New to Holland - Signature Suite - ms Zuiderdam

[gxchan]

Hi All,

 

I'm a longtime Royal Caribbean cruiser who is looking for a change of pace. I'm looking to book the 11/30/15 Caribbean/Panama cruise on Zuiderdam. Since it is my first Holland cruise and first partial canal, I've decided to go the Signature Suite. Actually, I'm just excited to be cruising again and want to splurge:) Any info on the ship, signature suite or the canal would be greatly appreciated. I know on Royal you get perks with a suite, anything similar on Holland.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

Edited June 11, 2015 by gxchan

[JPH814]

I love the beach but my wife is extremely sun sensitive. When we were on a Carnival Cruise, we were able to reserve a cabana on the beach in Rotoan and it was a great day,

 

We will be on the HAL Zuiderdam in January, visiting Aruba, Curacao, Columbia and Puerto Limon, as well as Half Moon Cay. Does HAL offer the ability to rentcabaas o the beach at any of these ports?

[kazu]

I love the beach but my wife is extremely sun sensitive. When we were on a Carnival Cruise, we were able to reserve a cabana on the beach in Rotoan and it was a great day,

 

We will be on the HAL Zuiderdam in January, visiting Aruba, Curacao, Columbia and Puerto Limon, as well as Half Moon Cay. Does HAL offer the ability to rentcabaas o the beach at any of these ports?

 

You can certainly rent cabanas at Half Moon Cay (their private island).

[George C]

I love the SS suites , they are very similar to the Neptune suites just slightly smaller, loads of room and a great balcony and bathroom

[DaveOKC]

Hi All,

 

I'm a longtime Royal Caribbean cruiser who is looking for a change of pace. I'm looking to book the 11/30/15 Caribbean/Panama cruise on Zuiderdam. Since it is my first Holland cruise and first partial canal, I've decided to go the Signature Suite. Actually, I'm just excited to be cruising again and want to splurge:) Any info on the ship, signature suite or the canal would be greatly appreciated. I know on Royal you get perks with a suite, anything similar on Holland.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

We did the same cruise last November on the Z and had a great time.

 

I know you are booking a Signature Suite, but if you can swing it, look into an Aft-Wrap Neptune suite, especially cabins 5190 or 5191 (both are still available for your cruise). Yes, it will cost you about $1000 pp more, but the experience of being in one of these two suites for the canal is fantastic! The veranda is HUGE - could hold 40 people! Plus, you can see the canal operations from the side as well as the aft.

 

Plus, the Neptune suites have more "perks" than the Signature suites - Neptune Lounge access, free laundry, priority boarding/tenders/disembarkation, VIP cocktail parties and daily breakfasts in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

Trust me, you will not regret spending the extra money on this.

[George C]

We did the same cruise last November on the Z and had a great time.

 

I know you are booking a Signature Suite, but if you can swing it, look into an Aft-Wrap Neptune suite, especially cabins 5190 or 5191 (both are still available for your cruise). Yes, it will cost you about $1000 pp more, but the experience of being in one of these two suites for the canal is fantastic! The veranda is HUGE - could hold 40 people! Plus, you can see the canal operations from the side as well as the aft.

 

Plus, the Neptune suites have more "perks" than the Signature suites - Neptune Lounge access, free laundry, priority boarding/tenders/disembarkation, VIP cocktail parties and daily breakfasts in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

Trust me, you will not regret spending the extra money on this.

 

That balcony is amazing and breakfast at Pinnacle is a great way to start the day, but not sure if its worth the extra money

[VMax1700]

We stayed in our first Signature Suite on the Zuiderdam in January for the Panama Canal. It was great. We stayed in the same suite last month in the Med. It had been refitted with new carpets and drapes.

here are pics of 6078 from the January cruise.

[frankc98376]

That balcony is amazing and breakfast at Pinnacle is a great way to start the day, but not sure if its worth the extra money

 

To us it sure is. I don't miss standing in line at the Front Office if there is a problem. I don't miss trying in vain to get a restaurant reservation when I want to eat.

 

The Concierges are wonderful- even a remark in passing is taken seriously and a follow up note is in my suite. One morning one of them said "how are you today"- I jokingly said that I didn't care for red and the flowers on my table by the sofa were red. Everyone around got a good laugh as I was wearing a red shirt. A few hours later we had blue flowers on the table- never saw red again.

[George C]

To us it sure is. I don't miss standing in line at the Front Office if there is a problem. I don't miss trying in vain to get a restaurant reservation when I want to eat.

