A Princess cruiser's Long Review of 8/13 Zuiderdam

[MikeDMess]

This is my long and thorough review of my Zuiderdam cruise 8/13 to 8/20. My wife and me are in our early 30’s. We have been on 13 cruises, (4) Princess and (4) RCCL being the last 8. We took this Western Caribbean cruise with our 13 yr old son.

 

 

Embarkation: The terminal staff are very friendly, however the lines moved much slower than they do on Princess. As many other posters mentioned we are not allowed to our cabins until 1:30 pm so we ate at the very crowded buffet.

 

Disembarkation: We received our luggage tags but had no idea when we were going to be called. Since we booked our own flight this was a concern. Princess gives you a schedule that shows the approximate time your color will be called. After 10:00 am we finally walked off the ship even though the color was not called. The previous night our son placed his luggage outside the cabin without a color tag. When we were in the terminal the HAL staff helped us look for it without us even asking. They are very good in the terminal. Maybe HAL should consider hiring them for the ship.

 

Cabin: We were in Cabin 5154, a standard veranda category. It beats Princess’ “Grand class” veranda cabins in size, especially the bathroom with it’s bathtub. The décor is a bit un-inspiring with a plastic floor in the bathroom. The only color in the bathroom (besides the orange shower curtain) were 4 tiles that looked like someone bought them at a garage sale and glued them to the wall. The towels are very rough.

 

The veranda was nice. At first the floor which is painted to look like wood seemed more classier than Princess’ plastic mats, however, it proved to be less practical as it is more noisy when the balcony above or aside you drags furniture around. The furniture is wicker with a cushion on one of the two chairs, nicer than Princess’ plastic set-up, however, there is no table outside to comfortably eat on. This was disappointing as we look forward to eating breakfast on our balcony.

 

I heard more through these walls than I did on any other ship. Although it was not a naissance to me, I was able to hear peoples conversations through the walls and the elevator ringing. I’d like to know the genius who decided to have the elevator ring every time it passes your floor. Yes, even though the elevator does not stop on your floor it rings 2 times as it passes. If you are a light sleeper stay away.

 

Refrigerator or Mini-Bar? We had a stocked mini bar, but no prices were left in the cabin. We had our 13 year old with us and told him not drink anything. We placed our two bottles of wine we purchased in Ft. Lauderdale into the refrig., but it was removed on the 5th day of the cruise and the refrigerator was locked. What was going on? When I complained to the cabin steward he told me he had nothing to do with the mini bar and brought me a bucket of ice to keep a bottle in. When I did see the mini bar guy one day when leaving the cabin I sarcastically thanked him for removing my wine and locking the door. I don’t think he got it.

 

Our cabin steward was good. He always stuck his head out of the cabin he was cleaning to greet us by name. I think it would make it easier for the cabin stewards if HAL gave us a door sign that read “ please clean my room” similar to Princess and RCCL. We had our door opened too often by our cabin steward and the throw lock does not keep him out.

 

SHIP: Of all the ships we have been on we are wowed by RCCL ships. HAL is the ugliest ship we have been on. It is not the bright colors we didn’t like as many people mention. The hallways, for instance, are tan with gray doors and blue carpet with “pot holes” underneath. No artwork at all. Come on HAL, dress it up a bit.

 

On deck, how about a few plants to break things up? They do have comfortable padded lounge chairs midship on deck 10. However, why do they stack away the chairs at about 5 pm? Almost all chairs are put away. We were laying out about 5 ish along with a few others and the deck hand was removing the pads and re-arranging the chairs very loudly. I believe his purpose was to get rid of us so he can do his job. It worked for the most part because many people left as he got close to where they were laying. When he got to me I stayed and he just pounded the chairs around me. I think it is ridiculous. Even the chairs around the Lido pool were stacked up many evenings. Why? Why do they close the pools and hot tubs? It seems they don’t want anyone outside. They should just chain the doors shut. That would be easier.

 

The Casino is small and the disco is even smaller. Needs way more seating. The library has its 20 books locked behind glass doors. Where’s the trust? RCCL and Princess have way more books and actually trust their passengers to return the books.

 

SERVICE:

 

It’s the several little things that shows the lack of caring to provide good service. I will give you only 2 examples, but they add up throughout the cruise and at the end you think to yourself this is not a premium cruise as was expected.

 

#1. We ordered 2 pina coladas out on deck (one of the very few times we saw a bar waiter). When we received our drinks we were handed them without napkins. After a few minutes my wife and I both had our shirts stained from the dripping from the red cherries. When she asked for a napkin she was told by the bar waiter that napkins were available at the bar one deck down. Gee thanks….

 

#2 At the Desert Extravaganza: After loading our plates with delicious deserts we looked for a table to sit at. There was no staff to direct us to any tables and since there seemed to be very few unoccupied tables we chose an empty one near the window that overlooks the wake of the ship. However, it was previously occupied. By the way, many others were also sitting at tables previously used. When we sat the waiter looked at us and continued doing something at the station. We waited a few minutes and no silverware. The people next to us asked for silverware and he walked right next to us and gave it to them. When we realized he was going to walk away we asked him for silverware too. We got one fork each, no napkin, no spoon, no cup for cofee. After a good 10 minutes we were able to grab a waiter who was serving coffee. Instead of saying sure I’ll get you a cup, he says we shouldn’t just sit anywhere we want. That is why there is no coffee cup? WHAT?

