Anyone back from Alaska on the Zuiderdam??

[Tinkrbell]

Hi,

Would love to hear back from anyone recently back from Alaska on the Zuiderdam. How was your cruise??

[Cruise Junky]

Yep, disembarked yesterday. We weren't impressed and probably won't sail HAL again based on last week's experience or if we did, we'd budget for 7 nights in the Pinnacle. Alaska was fantastic but we just had too many problems on board and realize that HAL isn't for us. Any specific questions you have? we'd be happy to answer. There are some fantastic areas on the Zuiderdam, Crows Nest, Ocean Bar, Pinnacle Grill.

[B-May]

Interesting how everyone has different opinions on the same cruise.

 

This was my first HAL cruise and I loved it for the most part. Yes I would cruise them again. Even though it was an older group I saw a few teens and younger kids around the ship. There were a lot of parents with their adult children - I was part of that group. My parents and I shared a corner aft 6166 (SC) and just loved it. We had incredible weather and spent most of our time out on the deck watching the scenery go by.

 

I found the lido food for breakfast had a good variety. Lunch was okay - we only ate in the dining room twice and didn't try breakfast in there. Even tho we could eat in the Pinnacle for breakfast we didn't try it as my mom has mobility issues and it was a long walk for her. The lido wait staff were very friendly. I was appalled at how many people took advantage of them tho. They would ask if they could get you anything and I would hear a person demand some juice or a bun, and once the waiter brot it back they'd then ask for something else liked fried eggs. People these are not your personal butlers! It was disgusting - you women should be ashamed of yourselves as you were not handicapped.

 

The only two flaws were the following - sofabed in our suite. It had to be the most uncomfortable thing to sit on (sleeping was okay). Our steward was too lazy to close it during the day and I'd have to sit on it (we had 3 chairs inside but one broke and they never replaced it). We finally flipped it one day and that night he didn't make up the bed - not sure what was up with that. I should have complained but didn't so my fault! The next day my mom demanded it be made for me and it was left that way all day. (We sailed X once and the sofabed was so easy to flip, that I did it myself each day - this was very heavy and hard to flip).

 

2nd thing was the dining room staff. I'm used to bonding with my wait staff and enjoying the chit chat with them throughout the week. Our waiter barely spoke to us so I think english was an issue. We ate lunch in the dining room one day as well and the 5 of us had to repeatedly ask for items as he didn't understand us. That was frustrating.

 

As for the cruise itself going thru the inside passage and for the most part seeing land all the time was great. I will have to see what routes the other cruiselines took - we'd only see them when we were coming into a port. So for the time being I would say their itinerary is the best.

 

And Alaska is definitely NOT a formal cruise - even on formal nights where jackets didn't seem to be an issue. And any other night jeans and shorts were seen everywhere. If you want formal on formal night, then HAL is not for you (I can't believe I'm saying that becuz I was always under the impression that HAL was rather snobby - but then Alaska is very different than other destinations).

 

The dessert buffet was not the best I've seen but the 3 chocolate fountains with fresh dipped fruit was very tasty and seemed to be enjoyed by all!

 

I'm also not used to many of the items being served up by the crew at meal time. Probably due to the older clientelle. It was nice but I think I'd rather help myself to everything.

 

I didn't look at the ship for wear and tear as it's not something I worry about.

 

And if anyone is expecting to see Hunky Dory, he got off the ship with us on Saturday. I asked if he's coming back and he said he had to check with his wife!

[Tinkrbell]

Cruise Junky -- what was so bad about your experience, if I may inquire? Also how was the weather?

[Cruise Junky]

Cruise Junky -- what was so bad about your experience, if I may inquire? Also how was the weather?

 

Weather was amazing! everyday - we loved Alaska and totally lucked out on the weather. Now remember, you asked ;)

 

• It took 3 days to fix our safe (they told us it was done..ugh, NO)
  
• 2 days to have the fridge emptied (asking all the time)
  
• 2 days out of 7 with hot water in the shower - the rest was either cold or barely luke warm
  
• Lido was terribly disorganized
  
• Lido ran out of coffee cups and bacon on the same morning
  
• Dining room food was blah, tasteless - worst caeser salad of my life, limp lettuce tossed in mayo. No garlic taste at all.
  
