Review: Zuiderdam Inside Passage, July 14-21, 2012 (with photos)

[spacepotatoes]

I think I'm going to have to call it a night! I'll be back tomorrow to cover the spa, the service, and all of the ports. Thanks for reading :)

[RuthC]

I'm looking forward to your return. I'm enjoying what you've written, and am even looking at the pictures (something I don't usually do); they are very good. I especially appreciate that you mentioned the entertainers.

Glad you had such a good time in Vancouver, on the Zuiderdam, and in Alaska.

[lifesabeachum]

I have been a "lurker" pretty much, but I really wanted to thank you for the detailed post. I too, am relying heavily on this website and posts like yours. I can't tell y'all how much I appreciate all the posters on this board. We are waffling between the Zuiderdam and the Volendam for July 2013 and I, too, am a bit scared of the less than stellar reviews of the Zuiderdam these days. I was wondering if you felt "crowded" both on the ship and at the various ports since the Zuiderdam will be "bunked" with 4 other large ships at each port.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to write the review. It's appreciated.

[Himself]

Thanks for your review. I really appreciated it.

[Smart 4-2]

Thank you for the review and pictures.

We board the Zuiderdam in 10 days!

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review and great photos.

[amlop]

take the art tour! You can download it in mp3 format from HAL's website (there's one for every ship) or you can borrow an iPod from the library that has it preloaded.

 

Thank you SO much for this tip! I just checked and there is a Glacier Bay tour also. We will be in Alaska on the Statendam in September and I am so excited to find this tidbit of info from you. Great review also.

 

Amy

[erewhon]

Thank you for taking time to write your detailed review,and for sharing your photos.

[rjmols]

Great review - thanks - I am really looking forward to your port and excursions review. One question for you - did you notice many teens on board? We are doing the same itinerary next July on Zuiderdam and I am travelling alone with my 3 teens, who will be 15,14 and 13 at the time. I am worried there won't be many people their age. Thanks

[ialwayswanttocruise]

Great review, and can't wait to see the ports that you visited and more infer on the tours that you did. We are on the same cruise in just over a month and are very excited.

 

:):)

[thecook]

I'm really enjoying your review. Thanks for sharing ...glad you had a great time!

[spacepotatoes]

I'm looking forward to your return. I'm enjoying what you've written, and am even looking at the pictures (something I don't usually do); they are very good. I especially appreciate that you mentioned the entertainers.

 

Glad you had such a good time in Vancouver, on the Zuiderdam, and in Alaska.

 

Thank you, Ruth! I'm glad you're enjoying it and the photos :). Your advice when we were deciding on staterooms last year was very helpful!

 

I have been a "lurker" pretty much, but I really wanted to thank you for the detailed post. I too, am relying heavily on this website and posts like yours. I can't tell y'all how much I appreciate all the posters on this board. We are waffling between the Zuiderdam and the Volendam for July 2013 and I, too, am a bit scared of the less than stellar reviews of the Zuiderdam these days. I was wondering if you felt "crowded" both on the ship and at the various ports since the Zuiderdam will be "bunked" with 4 other large ships at each port.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to write the review. It's appreciated.

 

The Zuiderdam is going into dry dock this fall so hopefully many of those issues get addressed at that time. The reviews of the Panama Canal sailings that follow dry dock will be very telling, I think. But the Zuiderdam was a great ship for us and we didn't regret choosing her.

 

Regarding the crowding, we didn't really feel crowded on the ship. The only place where it truly was crowded was the Lido, especially those first couple of days when they serve you. We avoided that by going to the MDR most of the time. On Skagway day, we just went early enough for breakfast that we beat the rush. The Crow's Nest and Exploration Cafe were difficult to find seats in but there were always chairs available around the Lido pool. As long as you're flexible, it's no problem. That said, the weather was really good during our cruise which I'm sure helped to spread people out. My parents did the same cruise last year, with crappy weather the entire week, and they said they did feel crowded indoors.

 

We were concerned about the ports, too, but that turned out fine. There were 4 ships in each port we visited, including us. In Juneau, because we were on the Tracy Arm excursion when the ship docked, we missed the rush. By the time we headed into town, most people were out on excursions. It was easy to walk around and browse. There was barely anyone else up on Mt. Roberts with us. In Skagway, we were on an excursion all day with a small group. Afterward, the shops were closed so we could walk around town without many others around. In Ketchikan, two of the ships were gone around lunch time so that never felt crowded either, which was a pleasant surprise considering that it rained the entire time!