 

In each of the above examples we were polite and never nasty.

 

Bar Service: I never thought I would say this, but where’s the bar service? When we were laying out on deck, and even on Half Moon Cay, we had to look and wait for a bar waiter, I usually walked down a deck to the bar.

 

Buffet Service: I read about the different stations (Italian, deli, Asian) and had high expectations. The buffet always had lines and the fact that they serve you the main food (as opposed to self service) slows things down. Hey HAL, how about putting 2 servers to work back there to speed things up? Only on disembarkation day when we had to eat by 8:30 am (thanks for that one too, HAL) were there 2 servers back there. In the desert section you had to serve yourself cake and pie by scooping it out of the dish. Again, HAL manages to come up with another way to SLOW things down. Another design wonder: 2 drink stations for the entire buffet area. Wow, if you made it through the buffet lines you seemed to get stuck waiting for a drink. And I always managed to get behind some one who fills a bottle or sips and re-fills. Princess excels in the buffet area with speedy stations and many drink stations.

 

Dining Room Service: Worse service I have ever had. I read the boards about people concerned about Princess’ PC dining. I have been on 4 Princess cruises and did PC on 3 of them. I can tell you that even though, at times, the service is not personalized I always had the waiter return to check up on us. I was on table 109 and had the worse service. Although we arrived at the same time as others we were always the last out. They even announced on the last night that they were closing up. It took too long between courses. The waiter checked up on us ONE time the entire week. One day I had to wait about 15 minutes for the waiter to come into my section so I can flag him down and send back my black, dry, overcooked steak. He never addressed us by name or took the time to ask us how our day was. He was always in a rush. I don’t know if it is his fault or HAL’s fault for under staffing, either way the service is bad. We never were visited by our head waiter or matre’D. Bad, Bad dining room service. Also on 2 occasions we ordered appetizers and when they finally came they were missing one of the 2 main components (ex. Portobello Muchroom). Rather than coming and informing us ahead of time and asking if we wanted another appetizer in it’s place we were just told they ran out as he placed the ½ appetizer in front of us. I want to mention we never complained to the waiter or anyone and were always polite with him. I know that sometimes a persons bad attitude may rub off on the waiter who then kind of keeps away from your table, but that is not what happened here. We are always polite and really did not let this ruin our cruise. It is something I want to share with you who, like me, enjoy good dining service.

 

Staff: The ships staff was friendly and almost always greeted you as you passed. Occasionally you get the frustrated look from a server when you pull out your soda card but I know these guys work for tips and don’t really like the card.

 

Spa Service: My wife and I agree that HAL had the best massage therapist. I had mine on Half Moon Cay and her’s was on the ship. As expected, they try to sell you everything.

 

Tender and Gangway service: You would expect the tenders service to be slower than simply walking off the ship. For some reason it was the opposite. We never waited in the lounge for the tender. 5 minutes was probably the most we waited on Deck A. However, in Costa Maya (where we were late 1 hour), it was ridiculous how long we waited (20 minutes +/-) in the stairs. How about 2 gangways, HAL? In Key West we just waited a little while before getting off. You could see a lot of people assembling on the dock waiting for the free trolley to take them to town.

 

Room Service: We ordered room service for breakfast the first morning. It arrived 20 minutes late and was missing items that we ordered. Since there is no table on the veranda we found it difficult to eat breakfast with 3 in a cabin and ate at the buffet the remainder of the week.

 

Passenger Mix: On our cruise we had a lot of families with children and an equal balance of all age groups. Surprisingly, from my perspective, the children and teens were better behaved then on RCCL and Princess. We did hear of some complaints but I always witness uncontrolled children on other lines, but not here.

 

FOOD:

 

Buffet: I found the buffet variety to be poor. And when I did eat from the 2 main offerings (Ex: Chicken or Veal) both were just OK. I did not eat at the deli and it did look like there was a good selection. What I found good, unfortunately, was the pizza and burgers. I was disappointed how quickly lunch changeover occurs. We usually eat breakfast at 10:30 or 11:00 AM. And lunch around 3 to 4 PM. By the time we were ready for lunch it was gone….I was left with Pizza, Burgers, and Deli. All of which I eat during the week at work. And if you board the ship late afternoon after a tour and want lunch the same darn choices are left. There were bugs swarming around the lemons in the drink areas too. Something needs to be done here. Princess gets my vote for their buffet. The selection of deserts were very good, especially the sugar free ones.

 

Dining Room: We ate at the 8:30 pm diner seating. I was disappointed with the quality of the food. When we received many of the dishes the food looked old. And dried up. We had seafood and pasta one night and the seafood was so dried out and the texture was horrible. They must be baking under a heat lamp in the kitchen. The steak was rarely moist. Overall, a disappointment to me. One good thing was they do not charge for cappuccino and the deserts were usually good.

