What's The Truth About Zuiderdam?!

[bcc99]

Oh, so confused. I originally booked the Zuiderdam for an attractive price and the desire to try a new cruise line...then I skimmed some reviews here, and I was scared that I had made a terrible mistake with my limited funds and scarce paid-vacation time...then I skimmed some more reviews, and I felt much better...today I'm scared again. About an hour ago I even wondered if I should cancel, something that's never happened with any cruise. I have hesitations about the ship, but I'm more concerned about how I'll be received by HAL--not so much the crew, but the passengers. I'm 28, and I get the feeling that I'm not really welcome...every now and then there's a passive but firm hint that people in the "younger crowd" should probably stay with another cruise line, or at least restrict ourselves to the perceived-substandard Zuiderdam. I almost went on Zaandam in April, but perhaps it's just as well that I didn't.

 

But anyway, my point...let's let the people decide. Maybe not everybody writes a review, but everybody has an opinion. Putting aside the massive amount that's already been written about her, do people generally like Zuiderdam or not? And what is it about her that generates such strongly polarized reactions? Discuss.

[jhannah]

The Zuiderdam is fine. It's crew is fine. They will treat you fine. I sailed her in her first year, and there were a few things not up to par. But it was a great cruise on a great ship, and I would sail her again anytime. I honestly believe some people have unrealistic expectations about a cruise. Maybe they think all cruise lines and ships are like the Yachts of Seabourn. I don't know. I say go and make your own decision. Reviews here are like reviews for music, movies, or the theater. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

[cruznon]

We've heard some great reviews recently about the Zuiderdam. We're getting excited--it'l be our first cruise on her.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Well, it's been two years since I was on her, but personally I see no reason to avoid her or any other HAL ship.

 

There were some glitches when she was new (I know, I was there ;) ) but I'm sure those have all been long since ironed out.

 

I know many of our members prefer the older S- and R-class ships to the Vista-class ships like ZUIDERDAM, purely because many (most?) HAL passengers prefer smaller ships. For a lot of us, the Vista ships are a bit too large. Of course, if you're coming from, say, Carnival or RCI, she won't seem big at all. All a matter of personal taste.

 

But there's certainly nothing wrong with her. I can't say whether you'll like her or not, again personal taste, but she's not a bad ship and don't think that her passengers are on average any less satisfied than any other ship's might be. No doubt the vast majority of her passengers enjoy their time on her.

 

Personally, I tend to take extremely negative reviews with a grain of salt - there is no doubt that, occasionally, people have legitimate bad experiences on all ships and lines, but when I happen upon a review which really has nothing positive to say, I usually disregard it... Same with reviews that don't mention anything negative at all. All ships have redeeming features and all have flaws - it's just the quantity that differs :) .

 

As for the group of passengers, I personally am of the opinion that all mass-market lines, given the same itinerary and date, will attract roughly similar passenger groups. Thus, any line will get kids during the school holidays, lots of Florida retirement community residents on off-peak Caribbean cruises from Florida (especially since they often offer special "last minute" deals to Florida residents), etc. If you have five ships going to the same ports and leaving the same day, one from each mass-market line, I doubt that you'd actually find that much difference in who's aboard.

[Sierrachik]

Wow, Doug - well said! Can't add to that.

 

bcc99 the only thing I have to add is that many first time Zui cruisers experience what you are, particularly if it is their first cruise. I experienced it last year, almost a panicy feeling. We had a WONDERFUL time, so much so that even though we're not necessarily big fans of such hot weather we're going back this fall.

 

Go Forth, Enjoy, Eat Lots! :)

 

I think the biggest reason she polarizes so many is that she is the least like any of the other HAL ships and many people do not like change...particularly if they feel that HAL will become too much like the perceived dread of Carnival. Everyone is different and should respect differences between people and ship lines rather than talk them down. Yes, stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, but we also all know that often tines stereotypes are wrong :)

[doone]

I was leary about the Vista Style ships, but did sail the Zuiderdam this year. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised, we had a wonderful cruise onboard her and would highly recommend her to anyone. I'd sail any of the Vista style ships in a minute, but with no self-service laundries onboard, it would have to only be a 7-day cruise, nothing longer.

 

Was everything perfect, of course not, but pretty darn close to it, the Zuiderdam is a great ship with a wonderful crew. Highly recommend her.

[Tak8]

I was on her 2 years ago and will be back on her this summer. Overall, a great ship and cruise.