• Fake crab served in place of both Dungeness Crab in an appetizer and Alaska King Crab in an entree
  
• Cabin steward kept knocking on our door every day at 6:45 pm, we had 7:45 dining, take the hint that we're always in the cabin and always getting ready for dinner at that time.
  
• We're so used to Princess's 24 hour buffet that we've never had to pay attention to breakfast and lunch times before - almost missed lunch a couple of times.
  
• Really hated being served in the Lido, it was soooo slow. One guy on the hot breakfast station and he'd leave if someone wanted toast.
  
• Lido breakfast items never changed. Same bacon, sausage, potatoes every day. Princess mixes it up a bit with english bacon, different types of sausage, etc.
  
• Ketchup in the lido was non-existent
  
• Hubby's surf and turf arrived with no turf, had a lengthy wait
  
• Hated the passenger hallways, the colours of the walls and doors reminded me of a seedy motel 6.
  
• Maple walnut ice cream in the dining room was actually vanilla with a couple of walnuts sprinkled on top
  
• cheese plate in the dining room as a joke. Not once was it the cheeses advertised on the menu, couldn't get crackers most of the time and when we did they were saltines instead of the fancy crackers advertised on the menu. The menu said the cheese plate was served with fresh figs and candied pecans - never! a couple of grapes and some pecans.
  
• Couldn't turn the air off in the room. Guaranteed to get one of us sick when it's blowing on you all night.
  

[Cruise Junky]

Now on the flip side, there were some things that HAL did very well. The Pinnacle Grill was fantastic. We had both a lunch and a dinner there. Ocean Bar, Crows Nest, all beautiful spots on the ship. Every crew member we ran into was very friendly. The wine card is an amazing deal, I wish more lines would do that. But we had the service issues and the food both dining room and lido was such a disappointment that it really did taint our view of Holland America.

[Ya Ya Cruiser]

Greetings,

 

Having been on the same cruise as Cruisejunky and B-May I thought I'd jump in with my 2 cents worth - I've written a review but it takes a few days to post it.

 

Anyhow - I guess I'm in agreement with cruisejunky and b-may from certain respects.

 

I was disappointed in the cruise - I had expected more from HAL and while my preference is still Princess that's not to say I won't cruise HAL again.

 

I found the ship itself to be rather dingy; carpets old and stained and the decor dated, and while that doesn't affect the cruise, it can affect the ambiance. We had an SS superior verandah suite and it was very spacious, lots of storage, altho a very small closet; the balcony was lovely, the bed very comfortable and a nice selection of pillows. The bathroom had twin sinks, a full size jetted tub and separate shower. The room stewards were very good, but one annoyance is that in ordering room service three times they never got the order right once and on one occasion completely forgot my husband's meal and made a mistake on mine. We were never able to have a corkscrew in our cabin and when asked they would send a wine steward, but it took him an hour to get there.

 

The Lido was very confusing and I found the food bland and boring - altho' I never asked the staff for help, a couple of them were very friendly indeed, but most seemed very busy, although they always greeted you with a smile. I found the crew speaking in their own languages alot of the time a bit disconcerting as Princess has an english only rule so I wasn't used to that.

 

The entertainment was decent - you didn't walk away saying WOW, but it was still enjoyable - the comedian was terrific from our perspective.

 

The dining room meals were disappointing - I didn't think there was much in the way of variety and the food was rather bland - it was adequate but you didn't walk away raving about the meal. We tried the Pinnacle Grill and had a wonderful meal that you could rave about - and the staff were great there too - very friendly.

 

The internet access was good - there is wireless available in the cabins was nice to have if you bring your own laptop.

 

Disembarkation was well organized altho' they cut off breakfast at 8:00 am and that made it a bit early when you have a later departure. On Princess you can have breakfast up to 9:00 am.

 

Basically, if there are two comparable itineraries and the choice is HAL or Princess, I would choose Princess, but have also booked again on HAL because it is an itinerary that Princess doesn't offer - but we will go knowing what we like and what we like less and just adjust accordingly. The product is very similar, there are some things that are different and I guess it comes down to your personal preferences - but on the whole, I think Princess does a better job.

 

Just my two bits worth.

 

YaYa