 

Late Night Buffet: There is a theme for the buffet (French, Italian, American, etc.). The food quality was consistent with the poor offerings we found throughout the day. We usually just went for desert which, in my opinion, was always great.

 

Pinnacle Grill: Worth every penny.

 

Tours: We didn’t do any of the ships tours. As many posters recommend we did Stingray City with Native Way in Grand Cayman and Ivan & David in Costa Maya, and hung around town in Key West.

 

Key West Customs: At about 8 am you have to go to the Queens lounge to show customs your ID. Don’t think your gonna sleep late that morning as the announcement are made inside your room. A bit annoying. Maybe they should visit Belize instead.

 

Kids Program: Our 13 yr old had a blast. There were activities all day long and well into the night until 1 am.

 

Last Note: I think HAL should have their marketing people actually cruise their ships after cruising others such as Princess and RCCL. When in our cabin one night we watched a HAL infomercial about Alaska. It was interesting because it made HAL seem like the Ritz Carlton of cruises. We said to ourselves that this is in no way the reality of HAL.

 

We enjoyed our week away from work, after-all we were on the ocean and in the beautiful Caribbean. And even though I have mentioned a lot of negative points we don’t go day-to-day huffing and puffing about the “below par” service and food. I thought I’d give HAL a try and for the price was good (under $1000 p/p). And now that I have tried it I know I am not missing anything when I return to Princess or RCCL.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

WOW! I am by no means a HAL fan but the one cruise I was on which happened to be the Zuiderdam just 1 month ago I found almost everything quite the opposite. After 12 cruises I can honestly say that the HAL staff was the best I have ever experienced.

Also on the first day you are given a form to fill out with your post cruise info so that they can figure out when you need to get off the ship. Seemed to work flawlessly when we cruised.

Sorry to hear you had had a less then stellar cruise.

 

Bill

[doone]

My experience mirrored Bill's when I sailed on the Zuiderdam last March. We had wonderful service, we found the food to be excellent, although I will agree with the OP here about the service in the dining room not living upto HAL standards on her other ships, they just seemed to be rushed all the time, just not enough help, IMHO, but still had good service.

 

I am curious, when you said your verandah floor was painted, we had a suite and our verandah floor was not painted, it was the nice teak floor, are these verandah floors different than the suites??

 

In reading this, I almost felt like I sailed on another ship. Sorry you didn't enjoy your HAL experience.

[jhakanson]

#1. We ordered 2 pina coladas out on deck (one of the very few times we saw a bar waiter). When we received our drinks we were handed them without napkins. After a few minutes my wife and I both had our shirts stained from the dripping from the red cherries. When she asked for a napkin she was told by the bar waiter that napkins were available at the bar one deck down. Gee thanks….

 

 

One must seriously question another's ability to enjoy oneself if he would actually find cause to complain about a drink napkin and then take the time to write about the event. I'm gald his ship has already sailed and look forward to September 3rd.

[Candy]

I think I must have been on a different Zuiderdam than you were. For us this was an excellent cruise, by far our best one overall.

 

As many other posters mentioned we are not allowed to our cabins until 1:30 pm so we ate at the very crowded buffet.

Everyone, except the S and PS pax, who board between 11:00 and 1:30 must stay in the public areas until cabins are cleared. Unfortunately, some pax who dine in the Lido remain at their tables for the duration, rather than relinquishing them for other diners. This is very hard to control, but when we boarded at noon, we found no lines and several free tables.

Disembarkation: We received our luggage tags but had no idea when we were going to be called. Since we booked our own flight this was a concern.

We were Gray/4 and were off with 90 minutes to spare for our self-booked flight at 11:25.

Refrigerator or Mini-Bar? We had a stocked mini bar, but no prices were left in the cabin. We had our 13 year old with us and told him not drink anything. We placed our two bottles of wine we purchased in Ft. Lauderdale into the refrig., but it was removed on the 5th day of the cruise and the refrigerator was locked.

If there is no price list in your cabin, you may request one from Room Service. Refrigerators are locked the day before disembarkation. There was a card in our doormailbox that said if we wish to leave it open, for any reason, to call Room Service.

When I complained to the cabin steward he told me he had nothing to do with the mini bar and brought me a bucket of ice to keep a bottle in. When I did see the mini bar guy one day when leaving the cabin I sarcastically thanked him for removing my wine and locking the door. I don’t think he got it.

HAL prides itself on the language skills training given to stewards who have direct contact with passengers. Sarcasm is very difficult to detect or understand when you are struggling to understand the words.

Our cabin steward was good. He always stuck his head out of the cabin he was cleaning to greet us by name ... We had our door opened too often by our cabin steward and the throw lock does not keep him out.

We take 3 naps a day on cruises. We were never bothered by the cabin steward, room service or maintenance. Privacy, Please means Privacy, Please.

SHIP: Of all the ships we have been on we are wowed by RCCL ships. HAL is the ugliest ship we have been on.

Potato, Potahto.

