Concerned about booking Zuiderdam Cruise

[itzmered]

We are looking at booking our first HAL cruise on the Zuiderdam 11 day Panama Canal in February of 2013. I have been reading all the threads I can find about the Zuiderdam and am very concerned about all the issues I am reading about the toilets. Has this been an ongoing problem for quite sometime? I also se that it will be going through a dry dock in late November, does anyone know what will be done during the dry dock. I hope the issues are resolved over the next year :)

[CruiserBruce]

The standard purpose of a drydock is below waterline maintenance, as the ship must get out of the water every 24-30 months.

 

That is not to say other work won't be done. Carpet replacement, furniture replacement and other major equipment replacement is common. Galleys can get major counter overhauls to maintain ease of cleaning, as can serving areas like the Lido.

 

Major redesign can take place, like adding cabins or changing other major structures. Haven't heard the Vistas are in line for anything serious like that.

[IRL_Joanie]

We are looking at booking our first HAL cruise on the Zuiderdam 11 day Panama Canal in February of 2013. I have been reading all the threads I can find about the Zuiderdam and am very concerned about all the issues I am reading about the toilets. Has this been an ongoing problem for quite sometime? I also se that it will be going through a dry dock in late November, does anyone know what will be done during the dry dock. I hope the issues are resolved over the next year :)

 

No it has not been a problem until the last part of November, during the Thanksgiving Cruise through the last Christmas Cruise.

 

I was on her for 2 weeks in September and had no problems at all. And my stateroom is listed as being one with a problem now.

 

I still contend it is due to (A) More People on board during this time frame, (B) People flushing inappropriate items for a ship toilet, © it was reported that they had to get a special part to repair the system and that was what was causing some/if not a majority of the problems mentioned.

 

I have already booked 2 weeks on board her again and have no worries about her:)

 

Joanie

[Krazy Kruizers]

This is a problem that has just started to surface since Thanksgiving.

 

In a dry dock -- besides work being done below the water line -- other issues are also taken care of -- toilets -- replacing worn carpeting -- lots of sprucing up done on the ship.

[Typhoon1]

I would book with confidence. This an isolated problem, which surfaced recently. I'm sure HAL will resolve it soon.

[cruisinggranmama]

If these issues are still talked about a year from now on this board, HAL has a bigger problem than non-working toilets.

 

We board the Zuiderdam on 2/6 and I fully expect they will have resolved the toilet issues by then.

[itzmered]

Thank you for the responses.

[luxurysailer]

Several of you have said the problem with Zuiderdam's toilets is just now beginning to surface. I'm highly skeptical that that statement is factual. There were overflowing toilet issues on Zuiderdam when we were aboard for her first cruise out of dry dock in April 2008, and I have noted multiple such complaints cited on Cruise Critic threads since then.

 

Although this is subjective, the number of threads on this forum citing toilet problems, as well as other issues that we don't hear about in the other ships in the HAL fleet, remind me of the old adage that smoke is almost always indicative of a fire.

[idiebabe]

If these issues are still talked about a year from now on this board, HAL has a bigger problem than non-working toilets.

 

We board the Zuiderdam on 2/6 and I fully expect they will have resolved the toilet issues by then.

 

Please come back and update us after your cruise. We're on her in March and am anxious to hear if the problems being reported have been resolved. Thanks!

[kazu]

Several of you have said the problem with Zuiderdam's toilets is just now beginning to surface. I'm highly skeptical that that statement is factual. There were overflowing toilet issues on Zuiderdam when we were aboard for her first cruise out of dry dock in April 2008, and I have noted multiple such complaints cited on Cruise Critic threads since then.

 

Although this is subjective, the number of threads on this forum citing toilet problems, as well as other issues that we don't hear about in the other ships in the HAL fleet, remind me of the old adage that smoke is almost always indicative of a fire.

 

Well, we sailed on her last year and there were no issues at all. In fact this was one of the best crews I have ever sailed with :)

 

I have learned NEVER to sail out of any ship out of dry dock or an INAUGURAL cruise - I did it once on the Nieuw Amsterdam and frankly, I would have preferred to have been on the Zuiderdam.

 

Let's just remember - most people that are unhappy will post - those that are happy - very few will post.

 

One thing I did notice, a lot of these people never posted on the boards before. I'm not discounting their critiques - just saying - maybe they think that CRUISE CRITIC is what they are supposed to do and someone will do something for them? Just wondering

[SwissMyst]

We are looking at booking our first HAL cruise on the Zuiderdam 11 day Panama Canal in February of 2013. I have been reading all the threads I can find about the Zuiderdam and am very concerned about all the issues I am reading about the toilets. Has this been an ongoing problem for quite sometime? I also se that it will be going through a dry dock in late November, does anyone know what will be done during the dry dock. I hope the issues are resolved over the next year :)

 

HAL does not sail shabby ships. Period. Some things can go wrong and individual items may be in disrepair for limited periods of time. But if something goes wrong on HAL ships, you can believe it will be remedied and sooner rather than later.

