Our Nov 25, MS Zuiderdam Caribbean Panama Canal Experience

[aliaschief]

This was our ninth straight Holland American cruise since 2007 and reconfirmed why we continue to be loyal to Holland America as our Line of choice.

 

Embarkation. We left the Marriott Renaissance in a pre-arranged van at 10:50 and where on board the MS Zuiderdam by 11:35. Our cabin was 5190 aft wrap-around and was ready and our bags arrived shortly after. We loved the infamous huge verandah, the cabin was clean, AC worked just fine, cabin steward Mohammad and assistant were great. The only drawback was being so far from the Neptune Lounge but we adapted and would choose this cabin location again. I asked many from our Roll Call and others whether they had any AC issues and never heard of any problems. If anything there were areas of the ship that were often quite cool and shawls and wraps were evident.

 

We felt the ship was in good shape. Saw some wear especially in one of the outside elevators but at no time did this deter from our cruise experience.

 

Demographics. Majority of the passengers were our age, sixties but there was enough of a mix of children and younger passengers and retired seniors that it all blended well.

 

Food: We experienced all food venues on-board and were satisfied with the choices, presentations and taste of most offerings. Highlights, were the Dinner With The Chef in the Culinary Arts Center. This was the third time in a row that we have attended a Chefs dinner and will not be our last.

 

Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill was not available on the first day of our voyage and we were surprised as it was on our Ryndam and Rotterdam cruises during the past year. Two evenings in the Pinnacle Grill were great, the staff superb and the Pinnacle Manager was always on top of everything. This was the Managers last cruise as she expecting a child and retiring to raise her family. We did not attend Le Cirque. One evening in the Canaletto was OK but not as good as our experience on the MS Rotterdam in May.

 

Entertainment: Standard crew shows I enjoyed their enthusiasm and talent. Jamm The Piano Man was very good. If the steel band group Island Magic is still on-board mark it on your calendar and do not miss. Definitely, one of the best acts if not the best we have ever experienced on a Holland America ship. Ranks right up there with Joel Mason. Indy the show dog is part of Jeff's Comedy act. On formal nights Jeff brings Indy to the Ocean Bar all dressed in her formal wear and it is a great photo op. Natalie and the Hell Cats and the female guitarist were really good.

 

Weather: We experienced high winds for most of the cruise. Apparent winds up to 52 miles an hour closed down the starboard deck several times and the last night all decks were eventually closed. In Costa Rica and Panama Canal it rained. Panama is on the tail end of it's rainy season and in a rain forest well it rains! Bring rain gear or travel ponchos. We were really fortunate to get into Half Moon Cay as two Hal ships were not able to the day prior to our arrival. Our last evening from Half Moon Cay was rough going and several reports from our Roll Call members revealed some motion sickness. On the aft wrap-around we felt quite a bit of movement which did not bother us but the strange noises did effect sleeping. Ships creak and bend and do make irritating noise in rough seas no matter what cabin you have chosen.

 

Excursions. Costa Rica we chose a private tour to the Rain Forest and Aerial Tram and a canal ride. Beautiful fauna and wildlife.

 

Panama Canal. We did the Canal Experience offered only through Hal. After passing the Gatun Locks the ship anchors and we tendered and boarded a bus for an hour drive, than boarded a 200 passenger ferry through the cut and proceeded through the rest of the locks to the Pacific and returned to Colon to re-board the ship. From our arrival to the Gatun Locks throughout the passage it rained so be prepared. According to Captain Turner it cost $337,000.00 for the Zuiderdam to enter the locks whether partial or full transit! Great excursion. We went to the bow of the ship for our arrival and tried a traditional Panama Roll of which we were not that impressed but like a Wang Wang a tradition is a tradition.

 

Bonaire. Snorkeled with Woodwind tours and we all admitted this was the best snorkeling experience ever. From the moment you enter the water, the clarity, coral formations and abundant aquatic life are precious.

 

Aruba. Hired Bully's taxi for a whirlwind tour of the island. Very knowledgeable guide and would highly recommend. Taxi's in Aruba are government owned and the max passengers per vehicle is five. Great horn exchange between the Zuiderdam and Westerdam upon our sail-away.

 

Half Moon Cay. We splurged and rented Cabana 11 (grey) with Butler Service. First time doing this and we were pampered by Dwi our Indonesian Pinnacle Grill Waitress and Staff. We chose lobster sliders, Gazpacho which was served in cored Pineapple's and than the main course was huge grilled shrimp and of course free drinks and snacks throughout the day. The Grand Cabana now has a shingled roof and they were taking advantage of it not being rented that day to making further improvements. The island supervisor stopped by and in discussion most of the damage from the hurricane this year was to fauna which is growing back nicely. I asked what happens to the horses during a hurricane. They are set free and they find a safe refuge and are able to forage off the plant life until the evacuated staff return.

 

Miscellaneous. In order to cut down on paper waste the NY Times daily newspaper is no longer delivered to suites but are available in the Neptune and other locations throughout the ship.

 

Jason Venner embarked the ship for this cruise and now we know why he is one of the most highly respected and seasoned CD's in the fleet. Heather the Activities Cruise Director provided many entertainment options throughout the ship.

 

There were three Formal Nights. Most men were dressed in business suits and ladies in everything from gowns to pants and glittery tops. Late fixed dining revealed more formal attire.

 

Dam Dollars. We were told that the reason they were discontinued was mainly from fraud when a ship printed out $2,000 dollars worth and an exceedingly large amount was submitted. Think counterfeit! The issue is being researched and similar type program may be offered down the road.

 

We hosted a very active Roll Call and it was wonderful to finally meet all of our group. We had a fun sail-away, M&G, and have some new found friends that we will stay in contact with and hopefully get to sail with on future cruises.

 

We tried something new for this Roll Call. We had a Wine Tasting on our Verandah. We limited it to fifteen persons in case weather was an issue. That proved to be a smart decision because it was very windy and our cabin was at max occupancy. Every couple/single brought an upscale bottle of wine, gave a quick review of their wine choice and than it was sampled by all. We provided Champagne and appetizers along with our own wine choice.

 

We would not hesitate to sail on the MS Zuiderdam in the future. Booked two more Hal cruises. One fourteen days Caribbean on the MS Ryndam and a Jan 2013 Santiago Chile to Buenos Aires and Antarctica. The 2013 Veendam cruise to Antarctica is the last one Hal will do and is already 85% sold.

 

Disembarkation. Went smoothly as always but I will give warning about the Fort Lauderdale Airport. We arrived at the airport and were told by a Delta official that we could not check in until two hours prior to our flight. Fortunately, DW is a Million Mile and Diamond flyer and we did manage to get checked in without waiting.

 

Holland America still is our choice of cruise lines and we are looking forward to our short wait to board the MS Nieuw Amsterdam on Jan. 2. 2012.

 

Final note. I would just like to thank the passenger who sat next to me on our flight home for sneezing all over me and allowing me to share the misery of your cold!!!!!

[canadianbear]

Great review, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are booked for April 2013 for the repositioning cruise through the Panama on the Zuiderdam and I am looking forward to it. Was worried about reading about the A/C trouble but it sounds like it affects only certain cabins.

 

Wow....you've booked the Antarctica! That's fantastic!

 

I hate flights home with people sneezing and coughing all over you-sorry you got the cold. That's why I am loving that we booked to end up in our home town of Vancouver and only have to fly one way to Ft Lauderdale.

[madera1]

Sounds like you had a fantastic experience despite the weather. Can you let me know what private tour you booked for your day in Costa Rica as we are still trying to decide what to do on our stop in March?

[BSinPNS]

We were on the previous sailing and concur with the comments on Bully (Aruba) and Woodwind (Bonaire). Fortunately, our weather was much better and since we drove avoided the airport hassle and "bug."

[Himself]

Thanks for a nice report.

[aliaschief]

Sounds like you had a fantastic experience despite the weather. Can you let me know what private tour you booked for your day in Costa Rica as we are still trying to decide what to do on our stop in March?

 

We used Lucky Tours. We were satisfied with pre scheduling and the actual tour.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[1cruiselvr]

None of the airlines at FLL will allow check-in earlier than 2 hrs prior to flight departure time. Saw tons of people just standing or sitting with their luggage waiting because they arrived too early to check-in. Happy Sailing!

[aliaschief]

Thanks for your review.

 

Your Welcome. Will try an answer any questions someone may have.

[gwenmarie]

Did you use the aft pool and area? If so, what was the condition of the water,hot tubs and showers in that area.

Thanks

[aliaschief]

Pool and both hot tubs were functioning. If I remember right the aft pool water temperature was 83 degrees.

[kazu]

None of the airlines at FLL will allow check-in earlier than 2 hrs prior to flight departure time. Saw tons of people just standing or sitting with their luggage waiting because they arrived too early to check-in. Happy Sailing!