[Ray-Barbara]

I sailed on the "Z" last week and found her to be a fine ship. Sure, we had some refrigeration problems, but they should be fixed by now. Please read my review for an objective look at our voyage.

Ray

 

Review of the Zuiderdam – May 14-21, 2005

 

Ray and Barbara Morrison

 

General Information

 

The following is a detailed account of our cruise on the Zuiderdam from May 14-21, 2005. We are two professionals in our early 50’s who are on our fourth cruise in only 24 months. Our first three trips took place on Princess ships to Alaska, Western Caribbean, and the Panama Canal. We found both positive and negative points on the Zuiderdam and will point them out in this review.

 

The Zuiderdam is a large beautiful ship built in 2002. The interior color scheme is very unusual with oranges, blues and purples galore. These colors and the shape of the ceilings reminded us of the set using for the cartoon show, the Jetsons. There are a lot of nooks and crannies so we got the feeling we were almost alone on the ship. The atrium seemed smaller than on previous ships we had been on and did not go from the top to the bottom of the ship. There was an abundance of elevators – four each in the bow and aft and six in the center. Four of these center elevators were glass-enclosed and allowed us to see outside the ship as we traveled vertically. Very seldom did we have to wait long to use one of these elevators. Signage was also strategically placed to help us find our bearings. We did find some unusual artwork scattered throughout the ship.

 

 

Embarkment

 

We flew into Fort Lauderdale the day before and stayed at our favorite motel in Dania, the Sleep Inn. This motel provides free transportation to and from the airport and the ship port. They also have good rates, an excellent breakfast and there is a Walgreens and Publix store across the street for all the last minute items we needed (like pop and water). There is also a mom and pop-style Italian restaurant across the street with excellent garlic rolls and ice cream desserts.

 

We took the hotel shuttle to the ship port at 10:00 on Saturday and were in line by 10:30. The porters try to get us to tip them, but there is a sign on the building stating that the porters were salaried and that tipping is not necessary. The ticket process started at 11:00 and 30 minutes later we were on board. Because we could not get into our stateroom until 1:30, we ate lunch on the Lido deck, took a short orientation walk and then ended up on the Crows’ Nest where we rested in some nice captains chairs. There is also a facility onboard we could have stored our hand-carried luggage if we wanted until we got into our cabin. At 1:30, we were allowed to go to the cabin, but the luggage did not arrive until 4:30.

 

We almost missed the muster drill because there was no announcement on the TV to go directly to our station. After 10 minutes of silence on our desk, we hurried down to our station and got our life jackets on. We came back to unpack our belongings and to participate in our Cruise Critic bon voyage party.

 

 

Cabin and Surroundings

 

We were in cabin SS 6064 which was on the port side of the ship between the bow and mid-point. This room was much larger than the mini-suite we had on a Princess ship. It included a queen-size bed, television, DVD player, vanity table, lots of closet space, a safe, and room to put the empty luggage under the bed. The bathroom too was spacious having a tub, a shower, and two sinks. We didn’t feel like being in an MRI tube to shower like we had on previous trips. We loved the Royal Dutch soap and shampoo that was provided. The verandah was spacious as it contained two lounge chairs and a small table as well as another large eating table and two upright chairs. We opened the divider between the other cabins next to us (all Cruise Critic members) and had a six-cabin open veranda. Our cabin steward from Indonesia was called Harry and he kept our room in spotless shape.

 

Walking down the hallway to our cabin was a chore. It seems that the “Z” is the first Vista ship to be built and they used poured concrete for the floors. This concrete is now breaking up and makes walking on it difficult (especially with high heels). HAL really needs to tear up the carpeting, patch up the cement and replace it with new carpeting. Perhaps they will perform this task at their next dry-dock.

 

 

Food

 

In general, the “lack of refrigeration” became the key phrase for the cruise. The ship was without a major refrigerator which malfunctioned most of the week and we were without ice cream, whole eggs and a lot of other foods. One official told us that over $250,000 worth of food was lost because of this problem. HAL brought in several portable refrigerators in St. Thomas and hopefully, got the problem fixed by the time the next cruise began.

 

We went to the upscale Pinnacle restaurant on the first night (the price is reduced from $20 to $10 per person that evening). There were multiple courses, the food was tasty, and the service was superb. In fact it really spoils you for the rest of the cruise. We had filet minion and rib eye steaks for the main course, both made from the finest cuts of beef. We both favored the crème brulee over their famous chocolate volcano cake. Eating here is an experience all cruisers must indulge in at least once.