Bar Service: I never thought I would say this, but where’s the bar service? When we were laying out on deck, and even on Half Moon Cay, we had to look and wait for a bar waiter, I usually walked down a deck to the bar.

I remember hearing the waiters (circulating around the the pools) frequently offering bar service in a non-intrusive way. I prefer that to the RCI "Booze-and-Cruise" hawkers. Perhaps napkins are not offered in this area because the wind will blow them all over the deck. Walt Disney World does not offer tops on paper cups (in some places) for the same reason.

Buffet Service: I read about the different stations (Italian, deli, Asian) and had high expectations. The buffet always had lines ...

We never stood in a line all week.

... and the fact that they serve you the main food (as opposed to self service) slows things down.

Generally only the hot dishes are served by an attendant for safety reasons.

Another design wonder: 2 drink stations for the entire buffet area. Wow, if you made it through the buffet lines you seemed to get stuck waiting for a drink.

Again, that was not our experience.

Dining Room Service: It took too long between courses.

I agree, and I would add that after we had completed a course, the dishes were not promptly removed.

We never were visited by our head waiter or matre’D.

Our DR Supervisor checked on us at least once during every meal, and assisted in clearing and serving.

Spa Service: My wife and I agree that HAL had the best massage therapist. I had mine on Half Moon Cay and her’s was on the ship. As expected, they try to sell you everything.

I think HAL treats their Steiner therapists differently than other lines. I have encountered Steiner employees with bad attitudes elsewhere, but never on HAL. Jim had a deep tissue massage and was not pressured into buying product.

Passenger Mix: On our cruise we had a lot of families with children and an equal balance of all age groups. Surprisingly, from my perspective, the children and teens were better behaved then on RCCL and Princess. We did hear of some complaints but I always witness uncontrolled children on other lines, but not here.

I think we saw a dozen of the 363 children during the week. Kudos to HAL for their excellent programs, and to parents who have some pride in the way their children behave.

Pinnacle Grill: Worth every penny.

I absolutely agree! Food, presentation, table settings, decor, attention to detail, prompt, courteous, classy service and excellent management make it a marvelous dining experience. We had lunch and dinner, and would have had more, but the Pinnacle was booked thru the rest of the cruise.

Key West Customs: At about 8 am you have to go to the Queens lounge to show customs your ID. Don’t think your gonna sleep late that morning as the announcement are made inside your room. A bit annoying. Maybe they should visit Belize instead.

This is as mandatory as the safety drill. Visiting Belize instead would only mean you'd have to do it in Ft. Lauderdale. HAL's system is the fastest and best-organized in our experience.

 

Candy <-- just booked our 6th Zuidy for 11/12/05

[SForman]

Doone, We were in a VA and our verandah floor was NOT painted.

[TidePrideGA]

I think I must have been on a different Zuiderdam than you were. For us this was an excellent cruise, by far our best one overall.

 

Candy, thanks so much for taking the time to do this, and do it in this manner and format... it was very helpful to those of us who will be going on a HAL Vista class for the first time. Specifics! I love them! Great observation about the lack of napkins on deck - made perfect sense to me!

 

Thanks also to the OP for his opinions/observations. I see he has already been flamed once, and I'm sure that's only the beginning. However, I find it useful to see the negative as well as the positive. This was his particular experience, and I'm glad he shared it. I think much of the difference was, indeed, po-tay-to po-tah-to... what bugs some, others barely notice and vice versa. Lines, DR service, etc. can be a matter of being in the right place at the right time ... or the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

As a first-time cruiser, I devour everything I read here - but I'm reserving judgment until I see what *my* experience is. Since I have no basis for comparison, and am not at ALL particular about minor things, I expect to have a blast!

[JoyAnn]

Sorry for duplicate message.

[JoyAnn]

Our week in the Zuiderdam last May was also completely opposite of this poster's experience. We had a wonderful time, service and food were great. The only problem we had was the time it took the laundry to get back to us the first time we had the steward pick it up.

[Time2sail]

"Last Note: I think HAL should have their marketing people actually cruise their ships after cruising others such as Princess and RCCL. When in our cabin one night we watched a HAL infomercial about Alaska. It was interesting because it made HAL seem like the Ritz Carlton of cruises. We said to ourselves that this is in no way the reality of HAL." MikeDMess

 

We have not cruised to the Islands on HAL but we did cruise to Alaska on the ms Amsterdam in May/June. It was an excellent cruise and HAL has every right to boast of their Alaska cruises. We will be back on board HAL for our next cruise to Alaska--minor complaints were smell from drain in bathroom and the dining room food was average. We ate in the Pinnacle twice which might have caused higher expectations in the dining room.

 

The ms Amsterdam can hold her own with the Ritz Carlton:) actually, she's superior in my opinion.

[MikeDMess]

"One must seriously question another's ability to enjoy oneself if he would actually find cause to complain about a drink napkin and then take the time to write about the event. I'm gald his ship has already sailed and look forward to September 3rd."

