Zuiderdam Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,028 reviews

Zuiderdam - Eastern Caribbean

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Zuiderdam
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seapointer
First Time Cruiser • Age 2020s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2005
Cabin: Signature Superior Verandah Suite
Traveled with children

This was our third family cruise, the first two being with Celebrity. Approaching this cruise we had some uneasy anticipation due to the many negative comments found on the message boards. With that state of mind, we were shocked to experience a cruise that equaled or beat Celebrity in most areas.

Embarkation was easy and quick. Arriving at the pier about 12:50 pm, we were through security and check in and on board within 20 minutes, escorted to our room and then off to lunch at the Lido. We were pleasantly surprised at the lack of lines and quality and variety of the food. As the week progressed, it became apparent that HAL puts great emphasis on varying the lunch offerings so that the passengers don't get bored with the same thing. Particularly good were the oriental offerings and the daily pasta selections. There were also daily deli sandwich specials and a different roast each day. Our teen daughter loved the pizza and sushi.

We then had a few hours to explore the ship before the lifeboat drill, which HAL takes very seriously (unlike Celebrity on our recent Century cruise). The sailaway "party" was rather low key and we missed the chance to buy a souvenir cocktail glass as Celebrity offered. Going for dinner that night we faced the first big test: Would the dining room food be as mediocre as some people say? Well, the meal set the tone for the week. It was excellent, and there were so many good entrees that it was difficult to pick. The wine list was quite extensive, and reasonably priced. The dining room could use more wine stewards since they also have to take drink orders and simply cannot handle the volume. HAL is losing money here since there were several nights we would have ordered more wine but couldn't get service in time. Our waiters were very friendly, and took a great deal of time to introduce themselves and learn our names.

Cabin Review

Signature Superior Verandah Suite

Cabin SS
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