 

Our breakfasts and lunches were all eaten at the buffet on the Lido deck. Instead of a long straight line like on the Princess ships, there were various stations which open and close at different times of the day. There were stations for Italian food, a bistro, express food, salad bar, etc. Also, instead of serving yourself, the food was dished out by the staff members. Tea and coffee was served with every meal as well as fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning and lemonade in the afternoon. A similar but limited meal found in the main dining room was provided for evening diners on the Lido deck. One afternoon, there were chocolate dipped strawberries available as well as giant prawns which we thoroughly enjoyed. During the afternoon upon arriving from a short excursion, we would go to the Lido deck and get something to eat to hold us over until dinner. However, sometimes we were disappointed as the desserts were not made by hand. This was verified by guests who told us thhe saw the cakes and pies bring taken out of store-brand boxes. I personally don’t think the chefs onboard actually baked any desserts while we were there.

 

We ate our evening meals in the Vista Dining Room. There are four different times scheduled and we were at the 6:15 setting on the lower level. We sat at a table with four ladies – a retired WWII nurse and her daughter and another nurse with her 93-year old aunt. With my wife being a nurse, you know what we talked about! The food in the Vista was tasty and we were able to sample a variety of different foods. We particularly liked the appetizers and cold soups and had several of each per meal. However, some of the desserts were not so appealing. The last night we had the signature dish – Baked Alaska as the ship brought onboard new ice cream that day when docked at Nassau. Another night we had lobster tales and I had read you needed to order at least two of them, which we did.

 

Being from Kansas City, we like our barbeque. However, we found the food at the ship’s barbeque was unappetizing. In fact, it tasted similar to the food served at lunch at Half Moon Cay. We did like the hamburgers and brats at the grill next to the pool area and ate there several times.

 

Overall, we felt the food on the Princess ships was more tasty, there was more variety, and the presentation was better than on the Zuiderdam. But at least we were able to go a week without having to prepare meals and do the dishes, so that was a plus.

 

 

Entertainment

 

The nightly entertainment onboard ship was excellent. There was a female comedian Julie Barr who performed several nights, along with singer Alfreda Gerald, and James Cielen an illusionist. We really enjoyed the tricks Mr. Cielen performed and he used several animals in his act (including a white poodle). Several days earlier while on the fourth deck, we came across a white poodle prancing down the hall and it confused us. We knew there was a rule that no animals were allowed onboard and here there was a poodle in front of us. It didn’t look like a seeing-eye dog and it wasn’t until it was brought out during the show that it was the same poodle we had seen earlier. We also enjoyed the two shows done by the ship’s professional dancers – one on the 50’s and 60’s and the other doing show tunes. Unfortunately, this is the last week these dancers were to perform on our ship.

 

 

Ship Activities

 

There were many activities onboard the ship each day for us to partake. We walked around the deck of the ship the mornings we did not have any shore excursions. It takes three complete laps for a mile and this is done on Deck 3. Beware that the decks can be wet and slippery and the winds could make your jogging/walking a real task. We did not use either the gym or the spa on this voyage.

 

We visited the library and found a poor selection of books. Being a university library director, Ray scanned the titles and found very few current books available. Also, seldom was there a staff member available to assist us with accessing the collection.

 

The ship photographers snapped our pictures at every port, formal dining room seating, etc. and then tried to sell us the pictures. We didn’t like any of the poses so did not purchase any prints.

 

Another activity we did not try on this cruise was to use the Internet. To do E-mail, it costs 50 cents a minute (slightly cheaper if you buy blocks of time), whereas it is only 35 cents a minute on the Princess ships. We believe HAL should reduce the rate for this service.

 

We watched television programs in our cabin and enjoyed the selection provided by HAL. We enjoyed both the views from the bow and aft of the ship but did not care for the accompanied music selection. There were several movie channels, CNN international, and ESPN sports (usually soccer which we liked).

 

We spent time attending the two art auctions and won several prints which we had framed and sent home. The auction included artists not shown on Princess ships and was performed in a slightly different manner.

 

We brought our laptop computer onboard ship and took hundreds of photographs with our digital cameras. Then at night, we would download these pictures onto the computer and then make a backup onto CD’s. We ended up with almost 1,000 pictures showing all aspects of our trip and some of these will end up on our Web page on the Internet.

 

We also brought along a small stuffed Garfield cat and took many pictures of him around the ship. These photos will be developed into a cruise album starring “Garfield the Cat Taking a Cruise”.

