Live on zuiderdam...ugh

[Cruiser785]

It has been a bumpy start on this cruise, which is post drydock. We sat and waited to board well past 1 o'clock...many stories and excuses given (why not tell us the truth) as we sat like sardines with not enough chairs, no water, etc for hours.  Boarded to a not so pleasant group of people checking us in on paper (like love boat episodes) and the 2nd deck smelled...bad. then, to our cabin on deck 1, which had no air conditioning...reported immediately  and after many calls and finding out over 20 cabins had no air conditioning, we all stood at guest services begging for help. Our rooms felt like saunas and no window to open...how does one sleep this way after a long day of travel? You tell me. Because they did nothing to help. So far, all we can say is  Never take a cruise after a drydock. I want off of this ship...

[canadianbear]

Another poster on your cruise Reportrd this on their thread.  You might want to comment on it instead of adding a new thread?  Just a thought.

 

Sounds like a very annoying situation and delay for passengers.  Hope the cruise goes well.  Love the itinerary you’re on.  

[puppycanducruise]

I hope they get air conditioning repaired for you.

Good luck.

[cat shepard]

I can not even imagine no air conditioning. Hope that is fixed for you, ASAP!  The humidity alone would be brutal.

[SumoCitrus]

Ooof! I hope HAL gets this fixed ASAP. This is not fair to the passengers.

[Cruising-along]

OP, ask for a fan now.  At the very least it will make your cabin comfortable until they hopefully fix the A/C.

We were recently on the Koningsdam, a much newer ship, and had the same problem.  They did eventually get our cabin to a comfortable temperature, but that fan was a life-saver meanwhile.

[ski ww]

Hard to believe that there are these kind of problems after a dry dock, things should be working 100%. We hear of all kinds of these problems after a dry dock, why is that?? Not a good way to start a cruise, hope things get better.

[mamaofami]

we were on Zuiderdam in September before dry dock and everything was fine. Not having air conditioning can be a serious health issue for some.

[kazu]

56 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

OP, ask for a fan now.  At the very least it will make your cabin comfortable until they hopefully fix the A/C.

 

That is an excellent suggestion for the OP.

[Cruiser785]

Have procured a fan. Room is not hot, not cool...but muggy now. A team is working, but about 20 cabins seem to be affected, plus a few others we have heard about, mostly forward cabins. We were offered a cabin to sleep, but I gave it to a woman with asthma. I just couldn't be selfish...but I wanted it badly!  Not a dream vacation,  but hopefully things turn around soon. Yelling or crying wont help...and I want to do both! Thank you for the helpful responses. I dont feel so alone in this. 

[scubacruiserx2]

We went to the area you are speaking of and it was warm, humid and smelled musty in the public area. 

We have enjoyed our Pinnacle dinner and breakfast. We have A/C but have not yet had hot water.

We were going to suggest asking about another cabin with A/C available, but that has been offered.

Hopefully things will get straightened out soon.

Edited December 11, 2019 by scubacruiserx2

[Cruise Suzy]

5 minutes ago, Cruiser785 said:

Have procured a fan. Room is not hot, not cool...but muggy now. A team is working, but about 20 cabins seem to be affected, plus a few others we have heard about, mostly forward cabins. We were offered a cabin to sleep, but I gave it to a woman with asthma. I just couldn't be selfish...but I wanted it badly!  Not a dream vacation,  but hopefully things turn around soon. Yelling or crying wont help...and I want to do both! Thank you for the helpful responses. I dont feel so alone in this. 

 

Kudos to you for letting someone more in need have the sleeping cabin. 'Tis the season and all that. Glad to know you at least have a fan.

 

You're right, yelling or crying won't help. Taking advantage of public areas may be the best activity for now. Hope the a/c is fixed soon.

[cat shepard]

11 minutes ago, Cruiser785 said:

Have procured a fan. Room is not hot, not cool...but muggy now. A team is working, but about 20 cabins seem to be affected, plus a few others we have heard about, mostly forward cabins. We were offered a cabin to sleep, but I gave it to a woman with asthma. I just couldn't be selfish...but I wanted it badly!  Not a dream vacation,  but hopefully things turn around soon. Yelling or crying wont help...and I want to do both! Thank you for the helpful responses. I dont feel so alone in this. 

May good Karma head your way - soon! 

[Cruiser785]

Karma...hadn't thought of that. The guest services were very clear. A cabin to sleep for one night only...because a new passenger is boarding and needs that cabin today. Interesting...are they boarding while we are at sea? Come on...truth and honesty would be a better way to respect the passengers.  We paid good money and have not received what we paid for...just very sad because my plans and need for relaxation after a pretty horrid year seem to be gone. Trying to smile, but just not happy. 

[wyobean]

I am curious to know if the passengers were sent a letter about what time to be there for boarding. There is so much talk about everyone disregarding the assigned times. If they were told when to be there it might have been a good time to heed what the letter said.

[daisy-mae]

40 minutes ago, wyobean said:

I am curious to know if the passengers were sent a letter about what time to be there for boarding. There is so much talk about everyone disregarding the assigned times. If they were told when to be there it might have been a good time to heed what the letter said.