 

Obviously, Jhakanson, you missed my point. I am not saying I cannot enjoy myself because I did not get my little drink naplin with the HAL logo. And the very fact that I took the time to mention this is what this board is all about. Just telling you I did not like the service may be adequate for you, but I believe my comment deserves some evidence for those who care to read this review. The point is, for you SIMPLE minded people, that the little things are what makes a cruise line great. When alot of little things add up then I believe the service is not up to par. Bringing a drink dripping to you while you are laying down may be OK, but some of us prefer not to wear what we drink. A good waiter will provide this and if he does not he should get you one. He should not tell you, after he has caused this mess, to go downstairs and get your own napkin. If the service in all areas were outstanding, I assure you I would not waist anyone's time mentioning this. I am glad I am not sailing on 9/3 either. -proof of why many may wish to sit among themselves.

[JeffCoud]

I had very very similar impressions about the Zuiderdam, and by inference the HAL product in the Caribbean. I too wondered why in the heck the decks seemed to close up at 5 pm! I was still going until 7 pm at least being a late seating diner. They didn't seem to care about that (and truth be told, not many passengers seemed to still be out at 5), but I was there and having a lounge chair or two might be nice! I love the sunsets at sea and relaxing outside before going to dinner. About the service and food, again I agree...found it hit or miss (more so the service), although I have to say I found the food on the Z more interesting than the food we had about 5 years ago on the Rotterdam VI, so I perceived an improvement there.

 

As far as cabin, I did have a big MF of a balcony suite rear corner, so I almost didn't have neighbors....so it was quite quiet!

 

Now....we'll see how I do on an inside cabin on the Amsterdam to Alaska next week! I've decided I like HAL best when it's "destination oriented"...and I would not take them in the Caribbean again unless I could score a great price on a balcony and just chill out for a week.

 

Jeff

[MikeDMess]

 

Refrigerators are locked the day before disembarkation. There was a card in our doormailbox that said if we wish to leave it open, for any reason, to call Room Service.

[MikeDMess]

Candy,

 

"If there is no price list in your cabin, you may request one from Room Service. Refrigerators are locked the day before disembarkation. There was a card in our doormailbox that said if we wish to leave it open, for any reason, to call Room Service."

 

My comment was more of a warning for families who, for some reason, may think everything is free in a mini-bar. They locked our refrigerator the 5th day,not the last, and took out our wine. I think this is rude.

 

 

 

"I remember hearing the waiters (circulating around the the pools) frequently offering bar service in a non-intrusive way. I prefer that to the RCI "Booze-and-Cruise" hawkers."

 

I prefer to sit away from the pool where it is quieter. There were others in the area where we were laying, but rarely saw waiters. On other lines they are on all decks, even the secluded ones. I agree, when they did pass, they were not screaming out loudly.

 

"Our DR Supervisor checked on us at least once during every meal, and assisted in clearing and serving."

 

You obviously had great service as I never saw mine. I even asked our table mates if he came by when we were at the Pinnacle Grill and they said no.

 

I know that we all have different experiences being we are served by different waiters, eat at the buffet at different times, and have different preferences. I have read opposite reviews many times. Mine is just one more review.

[MOMOFTWOSONS]

We just returned on Saturday from the Zuiderdam, we had a wonderful time and have some comments:

 

Embarkation: The terminal staff are very friendly, however the lines moved much slower than they do on Princess. As many other posters mentioned we are not allowed to our cabins until 1:30 pm so we ate at the very crowded buffet.

 

We arrived at 12:15PM. We were impressed by how quickly the lines moved. They had two lines, one for online completion of immigration paperwork and one for handwritten paperwork. We had completed ours online and that line was definitely quicker. Lido buffet was crowded that first day - lines, had trouble finding a table - but that was really the only time we experienced this.

 

Disembarkation: We received our luggage tags but had no idea when we were going to be called. Since we booked our own flight this was a concern. Princess gives you a schedule that shows the approximate time your color will be called. After 10:00 am we finally walked off the ship even though the color was not called. The previous night our son placed his luggage outside the cabin without a color tag. When we were in the terminal the HAL staff helped us look for it without us even asking. They are very good in the terminal. Maybe HAL should consider hiring them for the ship.

 

We had an 11:00AM flt. out of Ft. Lauderdale and completed the HAL disembarkation form with this information. Because this was our first time on HAL and with this procedure, we were hoping that our information would have been processed correctly, which it was. We were on our way to the airport by 9:00AM.

 

Cabin: We were in Cabin 5154, a standard veranda category. It beats Princess’ “Grand class” veranda cabins in size, especially the bathroom with it’s bathtub. The décor is a bit un-inspiring with a plastic floor in the bathroom. The only color in the bathroom (besides the orange shower curtain) were 4 tiles that looked like someone bought them at a garage sale and glued them to the wall. The towels are very rough.

 

We too were in a standard verandah, Cabin 5057. Room size good for 2 adults/2 children. Decor didn't bother us - tiles on the bathroom wall did strike me as a little strange.

 

The veranda was nice. At first the floor which is painted to look like wood seemed more classier than Princess’ plastic mats, however, it proved to be less practical as it is more noisy when the balcony above or aside you drags furniture around. The furniture is wicker with a cushion on one of the two chairs, nicer than Princess’ plastic set-up, however, there is no table outside to comfortably eat on. This was disappointing as we look forward to eating breakfast on our balcony.