 

 

Daily Activities

 

For the most part, the weather was overcast and we had some rain throughout the week. The waves were also somewhat choppy while traveling to and from the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. The following is a sampling of what we did on our excursions:

 

Half Moon Cay – We tendered over to HAL’s private island about 9 a.m. and walked around the island. There were lockers on the island, but the majority of them were broken, so we ended up carrying our equipment with us all day. After cooling off in the shade for awhile, we ate their barbeque lunch and then snorkeled at the left side of the island near the children’s area. We found that the hut above the rocks to be a great place to put our gear while we snorkeled as it was cool and not crowded. We had brought some small bits of dog food with us and that brought the fish in where we could take some photographs. About 2:30 p.m., we then tendered back to the ship. The water here was cooler than the other ports and there were not as many fish as we had hoped to see. It was a relaxing day and helped us prepare for the rest of the trip.

 

Tortola – We had booked a catamaran/snorkeling cruise through Patouche and was their guests from 9 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. We got on a 49 foot catamaran with 10 other vacationers and sailed to Virgin Gorda where the famed Rocks are located. We walked through the rocks, snorkeled some in the area and then went to Cooper Island for some more snorkeling. They feed us onboard the ship, provided drinks, gave us a history of the region; all for only $90 per person. The weather was overcast and that kept the temperature down some and helped us not to burn so much. We highly recommend this tour.

 

St. Thomas – We took a taxi to Coral World and Coki Beach ($7 per person) and received a $3 off coupon to Coral World from the cab driver. We rented a locker at Coral World for $3 and put our snorkeling gear in it and toured the facilities. There is a large sphere which allowed us to look into the outside coral reefs and see all the fish. There were also several other buildings with various marine life and a nature trail with larger animals. Special pools housed turtles, stingrays and there were iguana all around. One special treat we did was to pet a nurse shark. We then changed into our snorkeling gear and walked several hundred yards to Coki Beach. There were thousands of fish along the coral reef and they all loved my dog food pellets we provided. After snorkeling, we stopped at Havensight Shopping Mall and walked to the K-Mart store (10 minutes away). However, we did not take the gondola up to Paradise Point as the cost was $16 each and the sky was overcast and you could not get a very good view.

 

Nassau –We packed our luggage in the morning and watched as we sailed into Nassau around noon. There was a Disney ship, Carnival ship and the Norwegian Dawn which recently was hit with a huge wave. We walked around the town, visited the busy Straw Market, climbed the 66 steps of the Queen’s Steps and visited the fort nearby. We could see the huge Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island but did not have time to see her. Our opinion of Nassau was that it was a noisy, busy city and we did not feel very comfortable there.

 

 

Cruise Critics

 

One of the best features of this cruise was being involved with other members of Cruise Critic. We had a roll call of over 30 cruisers and have posted 600-plus messages. We talked about our trip for months and helped each other get ready for the voyage. There were cruisers from Washington DC, California, Louisiana, Florida, Boston, New Jersey, Kansas, and even New Zealand. There were even six groups who had cabins next to each other (we had Cruise Critic people from Washington DC and New Zealand on the two sides of us) and we opened up the verandah between our cabins and made one extremely long balcony.

 

We invited Mr. James Deering, Hotel Manager for the “Z” to attend our bon voyage party and he spent over 30 minutes getting to know each and every Cruise Critic member. He took down our names, gave us his card in case we needed anything, and provided us tips on how to enjoy our tour. Mr. Deering also invited us to a reception with Mr. John Scott, the ships captain. We found Mr. Scott to be very friendly and he took pictures will all of us.

 

Our group has corresponded since our return and we are sure this will continue for many months to come. I highly recommend joining a Cruise Critic roll call and carry it through to the end of the cruise.

 

 

Do’s and Don’ts

 

1. Bring an extension cord with you. There are only two outlets: one in the cabin and one in the bathroom. If you have any technical equipment that needs charging up, you will need this cord to handle your needs.

 

2. Go to the bow of the ship for great photographs. If you walk to the front of deck four, there are two separate entrances to the bow. Photographs can be taken there without any Plexiglas barriers. Beware; it can be windy out there.

 

3. On surf and turf night in at dinner, orders at least two lobster tales – one is not enough.

 

4. Read the crisecritic.com religiously before you consider a cruise and before the cruise begins. We read it at least once a week all year round.

 

5. After lunch on the first day, go up to the Crows Nest where it is air conditioned, the scenery is great and the captains chairs are comfortable. We almost fell asleep before they called us to our cabins at 1:30 p.m.

