Cat I on the Zui

[dealin dave]

We booked a cat I on the Zuiderdam for a family cruise, 2 adults 2 children ages 6 & 4. Has any one ever stayed in this cat? The square footage is 243 sq ft. We took the cabin figuring if an up grade became open we would be moved to an outside position. However I was wondering if anyone stayed in this cat felt much motion? Are these cabins in fair condition? Thanks, Dealin Dave.

[MandyGirl]

We just returned yesterday from the Zui - category I cabin 8049 on Navigation deck. Felt very little motion in our cabin. Just the gentle rocking of the ship to put you to sleep at night. :) It was 203 sq ft and ample room for the two of us. Definitely the largest inside cabin we've ever stayed in.

[dealin dave]

Thanks , did you enjoy the cabin? How was your condition of the bed,bathroom, tv,air conditioningetc... Regards Dealin Dave P.S. How was the service,and food in the dining room and lido areas?

[MandyGirl]

Dave -

 

Everything in the cabin was just fine. The mattress was on the firm side... but we sleep on pillowtop at home so that is just my preference. Not a problem though. Didn't use the minibar in the fridge - didn't even ask for the key. Plenty of storage, and don't forget about the drawers under the bed.

 

One complaint: the door was thin (like it is on most cruiseships). We never heard our neighbors on the side but did hear the lady across the hall teaching her young child the numbers on the door EVERY morning and every night it seemed. No matter what time it was. I still hear 8 0 4 3 in my sleep. (I teach math - and appreciate the learning at a young age - but would prefer it not be early/late where everyone else can hear). And on the first formal night I actually walked outside my cabin at 1:50 AM to try to give my 'mean look' to someone who thought it was appropriate to carry on a very loud conversation (at 1:50 AM) with their young child going down the hall - with no respect for the time of day it was and disregarding that others might be trying to sleep to be ready for the St Thomas port of call early the next morning. Some guests just have absolutely zero respect for others when on vacation.

 

Our cabin was 203 sq ft and plenty big enough (our largest Inside cabin ever). TV was fine but we hardly ever watched it (hardly ever in cabin come to think of it). Had a cartoon channel for kiddos, CNN, CNNFN, bridge cam, TNT, etc. Thermostat worked great! Cabin was always cleaned and we only walked in on him cleaning one time.

 

Dining was fine - had the best waiter ever in the dining room in the evening (Nana). 8:00 seating (upper level) table 77 by rail (for two). Nana was awesome. Pinnacle Grill was definitely worth every penny. Not impressed with the Lido for breakfast/lunch but it was adequate - many choices but nothing really "wow" about it. The one day we ate at the dining room for lunch, the most appealling things were fish/chips and burger (swiss/mushroom/avocado - however you want it made). That seemed like "grill" type food we could have had by the pool and not really nice tablecloth food. Just my opinion... but the burger certainly hit the spot! For Lido and grill by pool, we needed no extra service (such as carrying a tray) so we were fine there. Usually had to hunt for silverware though - sometimes it was on the tables, sometimes not. Ice cream bar was open from about 11A to around 10 P so that was nice. :)

 

There was a R-rated adult comedy one night --- and they put "R" rating there for a reason. Unless you want your young children hearing the f-word repeatedly, jokes with sexual orientation, etc, then definitely don't take them. We saw several parents with their children in the comedy show (the 10:15 showing), and judging by the Club HAL bracelets on their wrists I would assume they were not quite adults yet. We ended up leaving before it was over - it was quite hot and completely packed.

 

Back to considering an upgrade... personally... I would stick with location/size versus a window. Unless you are aiming to upgrade to something larger with verandah. We were in a great location - between two sets of elevators, only one flight up stairs to Lido and pools, etc. We use the money we save on a cabin for having good excursions in port.

~ St Thomas - rented a dinghy for the day on St John at Noah's and went from beach to beach

~ Tortola - catamaran day sail from 9A-4P with patouche.com to the Baths (they take no more than 16)

~ Nassau - dolphin swim with Dolphin Encounters (cheaper to book through their website versus through HAL - and HAL doesn't offer the Swim - only the Encounter)

I hope to upload the pictures to my webpage by the end of the week.

[mattR]

Great to hear you liked the cabin. I will be in the same one next week:) So there was no noise that could be heard in the cabin from the Lido deck? How was your cabin attendant?

[MandyGirl]

Matt -

 

Could not hear the cabin nextdoor but COULD hear everything through the door. Some people would be chatting up a storm late at night or letting their kid squeal with delight (not a baby) while walking down the hallway at 1:50 AM. I actually got out of bed and opened the door in my pjs - not even putting on a robe - I just wanted them to SHUT UP! (I've always been taught not to be loud and bother neighbors after 9 or 10 PM...) And that was the second time that night I was awaken - and we were getting up early for St Thomas / St John the next morning. Email me - I took at least a half dozen pics of the cabin for you including having the doors open so you can see storage space and I'll send them to you (we took them for you!). mandygirltx@yahoo.com I had posted this on your rollcall but didn't know if you were checking that regularly. The cabin steward was adequate. We never saw him in our cabin except twice (once when I came back sick unexpectedly and once when coming back). Passed him several times in the hallway. We've always stayed on decks with suites, but this was the first time not to. Last year on Maasdam, the steward noticed our bottle of wine and automatically two wine glasses appeared without us even asking. This time we had our bottle by the ice bucket for three days before taking it dinner, but last year it was nice having a steward anticipate your needs without asking (I've heard the best stewards get the decks with suites - they apprently know how to anticipate passenger needs like a fine hotel does). Also, on Celebrity and Maasdam (and our suite on NCL), the steward always knew our names - always greeting us by name any time we saw him - but this steward just basically kept the cabin clean and that was it. If we left papers scattered on the table/nightstands, they weren't straightened up like some have done previously - he mainly did the bed and bathroom and that was all. (Don't know if previous stewards were just "going above and beyond" since that was before automatic gratuities). On the plus side, Curt cut his face shaving one night, and it started bleeding later while we were asleep. I didn't notice it, but apparently the steward did because we had new sheets the next day.:) Oh - there were only two electrical outlets - by the main big mirror. None in the bathroom. We used our extension cord (where you can plug three things into the end). Battery charger, cell phone charger (for St Thomas since Sprint works there), curling iron, shaver, etc. Also, at night we would place a used towel at the bottom of the door to help block light. This cabin didn't have a curtain between the bed-area and door like several of our other ship cabins have had - so you do see light through the edge of the doorframe. However, you will really like the cabin!!

[mattR]

Thankis for the great report on the cabin and for the pictures:)