 

Have to totally agree that the verandah was nice. Don't think I could cruise w/o having one again. We had a small wicker table that worked fine with a tray on top of it.

 

I heard more through these walls than I did on any other ship. Although it was not a naissance to me, I was able to hear peoples conversations through the walls and the elevator ringing. I’d like to know the genius who decided to have the elevator ring every time it passes your floor. Yes, even though the elevator does not stop on your floor it rings 2 times as it passes. If you are a light sleeper stay away.

 

We didn't hear any noise at all in our cabins.

 

Our cabin steward was good. He always stuck his head out of the cabin he was cleaning to greet us by name. I think it would make it easier for the cabin stewards if HAL gave us a door sign that read “ please clean my room” similar to Princess and RCCL. We had our door opened too often by our cabin steward and the throw lock does not keep him out.

 

Our cabin steward, Hassan, was great. Always went into our room when he knew we weren't there. Never had a problem w/ door opening unexpectedly.

 

SHIP: Of all the ships we have been on we are wowed by RCCL ships. HAL is the ugliest ship we have been on. It is not the bright colors we didn’t like as many people mention. The hallways, for instance, are tan with gray doors and blue carpet with “pot holes” underneath. No artwork at all. Come on HAL, dress it up a bit.

 

I have to agree about the pot holes - can't tell you how many times we tripped while walking down the halls.

 

Bar Service: I never thought I would say this, but where’s the bar service? When we were laying out on deck, and even on Half Moon Cay, we had to look and wait for a bar waiter, I usually walked down a deck to the bar.

 

I constantly saw waiters on HMC - both on the sand and in the water.

 

Buffet Service: ....2 drink stations for the entire buffet area. Wow, if you made it through the buffet lines you seemed to get stuck waiting for a drink. And I always managed to get behind some one who fills a bottle or sips and re-fills. Princess excels in the buffet area with speedy stations and many drink stations.

 

Have to agree that an additional drink station would make sense - had to wait on line many times for beverages.

 

Dining Room Service: Worse service I have ever had....

 

We had early seating @ 6:15 - table 183. Had wonderful service from Punto, our waiter and everyone else around. No sooner did you finish your course, your dirty plate was removed & your next course was served. Food was excellent. My sons got extra attention from other waiters in the surrounding areas. No complaints here at all.

 

Tender and Gangway service: You would expect the tenders service to be slower than simply walking off the ship. For some reason it was the opposite. We never waited in the lounge for the tender. 5 minutes was probably the most we waited on Deck A. However, in Costa Maya (where we were late 1 hour), it was ridiculous how long we waited (20 minutes +/-) in the stairs. How about 2 gangways, HAL? In Key West we just waited a little while before getting off. You could see a lot of people assembling on the dock waiting for the free trolley to take them to town.

 

We always got on an early tender & never experienced any problems. Preferred ports w/o tendering though.

 

Passenger Mix: On our cruise we had a lot of families with children and an equal balance of all age groups. Surprisingly, from my perspective, the children and teens were better behaved then on RCCL and Princess. We did hear of some complaints but I always witness uncontrolled children on other lines, but not here.

 

Thanks for saying this. I tried my best to keep my sons under control.

 

Tours: We didn’t do any of the ships tours. As many posters recommend we did Stingray City with Native Way in Grand Cayman and Ivan & David in Costa Maya, and hung around town in Key West.

 

Native Way was sold out so we did Capt. Marvins Stringray/Coral Gardens along with the Hell/Turtle Farm excursion. Had a wonderful time. In Costa Maya - did the 4 1/2 hr. Mayan ruin excursion (HAL - Ivan & David sold out) - was very good.

 

Kids Program: Our 13 yr old had a blast. There were activities all day long and well into the night until 1 am.

 

Have to agree - my kids (5 & 9) were never bored.

 

We had a great time and would go back on the Zuiderdam.

[mrRaist]

I was also on the Zuiderdam on Aug 13th in cabin 4107. I didn't have the same issues you had with the food in the DR, probably because we were at the 5:45 sitting. The food was hot, fresh, and the waiter was very speedy at clearing the tables, bringing the next course, and anything else we wanted.

 

The lack of self serve laundry service wasn't very impressive. By the time you add up the price to press a man's suit, 2 dress shirts, and 2 evening dresses for a lady, you're into $30 worth of ironing service and 2 day turn around. The laundry people also ruined one of my girlfriend's tops, but fortunately HA paid for the damage.

 

I took big issue to HA's tipping policy. I hate mandatory tipping as it rewards ho-hum service. Other than our DR waiter and our cabin stewart, I feel that we didn't get exceptional service that cruise lines are known for. The other thing that HA doesn't tell you is that they maintain a tipping white list and a tipping black list. If you want to reward a staff member with a personal tip, they have to check with the front desk to see which list you're on. If the tipper is on the white list, then the staff member can keep the additional tip. If you're on the black list, the staff member has to put it toward the tip pool. I also don't appreciate having to tip the bar/coffee pub, even when they get tips from the ship tip pool AND the mandatory 15% to the bar. Plus, tipping someone automatically when they screw up your drink orders rubs me the wrong way. I imagine that tips like this are the norm now on cruise lines.