 

The Concierges are wonderful- even a remark in passing is taken seriously and a follow up note is in my suite. One morning one of them said "how are you today"- I jokingly said that I didn't care for red and the flowers on my table by the sofa were red. Everyone around got a good laugh as I was wearing a red shirt. A few hours later we had blue flowers on the table- never saw red again.

 

You have valid points but not all concierges are that good, ( we did 4 Hal cruises recently 2 in Neptune and 2 smaller suites) . I thought the SS had access to concierge by phone- ( if I remember correctly, sometimes get my cruise lines mixed up) , also is Hal the only line that does not have a daily happy hour for suite quests? I much prefer perks on other lines, although as I said before Pinnacle is my favorite place for breakfast ( also one of the best steak restaurants on the seas)

[gxchan]

We did the same cruise last November on the Z and had a great time.

 

I know you are booking a Signature Suite, but if you can swing it, look into an Aft-Wrap Neptune suite, especially cabins 5190 or 5191 (both are still available for your cruise). Yes, it will cost you about $1000 pp more, but the experience of being in one of these two suites for the canal is fantastic! The veranda is HUGE - could hold 40 people! Plus, you can see the canal operations from the side as well as the aft.

 

Plus, the Neptune suites have more "perks" than the Signature suites - Neptune Lounge access, free laundry, priority boarding/tenders/disembarkation, VIP cocktail parties and daily breakfasts in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

Trust me, you will not regret spending the extra money on this.

 

Hi Dave, OMG, you made me look, LOL! I just looked at pics of cabin 5190 and it is incredible! I'm not certain I could ever "go back" after a cabin like that:D. Since I started cruising I've always gotten the largest balcony but have resisted going to a suite, mostly because I'm a solo cruiser and it just felt a little conspicuous. I'm getting over that, LOL Thanks for the excellent info.

[gxchan]

I love the SS suites , they are very similar to the Neptune suites just slightly smaller, loads of room and a great balcony and bathroom

 

This will be my first cruise with a bathtub! I can't wait, whatever cabin I book. How did you find the phone line to the concierge? I'm fairly low-key but sometimes a little extra help is much appreciated.

[gxchan]

We stayed in our first Signature Suite on the Zuiderdam in January for the Panama Canal. It was great. We stayed in the same suite last month in the Med. It had been refitted with new carpets and drapes.

here are pics of 6078 from the January cruise.

 

Thanks so much for the pictures. I'm really torn between the SS and the NS. Since I'm solo there is more than enough room in the SS but the perks that come with an NS are really attractive.

[Crew News]

This will be my first cruise with a bathtub! I can't wait, whatever cabin I book. How did you find the phone line to the concierge? I'm fairly low-key but sometimes a little extra help is much appreciated.

 

There will be a button on the phone for Neptune Lounge in a Neptune Suite or Concierge for Signature Suites.

[Caribbean Chris]

?..also is Hal the only line that does not have a daily happy hour for suite quests? I much prefer perks on other lines...

 

I don't recall a happy hour for suite guests on Celebrity...but the other perks are excellent. We've not booked HAL suites yet because their perks seem much less compelling (until you get to Neptune level).

[Caribbean Chris]

Well, I have to eat my words from the previous post. After thinking it over and checking our TA's website, we called and upgraded from a verandah to a Signature Suite for our Caribbean/Canal next April. So we'll dip a toe into the HAL suite life.

 

Already looking forward to the bigger balcony, from photos I'm seeing.

 

The funny part is that with the suite level Anniversary promo perks and higher OBC (TA and HAL) our net true cost is $30 less. So it was a no-brainer.

[George C]

I don't recall a happy hour for suite guests on Celebrity...but the other perks are excellent. We've not booked HAL suites yet because their perks seem much less compelling (until you get to Neptune level).

 

My last 2 cruises were RCCL and suite perks are really nice , they have a nice lounge like Neptune, but have free drinks for 3 hours each night, same concierge, I also really like priority seating at shows and private area to sit by pool. They also had a private restaurant for breakfast and lunch, but I always preferred Pinnacle for breakfast.

[gxchan]

Hi All,

 

Thank you all so much for sharing, special big thanks to Crew News for the pics and menus:) I booked a Signature Suite--I absolutely love the Neptune Suite but since this is my first suite, I want to make sure I still have room to "grow":D I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of the OBC.

 

I'll be reading the HAL boards to collect more info on the ship and the canal, so I'm sure we will be chatting again.

[Crew News]

Hi All,

 

Thank you all so much for sharing, special big thanks to Crew News for the pics and menus:) I booked a Signature Suite--I absolutely love the Neptune Suite but since this is my first suite, I want to make sure I still have room to "grow":D I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of the OBC.

 

I'll be reading the HAL boards to collect more info on the ship and the canal, so I'm sure we will be chatting again.

