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Just off the Zuiderdam 1/13 Sailing

idiebabe

By idiebabe,
in Holland America Line

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idiebabe

idiebabe

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We just debarked this past Friday from the 11 Night Sailing. There were six (6) of us travelling together. My DH, DD, DS, my 87 yr old Mom and a DF who flew over from Ireland for the cruise. We had a total of four (4) rooms.

 

Just a little background on us: My DH & I did this Itinerary on the Zui two years ago. We are 3 Star on HAL and Diamond on Carnival (with a few other lines thrown in), this was my DD's 19th Cruise (2nd on HAL with the first one last year on NA), my Mom and DS's 11th cruise and Maria's first cruise. This cruise was a Birthday present for my Mom who always wanted to see the Canal!

 

Since there has been so much talk of A/C and plumbing problems I'll start off with that!

 

Staterooms: DH & I: 6105, Mom & DS: 6107, Maria: 6081 and Steph (who took a last minute upsell): 4047.

 

We had NO problems with the A/C in any of the rooms. It was actually cold and we never had to have the setting down on the lowest but kept it more toward the 1/2 way mark (even in Cartagena and the Canal). Except for one incident there were no problems with the plumbing and found the water pressure to be very good with the Shower in all the rooms. The morning after we had just anchored in Gatun Lake Maria's toilet (6081) had a problem flushing and she reported it. It was fixed within an hour.

 

We did have a problem with Room Keys working especially DD's, 4047. That's a whole other post! :eek:

 

Embark: We arrived shortly after Boarding started and it went very smooth!

 

MDR: We had a wonderful Waitstaff and the service was very, very good! Our Wine Steward, Rod, was also excellent!

 

More to come!

 

Eileen

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RJ2002

RJ2002

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We just debarked this past Friday from the 11 Night Sailing. There were six (6) of us travelling together. My DH, DD, DS, my 87 yr old Mom and a DF who flew over from Ireland for the cruise. We had a total of four (4) rooms.

 

Just a little background on us: My DH & I did this Itinerary on the Zui two years ago. We are 3 Star on HAL and Diamond on Carnival (with a few other lines thrown in), this was my DD's 19th Cruise (2nd on HAL with the first one last year on NA), my Mom and DS's 11th cruise and Maria's first cruise. This cruise was a Birthday present for my Mom who always wanted to see the Canal!

 

Since there has been so much talk of A/C and plumbing problems I'll start off with that!

 

Staterooms: DH & I: 6105, Mom & DS: 6107, Maria: 6081 and Steph (who took a last minute upsell): 4047.

 

We had NO problems with the A/C in any of the rooms. It was actually cold and we never had to have the setting down on the lowest but kept it more toward the 1/2 way mark (even in Cartagena and the Canal). Except for one incident there were no problems with the plumbing and found the water pressure to be very good with the Shower in all the rooms. The morning after we had just anchored in Gatun Lake Maria's toilet (6081) had a problem flushing and she reported it. It was fixed within an hour.

 

We did have a problem with Room Keys working especially DD's, 4047. That's a whole other post! :eek:

 

Embark: We arrived shortly after Boarding started and it went very smooth!

 

MDR: We had a wonderful Waitstaff and the service was very, very good! Our Wine Steward, Rod, was also excellent!

 

More to come!

 

Eileen

 

Welcome back and thanks for your initial report.

 

So very glad to hear that you didn't have any A/C trouble!

 

Looking forward to more details from your cruise.

 

Thanks.

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idiebabe

idiebabe

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Thank you for the warm Welcome Back! :)

 

Embark Day: After dropping off our Carry On things at the Rooms (and checking out everyone's Rooms) we headed to Lido for lunch. We all had an array of food amongst us from Sandwiches, Burgers, etc. and thought the food was very good! Our only complaint on the Deli was they put very little meat and cheese on the Sandwiches. I don't like a lot of meat but do like more than one piece! lol Not a problem though as they were very accommodating and as the cruise went on knew how we liked it made. :)

 

We never did make it to the MDR for lunch on this Cruise and opted for our "regular" table in Lido.

 

We then headed down to Front Desk to book the Cooking Class with the Guest Chef. Maria was unsure if she wanted to do it so we booked for five (5) of us. When she went down two days later to book it was full and she was put on a Waitlist. The Cooking Class was held on the next to last Sea Day. More on that later!

