes do happen or crews just are not good at the time you cruised. Anyway, I did Zaandam Circle Hawaii Cruise in 2007 and all I can say is in 2007 the ship was clean and the crew was outstanding. I did a day by day live blog at that time so those who are on the bubble or thinking of cancelling can take the time to read if you want. This was only my experience but I have been on 6 cruises to date and sailing on RCCL, HAL and Princess and the Zaandam was the best crew of any ship I had been on but again this was 2007. YMMV depending on the crew, Captain and many other things. So here is my live thread if anyone cares to look again and it is long and I tried to write about everything.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=643154&highlight=

 

And here are the photos from that cruise with many shots of the inside of the Zaandam. It did not look like a dump to me at the time...

 

http://nobbync.smugmug.com/Travel/MS-Zaandam-Circle-Hawaii/3817340_rcncB#216939611_YTTSe

 

Nobby

[KansasCityTBone]

I agree I love Princess.

[Storylady]

A DUMP? YIKES!!!

 

We are booked on this ship in November for 58 days.

Should we cancel???????????

 

No, I wouldn't cancel. Remember the negative opinions are of a very small number of people on CC and of the sailing public.

 

After reading all the bad comments about the Statendam and the Prinsendam on CC, I was expecting the worst. And yet, both of our cruises on the Statendam in 2009 and the Prinsendam in 2011 were excellent. I couldn't believe the ships we were sailing on were the ships that everyone wanted HAL to dump.

 

If you want a brand new ship that has no wear and tear, then you might consider sailing on one of the new mega ships 3,000 to 6,000 passengers. But if you are interested in a fabulous cruise on a 1400 passenger ship and can overlook a little wear and tear, then you should enjoy your cruise on the Zaandam.

[kazu]

No, I wouldn't cancel. Remember the negative opinions are of a very small number of people on CC and of the sailing public.

 

After reading all the bad comments about the Statendam and the Prinsendam on CC, I was expecting the worst. And yet, both of our cruises on the Statendam in 2009 and the Prinsendam in 2011 were excellent. I couldn't believe the ships we were sailing on were the ships that everyone wanted HAL to dump.

 

If you want a brand new ship that has no wear and tear, then you might consider sailing on one of the new mega ships 3,000 to 6,000 passengers. But if you are interested in a fabulous cruise on a 1400 passenger ship and can overlook a little wear and tear, then you should enjoy your cruise on the Zaandam.

 

Very well said :) I wouldn't cancel either :)

[Himself]

I did the Hawaiian Cruise on the Zaandam in October of 2008 and I had a wonderful cruise on her. She is a good ship. I had been to Alaska on her a few years earlier. I am quite surprised to hear such negative things about her.

[SwissMyst]

This is quite obvious in this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1382951

 

Things happen sometimes outside of the cruise lines control. It is unfortunate you had a bad experience. There are things to do in Hilo at night other than stay on the ship.

 

Thank you for posting this link and this perspective. Bad weather is a bummer, but it is also part of the local experience. Some of us from Southern California are actually captivated when the skies open up and pour out free water. Seeing real "weather" is better than a stage show for us. :p

[world~citizen]

I did the Hawaiian Cruise on the Zaandam in October of 2008 and I had a wonderful cruise on her. She is a good ship. I had been to Alaska on her a few years earlier. I am quite surprised to hear such negative things about her.

 

And yet, there they are.

 

Smooth sailing...

[SwissMyst]

Why such polar opinions?

I can see slight variances in opinions for travellers on the same ship but the negative comments posted here are scary.

No holes barred comments like DUMP, RUST PATCHES, HVAC PROBLEMS etc. etc. worry me.

 

Should I be concerned?

 

I have a beautiful photo of a huge rust patch on the side of the Crystal Symphony where the tenders bang into the side of the ship. Looks like and abstract painting. Gasp. Does this make the Symphony a dump? Guess again.

 

Vacations are not for worrying - upgrade to Crystal, swallow the rust patches even she has, and feel more secure for the price you will get your A/C and not travel on a floating "dump". (Oh, did anyone discuss what this extra sense of assurance will cost you? :()

 

Agree however, no one should have to put up with truly defective A/C and still pay full price if there is no remedy and the problem is objectively established. But yes, sometimes there are leaks and sometimes toilets do over-flow and sometimes people prop open their balcony doors making everyone else on their ventilation circuit miserable.