 

6. Don’t let taxi drivers try to sell your tours you don’t want. Ask for the price of a specific location before you get out, have the exact change ready when you get to your destination, and say no for an extended rides (unless you want to).

 

7. There are no self-service laundry services available on the ship. Either you bring enough clothes to wear for the week (we did!) or you pay to have the ship’s personnel do it for you.

 

 

Disembarkment

 

We arrived in port at 6:30 a.m. and docked a half hour later. After breakfast, we went up to our cabin for some final packing and waited until our number was called (which was the final group at 9:45 a.m.) All of our packed luggage had been placed in our hallway before 1 a.m. the night before and had been taken to the hull of the ship. I liked the idea of being able to stay in our room rather than the hallways, especially if you have to wait for over an hour. Getting off the ship with our luggage went smoothly and took less than 15 minutes.

 

We took a cab to the airport which is only a $10 fare. We had until 5:30 p.m. for our plane to take off so had looked for possible shore excursions to fill up time. The one we wanted was cancelled and the other was over $70, so we decided to spend our time in the airport. We just camped out and visited with our Cruise Critic friends and made some new friends also just off their cruises. We discovered that there is a Chili’s sit-down restaurant in Terminal 3 (as well as take-out) and storage space ($5 per bag) where you can leave your luggage. Finally, our plane took off in the middle of a torrential rainstorm. We visited Atlanta and then got home by 10 p.m. in Kansas City.

 

Overall, we enjoyed our cruise on the “Z” and will go cruising again soon. It was a great vacation, with some nice scenery, great friends, and a new appreciation for the Eastern Caribbean.

 

[RichGuy]

My wife and I sailed on the Zui last May and we loved it. Previous opinions are right on: Most everyone that has sailed on the Zui had a great time. It has a lot to do with one's expectations.

 

We liked our cruise so much that we have booked the Zui again for June 18 sailing and we are taking our two teenage boys with us.

 

Also, don't worry about your age. You will be welcome and will have plenty of options for fun activities and excursions.

 

Have a great trip!

[DFD1]

I enjoy these message boards and there is good information here for sure. However, I've found it best for me not to let the posters who have lots of complaints take the wind out of my sails.

 

Some people just like to complain.

 

As for the Zuiderdam, she's had several very successful seasons and generally gets good to great reviews from most who post here.

 

I hope you will sail on her and that you have a wonderful time.

[Tarkus]

with the current zuiderdam hysteria perhaps one of the choices should've been lifted straight-off that cute little FedEx ad: "we're doomed! DOOMED!!"

 

lol

[MessyJessy]

I will still sail the Zuiderdam in September as long as they have ice cream! :D

[ImpulsivePuppy]

my wife and i are in our early 30's and we will be on the z just as you get off on the 10th. i too am a little leary after reading some of the more recent reviews but these are only the opinions of a very, very, small unscientific representative sample of those that have cruised on the z and most reviews are still mostly positive. the hal service is exceptional and though you do not have the nightlife and partying atmosphere that you would on ccl or rc, you will still get a very relaxing cruise. but like you said, your time and money are limited and you should do what feels right to you. but, if you stick with the z I do not think you will be dissapointed. Truth is, no matter what ship you book, if you look at enough reciews here on cc you will find some negative ones. have fun!

[Crescoia]

I actually like the Zuiderdam, and like to look at the bright side of all the negative reviews. That is, since cruising is a supply and demand business, HAL seems to not sell out the Zuiderdam as fast as other cruises making her fares a bit cheaper. At least this has been what I've observed in watching cruise prices.

[RuthC]

I have no plans to sail her. And my reasons for not wanting to sail her may very well be what makes her a good ship for you.

 

She's too large; I don't want that long a walk from the dining room to the show lounge.

Her itineraries are too short; I prefer cruises much longer than 7 days.

She has no self-service laundry; clothes need cleaning and I prefer to do my own washing.

She specializes in the Caribbean; baked, stuffed RuthC is not a pretty sight:eek: . I'll be interested in seeing the reports after she does an Alaska season.

She's geared toward families; I want to sail with few---if any---children.

Her passenger base appears to be younger than I prefer; (see note re: children). I like music in the lounges from an earlier era than the Zuiderdam seems to have; they stopped writing good music (for the most part) sometime around 1950;) .

[Ray-Barbara]

I say - go for it! Don't let the negative reviews (especially from Krazy Kruisers) keep you from going on the "Z". Sure, we had a refrigerator problem on our cruise last week, but it should be fixed by now. Even then, we had enough good food to fill our stomachs. We also had a great time. So, go ahead and book your cruise on the Zuiderdam - you'll like it! In fact, I wish I were back on board this ship now instead of at work.