 

We also had to add Steph & Maria into our "Promo" Pinnacle Ressie since they did not have the Pinnacle promo. Front Desk informed us what night it was set for and changed the Ressie to six ppl. We had Late Seating and they had assigned us a 7:30 p.m. Ressie which really worked out nice!

 

After that we all pretty much settled in with unpacking, going for an Afternoon Drink and doing what everyone does on Embark Day! This is when the Key problems started especially with 4047!

 

As mentioned we had Main Seating for 7:45 p.m. We had requested a Table for 6 upon booking but somehow we ended up at a Table for 8 (scratching my head). The two Ladies they assigned to our Table were very nice but we really wanted to just sit with our Family. We had not seen Maria in over two years and we wanted to give my Mom our attention. My DH talked with the Maitre'd the next day and they moved us to a 6 Top. We stopped by and spoke with the Ladies and explained as we didn't want them to think we didn't like them! It worked out for all as they added others to our original table and the Ladies seemed happy! :)

 

We all thought the food in the MDR was very good! We ate at Pinnacle once and also the one night for Le Cirque. We thought the choices were very good and 99% of the time the food was served hot. We sent soup back two of the nights in the MDR as it was not hot enough but Ship happens! Again, our Waitstaff was excellent as was Rod!

 

Pinnacle: We had a really nice dining experience and thought the food overall was very good. There have been some changes and to be quite frank I like the old Menu better. I had the lamb chops and they were very tender and cooked mid-rare (just the way I like it) but those that had the Steak said it wasn't as tender as it should have been.

 

Le Cirque: This was held the night of Costa Rica and this was our 2nd time and everyone else's first Le Cirque meal. I made the Ressie a few weeks before sailing and they only had either a real early one or an 8:30 open for 6 ppl. We took the 8:30 and it was packed when we arrived (although our table was waiting for us). It was very noisy in there and we had four "cacklers" next to us (even the two men cackled..lol) so it was nice when they finished up and left. Much better ambience! I had the lamb which again was very tender and everyone was happy with the Steak. I really enjoy the Caesar Salad and it's presentation! We left after 11:00 and then had the 4047 Key fiasco (more on that later!)

 

Hope I'm not rambling too much (my first review)!

 

Eileen

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shrimp56

shrimp56

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Thanks for your Zuidy report. Sounds like a good trip, keys aside.

 

I had one key issue towards the end of our Christmas cruise, which was solved by a quick trip to the front desk. Fortunately it only happened once. Cabin was 7020. It's the first problem we've had with keys in 4 HAL cruises. We, too, loved the lamb in PG.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

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Blondebomb

Blondebomb

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Hi Eileen,

 

My husband and I were on Zuiderdam with you. Great ship, grand time. We were in Cabin 7099 and experience No A/C issues at anytime. Met many others on board and NO ONE was experiencing issues this cruise. ( yes I asked, I admit I was concerned. Hopefully all is fixed.)

 

Keep up the good review. I would add more but we have been plowing snow for days since we got home. Ugh Makes me wish we were on Zuidy now!

 

Susan from Indiana ( Zero degree's and SNOW)

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idiebabe

idiebabe

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Thank you, All! Sorry for the delay but "back to reality" got in the way!

 

Ah...The Room Keys!

 

Steph was issued a "Room Only" Key for my Room (6105) and Maria was issued one for 6107. Room 6107 never had a key issue. Our Room (6105) and Maria's 6081 key only had an issue on the 1st and 2nd Day.

 

Steph's, 4047, didn't work upon Embark and the "Room Only" key failed to work a few times over the course of the cruise. When we went to check out her room and drop off her stuff we couldn't get in and a Room Attendant passing by opened the door for her. This was to be her first trip to Front Desk, her first Replacement Card and many more to follow! Other cruisers were at FD at that time for the same problem. By the end of the cruise she probably had 15 - 20 visits to Front Desk! She said they all started to hide when they saw her coming! :D She also had a few Replacement Cards done by a Front Desk Staff member who came up to our Room, a Bar Server from the Ocean Bar, and Michelle, Guest Services Manager, who came up to our Room.

 

Front Desk kept insisting she was demagnetizing the Cards although she had her Room Key on a Lanyard around her neck or separated in the envelope we receive them in. They would tell my DH and/or Steph that if it happens again we'll get a locksmith to check on the locks. It wasn't until after the Le Cirque Dinner incident that they reacted and sent the locksmith the next day (two days before Debark) and magically there were no more problems!

 

We left Le Cirque a little after 11:00 p.m. and Steph brought with her an Irish Coffee. We told her to call so we knew she got in o.k. When she didn't call or answer my DH headed to her room and saw the Irish Coffee sitting by her door (she never did drink it). He headed to FD and just missed Steph who was already there. At this point they both separately told FD they wanted to speak to the Hotel Director but, of course, no one was available higher up than the two Staff Members on.

 

The next a.m. Michelle came up to our Room and took all our keys and finally had the locksmith check the locks. Voila, some adjustments made and no more problems! Something that should have been done on Day 2 or 3! :rolleyes:

 

Well, one little problem! Michelle accidentally gave Steph back the old keys and not the new replacement ones. :eek: When she went to buy the pre-dinner round of drinks her card didn't work! The Server said that they were showing up with some code meaning "replaced"! LOL He personally then went down and got her the replacements! So, that's the Key Card Fiasco!

 

Just want to mention that Steph and her DH (who couldn't cruise with us on this one) are booked with my DH and I for Alaska . We are booked on the Carnival Miracle and the Zuiderdam for the same time period and need to cancel one. We told Steph before this cruise that you pick which Ship you and Kevin would like to do Alaska on!

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startwin

startwin

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Just to share.... I had a continual problem with my room key for 7088 on my Alaska cruise on the Z.:( During the 7 days I must have had to have it replaced 7 times! It was also on lanyard around my neck. It was so frustrating to have to keep going back to the concierge, and if they were busy with someone I had to go down to the front office.

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idiebabe

idiebabe

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Hi Eileen,

 

My husband and I were on Zuiderdam with you. Great ship, grand time. We were in Cabin 7099 and experience No A/C issues at anytime. Met many others on board and NO ONE was experiencing issues this cruise. ( yes I asked, I admit I was concerned. Hopefully all is fixed.)

 

Keep up the good review. I would add more but we have been plowing snow for days since we got home. Ugh Makes me wish we were on Zuidy now!

 

Susan from Indiana ( Zero degree's and SNOW)

 

Hi Susan,

 

Thank you! I must have been typing and didn't see your post. We had a GREAT cruise and really enjoyed the Ship, too!

 

I didn't hear anyone complain either and those who I asked said the same thing that there were no problems with A/C or toilets. A couple of Ladies in the elevator looked at me strangely when I asked if their plumbing worked! (I guess they're not on CC.) :D

 

Stay safe and warm! More snow on the way! I'm in Myrtle Beach, SC and we're in a Winter Storm Warning! :eek: We'll probably get an inch! :D

 

Eileen

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jankn

jankn

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Just wanted to add my thanks for posting your review. We are booked on the next Zuiderdam cruise, very anxious and nearly packed, and your mostly positive review makes me much more anxious....We have done this same cruise twice before and love it more each time, I guess this is the first time we will be in Cartegena Columbia, so that will be something different....our favorite port is Curacao... anyplace warm will be great tho, today our windchill temp is 26 below zero, actual temp below zero all day...uggg

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idiebabe

idiebabe

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Just to share.... I had a continual problem with my room key for 7088 on my Alaska cruise on the Z.:( During the 7 days I must have had to have it replaced 7 times! It was also on lanyard around my neck. It was so frustrating to have to keep going back to the concierge, and if they were busy with someone I had to go down to the front office.

 

It is frustrating for sure!

 

Ports:

 

Half Moon Cay: We had planned on just doing the Trolley Tour there as it would be easy for my Mom. We never made it in due to the winds and swells. We stopped for awhile and then the Captain came on and announced it would be too unsafe to try and tender everyone over. I totally agree with his decision!

 

Aruba: We had booked a private to do an Island Tour. We did this Tour a couple of years ago with Bully's Taxi and really enjoyed it. Bully can only take up to five (5) ppl so I booked with Howard Folkes. The tour was wonderful, Howard was very, very good with my Mom (she has some mobility issues due to her knees) and we really enjoyed the day! Weather was beautiful!

 

Curacao: Steph, DH and I planned on heading to the Beach. Mom, DS and Maria did the Trolley Tour (again easy for my Mom) and enjoyed it. We docked at Mega Pier and were the only Ship in. I prefer Mathey! We had another beautiful day and all met back up for lunch!