 

Pride in product does permeate the HAL experience. This is not a luxury cruise line but it is a very nice main stream cruise line and genuinely interested in passenger satisfaction. You can cruise with confidence on HAL ships. But that does not mean you get 100%, 100% of the time. No ship gives you that anyway.

[2J's]

Just off the Zuiderdam the week after Thanksgiving and couldn't have had a better cruise. Staff is great, ship was clean and well maintained ((we don't spend time looking in corners for something to complain about), food good. Would sail on her again in a moment, before or after a drydock

[DSLibrarian]

Just off the Zuiderdam the week after Thanksgiving and couldn't have had a better cruise. Staff is great' date=' ship was clean and well maintained ((we don't spend time looking in corners for something to complain about), food good. Would sail on her again in a moment, before or after a drydock[/quote']

 

Glad to hear this. We are supposed to be on her immediately after the drydock later this year. (We booked in July before we knew about the upcoming drydock.) I was beginning to think we might need to cancel and reschedule.

[IRL_Joanie]

Several of you have said the problem with Zuiderdam's toilets is just now beginning to surface. I'm highly skeptical that that statement is factual. There were overflowing toilet issues on Zuiderdam when we were aboard for her first cruise out of dry dock in April 2008, and I have noted multiple such complaints cited on Cruise Critic threads since then.

 

Although this is subjective, the number of threads on this forum citing toilet problems, as well as other issues that we don't hear about in the other ships in the HAL fleet, remind me of the old adage that smoke is almost always indicative of a fire.

 

Please give us links to all of these or even 2-3 of these reviews with the noted multiple complaints of Zuiderdam's Toilet issue. Please??:)

 

I was on her for 2 weeks this past September, we had more than 60 Cruise Critic members on board her each of the 2 weeks (maybe even more since not all participated in M&G's and/or Roll Calls and not one of them complained about any toilet issue.

 

I did a lot of research before I booked that cruise and I think I'd have found those reviews/complaints.

 

Remember, cruises right after a dry dock do tend to have some problems.

 

HAL, and I'd say more than likely all cruise lines, have a lower toilet failure per usage than any home in the US. Possibly even the world.:)

 

Joanie

[GeriatricNurse]

Well, we sailed on her last year and there were no issues at all. In fact this was one of the best crews I have ever sailed with :)

 

I have learned NEVER to sail out of any ship out of dry dock or an INAUGURAL cruise - I did it once on the Nieuw Amsterdam and frankly, I would have preferred to have been on the Zuiderdam.

 

Let's just remember - most people that are unhappy will post - those that are happy - very few will post.

 

One thing I did notice, a lot of these people never posted on the boards before. I'm not discounting their critiques - just saying - maybe they think that CRUISE CRITIC is what they are supposed to do and someone will do something for them? Just wondering

 

Glad to hear this. We are supposed to be on her immediately after the drydock later this year. (We booked in July before we knew about the upcoming drydock.) I was beginning to think we might need to cancel and reschedule.

 

DSLibrarian, did you read the hightlighted sentence from the post of kazu? :confused:

[barefootguy]

We just came off the Z-dam, 11/25-12/5. Cabin was great, 6070, with room stewards that took care of everything! All the regular stuff, but also washed salt spray off panels of veranda. Toilets always worked, AC always cold & new towel animals daily for grandson sailing with us. We had open dining with no wait & then our waiter began reserving us the center table overlooking the stern windows daily. Sonny also made origami animals for Trey, grandson, every evening & doing a bit of magic at the table. The folks next to us missed this on formal nights, no origami or magic, as we spent these in the Lido which was also done up nicely. Life on the ship will be GREAT! As hard core foodies, we went to a lot of the Culinary Arts programs & they were great. We never experienced any of the problems with staff or room that others write about...

 

Just a note on tours... We used Woodwind in Bonaire for snorkeling, they were fantastic! We also used a small company, Oscar Brown in Costa Rica. We went with him 5 yrs. ago when we did the same trip on the Coral Princess. This time, instead of having several additional folks on the tour, it was just the three of us. Oscar took the kiddo to all kinds of places a bus/tour wouldn't stop. He got to break open a cocoa pod, taste & feel, check out & taste sugar cane. Lots of other small stops to check out the local stuff. Then on the T-Canal tour, there were only the three of us on the boat! Got up very close to a sloth, saw monkeys & all kinds of stuff. Here's a quick link to Oscar,

http://www.oscarbrowntours.com/

 

Fantastic trip on Z-dam & we're planning the next one... Just plan on enjoying all your sea days, ship time, canal & various ports!

[DSLibrarian]

DSLibrarian, did you read the hightlighted sentence from the post of kazu? :confused:

 

Yes...I did read it but we're still planning to go - we booked it before we knew about the drydock. Had we known earlier, we might have not chosen that sailing. But these dates are locked in for us now and we will trust that HAL will take good care of us just as they always have. :)

[Viesczy]

Do it! The problem is most likely passengers flushing phone books, not a true systemic problem that is only being band-aided (is that verb?) over by the HAL.