 

Just wondering how that would fix the AC problem? 

 

If anything, getting to the cabin early - if that is the case - allowed the OP to determine there was an issue and get an oar in the water, so to speak, by contacting the folks at customer service.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Cruiser785 said:

Karma...hadn't thought of that. The guest services were very clear. A cabin to sleep for one night only...because a new passenger is boarding and needs that cabin today. Interesting...are they boarding while we are at sea? Come on...truth and honesty would be a better way to respect the passengers.  We paid good money and have not received what we paid for...just very sad because my plans and need for relaxation after a pretty horrid year seem to be gone. Trying to smile, but just not happy. 

 

Chin up!  It may all be fixed quickly - at least, I hope so.

 

I remember our horrific boarding on the Prinsendam.  (My first cruise on her, too).  They were deep cleaning and we never got an email advising us about late boarding.

 

We arrived earlier due to a rail strike and the alert that we should do our private transfer earlier before they were swamped.

 

If you think FLL has no place to wait, Civi terminal is worse.  It was an uggh.

 

To their credit the crew brought water, coffee, tea, sandwiches, etc to help with things.

 

We boarded around 2 pm and yes, lunch was offered.  Couldn’t get the temp in our cabin to work right.  By 8 pm it was all fixed and it turned out to be one of the BEST cruises ever.  I hope your cruise turns out the same.

 

 

 

[Cruiser785]

No letter at all about when to get to the ship to board, which we were surprised about. 

 

Still humid in cabin...trying to stay busy...no letter with apology or plan to fix. 

 

Tomorrow is another day! Thx for your support. 

[scubacruiserx2]

15 hours ago, wyobean said:

I am curious to know if the passengers were sent a letter about what time to be there for boarding. There is so much talk about everyone disregarding the assigned times. If they were told when to be there it might have been a good time to heed what the letter said.

 

We showed up at our appointed time for our Neptune Suite and waited a couple of hours from our arrival . We went thru 3 written check lists to allow us to a different room , allow us to board and at the safety drill where every one was hand counted and checked off the list . We got hot water last night after  the gala dinner and my wife got to shower . The hot water was missing again this morning .

The computers were out, some cabins and areas do not have A/C and hot water is out in other cabins. The ship left about 90 minutes late from Port Everglades .

[ger_77]

49 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 We got hot water last night after  the gala dinner and my wife got to shower . The hot water was missing again this morning .

The computers were out, some cabins and areas do not have A/C and hot water is out in other cabins. The ship left about 90 minutes late from Port Everglades .

Wow, it seems they should have extended the dry dock a day or two longer!  Sure hope this turns around for everyone, as you want to go on a cruise to relax, not fret!

 

Smooth Sailing!   🙂🙂🙂

[cat shepard]

I wonder who makes the decision to release the ship from dry dock?
 

Though not every problem might be identified before the release, clearly there should be procedures that clear the major systems as “good to go”. Perhaps they should tweak those procedures a bit. Or am I being unrealistic in thinking the water and AC problems should have been identified before the release from dry dock?

 

Hope the hot water & AC problems are fixed for good - and soon.

Edited December 12, 2019 by cat shepard

[Seasick Sailor]

2 hours ago, ger_77 said:

 

I know it is a pain, but perhaps you could see if the spa showers have hot water? At least you wouldn't be hot and stinky..

[noblepa]

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

I wonder who makes the decision to release the ship from dry dock?
 

Though not every problem might be identified before the release, clearly there should be procedures that clear the major systems as “good to go”. Perhaps they should tweak those procedures a bit. Or am I being unrealistic in thinking the water and AC problems should have been identified before the release from dry dock?

 

Hope the hot water & AC problems are fixed for good - and soon.

 

I think that, unless the ship will not float, it leaves the drydock at its appointed time. Drydocks capable of holding large ships and doing the work needed, are few and far between. They are booked years in advance.

 

Overstaying the ship's scheduled period is usually not an option.

 

So, the ship sails, whether its 100 percent ready or not.

 

Also, the cruise line probably loses a million dollars per day when the ship is not in service. They don't want to cancel cruises and refund fares already paid.

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

I wonder who makes the decision to release the ship from dry dock?
 

Though not every problem might be identified before the release, clearly there should be procedures that clear the major systems as “good to go”. Perhaps they should tweak those procedures a bit. Or am I being unrealistic in thinking the water and AC problems should have been identified before the release from dry dock?

 

Hope the hot water & AC problems are fixed for good - and soon.

 

We found out last night that we were not the only one's without hot ( or warm ) water as our neighbors were without it also . It was back on after breakfast this morning . The Captain said on day 1 that the Bahamas didn't release them after dry dock until 1 AM Tuesday morning so they had been running behind . It still seems to be quit warm in the lower forward decks and hopefully everyone has their AC back .

[Krazy Kruizers]

This is certainly not the way to enjoy vacation time.

 

Hope the ship gets the problems fixed.