Live From The Zuiderdam!

[Tatka]

It seems I am the only one who truly did not care for this ship. The service was poor at best as was the quality of the food. Dining room staff is short and non-attentive.

The first night in the dining room our bottle of wine finally arrived at the end of our entree, this also happened the following evening. Did I mention water? Water glasses were filled after appetizers dishes were cleared. Food quality was poor and this was the majority of the chatter on the ship.

Our 6/24/04 cruise was cramped with the most children ever booked on a HAL cruise and the activities certainly mirrored that. The majority of daily activities were for the "little ones". After a trip to Grand Cayman we ran up to the pool for a quick hot dog before returning to our cabin and staff was instructed not to allow adults to have hot dogs it was "kids afternoon", funny , I thought we were the ones that paid!!!!

Dining in room was interesting, we decided to take advantage of our lovely balcony and get away from a poorly run dining room, what did we receive? 6 desserts, no water, 1 cold soup and salad from the menu the night before. What did we order? 2 salads, 1 dessert & 2 entrees!

**** Do NOT snuba in Grand Cayman, they are doing major construction on the pier and there aren't any fish and the water is very merky. We did report this to the excursion staff and they said they were "aware" sorry we had a bad time.

Just SOME of the reason we will not be returning to this cruise line .

Don't waste your money in the spa!

Was anything good on your cruise? :confused:

 

I want to read different opinions but also I am very sceptical to the reviews that contain only negative points.

[Ellya]

I'm sorry your cruise was not what you hoped for Airam1. I'm surprised because I was on that same cruise and my experience was totally different! We loved the dining room and found both the service and the food to be excellent (especially the soups which were outstanding). We did order room service and all items arrived as ordered except for the substitution of oranges for bananas because they were out of bananas. We found plenty of adult activities (adult comedy show, adult karaoke, disco, casino, pool games etc.). The only place we thought there were "too many" kids was the Lido pool which was dominated by them. In light of this I think they should make the aft pool adults only all day instead of only 2 hours a day. This was the only time we even noticed the children on board. I can't speak for the spa since we were way too busy with all the activities and shore excursions to take advantage of it. Perhaps you had some "bad luck", but I hope that others reading this board won't think that your experience was typical of Holland America or the Zuiderdam.

[spcl4cs_gal]

The humidity was so thick here this morning you could have cut it with a knife! Fortunately this storm has kind of cleared things out for now. I went on shore on an early tender, did some really quick shopping and left to come back to the a/c onboard.

 

The Elton John show last night was a definite hit and I would suggest that anyone who is a fan of his music be sure to attend. The only thing I didn't like about the show was that it didn't last nearly enough. :(

[Lois R]

:D An Elton John Impersonator? Oh that sounds fantastic...especially if he is good!

 

Pete....do you and Sylvia like his music? I definitely want to see that show!

 

I am enjoying this "Live Review"....Spcl...thank you for taking the time to post it:)

[spcl4cs_gal]

A big HELLO from Shy in the Lido restaurant!!!

 

Apparently Hunky Dory is returning to the Zuiderdam on the July 17 sailing according to Shy! (you heard it here first ladies and gentlemen... :)...)

[scluvsrain]

Spcl4cs_gal..

 

Wow, thanks for taking the time to post.. Its really a nice thing to do , for all us "land-locked" cruisers .. LOL!! :D

 

 

Scluvsrain.. Good luck next week !! :)

Btw.. Has HAL notifed you of any "official" Itinerary changes yet, for next week ?? Just curious..

 

Srpilo

 

No, HAL has not notified me of any changes at all. And I was on the phone with them today asking for confirmation of something re the cruise. Funny, huh?

[TylerRose]

Thanks so much for these daily posts. I have decided not to book indepenent excursions after reading about the changes in port days.

 

Any favorites, or ports you'd skip?

Being from Texas I am numb to humidity and heat, so we're game for any recommendation!

[spcl4cs_gal]

With the rain and high prices we encountered at Grand Cayman I would have to suggest that they have two days at HMC instead of just the one. However, stingray city at GC was very popular so book early if you want to go.

[Lois R]

:) Hi Alison...I must have just come onto the boards as you were leaving for your cruise.

My first HAL cruise is on your ship in September....just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the "live insight"!

It is appreciated:).

[Joedog]

Hi Alison:

 

We will be on the Zuiderdam next week ~ I was wondering if there is both shampoo and conditioner in the cabins (we have an AA category cabin)? We were on NCL's Dawn last year and they only offer shampoo...

 

Thanks and hope you are enjoying your cruise!

[MandyGirl]

TylerRose -

 

Small world... I grew up in east Texas and graduated from UTT.

Anyway, thinking of flexibility of swapping ports... if you are thinking of doing a catamaran day of sailing/snorkeling on Tortola, you might want to check out http://www.patouche.com/ I have been very pleased with their communication, and they are aware of the possible switcharoo of Tortola/St Thomas for Zuiderdam. They asked if I wanted to 'hold' either day, but the two days are two different snorkeling excursions. We're flexible, so I said "sure". It's nice to have such good feedback like that from a group willing to work with you in situations like this. I originally learned of them here on CruiseCritic from other positive reviews.

