Oh how opinions vary

[mattR]

It is amazing how opinions vary even on the same cruise:) Check out the reviews of the Zudierdam by KB and Beverly from the Jul 31st sailing.[[url]http://www.cruise-addicts.com/reviews/listoneship.php?ShipRequest=0000000177][/url]

Select HAL Zudierdam from drop down menu

[KSCnCA]

Wow! Sounds like Beverly had a terrible time! Such a shame to spend a miserable week on a cruise. Our Z cruise has to be better than that!!! One hundred and eleven days till we leave!

[MandyGirl]

[color=darkorchid]I agree... wow. The point that really got to me was that she "felt the boat rocking at night". I am always amazed by comments about feeling the ship rock some (it's an OCEAN)... just like complaints about airplanes (bumpy flight... it's called 'turbulence' and can occur unexpectedly). Things like that are just going to happen. :rolleyes: We are officially on the 3-month countdown now for our Z cruise :D and I expect there to be [b]some[/b] sort of movement on the water. :) [/color]

[kryos]

[quote name='MandyGirl'][color=darkorchid]I agree... wow. The point that really got to me was that she "felt the boat rocking at night". I am always amazed by comments about feeling the ship rock some (it's an OCEAN)... just like complaints about airplanes (bumpy flight... it's called 'turbulence' and can occur unexpectedly). Things like that are just going to happen. :rolleyes: We are officially on the 3-month countdown now for our Z cruise :D and I expect there to be [b]some[/b] sort of movement on the water. :) [/color][/QUOTE]
Oh, God! I sure hope the boat rocks at night! I never slept better than I did on the Rotterdam last March. I can't wait for some more good night's sleep on the Zuiderdam starting next weekend!

Blue skies ...

--rita

[PrincessMelody]

[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=deepskyblue]I have to laugh whenever I hear people complain about feeling the boat move...They should have been on the Maasdam last February when we hit 30+ foot swells in the Atlantic!!:eek: Talk about a wild ride! Stuff was flying off our table at dinner, and the last night of the cruise, we were nearly tossed out of bed! [/color][/size][/font]
[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#00bfff][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#00bfff]Melody[/color][/size][/font]

[Paticakes]

[quote name='kryos']Oh, God! I sure hope the boat rocks at night! I never slept better than I did on the Rotterdam last March. I can't wait for some more good night's sleep on the Zuiderdam starting next weekend!

Blue skies ...

--rita[/QUOTE]
I only felt the ship rock on 2 nights on our 8/7 cruise. Those were the best 2 nights sleep that I had!

[kryos]

[quote name='Paticakes']I only felt the ship rock on 2 nights on our 8/7 cruise. Those were the best 2 nights sleep that I had![/QUOTE]
[COLOR=Magenta]I'm hoping we have seas like we did on the Rotterdam. There were a few days that walking was actually difficult! But, oh, what a wonderful night's sleep. I liken it to a baby being rocked in a cradle. So soothing!

It should be even better this trip since I won't have a cabinmate. So, I will have a queen size bed to be rocked in. Nice!

Blue skies ...

--rita[/COLOR]

[Krazy Kruizers]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=blue]I always enjoy rereading all the different reviews and comparing notes - interesting to see how bad a cruise was for one person while another one loved it.[/color][/font][/b]
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[jazzsea]

I'm sure that you all know that the cabin location has a lot to do with the motion that you might feel while sleeping.

Some of us are more likely to experience motion discomfort than others.

[mhshapiro]

A bit of advice to those prone to motion sickness - choose a cabin that is near midship and on the lower decks - avoid cabins near the front of the ship and on the higher decks.

[RevNeal]

[QUOTE]A bit of advice to those prone to motion sickness - choose a cabin that is near midship and on the lower decks - avoid cabins near the front of the ship and on the higher decks.[/QUOTE]

That's just one of the reasons why I prefer a J-Category inside cabin. On the S/R/V ships they're all amidships on the Lower Promenade deck. If I want an outside cabin the C-Category is almost as certain to give you amidships -- though there are more of them and they go further forward and aft than the Js.

Another reason why I love the Js is that they're just a few steps from the outside promenade deck. Hence, one has the ship's largest verandah close at hand ... and one doesn't have to worry about which side of the ship to be on.

Conditions are different on the Vista series ships, however. There the Js are mostly down on Main Deck, though a few are smaller and higher up.

[grannynurse]

Cruise quality varies from trip to trip too, even on the same ship. We've been on the Rottrdam the past 3 summers, 1 NE/canada and 2 transatlantics; the crew was mostly different, 2 different captains, 3 different cruise directors etc. Weather is always a variable, food too. We were slightly disappointed in the menus this year, but we've decided that the length this time (34 days) also impacted on our perceptions, and as Ruth C. has said several times, the fog kind of generated a lethargy.

I don't mean to imply that we didn't have a wonderful time... we had an amazing trip; it was just so different, and wonderfully different in a lot of ways.

I look at our upcoming 11 days on the Zaandam and wonder if it'll feel like a hiccup, and we're home.

I do like the cooler (temp) itineraries, somehow after a zillion trips to ST. Thomas, I don't have the anticipation like I did approaching Reykjavik for the 2nd time, or Amsterdam.

I guess I should be more thankful that we get to go at all, instead of discussing the areas that disappointed me. We got a heck of a bargain on a suite for New Year's, and we're getting to take a daughter and a DIL for practically nothing ($397) due to a HAL booking error that they've agreed to honor. YEA HAL! and YEA to our TA who caught the error!