 

Worst case scenario, they got a chamber pot (trash can) in the room! ;):D

 

Derek

[Mar56]

We are sailing soon on the Zuiderdam - first cruise. I'm anticipating that the toilet problems will be fixed by then. What bothers me though is that on Facebook, HAL has not responded to ANY of the posts, that I have seen, re the toilet issues. Lots and lots of cheerleaders have, but not HAL. And that is very very unusual. Makes me go hmmmmm.

 

Hopefully it was a part that was needed to fix the problem, that part has been received and the system repaired.

 

I just got used to seeing a HAL rep acknowledge the problems reported on Facebook and question why not for this issue?

 

Re everything else - haven't read lately about any problems with AC and everything else is so subjective that I am not at all concerned. Looking forward very much to our cruise.

 

Mar56

[luxurysailer]

Please give us links to all of these or even 2-3 of these reviews with the noted multiple complaints of Zuiderdam's Toilet issue. Please??:)Joanie

 

 

I do not doubt that many people have cruised on Zuiderdam and experienced no toilet problems. Nevertheless, that is insufficient reason to discount reports from people who did experience problems, regardless of how many posts they've contributed to CC. If you will search "toilet problems on Zuiderdam" you can easily find the posts to which I refer without my having to post the links.

 

I also agree with those who have stated ships fresh out of drydock should be avoided. My only experience with such, which will not be repeated, was the Zuiderdam cruise in 2008 that I mentioned. There were multiple problems on Zuiderdam at that time: worn carpet, worn upholstery, elevator floors that were spongy and sagged when you stepped on them, overflowing toilets. We've never experienced similar problems on any other HAL or Princess ship upon which we've cruised.

 

If my impression that Zuiderdam has an inordinate number of toilet problems is correct, this doesn't necessarily indicate it is HAL's fault. Perhaps there was a design flaw or something similar that cannot be definitively eliminated. Anybody remember the pathetic U.S. manufactured automobiles from about the 80's up until just a few years ago? Maybe HAL just got a ship of similar quality, and they're having to live with it the way we had to live with those automobiles.

[FrankNJ]

I do not doubt that many people have cruised on Zuiderdam and experienced no toilet problems. Nevertheless, that is insufficient reason to discount reports from people who did experience problems, regardless of how many posts they've contributed to CC. If you will search "toilet problems on Zuiderdam" you can easily find the posts to which I refer without my having to post the links.

 

I also agree with those who have stated ships fresh out of drydock should be avoided. My only experience with such, which will not be repeated, was the Zuiderdam cruise in 2008 that I mentioned. There were multiple problems on Zuiderdam at that time: worn carpet, worn upholstery, elevator floors that were spongy and sagged when you stepped on them, overflowing toilets. We've never experienced similar problems on any other HAL or Princess ship upon which we've cruised.

 

If my impression that Zuiderdam has an inordinate number of toilet problems is correct, this doesn't necessarily indicate it is HAL's fault. Perhaps there was a design flaw or something similar that cannot be definitively eliminated. Anybody remember the pathetic U.S. manufactured automobiles from about the 80's up until just a few years ago? Maybe HAL just got a ship of similar quality, and they're having to live with it the way we had to live with those automobiles.

 

Could be a design problem on Zuidy , but she does have 3 sisterships ,Noordam , Oosterdam, and Westerdam. I guess those plumbing systems could have been improved

after Zuidy , since she was the first launched. But , unfortunately , Zuiderdam is the only one I'm hearing about having this persistent problem, and..... no response from Hal ?

[ComputerTravelGuy]

We are sailing soon on the Zuiderdam - first cruise. I'm anticipating that the toilet problems will be fixed by then. What bothers me though is that on Facebook, HAL has not responded to ANY of the posts, that I have seen, re the toilet issues. Lots and lots of cheerleaders have, but not HAL. And that is very very unusual. Makes me go hmmmmm. Mar56

 

I was on the Nov 25th - Dec 5th Zuiderdam sailing and I can confirm several toilet issues in public restrooms for that sailing. Specifically, Port-side, Level 2, Forward (near the theater) Mens rooms had two of three toilets out of service for most of the cruise. The public toilets near where the HAL Cats performed nightly had intermittent issues. My cabin toilets had periods where they did not work but were largely functional when I needed it the most. However, a fellow snorkeler had a toilet overflow in her cabin.

 

We had a great cruise - Panama canal, Aruba & Bonaire snorkeling were amazing - fantastic 10-day experience. However, there were several minor issues that detracted from an overall great experience. But to be fair, there were some very positive experiences like excursion staff knowledge & tasty meals (all published in my cruise review - check out my review if you want the details). However, I am still amazed how HAL ship management and corporate are ignoring or declining to provide feedback based on my email sent weeks ago (just like HAL management is ignoring Facebook and CC feedback).

 

Will likely not use HAL again.

[gelo7]

I'm sure that they will get a handle on it.

[FrankNJ]

I'm sure that they will get a handle on it.

 

Boy would I like to believe .

 

There's an old saying , " Ignore your customers and they will go away ".

[luxurysailer]

Do it! The problem is most likely passengers flushing phone books, not a true systemic problem that is only being band-aided (is that verb?) over by the HAL. Derek

 

 

I don't understand why Zuiderdam attracts so many more crazies who flush phone books down the toilets than the other ships in the HAL fleet.:confused: