Zaandam random bathroom upgrades??

[BermudaBound2014]

I'm just curious, but does anyone know the story behind the random bathroom upgrades on the Zaandam?

 

I'm looking at deck 3.It appears that the asterisk * sign signals shower only, so am I correct to assume those bathrooms have been renovated? If so, I can't find a pattern to why particular rooms were upgraded and others weren't (even within the same category). This is the forward of deck 3. I put a red dot on the shower only cabins. The aft of deck 3 is equally random. There must be rational and I'm betting someone on cC knows 🙂. Anyone??

 

Edited June 21 by BermudaBound2014

[kazu]

I think the problem is with the deck plans.

 

It was my understanding that the Zaandam like the Volendam had converted the bathrooms for all interior and ocean view cabins to shower only.

 

When you look at the description of the rooms on the same web site, it specifically says shower in the description of all the rooms.

 

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

Thank you Kazo,

 

The Zaandam deck plan is different. Here is the deck plan I'm showing directly from the HAL site.The key specifically shows  'shower only' rooms (that key does not appear on the volendam deck plan you provided above).

 

Various sites have stated that the 'shower only' rooms are the ones that have been upgraded (the tub removed). It's a very random pattern and it doesn't seem to matter the cabin category. Some HH, Some H, Some E, etc..,

 

 

 

 

I was hoping someone could explain why HAL was inconsistent with upgrading the Zaandam, UNLESS of course, the HAL website is totally incorrect and 100% of the Zaandam cabins have had the upgraded bathroom???

[Banditswife]

From photos shared here on CC, a few bathrooms truly needed to be redone.  So that might be the pattern-- when tiles are cracked, broken, missing- those get redone in order of worst to not so bad.  While on the Zaandam in Dec of 2024, our inside cabin was fine.  Off hand, I can't remember our cabin # though.

[kazu]

10 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Thank you Kazo,

 

The Zaandam deck plan is different. Here is the deck plan I'm showing directly from the HAL site.The key specifically shows  'shower only' rooms (that key does not appear on the volendam deck plan you provided above).

 

Various sites have stated that the 'shower only' rooms are the ones that have been upgraded (the tub removed). It's a very random pattern and it doesn't seem to matter the cabin category. Some HH, Some H, Some E, etc..,

 

 

 

 

I was hoping someone could explain why HAL was inconsistent with upgrading the Zaandam, UNLESS of course, the HAL website is totally incorrect and 100% of the Zaandam cabins have had the upgraded bathroom???

 

That is really perplexing.  Volendam and Zaandam are sister ships and should be relatively consistent.  I wonder if Zaandam didn’t have enough dry dock time to do it ?  

[BermudaBound2014]

11 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

That is really perplexing.  Volendam and Zaandam are sister ships and should be relatively consistent.  I wonder if Zaandam didn’t have enough dry dock time to do it ?  

Darn- If anyone knew I thought  it might be you. And 
perplexing is the perfect word! Time is one hypothesis. I was thinking with a bit less optimism. 

 

Based on recent videos, it sure does appear that there are a slew of cabins that did not get upgraded. What’s super strange to me is the inconsistency within the same categories. Booker beware 😉 

 

 

[boatmad]

We were on deck 3 on Zaandam last fall. I thought I had done my homework and we would have updated bathroom.  Very disappointed to find the old tub and tile.  Loved the ship, loved the cruise but it was a negative.

[BermudaBound2014]

15 hours ago, boatmad said:

We were on deck 3 on Zaandam last fall. I thought I had done my homework and we would have updated bathroom.  Very disappointed to find the old tub and tile.  Loved the ship, loved the cruise but it was a negative.

 

thank you for sharing your experience.

 

When you selected your cabin, did you specifically select one with an asterisk * on the HAL deck plan? 

[St Pete Cruiser]

21 hours ago, kazu said:

 

That is really perplexing.  Volendam and Zaandam are sister ships and should be relatively consistent.  I wonder if Zaandam didn’t have enough dry dock time to do it ?  

We were on the Zaandam last year for the Christmas cruise in an oceanview room on deck 1, midship.  Also disappointed to find the old tub and shower curtain, so we started asking room stewards and guest services.  The truth was, yes, some of the rooms were updated, but in no particular order.  HD Darren Lewis told us that more of the bathrooms will be done on the next drydock.  He also added that as long as the bookings remain strong for the two remaining R class, they will stay in the fleet.

[kevingastreich]

I hope so...Volendam is doing GWV 2026 with all updated bathrooms according to Gus A. HAL president.

[boatmad]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

thank you for sharing your experience.

 

When you selected your cabin, did you specifically select one with an asterisk * on the HAL deck plan? 

 

[boatmad]

I honestly don’t remember.  I am so careful with the location, no adjoining room, etc. ,  don’t remember even seeing the asterisk for shower only.  There were numerous postings about which cabins had been upgraded and I thought ours was one.  Still had an amazing cruise!

[BermudaBound2014]

@boatmad I agree that the bathroom update shouldn't make or break a cruise! But, if given a choice, I would prefer the upgraded bathroom as some of the recent photos of the old style are really bad (cracked tile, missing grout, etc...).

 

What is weird is that the pattern for upgrading is so random. There must be a story behind this. Either they didn't have time, didn't have money, didn't plan for this renovation and added it in at the end. Someone must know the rational :). 

 

 

If you are thinking of booking a Zaandam cabin best to look at the HAL site and select a cabin with an asterisk as it appears to me that those have officially been upgraded. Looks like zaandam is going in for a drydock in Jan 2025 so hopefully they will get to all the rooms.

 

PS: To add to the confusion none of the balcony cabins have an asterisk, but I 'think' those have all been upgraded (I haven't been researching those cabins so I'm not sure). Only the two HH cabins on deck 7 show asterisks. 

[zoomer1956]

I know for sure (maybe not now) that the following OV cabins on Zaandam were updated from a shower/tub to a shower with glass door awhile ago. Don't remember when, but a couple of years before Covid.

 

Cabins D3331-D3370 deck 3

Cabins C2564-C2647 deck 2

 

Haven't been in these cabins so I can't really confirm. What a mess those stateroom symbol legends are.

 

OP, 7083 + 6 definitely are not upgraded surprisingly with their prime location.

 

Lynn

[BermudaBound2014]

14 minutes ago, zoomer1956 said:

Cabins D3331-D3370 deck 3

 

 

All the D's on Deck 3 appear to be completed . It looks to me like H3367 and H3369 in the number sequence are the old style. Can you confirm that the two H cabins in that number sequence are new style bathrooms?

 

 

 

Strangely, none of the deck 2 cabins are showing the upgrade bathroom on HAL's main page. I agree, the deck plans for the zaandam are a mess 🙂 

 

Edited Saturday at 05:47 PM by BermudaBound2014

[zoomer1956]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

All the D's on Deck 3 appear to be completed . It looks to me like H3367 and H3369 in the number sequence are the old style. Can you confirm that the two H cabins in that number sequence are new style bathrooms?

 

 

 

Strangely, none of the deck 2 cabins are showing the upgrade bathroom on HAL's main page. I agree, the deck plans for the zaandam are a mess 🙂 

 

Sorry, can't confirm for cabins H3367 and H3369. Strong feeling they are not updated. There will be a dry dock at the beginning of next year. Hopefully, the bathrooms will be part of their agenda.

Lynn

[Ileneilene123]

3 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

PS: To add to the confusion none of the balcony cabins have an asterisk, but I 'think' those have all been upgraded (I haven't been researching those cabins so I'm not sure). Only the two HH cabins on deck 7 show asterisks. 

I believe the bathroom tile has been replaced in balcony cabins, but the old tubs and curtains are still there. We will be in a Vista Suite on Deck 6 in a couple of weeks so I’ll find out. 

[cruisingrob21]

I'm not sure you can always assume that "shower only" means that the cabin bathroom was upgraded.  Some cabins only ever had a shower.

 

As of August 2022, the bathroom in 2715 does not appear to be upgraded.  It could have changed since then, but I think its important to keep in mind that the only real cabins that seem to have upgraded bathrooms are the D category rooms on deck 3

https://halfacts.com/r-class/2715-zaandam/

 

[cruisingrob21]

Making things even more confusing, here is a video from about a year ago, with an MM category interior room aft on deck 1 with the remodeled bathroom.  This cabin likely only had a shower originally, so it may have been easier to retrofit this bathroom - but note that while the decor and touch surfaces appear newer, the shower still has a shower curtain.  These are the 2nd lowest category on the Z or V.

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 10:42 PM by cruisingrob21

[everbeentoseabilly]

Hello. We were on the zaandam last august/september. 3393 and 3374 were not updated but 3424 was. 

[BermudaBound2014]

Thanks everyone! 

 

It sure does appear that there is hot mess on the Zaandam in terms of which cabins have been upgraded.

 

It wouldn't harm me to end up in an old bathroom (unless there is mold as has been reported in some cases), but I do appreciate a shower with a door as opposed to curtain so I'd like to choose a renovated room when given a choice.

 

If this bathroom situation isn't rectified in the January 2025 dry dock, I think that may speak volumes for HAL's intentions.

 

 

[cruisingrob21]

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

If this bathroom situation isn't rectified in the January 2025 dry dock, I think that may speak volumes for HAL's intentions.

 

 

 

Just speculating here, but given the seemingly random nature of upgrades to bathrooms in non-suites, it could actually be an ongoing activity onboard the Z-dam.  If a cabin is empty for a voyage, it may only take 2 or 3 skilled workers to remove the old tile and shelving, and put in the new surfacing and fixtures.  It could also be that some of the tiling is actually on a movable piece of fiberglass that could be removed and replaced with the new design which would make the whole process less messy and somewhat quick.  It could be that they could turn around 2 or 3 cabins in the course of 7 days.  But this is all speculation.  As others have said, the priority could be based on cabins where there is water damage.

 

It could also be just a full on removal of the bathroom module, which is separate from the cabin module.  Around 0:10 in this video

, you can see them bringing the bathroom module into place.  I don't know how they would do this if its already constructed, but I would have to imagine its easier to take apart the bathroom wall by wall than try to strip off the tile and make other adjustments.