 

I'm happy that the CC Hal Forum could give you a jump start on your planning.

 

Take full advantage of your verandah for Room Service Breakfast, especially early on Canal Day.

 

On Canal Day morning, stop by the pastry area across from the Lido Restaurant Beverage Station and pick up some Panama Buns (they are mixed in with the other pastries):

 

 

There should be a cooking demo in the Culinary Arts Center the day before the canal where you can see how the Panama Buns are made and get an advanced sample.

 

Ensure that you keep your stateroom curtains closed as the sun will heat up your furniture and overwhelm the A/C. I also recommend Kool Ties for your neck/wrists to stay cool.

 

A 50-inch round table cloth will fit your verandah table to add a bit of class to dining on the verandah. Don't forget some tablecloth clips.

[gxchan]

I'm happy that the CC Hal Forum could give you a jump start on your planning.

 

Take full advantage of your verandah for Room Service Breakfast, especially early on Canal Day.

 

On Canal Day morning, stop by the pastry area across from the Lido Restaurant Beverage Station and pick up some Panama Buns (they are mixed in with the other pastries):

 

 

There should be a cooking demo in the Culinary Arts Center the day before the canal where you can see how the Panama Buns are made and get an advanced sample.

 

Ensure that you keep your stateroom curtains closed as the sun will heat up your furniture and overwhelm the A/C. I also recommend Kool Ties for your neck/wrists to stay cool.

 

A 50-inch round table cloth will fit your verandah table to add a bit of class to dining on the verandah. Don't forget some tablecloth clips.

 

Oh the Panama buns look delish! Great idea re the table cloth, I'll take one with clips. I do so love dining on the balcony and now will have a real table--no more using the tiny drink table, whoo hoo!

 

Any excursion suggestions?

[305Fraggle]

We did the same cruise last November on the Z and had a great time.

 

 

 

I know you are booking a Signature Suite, but if you can swing it, look into an Aft-Wrap Neptune suite, especially cabins 5190 or 5191 (both are still available for your cruise). Yes, it will cost you about $1000 pp more, but the experience of being in one of these two suites for the canal is fantastic! The veranda is HUGE - could hold 40 people! Plus, you can see the canal operations from the side as well as the aft.

 

 

 

Plus, the Neptune suites have more "perks" than the Signature suites - Neptune Lounge access, free laundry, priority boarding/tenders/disembarkation, VIP cocktail parties and daily breakfasts in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

 

 

Trust me, you will not regret spending the extra money on this.

 

 

Amen DaveOKC - we won't do a Neptune unless it's aft corner :) they are FABULOUS! Looking forward to seeing our next slice of heaven June 30 on Zuiderdam!! Balcony dinners with The med as a backdrop beats MDR any day!

[Stevero2]

Considering Panama Canal cruise on Zuiderdam in December, but read about a/c problems in cabins. We would be booking an inside cabin. Would we be likely to have a/c problems? We need to be cool.

[kazu]

Considering Panama Canal cruise on Zuiderdam in December, but read about a/c problems in cabins. We would be booking an inside cabin. Would we be likely to have a/c problems? We need to be cool.

 

sailed on the Zuiderdam to the Panama but a few years ago, no issues.

 

Sailed on the Westerdam (sister ship) and just got off in May and spent a number of days in hot country and had no issues with A/C. Some do recommend to keep the curtains closed during the day (as does the ship). I know some didn't and had no issues. We tried to remember (I did say try);)

[DaveOKC]

Considering Panama Canal cruise on Zuiderdam in December, but read about a/c problems in cabins. We would be booking an inside cabin. Would we be likely to have a/c problems? We need to be cool.

 

Being an inside, I doubt that you will have AC problems. We had to keep our curtains closed on certain days in balcony cabin.

[Kay240]

Hi All,

 

I'm a longtime Royal Caribbean cruiser who is looking for a change of pace. I'm looking to book the 11/30/15 Caribbean/Panama cruise on Zuiderdam. Since it is my first Holland cruise and first partial canal, I've decided to go the Signature Suite. Actually, I'm just excited to be cruising again and want to splurge:) Any info on the ship, signature suite or the canal would be greatly appreciated. I know on Royal you get perks with a suite, anything similar on Holland.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

We will also be in a Signature Suite; this will be our third time having two sinks and room to stretch out! I like having a separate desk and dressing table, but with over 30 cruises we have often had an Inside cabin, depending on the itinerary. The biggest "benefit" to us is getting double Mariner points; we are making every effort to reach 5*!!

 

We cruised to the Panama Canal (on HAL) several years ago and at that time, they served "Panama Buns" on deck. Enjoy!