Sometimes I'm ashamed when I sound ungrateful. Slap, slap, slap.
GN

[sail7seas]

There have been times when I have been on the ship w/ other CC'ers though I did not know they were there and they did not I was aboard either.

When I posted comments about what a wonderful time we had; how great I thought the crew was; how much I enjoyed the food, I have been attacked for being a cheerleader and always praising HAL. I think that so unfair. How can anyone else judge my individual experience?

Sure, we all had the same weather and we all had the same smooth (or rough) seas. The motion of the ocean is the same for all of us ...although felt differently is some locations vs others.

But, maybe the night they had a bad dinner, I ordered something else that was prepared wonderfully. Or, is it just a matter of different tastes? In any case, I like my dinner and they did not.

Or, maybe my steward has been serving HAL pax for 10 years and is fabulous steward. Maybe the other person's steward was on his first contract.

That is the story of two pax on the same ship at the same time; totally different experience.

So.....ifv someone else comes back and says they had a crummy time, maybe they did or maybe they were fighting with their spouse the whole time and would not have had a good time no matter what HAL did.

On the other hand, if someone says they had a fabulous time, don't criticize them and call them cheerleaders for HAL.......consider the fact they really did have a fabulous time.

[Nasmas]

My husband's thoughts on the Z:
You may ask, why did you choose the Zuiderdam? Because, I do not believe everything that I read and I know that many people are so picky they are never satisfied. To show you what I mean, one comment said that the ship was not built to accommodate 3 year olds. Another stated that she did not get her tea until late, you can raise the hand and request service. I have been at the best places to eat and the worst; somehow I am still alive. The Stork Club was good; the burger with my family was great. You can make the cruise what you want to---- make it the best.

[ekerr19]

[quote name='sail7seas']There have been times when I have been on the ship w/ other CC'ers though I did not know they were there and they did not I was aboard either.

When I posted comments about what a wonderful time we had; how great I thought the crew was; how much I enjoyed the food, I have been attacked for being a cheerleader and always praising HAL. I think that so unfair. How can anyone else judge my individual experience?

Sure, we all had the same weather and we all had the same smooth (or rough) seas. The motion of the ocean is the same for all of us ...although felt differently is some locations vs others.

But, maybe the night they had a bad dinner, I ordered something else that was prepared wonderfully. Or, is it just a matter of different tastes? In any case, I like my dinner and they did not.

Or, maybe my steward has been serving HAL pax for 10 years and is fabulous steward. Maybe the other person's steward was on his first contract.

That is the story of two pax on the same ship at the same time; totally different experience.

So.....ifv someone else comes back and says they had a crummy time, maybe they did or maybe they were fighting with their spouse the whole time and would not have had a good time no matter what HAL did.

On the other hand, if someone says they had a fabulous time, don't criticize them and call them cheerleaders for HAL.......consider the fact they really did have a fabulous time.[/QUOTE]

Sail-

Very well put. Each person has an experience that is unique to them. To blast someone for praising and enjoying their cruise experience is wrong, IMO. To insult someone by calling them a HAL cheerleader seems childish and rude.

On the other hand, when a constructive critique is offered, usually that person is lamblasted too! I've seen people post, "oh, don't pay attention to so & so - they don't know what they're talking about - the Zui is great" and that attitude really ticks me off as well.

Each person is entitled to their OPINION. To try and sway the masses "for or against" is not only a lesson in futility, but a dis-service to your fellow poster. Again, just my humble opinion. :)

[Spot]

It's a good day when I see the sun rise and have survived to see it set again, especially while cruising.:)

[HeatherInFlorida]

[quote name='Spot']It's a good day when I see the sun rise and have survived to see it set again, especially while cruising.:)[/QUOTE]Oh, Spot, so well said.

I have to say I'm kind of "up to here" with all the complaining. Poor poor everyone for having a few things go wrong on their cruise. I'm not loyal to any one cruiseline. And I've had things go wrong on many cruises on many lines. But I've never met a cruise I didn't like.

I don't think cruising is for everyone. And frankly anyone who says the "boat was rocking" shouldn't even get to go. I know I'm going to be flamed for this, but that's the way I feel.

I like to know I'm on a ship. I like to feel a little motion. And the funny thing is I get a little seasick so I put on my Seabands and enjoy myself. It used to be I would come home from a cruise and rock in my bed for days. No more. And that makes me sad because cruising just isn't what it once was.

As for differing opinions on the same cruise, I believe some people will find the darkness in every day. And some people see the sunlight and never see the rain. And sometimes there's a ligitimate gripe. But I have to say a lot of the complaining I've seen on these boards over the past couple of years is just plain petty.

I apologize to all of you in advance if I've offended anyone. Perhaps it's time for me to step away for awhile because I just can't take all the "poor me" posts. In the end, I'm still convinced that cruising is the best darn value out there. I'm amazed that they can still make it as special as they do when you consider what it costs to stay at a typical upscale resort these days.

Okay, now I'll shut up ... or at least I'll try to:o

[Ziggy7]

"True beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
same can be said for cruising :)
A good cruise is only as good as the beholder says it is :)

[srpilo]

HeatherinFlorida

Well said.. :D

Srpilo

[Rstaud]

As Abraham Lincoln once said on defining happiness, "I think folks are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be." May I add CRUISERS TOO!