If I only wanted Wednesday (Baths) but not Tuesday (other smaller islands) that was fine too - I was only responsible for the day I actually chose to book. If the ship doesn't show on the day that I booked, no money lost. I felt this was very flexible on their behalf, as most places require 24+ hours of cancellation notification (and sometimes on a ship you don't get that much notice of skipping/swapping a port).

[vjb223]

I e-mailed patouche days ago requesting information and gave dates, no response so far? Hope it works out would enjoy it.

[MandyGirl]

vjb - It would take a business day or two. I believe they are a small-group operation and also do charters, so they could be out on the water several days at a time. If you don't hear back soon, just re-send your email to them. I really was impressed how they would work with us on the possible port changes - at the time I emailed them, people were posting on the message boards that they didn't learn of changes until after boarding - and Patouche was willing to work with that as well. They would know what ships were in port that morning and just look for us around 8:45 if our ship was there. :)

[CINCY40]

Joedog...

 

We were on the Zuiderdam in May in an S suite. No conditioner. Shampoo is a generous size. I was glad I had brought my own conditioner.

 

Nancy

[spcl4cs_gal]

All of the cabins have soap, conditioning shampoo, and body lotion in them...small bottles but they are restocked daily by your room steward.

 

Wow I can't believe that a week in the caribbean went by so quickly. Now I guess I will need to start counting the days til March.

 

I had the blue cabana on HMC yesterday and it was well stocked. HAL offered the unlimited drinks package and I took them up on that offer in order to have some nice rum punch to beat the heat. An wow was it ever hot!! But in the end I do think that a cabana is well worth the price of admission if you wanted to beat the heat.

[Ziggy7]

wow I'm loving your updates !! Thanks !

[spcl4cs_gal]

Thanks, Ziggy. Once Cruzlover56 gets back from her cruise next week, I am sure she will be able to fill you in more on the Z and the eastern caribbean trip. For now I am sitting at home waiting for the sunburn I picked up on HMC to finally cool off. OUCH! :)

[FlorenceItaly]

Alison - Was this a solo cruise for you? If so, can you share a bit about cruising solo on the Zuiderdam??? I solo cruised on the Maasdam last month, and am soloing it on the Veendam next month. The rest of the year, I will be cruising with family and friends. I am VERY interested in cruising the Zuiderdam. Thanks!

 

Marie

[spcl4cs_gal]

Hi Marie,

 

Yes this was a solo cruise for me, as was my cruise in March of this year. Now I know there are those out there who pooh-pooh the idea of cruising alone but IMHO it is the best. You get to call your own shots as to what to do and when to do it and your schedule doesn't have to correspond with that of anyone else.

 

I met up with a couple other people on the Z who were cruising alone too so it is something that isn't as rare as some might think. The Zuiderdam is a huge ship and everyone, whether traveling with someone or traveling alone are all on the same boat, so to speak. When dining in the Vista diningroom, I was seated at a table for 8 and there was another single there as well. Taking part in onboard activities is just as easy to do sailing solo as it is sailing with someone. I have to add that I have some friends on the Z who are crew members and it is always fun hanging out with them as well. :D

 

I'm not sure this helps so if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask. :)

[FlorenceItaly]

Alison - I agree! I love solo cruising and HAL...so much that I came back last month, and booked this Alaska cruise. I was just curious as to what your personal experience on the Z was. It sounds like it was wonderful. This year HAL seems to have some great solo rates. I have started looking at 2005 and the same Canada/NE cruise I took this year is DOUBLE what I paid this year. Even the Z rates are high, but maybe it is too soon. I am kinda looking for a solo cruise in June/July of next year, and am thinking the Z or maybe the Century. My first Celebrity cruise is in April, with my sister.

Have you cruised solo on any other lines?

 

Did you attend any of the Single Meet N Greets?? I am very happily married, but did attend one of the meet and greets on the Maasdam, and plan to next month also. It is a good way to meet other solo travelers.

 

Marie

[Lois R]

:) Hi Alison, thanks for the positive replies about sailing solo....and nice to meet you...I think I started posting on the HAL board right after you left on this cruise.

I am sailing solo on 9-11...first time on HAL....sounds like you are having a wonderful time:D .

 

I agree, solo cruising is awesome! I have done it 4 times since May 2003...all on Celebrity or Royal...so HAL will be a new experience!

 

I am really looking foward to this...Marie has been a great friend here on the HAL board....Hi Marie:)

[FlorenceItaly]

Hello Lois - Any chance you may do Bermuda next June/July timeframe?? This is also a cruise I would be interested in doing, if the solo rates are not outrageous. I am pretty set on this time frame as I am already booked Mar, April and Sept. Keep me posted on what you are doing and maybe we can meet up somewhere :).

 

Marie

[Lois R]

:) Good morning Marie...I have nothing booked for 2005 yet..so I would definitely be interested in doing Bermuda...to make up for the one I had to cancel.

I don't want to commit to HAL though, as I want to wait and see how I enjoy this one first.

Marie, I want to thank you again....do you still have my email? its lo1958@hotmail.com if you could drop me a line....I would appreciate it:).

[FlorenceItaly]

You have mail :).

 

Marie

[Lois R]

:) Thanks...so do you!