Ray

[ryansmemom]

I do not plan to sail on the Zuiderdam for two reasons. First of all, she is too large. I prefer smaller ships because I am mobility challenged. I can, for the most part manage a smaller ship without resorting to using a wheel chair. This helps me feel more "normal" and I do not feel I want to sacrifice that. It definitly enhances my experience.

 

Secondly, the itineraries are too short. I prefer 10+ days. However, even if HAL were to change the itinerary, the size of the ship would keep me from sailing on her.

 

The other factors that people cite are not really an issue for me. I enjoy being with people of all walks of life and ages. I will admit I prefer that they be happy, not cranky or ill-mannered. But that is not a factor of age or socioeconomic status.

 

Linda

[pklopp]

Thanks, Linda, for giving us your view - certainly valid reasons why not to cruise on the Zui, and probably beneficial to a lot of people.

Peggy

[FCOWHER]

DW and I were on the Zuiderdam 4/23/05. We are 34 and 35 and we had a great cruise. The food was very good, the balcony cabin was nice, but what made the cruise great was the crew's attitude. I never passed a crew member when they did not greet me with a smile and a friendly, "good morning sir". I think James Deering does an exceptional job with his staff and he ensures that great service is provided. We loved the Zuiderdam. The only knock I would have is that we did not meet many other couples our age. But we didn't expect there to be a young crowd. We are currently looking forward to planning our next HAL cruise. Joe V.

 

Serenade of the Seas 12/31/05

 

Zuiderdam 4/23/05

Princess 3 times

QE2 1 time

Royal Caribbean 2 times

Royal Majesty 1 time

Carnival 1 time

[doone]

I was not a fan of the Vista Style ships and then reading all the negative reviews, I was really never going to sail them. Then a group of my friends decided to take a "girls" cruise and the Zuiderdam won out of all the cruise lines and ships. I was very leary, but figured, hey, what the heck, I'll give it a try.

 

Seems like after I booked the Zuiderdam there was bad review after bad review. I was truly sorry I booked her and really wanted to cancel it. We did not cancel it and I flew to Ft. Lauderdale very apprehensive as to what my Zuiderdam experience would be.

 

My fears were short-lived after about 5 minutes on the Zuiderdam. We loved it. We had a wonderful time, the crew couldn't have been better, the food was excellent, the entertainment was ok, but we made the best of it. To be honest with you, I loved the Zuiderdam, much to my surprise. It wasn't perfect, but what vacation is, we rolled with the punches, had many laughs and are now planning another cruise/vacation for when we all turn 50. I wouldn't mind returning to the Zuiderdam to be honest with you.

 

So, take what you read here with a grain of salt, go with a positive attitude, you can't help but have a great time. As many have written here and I have to agree, a bad day at sea beats a good day at work everytime!!!!!!

[Ray-Barbara]

Doone:

Good comments. Take reviews from Krazy Kruizers and others with a grain of salt. Look for the more objective ones.

Ray

[jaguarstyper]

My wife and I, both in our early 40s sailed on Zuiderdam for the first time in April '04. We had one of the aft corner S suites, with the huge verandah, and just loved it. I dont think there is a nicer cabin on any other ship (besides HAL's other vista ships) at any price. We used the verandah constantly and now, we cant imagine not having a large, roomy verandah to chill out on. The rest of the ship was great too. While we both thought the dining room experience was a too noisy and rushed, it was no worse than other mass market cruise lines. We loved the Pinnacle Grill and ate there almost every meal after the first 3 nights in the main dining room. To us, it was well worth the upcharge. We have sailed on Carnivale and on Seabourn, so we've seen pretty much the whole spectrum. We found HAL, and Zuiderdam in particular, to be a very very happy medium. I wish we could afford to sail on Seabourn more often, but, alas we cannot.

 

I'm betting you love the Zuiderdam. Please report back after your cruise...

 

Tim

[Ray-Barbara]

Sounds like jaguarstyper is another satisfied customer. Let's let all the newbies know that the "Z" is a great ship to sail on.

 

Ray

[ImpulsivePuppy]

they stopped writing good music (for the most part) sometime around 1950;) .

 

What about Neil Diamond? :)

[doone]

I love Neil Diamond. Just got tickets to see him in Boston August 16th!!!!

 

I wonder if HAL will ever book Neil Diamond for their entertainment some day? If they do, I sure hope I am onboard.