 

Thanks for your review. I really appreciated it.

 

Thank you :)

[spacepotatoes]

Thank you for the review and pictures.

We board the Zuiderdam in 10 days!

 

Have a great time! :)

 

Thank you SO much for this tip! I just checked and there is a Glacier Bay tour also. We will be in Alaska on the Statendam in September and I am so excited to find this tidbit of info from you. Great review also.

 

Amy

 

That's great, I had forgotten about those! Enjoy :)

[spacepotatoes]

Thanks for your review and great photos.

 

Thank you for taking time to write your detailed review,and for sharing your photos.

 

Thank you both :)

 

Great review - thanks - I am really looking forward to your port and excursions review. One question for you - did you notice many teens on board? We are doing the same itinerary next July on Zuiderdam and I am travelling alone with my 3 teens, who will be 15,14 and 13 at the time. I am worried there won't be many people their age. Thanks

 

The cruise director said that there were around 150 kids between 3 and 17 years old on our sailing. I didn't see them often so either they kept themselves entertained or the HAL clubs took good care of them! There were several events listed in the Explorer for them. We did see several teens playing ping pong on the lido deck but we tended to see them more out on excursions with their families rather than around the ship. I'm sure they'll find each other!

[spacepotatoes]

Great review, and can't wait to see the ports that you visited and more infer on the tours that you did. We are on the same cruise in just over a month and are very excited.

 

:):)

 

Thanks, have a great time! I'll be getting to the ports tonight :)

 

I'm really enjoying your review. Thanks for sharing ...glad you had a great time!

 

Thanks!

[startwin]

A great review and I am really enjoying it. Love the ship, adore the crew. However, as one of the cruisers through the Panama that experienced many problems, I am somewhat perturbed to hear the the hotel manager is amused enough by them still happening to make jokes.:( My understanding of the dry dock (from him) is that it's pretty much cosmetic only, so as you say, we'll have to wait to get reports from the Panama season.

 

In the meantime, thanks for taking the time to do a great review.:)

[spacepotatoes]

Spa & Gym

 

We didn't get any pictures in this area, sorry!

 

On embarkation day, the Greenhouse Spa runs "look & book" tours throughout the afternoon. They'll take you around to the different treatment rooms and the ladies tell you what they do, and of course, try to sign you up as fast as they can. The spa was smaller than I was expecting but nice. Before the cruise, we were planning to get at a least a day pass for the thermal suite but we never got around to it. There were too many other things going on to spend a whole day in the spa!

 

We also saw the gym during the tour. It was a good size but it seemed like the weight machines were too close together. I never used the gym so I can't say how it was during the week but to me, I think it would have been a little clausterphobic on those machines.

 

They had several good specials throughout the week and because we'd booked an excursion through HAL, we had a voucher in the envelope with our tickets for the "Spa Manager's Favourite." It was tempting but we decided to hold out for the one special we really wanted, and it came on Friday: the 20/20/20. This special gets you three treatments, 20 mins each, for $99. You could choose from various types of massages, a facial, and a couple of other treatments. DH and I both took advantage of the special. We got the foot and ankle massage, the hot stone back and shoulder massage, and a scalp massage. Basically a 1 hr full body massage for $99. Not too shabby!

 

It was our first time using a spa on a ship so we were a little nervous, not knowing how it worked. It was very easy, though, the spa ladies were friendly and told us what to do. Ingrid did my treatments and she was fantastic. I still miss her! Every few days, I ask my husband if we can go back for Ingrid and bring her home because I need her. :D

 

Here's a spa tip for you, if you're a newbie like we were: bring your shower necessities and factor in time for a shower when you're done. Some of you might be reading this and thinking, "thanks, Captain Obvious!" but we truly didn't anticipate this. When I was done with Ingrid, my hair was an oily mess from the scalp massage and the rest of me was greasy, too. We ended up spending much longer in the spa than we'd intended as a result.

