SEA58 Posted March 23 #1 Share Posted March 23 We haven't been on a Holland America ship in a very, very long time. It was 1990, in fact. So I'd love to hear from recent cruisers on Zuiderdam. We're in our 60s. We'll be cruising this summer. One thing we're interested in is the As You Wish dining situation. I've seen some negative comments on it regarding wait times, food quality, etc. We like to not be locked into a set dining time -- just go when we want, depending on the day, usually somewhere between 6 and 6:30 pm. Any thoughts on this dining choice? Also, we enjoy nice bar/lounge spots for views and music. Any suggestions on what you especially like will be appreciated. Club Orange. Is there any real strong reason to have it on this ship? (Maybe it's no longer available after we've booked and paid for the cruise.) Basically, I would love to hear from those who have been on Zuiderdam in the last few weeks or months and get your impression, likes and dislikes, suggestions and ideas for this ship. We booked a Signature Suite on deck 6, if that matters. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted March 23 #2 Share Posted March 23 It is a great ship . Very clean we are on it today. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigi1977 Posted March 23 #3 Share Posted March 23 Love the Ocean Bar on this size ship. It’s large with plenty of seating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mawvkysc Posted March 23 #4 Share Posted March 23 I’m interested too! I’ll be on the spring TA. How is the MDR temperature? I’m trying to plan my packing. I’m cold natured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakridger Posted March 23 #5 Share Posted March 23 The Zuiderdam is on the World Cruise at the moment! Read the "Live From" posts to learn about the ship, activities and menus. 4 hours ago, SEA58 said: Also, we enjoy nice bar/lounge spots for views and music. Any suggestions on what you especially like will be appreciated. Ocean Bar for background music in the evenings. Views from Crow's Nest and Seaview pool area. I love the Signature Suites!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted March 23 #6 Share Posted March 23 The Zuiderdam is a great ship. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseaholic78 Posted March 23 #7 Share Posted March 23 5 hours ago, SEA58 said: Club Orange. Is there any real strong reason to have it on this ship? (Maybe it's no longer available after we've booked and paid for the cruise.) We are booked for this October, to be honest for us the only real advantage is booking a guarantee and then buying C.O. to upgrade to the cabin of our choice. The price difference was not worth it for this cruise as the upgrade is the only real value for us and there are not as many (other) advantages with this ship versus the Pinnacle class ones. If you have already booked and paid it could be interesting for an upgrade otherwise all you get is OBC. https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/inventory-assets/activity-types/dining/club-orange/Club_Orange_Benefits.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted March 23 #8 Share Posted March 23 Google "Zuiderdam reviews". You will find dozens of videos, reviews and more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted March 23 #9 Share Posted March 23 Here is my review of a Zuiderdam signature suite 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellieanne Posted March 23 #10 Share Posted March 23 Of the Vista class, the Zuiderdam is my favorite. I love the art theme, and like remembering the floors based on the Commedia del Arte statues in the elevator lobbies. But really, it's a great ship otherwise. My favorite places are either the Lido (when my who travelling party are together -- the large tables make it so easy for groups of 6-8 to gather together -- or the Ocean Bar for drinks & reading during the day. My husband really liked how easy it was on our cruise to find a lounger, especially since he preferred the ones well away from the edge of the pool, and he really enjoyed the music venues. I liked the "secret" path to my Deck 1 stateroom through the Main Show Lounge...so much easier to run up and down through those stairs than wait on an elevator. It was a great ship. Temperature is subjective, and really dependent on location cruising. We loved our Canada/New England cruise on the Zuiderdam, but it was a bit overcast and chilly, so the dome roof was almost never opened. But on the Panama Canal cruise we had on the Zuiderdam, the roof was always open and it was quite warm. Even the temperature in the Main Dining Room was dependent on the weather outside, probably due to all the windows in the room. If you are chilly a lot of the time, I would suggest dressing in light layers so you can stay comfortable no matter the weather/temperature. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea42 Posted March 23 #11 Share Posted March 23 6 hours ago, oakridger said: The Zuiderdam is on the World Cruise at the moment! Read the "Live From" posts to learn about the ship, activities and menus. The activities and menus will be very different on the world cruise vs. other cruises, so best not to compare and have unrealistic expectations. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mawvkysc Posted March 23 #12 Share Posted March 23 4 hours ago, ellieanne said: . My husband really liked how easy it was on our cruise to find a lounger, especially since he preferred the ones well away from the edge of the pool, and he really enjoyed the music venues Thanks. This is good to hear as on the ship tours that I’ve watched there seems to be a plethora of tables and chairs near the covered pool and less loungers. Other Vista class ship tours don’t look to have that many tables. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEA58 Posted March 23 Author #13 Share Posted March 23 11 hours ago, Gigi1977 said: Love the Ocean Bar on this size ship. It’s large with plenty of seating. Good to know! Thanks. We look forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEA58 Posted March 23 Author #14 Share Posted March 23 7 hours ago, cruiseaholic78 said: We are booked for this October, to be honest for us the only real advantage is booking a guarantee and then buying C.O. to upgrade to the cabin of our choice. The price difference was not worth it for this cruise as the upgrade is the only real value for us and there are not as many (other) advantages with this ship versus the Pinnacle class ones. If you have already booked and paid it could be interesting for an upgrade otherwise all you get is OBC. Thanks for this helpful info. I think we will pass on C.O. as we have selected our cabin and would want to keep it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEA58 Posted March 23 Author #15 Share Posted March 23 13 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said: Here is my review of a Zuiderdam signature suite We viewed your Signature Suite Tour, The-Inside-Cabin, and enjoyed it very much. Thanks! It was nice to see how you managed the space so well and I will say the video convinced us that we want that extra space. It's a splurge, but at this point in life we like to do that now and then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alwaysfrantic Posted March 28 #16 Share Posted March 28 I sailed on her last fall. We had a nice cruise. The food was good. We did, for the first time on a cruise, the open dining and we liked it. Chose it for next trip as well. We were in a Neptune so we had the club orange benefits. There is a separate line to enter the dining room and you are seated right away. I'm not sure how long the wait was in the other line but there were usually quite a few people. I had to ask for the Club Orange menu. It was never brought to me without asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEA58 Posted March 28 Author #17 Share Posted March 28 alwaysfrantic, I sure appreciate your input. Thanks. We have decided to skip the CO benefits, but I like hearing your thoughts on it. I think once we are on board and see how the dining experience is going we can make some kind of adjustment, if needed. Glad to hear that you had a nice cruise! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandwoman Posted May 7 #18 Share Posted May 7 I am also considering a cruise on the Zuiderdam. Having recently sailed on the Koningsdam, and finding it to be crowded (insufficient seating for the World Stage, insufficient seating and competition for service in the Lido, long waits to get into the MDR), I am wondering whether the Zuiderdam will be the same. I see that it is a smaller ship, but not HAL's smallest. Also, can the Zuiderdam dock in-town or is it large enough that it must dock further away or tender at ports where smaller ships can dock in-town? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellieanne Posted May 7 #19 Share Posted May 7 14 minutes ago, islandwoman said: I am also considering a cruise on the Zuiderdam. Having recently sailed on the Koningsdam, and finding it to be crowded (insufficient seating for the World Stage, insufficient seating and competition for service in the Lido, long waits to get into the MDR), I am wondering whether the Zuiderdam will be the same. I see that it is a smaller ship, but not HAL's smallest. Also, can the Zuiderdam dock in-town or is it large enough that it must dock further away or tender at ports where smaller ships can dock in-town? I have not been on the Konigsdam, but I have been on the Zuiderdam and the Eurodam. Depending on the itinerary and the numbers of passengers, the Zuiderdam can feel crowded. It's a lovely ship, but some of the spaces feel long and narrow, which makes it feel more crowded. Not as crowded as the Oosterdam feels, but still more so than the Zaandam and the Eurodam. Personally, I found it felt more crowded on the Caribbean cruise than on an Eastern Canada/New England repositioning cruise. Overall, I find the ships post-Covid to be more crowded than pre-Covid cruises, and it was more important to get to popular events (evening shows, movies, trivia contests, etc.) early to ensure a "good" seat (good being different for everyone). It depends on the port whether the Zuiderdam can dock. When I was on it, it docked everywhere there were docking facilities, but we went to mainly larger ports or were the only ship in port that day. Also, sometimes docking vs. anchoring depends on the port and time of arrival/departure. I know that has been the case in Sydney, Nova Scotia every time I've been there with multiple ships in port. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WriterOnDeck Posted May 8 #20 Share Posted May 8 On 5/6/2024 at 11:48 PM, islandwoman said: Also, can the Zuiderdam dock in-town or is it large enough that it must dock further away or tender at ports where smaller ships can dock in-town? Depends on so much. I hear the Rotterdam is only 30 feet longer than the Zuiderdam, and the Zaandam (smaller than Zuiderdam), has a greated depth under the water. In some ports (Sydney, I'm looking at you), bigger is better, as the big ships dock by Circular Quay because they can't get under the Harbour Bridge. The Zuiderdam is sent to White Bay and you bus in. Although if there are multiple large ships, some anchor and tendor. So the number of ships in port matter as much as size. And how far ahead a cruise line books the pier space, how much it costs, etc. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandwoman Posted May 8 #21 Share Posted May 8 3 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said: In some ports (Sydney, I'm looking at you), bigger is better, as the big ships dock by Circular Quay because they can't get under the Harbour Bridge. The Zuiderdam is sent to White Bay and you bus in. I didn't realize that. Thanks for the information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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