 

I also wasn't impressed by HA's other hidden fees. Charging for juice from the bar/soft drinks, charging for a prop to hold the tents up at Half Moon Cay, high prices for laundry... The list just feels like it keeps going. The cruise felt like a money grab rather than a vacation.

 

We did really enjoy Grand Cayman. There was lots to see and do there. Costa Maya felt like a tourist trap, but the ruins tour we went on was nice. Key West felt like a filler stop. We didn't even get off the boat due to lack of tours and the huge line up of people waiting for the shuttles. 1800 people waiting for shuttles that can only hold 64 people.

 

The best part of the ship for us was the Ocean bar with the Larry Hunt Trio. We closed the bar every night and had a great time. We also enjoyed the Zuiderdam Superstar competition, in which my girlfriend was a finalist (Karen).

 

I have to say that overall, I wasn't really impressed with HA. The only reason that we went on the Zuiderdam was due to the deal that we got on the cruise/flight package. We did have a good time, but I think next time we'll cruise with someone else, like Princess or RCCL.

[doone]

MrRaist, I have never heard of this tipping white and black lists, I am confused by it. Where did you learn about this?

 

I have to say that alot of things have changed in cruising over the few years with all cruise lines, not just HAL. With all these cruise ships out there, they needed to make cutbacks just to stay competitive.

 

You get a deal on a cruise and still want things perfect. I guess we would all want to drive a Cadillac, but pay a Chevy Chevette price. I am sure alot of people would agree with me that they'd rather pay more $$ for a cruise and go back to the wonderful service and food we all used to get. So be it, there is a cruise line for everyone.

[mrRaist]

MrRaist, I have never heard of this tipping white and black lists, I am confused by it. Where did you learn about this?

 

It was something that was mentioned by the cruise director during the talk on what would happen on the last day of the ship. Someone asked about tipping their cabin steward and he mentioned something about it. When we asked our cabin steward about tipping him directly, he said that he would have to check with the front desk first. No one called it a "black list" or "white list", those are just the names I used.

 

I didn't expect perfection from HA. I guess I just had higher hopes for the line. My parents went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise and raved about how good HA was.

[K&RCurt]

MrRaist, I have never heard of this tipping white and black lists, I am confused by it. Where did you learn about this?

 

 

I didn't hear of it in those terms, but we were told that if you keep the minimum auto tip in place, any additional cash tips to your D.R. or Room Stewards would be kept by them. If you reduced or removed the amount of the auto tip they would have to turn in any cash tips to "the pool". They don't, however, have to check with the front desk, the room stewards and D.R. stewards are given a list of "their" PAX indicating if/how much they auto tip.

[hrhdhd]

DH and I (mid-30s) just got back from the 8/13-8/20 Zuiderdam, and we were more than pleased. We were in SS6096 and loved the balcony and the large bathroom. Our room steward was great. We had a couple of problems--we were charged for a Bloody Mary mix from the minibar that we didn't take (not cleared up after speaking to both our room steward and the "minibar guy," who was also our wine steward at dinner [so he would have known that we didn't drink a Bloody Mary all week!]); my husband was annoyed at me for making him dress for dinner when he could point out the schlubs who were wearing jeans and shorts; and when we called about booking another cruise while on the ship, we were told that the shipboard credit amounts shown on the sheet we received would apply only to sailings before December 1, which was not stated on the sheet.

 

Otherwise, we enjoyed our week, although I must agree that the deck chair clearing at 5 p.m. was irritating and that Costa Maya is not really worth a stop unless you've got a tour booked. However, we will cruise with HAL again.

 

I do appreciate everyone's comments about their experiences, as they helped me get a feeling for what to expect when we were on the ship. Thanks for posting.

[DeAnnaC]

This was our 2nd cruise, our first was last year on RCI.

 

The embarkation process seemed to take a long time, but there were a hundred people ahead of us...people were pleasant. Debarkation - we were told that the customs screeners were new and asking pax how their trip was, which slowed things down. It was a mess, but seemed to move quickly. We were gray 4.

 

We were rounded up into the crowded Lido as well, but found a place to sit and eat. It was tough to get something for yourself and your kids and keep track of your carryons. Could they have premade sandwiches/salads for that day to speed things up and move people out? Or pitchers of lemonade/water at the busboy stations to serve people so you don't have to go back into the drink line again?

 

We experienced the delays in getting food and drinks as mentioned by previous posters. The salad bar often had lines during lunch and breakfast. Food was good, the kids enjoyed the fresh orange juice and custom made omlettes.

 

We were given a card (which was a suprise) to attend the Pinnacle by our travel agent. The card clearly said to take it to the front desk to accept the gift. When we got to the front desk, they told us to go to the Pinnacle to make reservations..and by then we were too late and were put on a waiting list..we were never called. Drats. Not sure why the directions were cloudy..they ended up taking $40 off our week's bill, so it all worked out in the end.