 

One last note about the spa: I was especially nervous about the sales pitch at the end of our treatments. Those types of situations make me uncomfortable. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't an issue. DH said that the person doing his treatments didn't mention anything at all to him. Ingrid did ask if I wanted her to recommend any muscle rejuvinators or relaxers (I was working some serious knots in my back and shoulders) but when I said no, she left it that. When they had us fill out the intake forms at the beginning, I didn't check off anything for the face/body concerns so that they wouldn’t have anything to go on. Ingrid also started asking me about facials, etc. at the start of my treatment but when I told her I wasn't there for a facial, she dropped it. She was nice about it all, though, so I didn't feel pressured at any point.

[RuthC]

Spa & Gym

 

We didn't get any pictures in this area, sorry!

Probably for the best. ;)

[spacepotatoes]

Service

 

There are two areas where HAL really stands apart from NCL and Carnival. The dining was one, service is the other. There was a level of attention to detail that we didn’t see on our previous cruises, and a comfortable rapport between passengers and crew. All of the crew were friendly and professional, and seemed to enjoy being onboard. We heard several break out into song during the week (you haven’t lived until you’ve heard a male crew member belt out “....because I’m your la-aaady...” while sweeping the Lido area). They engaged passengers in conversation and answered questions when we weren’t sure where to go. I found that on previous cruises, there was very much a distinction between the passengers and the crew that sometimes felt awkward. On the Zuiderdam, there was more of a feeling of being on a journey together, as sappy as that may sound! I don’t know if it’s just this ship or if it’s a HAL thing in general, but the crew was awesome.

 

We found that the bar servers were not intrusive at all. They circulated but didn’t directly approach unless we signalled that we were interested in ordering something. The photographers were not aggressive at all, something that we greatly appreciate. We’re always more willing to pose for photos or buy photos when we’re not being pushed into it. I’m trying to think of more specifics, but really, it was just a lot of little things like these that added up to make the whole experience much more refined and relaxed than what we’ve had before. Feel free to ask if there is any specific service-related thing you’re wondering about.

 

We found ourselves making comparisons to NCL and Carnival throughout the week, it was hard not to. The things I note here gave us a better appreciation for NCL, which we already really liked, because we felt that they do a lot of things right and actually aren’t that far behind HAL in several areas. On the other hand, it also gave us a better appreciation for just how much we were missing on Carnival. I know it’s not fair to judge an entire line based on one cruise, but this experience will make it that much harder to go back to Carnival in the future.

 

 

An example of the little things that HAL does that puts them a notch above

[spacepotatoes]

I need to take a bit of a break but will be back in a bit to tell you all about the ports. Stay tuned :)

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your impressions and pics with the rest of us.

[spacepotatoes]

A great review and I am really enjoying it. Love the ship, adore the crew. However, as one of the cruisers through the Panama that experienced many problems, I am somewhat perturbed to hear the the hotel manager is amused enough by them still happening to make jokes.:( My understanding of the dry dock (from him) is that it's pretty much cosmetic only, so as you say, we'll have to wait to get reports from the Panama season.

 

In the meantime, thanks for taking the time to do a great review.:)

 

Thank you!

 

I followed your live thread and admired the positive attitude you were able to maintain despite all of those issues. I don't think DH and I would have been quite as gracious in the end!

 

The hotel manager (Kees Van Santen) was asked during the celebrity cook-off on the last day to describe his role on the ship. He started listing his official responsibilities and then commented that in practice, people just see him as the guy in charge of plumbing and a/c. From that, I got the impression that the complaints were still coming in. I can see how it would not come off as very amusing when you are the one affected by those problems!

[Bubski]

Thanks for a wonderful review -

we sailed the Zuidee in 2007 just before her last refit and we are sailing her in about 3 weeks apparently before another re-fit.

We have great memories and no negatives which is why we chose her again despite some spotty reviews. Glad to hear things are good.

The people these ships carry and the quick turn around of passengers is absolutely amazing - of course there is going to be wear and tear with the numbers they transport.

Review and pictures awesome!

Thanks

[spacepotatoes]

Ports

 

Tracy Arm

An important note if you are interested in this itinerary because of Tracy Arm: the ship itself no longer cruises the fjord. It has become a "service call" only, meaning that it will stop near Tracy Arm to let off those who are taking the excursion, then will continue on to Juneau. The Volendam is the same. If you really want to see Tracy Arm, you will have to take the excursion.