 

Not that it will help - but Air Canada certainly does :D We checked in at 10 a.m. for a 1:50 flight.:)

 

Great review - thanks - we enjoyed the Zuiderdam too:)

[cartervan]

Thanks so much for the informative review!

I appreciated the advanced warning about the New York Times mini-paper and the Dam dollars being discontinued. We love HAL, but hate to see so many of the little touches being changed or discontinued.

We once collected a whole pile of Dam dollars playing Trivia, but then found little we could "spend" them on, anyway. Do they still play Trivia, and if so--what kind of "prize" do they award the winners?

[Mar56]

Thanks so much for the informative review!

I appreciated the advanced warning about the New York Times mini-paper and the Dam dollars being discontinued. We love HAL, but hate to see so many of the little touches being changed or discontinued.

We once collected a whole pile of Dam dollars playing Trivia, but then found little we could "spend" them on, anyway. Do they still play Trivia, and if so--what kind of "prize" do they award the winners?

 

Carter van, hubby and I love trivia if you are looking for a team we would love to play!

 

Mar56

[DSLibrarian]

Thanks for posting. We'll be in 5190 next December so I'm happy to hear all is well there. We are just off the Nieuw Amsterdam - were in 5186. Loved that aft wrap-around and looking forward to the even better one on the Zuiderdam!!

[aliaschief]

Thanks for posting. We'll be in 5190 next December so I'm happy to hear all is well there. We are just off the Nieuw Amsterdam - were in 5186. Loved that aft wrap-around and looking forward to the even better one on the Zuiderdam!!

 

It's a fantastic cabin. Enjoy:D

[Mar56]

Aliaschief, I was following your roll call as it was very active and interesting to read. There was a couple from Nova Scotia who had their flight cancelled due to bad weather. I noticed their comments on your roll call. Not that it's any of my business, but I wondered about them - did they make their cruise??? I hope so.

 

Mar56

[Time For Dreaming]

Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your cruise. We are so excited about this one that we keep looking every day (we know it's too early) to see if tours are available to book yet. Definitely going to complete the transit on the ferry. Seems to be a good choice for someone new to the canal. We have our boarding passes in the HAL holders just waiting.

 

You had "our" #11 Grey cabana! Great location it is.

 

Please continue posting. Your posts are very informative and interesting to read.

[aliaschief]

Aliaschief, I was following your roll call as it was very active and interesting to read. There was a couple from Nova Scotia who had their flight cancelled due to bad weather. I noticed their comments on your roll call. Not that it's any of my business, but I wondered about them - did they make their cruise??? I hope so.

 

Mar56

 

Yes, They arrived late the night before the cruise.

[aliaschief]

Do they still play Trivia, and if so--what kind of "prize" do they award the winners?

Both regular afternoon trivia and pub trivia were offered. As we never won (at least when we played) we didn't get anything - I think, pins, bags, something like that was provided.

S

[wldflr]

Food: We experienced all food venues on-board and were satisfied with the choices, presentations and taste of most offerings. Highlights, were the Dinner With The Chef in the Culinary Arts Center. This was the third time in a row that we have attended a Chefs dinner and will not be our last.

 

This is something new to me...is it something that you need to pre-book as part of the Culinary Arts Center cooking lessons? How much and how many get to participate in this?

 

Thanks in advance!

(eagerly waiting for our cabin assignment too!)

[DaveOKC]

How were the views from 5190 going through the locks? Was being in an aft wrap-around alot better in this situation than in a regular suite? Trying to decide for our Panama Canal cruise.

[George C]

Do they still play Trivia, and if so--what kind of "prize" do they award the winners?

Both regular afternoon trivia and pub trivia were offered. As we never won (at least when we played) we didn't get anything - I think, pins, bags, something like that was provided.

S

 

WE won several times when aliaschief was not in our team , got free drinks one time, bottle of champane twice, travel mugs, plus the pins and bags. But had great fun playing with Aliaschief, also loved his wine tasting. I need to buy him a wang-wang next time we meet.

[aliaschief]

This is something new to me...is it something that you need to pre-book as part of the Culinary Arts Center cooking lessons? How much and how many get to participate in this?

 

You have to book on board and very few tables available.

[aliaschief]

WE won several times when aliaschief was not in our team , got free drinks one time, bottle of champane twice, travel mugs, plus the pins and bags. But had great fun playing with Aliaschief, also loved his wine tasting. I need to buy him a wang-wang next time we meet.

 

You sold our spot to the higher bidder Mr. Casino!:D