We sailed August 13 through the 20th on the Zuiderdam. This was our third cruise and the first time on HAL. Our first cruise was on the Celebrity Millennium and our second on Carnival's Conquest. Celebrity was great and all the bad things you have heard about Carnival are true. Holland America is right up there with Celebrity.

We left from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. There is no need to purchase your flight through a travel agent or the cruise line. You can almost always get a better deal by booking the flight yourself over the internet. Don't worry about a transfer from the airport to the pier, it is only about a $12 cab ride and that was for 3 people.

We arrived at port close to 12 noon. It was very busy but well organized. We were on the Lido deck getting lunch by 12:30. The main complaint I had about this ship was the air conditioning. The Lido deck (#9) was always warmer than any other deck. This deck houses the buffet lines where breakfast, lunch, dinner, night snacks, ice cream, etc. are served. (There is also a main dining room on the second deck for those times you want to dress or be more formal). I don't like to be hot when I eat and this deck was not cool, especially on embarkation day. Our state room was warm the day we arrived also. I brought it to the attention of the room steward who reported it to maintenance, by the next day you could hang meat in there, my kind of comfort. Read more