Is the zuiderdam really that bad

[cruisin'girl]

Peaches, we were posting at the same time with much the same sentiments to express.

I agree with you and Peaches from Georgia. Every time that one poster says "HAL checked the temp and it was within their acceptable range" it is said as if that settles the issue. Drives me bonkers.

Edited November 30, 2013 by cruisin'girl

[iancal]

There are multiple reports of cabins with no A/C on Zuiderdam. They all cannot be exaggerating, have problems with perception, or simply not telling the truth.

 

It really does not matter to me what HAL's acceptable temperature range is nor does it matter to me that the posters have not said how hot it is. What they have said is that it was very hot, no air, and this negatively impacted their cruise. As it would mine or most anyone else's-notwithstanding any foolish HAL 'acceptable temperature range' comment.

 

Does anyone really think that the temperature range would be acceptable given no AC, probably little ventilation, in a tiny cabin in the heat of the Panama canal??

 

Posters need to get realistic and accept the many postings on this board, Why frighten people away from reporting by making frivolous comments about the acceptable HAL range of temperature. These negative comments are not of the ilk that the "MDR was terrible because I did not like the salad dressing" or I found a fingerprint on the sliding door.

[CowPrincess]

Re acceptable range of temperatures

 

As I've mentioned previously, for one night our AC was not working on the Ryndam.

 

We called the Front Desk, and a person came to test the temp. She said it was "outside the acceptable range" and got someone fixing the problem immediately. When we next saw her (on shore) we thanked her for looking after the problem so quickly. I asked her what the temp reading was in our cabin and she said "78 degrees". So there you go, apparently 78 degrees is enough to get maintenance out at 10 p.m. Having said that, though, to us if felt as though it was closer to 88F or 90F.

 

Take from that what you wish.

[MermaidWatcher]

Was this the same cruise where it was reported that ship personnel measured the temperature in those allegedly affected cabins three times a day and found them to be within what HAL determined to be their acceptable ranges for cabin temperature? Hard to keep track of what happened on what cruise and what in fact were the cabin's temperatures as independently recorded.

 

I have seen numerous mention in posts of HAL personnel checking temperature and trying to convince the occupants that it was within their acceptable range, but I did not hear of that happening on the 11/8 sailing, not to say that it did not, but I can't say. All the folks I talked to said it was not a problem of inadequate ac, it was that the ac was not working at all. Don't know if that was the case for all rooms, or if there was a mixture of poor performance and no performance. Once again, in the interest of a fair and honest post, I must say that we were not in any of the problematic rooms, and had an excellent cruise.

Edited December 1, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[Zyzygy]

We sailed on the Zuidy last October on an 11-day partial Panama Canal and are sailing again in a few weeks.

 

Both the toilets and AC worked just fine. One public toilet got clogged on one occasion, and that was it.

 

I can understand that there are air conditioning issues when one passenger leaves his/her verandah door propped open while the ship is under sail. The forward motion of the ship sucks the available air out of the ventilation system from all the adjoining cabins.

 

I must confess to being one of the miscreants who sometimes does this.

 

I have learned to set the thermostat to "neutral", i.e., the same temperature as the ambient outside air. This shuts down the AC (or heat) in my cabin and no longer sucks the air flow away from my neighbors.

 

Setting the temperature to "neutral" is harder than it should be, as HAL's thermostats are not set in degrees, but simply an unnumbered scale from warmer to cooler. Nor is there any switch to turn the ventilation system completely off.

 

It is extremely puzzling to me why HAL does not have an interlock switch on the verandah door, which would automatically shut off the AC when the verandah door is open. Even older Carnival ships have this feature.

 

It is all the more puzzling that there is no cutoff switch, as it is my understanding that HAL ships are made at the same Italian shipyard as Carnival's.

 

Perhaps HAL's management assumed that HAL's guests would be less gauche than those on Carnival and would not be tempted to leave their doors open. If so, management was wrong.

 

If someone is going to be a scofflaw and leave their verandah door open for any period of time, they should have the courtesy to adjust their thermostat to "neutral". Or...HAL should be more aggressive about policing those who leave their doors open when their neighbors aren't getting any air.

 

If my selfish conduct is causing discomfort to my neighbors, I don't mind being told to follow the rules. I'll just bend them, however, so long as I don't believe I'm causing any harm.

[OlsSalt]

Here is the original member review posted on CC by pattyann who reports her A/C issues on the Oct 13, 2012 Zuiderdam and the subsequent measuring by staff for the HAL established "acceptable temperature range" She provides her cabin number 7065:

 

We just returned on November 8th from a Panama Canal cruise on MS Zuiderdam. We were in Suite 7065, right across from the Neptune Lounge and had minimal air conditioning the entire cruise. What should've been an awesome cruise was diminished quite a bit by the discomfort we experienced.

 

The concierge ladies were quite sympathetic but said that the engineers had told them that there was nothing that could be done, that the a/c was operating at full capacity. Since there was barely a whisper of air coming out of either of the vents, we found that awfully hard to believe.