 

We met in the Queen's Lounge at 9 AM. They ask that you have your passport with you when you check in with excursion staff. We boarded the catamaran close to 10 AM. The tour was operated by Allen Marine. Their staff was great. Sherry (sp?) was a fantastic guide. She was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. They provide hot drinks (hot chocolate, coffee) and snacks (doughnut holes - or "tim bits" to us Canadians, local smoked salmon). Lunch specials are available for a fee.

 

The scenery was beautiful. It was overcast but luckily, didn't rain. We saw both the North and South Sawyer glaciers and pulled up close to Ice Falls. We saw lots of harbour seals floating on the ice in front of the South Sawyer glacier. That was the only wildlife we saw.

 

The boat brought us right back to the ship in Juneau around 3:30. Again, passports were required when getting back onto the ship though they didn't actually look inside them. DH and I both agreed that it was worth the money to see it for the first time. We'd probably splurge elsewhere if we did another Alaska cruise some day but definitely worth seeing once.

 

Leaving the Zuiderdam behind

 

 

Very blue ice bergs

 

 

Inside Tracy Arm

 

 

Part of the South Sawyer Glacier

 

 

Small waterfall

 

 

The North Sawyer Glacier

[spacepotatoes]

Juneau

 

As mentioned, we got back to the ship around 3:30. All aboard time in Juneau was 9:30. If you do the Tracy Arm excursion, you'll have to think carefully about what you want to do in Juneau because it will cut into your time. Also keep in mind that if you wait until 9:30 to get back on, both the MDR and Lido will be closed. This was the one day that we felt rushed.

 

The ship was docked at the AJ Dock, which is the farthest from town. HAL ran a shuttle from the dock to the Mt. Roberts Tram office. It was $3 pp but when we got on after the Tracy Arm tour, they were no longer charging. The last shuttle back to the ship was at 9. You could walk into town but it's a good distance. The picture of the ships below will give you a rough idea of how far it is.

 

We bought tickets for a shuttle bus to the Mendenhall Glacier. They were being sold near the Mt. Roberts Tram ticket office, $16 pp roundtrip. The bus runs every half hour. The last bus from Mendenhall is at 6. We got to Mendenhall sometime after 5, so there was not a whole lot of time to explore. Once at the glacier, we walked the Photo Trail. I had wanted to do the hike to Nugget Falls but we didn’t think there would be enough time so we headed back to catch the bus back to town. The sign for the Nugget Falls trail said that 45 minutes was required. In retrospect, we likely would have had time for that hike if we'd headed that way right from the start but we didn’t know how long it would take until we saw the sign. We saw the Visitor’s Center but didn’t go in.

 

 

Mendenhall Glacier. You can see Nugget Falls to the right of it.

 

A little closer

 

Back in town, we wandered through the shops. It was the typical tourist stuff and a ton of jewelry stores. Only two places were really interesting: The House of Russia store has some beautiful items and Glacier Smoothies has bath and body products that smell wonderful. The glacier silt soap there made a nice gift for people at home. Both places are easy to find in the main shopping area.

 

We were pretty hungry since there wasn’t time for a proper dinner. Beside the Glacier Smoothies shop, there’s a cart called Alaskan Crepe Escape. They make both sweet and savory crepes. I had the strawberry & nutella, DH had the lemon meringue. The crepes are made while you wait and are delicious. A couple of crew members were enjoying some crepes there, too, so you know it has to be a good spot!

 

 

If you come up to this sign in Juneau, the Glacier Smoothies store and the crepe cart are right beside it.

 

The weather had cleared up nicely so we decided to do the Mt. Roberts Tram. It was pricey ($29 pp) but the views were beautiful once we got to the top. We did the shortest hiking trail and really wished there was time to do the longer one. There’s a restaurant, shop, and I think a museum up there too but we didn’t really spend time on those. We left at 8:30 to catch the shuttle back to the ship.

 

 

The ships in port, from the top of Mt. Roberts. The Zuiderdam is on the far left. If I remember correctly, the shuttle drop off point was near the red roofed building by the Princess ship.

 

 

The view while hiking on Mt. Roberts