 

Our dining room steward had the order for one of the 10 of us at the table wrong every night, but we joked about it and tried to figure out who would be next. Our table mates were friendly, but we felt squished like sardines in the upper dining room-table 21. There wer 10 of us, and you and to really

 

When we tried to get tender tickets to go to Half Moon Cay, we waiting in the Queen's lounge for 45 min just to be told we didn't need to wait. Isn't there a better way to organize tenders off the ship?

 

We found that entertainment was somewhat lacking in the evening - you had to seek out the one or 2 places that there was live entertainment. After a few nights of that, we went to the 8:30 show, then back to our room and to bed for the night.

 

Our kids had a good time. At several of the kids activities they were overwhelmed by the turnout (8 video machines were unlocked for an hour, 35+ kids showed up to use them). I did find out that many of the older kids games include running around the ship playing assasin (by putting a sticker on a victim in their group) which explains the running up and down the steps until late into the night. Our youngest enjoyed pizza/movie night, Scene It (Disney Version) and the crafts that they did.

 

At the meeting of the captain night we sat next to another couple and were asking them about their cruise experience.. we were told that they only travel on HAL and their first cruise (on Carnival) was so 'entry level' that they don't even consider it a real cruise. I didn't find this to be the case with all the people I talked to, but I was suprised nonetheless.

 

I don't want to go on about negative things - it was a vacation and it was good. Our excursions were good. David and Ivan were awesome. Glass bottom tour in Key West made me almost sick, but the family loved it.

 

We probably won't use Holland America again, but I'm glad we did try it.

 

DeAnna

[arzz]

My experience on the Zuiderdam in June places HAL's Vista class ships among my least favorite of the HAL ships....BUT it was still a wonderful experience and VERY different than that described by the original OP. HAL is still my favorite cruise line and I have sailed on several present and past lines.

 

Our service was excellent in all parts of the ship -- our dining room service was probably the best of all of my cruises -- and I did not have to wait until my "beeper" went off each night to enter the dining room as I had to to on Princess. I could plan my evening on HAL around dinner, shows, whatever, and I could depend on the schedule -- on Princess the floating dinner situation often reuined some other evening plans.

 

We ordered room service breakfast daily and it was always on time and the order was always correct.

 

Embarkation for us was extremely slow, disembarkation went very well.

 

I found the Lido food on board the Zuiderdam much superior to the Princess Lido food that I experienced -- as far as disease spread, etc, I appreciate that most food is served by the wait staff and I did not experience Lido lines at any time other than embarkation day. The food on the Zuiderdam buffets always appeared fresh with trays replaced and replenished often, not always so during my Princess experience.

 

We ate at 8:00 and our food was always fresh and well presented. Our wait staff and wine steward almost hovered, and we were visited by waiter captain(s) often more than once a meal.

 

What can I say? Sorry the OP did not have a better HAL experience. I wonder how his Zuiderdam was so different than that experience by Candy and others on the same week?

[bcc99]

I wonder how his Zuiderdam was so different than that experience by Candy and others on the same week?

 

Past experience, expectations, and attitude. ;)

 

Thanks to everyone for the lively debate. I'm looking forward to finding out for myself in about a week and a half.

[jackson1]

We also just returned from the 8/13 Zuiderdam Western Caribbean. My wife(65), and I (67) were in an S suite, and our three married sons, wives, and 8 grandchildren (ages 3 to 10) were in connecting V cabins. We have previously cruised on HAL and Radisson. We thought the Z was very comfortable, although large for our taste. Embarcation and debarcation went very smoothly. Our flight from FLL was at 11:50 am and we were at the airport by 10: am. The service in our cabins and in the Vista Dining Room was exemplary. The wine steward was always available and the table Captain made certain everything at our three tables was to our satisfaction. One of my daughters in law received special attention selecting a vegetarian menu each evening. All of the children participated in Club HAL day and night. HMC was the high spot, especially the orange cabana. The cabana servers were very attentive. We were so drained by the August heat during the days that we didn't take advantage of the evening entertainment. Sure, the corridors were uneven and the food quality was just average but the VACATION was most enjoyable and memorable.

[Dog Mommie]

First, my apologies to Candy, because I know how much she loves the Z!

 

To MikeDMoss:

I'm so sorry your 1st experience on HAL was on the Z, because, quite frankly, if it had been my 1st, it DEFINATELY would have been my LAST!!

 

Our 1st was on the Rotterdam. After many cruises on many different lines, we thought we had finally found OUR cruiseline. Then along came the deal on the Z. We jumped on it...and found our new love affair going very south. It seems even a fine ship line can get it wrong: cheap cruises to stay in the game against big discounters and then cutting service, food dollars, the "genteel" feel we had aboard the Rotterdam was even gone. Night and day experience. Charge me more for the cruise (I certainly would have been willing to pay more, I'd found MY cruiseline!) but get it back to what I percieved HAL to be about.

 

We are booked on the Maasdam this Sept. This is the "litmus test". Which sailing experience was the REAL HAL?:confused: We shall see!