 

Tests were performed three times daily that indicated that our room was two degrees less than the "Acceptable Range". The solution was to give us an oscillating fan which effectively did nothing except keep the air moving. When we showered, the cabin was almost unbearably warm and we started perspiring as soon as we got out of the shower. And this was showering with cool water!!

 

We were interested to learn that many others were experiencing a/c problems; DH saw the concierge's list and it seemed as though there were at least 10 suites having problems and were being checked several times each day. Since this was not a new problem to the ship, why has it not been taken care of?? How can HAL allow this sort of situation to continue, especially in light of what we and others paid to go on this cruise?

[kazu]

Here is the original member review posted on CC by pattyann who reports her A/C issues on the Oct 13, 2012 Zuiderdam and the subsequent measuring by staff for the HAL established "acceptable temperature range" She provides her cabin number 7065:

 

We just returned on November 8th from a Panama Canal cruise on MS Zuiderdam. We were in Suite 7065, right across from the Neptune Lounge and had minimal air conditioning the entire cruise. What should've been an awesome cruise was diminished quite a bit by the discomfort we experienced.

 

The concierge ladies were quite sympathetic but said that the engineers had told them that there was nothing that could be done, that the a/c was operating at full capacity. Since there was barely a whisper of air coming out of either of the vents, we found that awfully hard to believe.

 

Tests were performed three times daily that indicated that our room was two degrees less than the "Acceptable Range". The solution was to give us an oscillating fan which effectively did nothing except keep the air moving. When we showered, the cabin was almost unbearably warm and we started perspiring as soon as we got out of the shower. And this was showering with cool water!!

 

We were interested to learn that many others were experiencing a/c problems; DH saw the concierge's list and it seemed as though there were at least 10 suites having problems and were being checked several times each day. Since this was not a new problem to the ship, why has it not been taken care of?? How can HAL allow this sort of situation to continue, especially in light of what we and others paid to go on this cruise?

 

Oh good , another post about the acceptable range. Actually this post proves that the 'acceptable' range is not 'acceptable' to most people.

 

So, HAL can call it whatever they want - people weren't happy. End of story. They paid for the cruise. HAL didn't and neither did you. :rolleyes:

[OlsSalt]

Oh good , another post about the acceptable range. Actually this post proves that the 'acceptable' range is not 'acceptable' to most people.

 

So, HAL can call it whatever they want - people weren't happy. End of story. They paid for the cruise. HAL didn't and neither did you. :rolleyes:

 

Any ship has to operate according to some level of reasonable standards. And if this does not work for "most people" it will show up in the bottom line. But if some people find those standards unacceptable, it is perfectly appropriate to take their business elsewhere. Not sure where the point of controversy is here.

[kazu]

Any ship has to operate according to some level of reasonable standards. And if this does not work for "most people" it will show up in the bottom line. But if some people find those standards unacceptable, it is perfectly appropriate to take their business elsewhere. Not sure where the point of controversy is here.

 

Really??? take a look at the 1* ratings for this ship. I believe you asked about them on another thread.

 

The point is the review you quoted the people were not happy - we have heard over and over and over again about 'acceptable levels'. But acceptable levels are not defined so it gets a bit old to hear something that has no bearing over and over again.

 

My point was simply that when YOU have paid for it - you have a certain expectation. It might just be a few cabins - but please don't let it be mine. If I had PAID and had this - my review would not have been so kind and HAL would have found me at the front desk/concierge/whomever

 

My point is simply that if you did experience and had paid for your cruise, the acceptable level gets tiresome. As I reported I had a temporary issue, but we got it resolved. If it had persisted for the entire cruise I would probably not sail HAL again.

 

That's one of the reasons we have not returned to Celebrity. If you can't enjoy the cabin you paid for - it's not much fun. Oh and Celebrity's reply - 'we were within acceptable levels' - so please, don't get me started. I've been in their shoes, walked in their moccasins so to speak - when you have, we can talk.;):rolleyes:

Edited December 1, 2013 by kazu

[OlsSalt]

The acceptable levels for cabin temperature is something HAL sets. Good to know what they are before one signs up. If HAL refuses to tell you this, then by all means go to another cruise line who will guarantee this for you.

[startwin]

The acceptable levels for cabin temperature is something HAL sets. Good to know what they are before one signs up. If HAL refuses to tell you this, then by all means go to another cruise line who will guarantee this for you.

 

Nice of you to tell people to go to another cruise line - I bet HAL would be so impressed at you sending their business elsewhere.:rolleyes:

[rjgdjg]

Hi-

 

We took the Panama Canal trip on the Zuiderdam a few years ago and had a terrific trip. HAL did a great job setting up the experience with narration by an excellent lecturer, hot drinks on the deck, etc.

 

We didn't have any problems on board and the only negative was that the decorations are a bit loud for my taste; unless they've made changes in the last few years, there are a lot of bright colors.

 

That being said, I enjoyed the trip immensely and would not hesitate to sail on the Zuiderdam again.

 

Fyi, the experience described in the earlier post about the a/c can--and does--happen on other ships, with other cruise lines, as well as in some hotels. Travel enough and you'll see it all! - Diana, http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com