 

Cartagena: Our first time there! We booked a tour with Lee Miles (Mister Emerald). Dora was a bit more money and I liked the communication with Lee. Our Guide was Nilda and she was very good! The tour took us to La Popa, the Fort, Old Town, etc. Another great day (but HOT)!

 

Gatun Lock: This was my 2nd time on the Zuidy doing the Itinerary and 3rd visit to Gatun Lock with another Cruise Line. I love the Canal and a full transit is definitely on my bucket list!

 

We got up at 5:00 a.m. and one of the priorities was to get my Mom a good seat up in Crow's Nest. We headed up with Mom and my DS about 5:30 a.m. and they were able to get the last two seats that had full frontal viewing. She had always wanted to see the Canal and we were so happy that it all worked out with her having a good spot to view it! Mission Accomplished!

 

Mike, Steph and I headed down to Deck 6 but the doors weren't open yet so we headed down to the Bow and had a good spot at the rail on the side. When they opened up 5, 6 & 7 we headed up to Deck 6 and stayed there for the transit through Gatun into the Lake.

 

We stayed onboard and on the way back through went to various spots around the Ship and then settled in on the Balcony for awhile.

 

Awesome morning, wonderful Day and love those Panama Rolls! :)

 

Puerto Limon: I had booked a private with Javca Tours for a 3 in 1 Tour. Tortugera Canal, Dole Plantation and City and Countryside tour. It was raining! It rained all morning! Having done this tour before we thought it best for my Mom not to go. We decided to stay on with her and the others went on the tour. They missed the Boat Ride as it was raining really hard but enjoyed the rest of the tour very much and really enjoyed, Freedom, the Tour Guide!

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idiebabe

idiebabe

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Just wanted to add my thanks for posting your review. We are booked on the next Zuiderdam cruise, very anxious and nearly packed, and your mostly positive review makes me much more anxious....We have done this same cruise twice before and love it more each time, I guess this is the first time we will be in Cartegena Columbia, so that will be something different....our favorite port is Curacao... anyplace warm will be great tho, today our windchill temp is 26 below zero, actual temp below zero all day...uggg

 

You're welcome and Thank You! :) I'm jealous...wish I was still on her!

 

It was our first time in Cartagena and we really enjoyed it!

 

Have a GREAT cruise! :)

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idiebabe

idiebabe

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Things we did around the Ship!

 

We would play Trivia up in Crow's Nest, went to a Cooking Demo with the Guest Chef and also did the Cooking Class with the Guest Chef, Slot Tourney, lounged out, went to daily Happy Hour, Wine Tasting, and, of course, gained 5 pounds eating, etc.

 

Enjoyed the Q&A with the Captain. Someone asked him about the worst Seas he's ever been in and he said sailing around the Horn. Guess where we're going in March? Around the Horn on the Zaandam! Hope for calmer seas on our sailing than the Captain had! :D

 

To sum it up:

 

I was concerned, too, with the reports of the A/C, toilets, etc. and also the comments about the Ship being "worn", "tired", etc.

 

Our A/C worked great, no problems with toilets (except Maria's for an hour).

 

I agree the Ship needs a little TLC with replacing cushions on the balcony chairs, etc. and, yes, in some areas the décor is a bit odd where in other areas the décor is really very nice. However, this isn't a deal breaker for us!

 

More importantly, the Staff and Crew were very friendly and service was excellent! The food was very good (on Lido, MDR, Pinnacle) as was the menu selections! Room Service was excellent! The food always arrived hot and my tea water was always HOT!

 

We enjoyed the Shows especially the Comedian (wish they would have more), Illusionist, Crew Show (I still enjoy watching them perform), DWTS and having pre-dinner drinks listening to the HalCats.

 

Ship happens as far as the room key fiasco and, hopefully, if someone is reading this and has a similar problem it will help them to get it resolved sooner than they resolved Steph's.

 

Steph is Platinum on Carnival and we're Diamond. We love Carnival's Spirit Class Ships especially their Steakhouse. We asked Steph which Ship should we all do Alaska and the answer is the Zuiderdam! (Hopefully, no room key problems in Alaska!) :D

 

We had a wonderful cruise and a very memorable one! :) Everyone with upcoming sailings on her have a GREAT cruise (wish we were going, too)! :)

 

Eileen

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