This was our first cruise on Holland America after 6 cruises on Princess. We were looking to take a roundtrip cruise to the panama canal area in April and had initially planned to take Princess for this itinerary. Our vacation schedule changed, however, and the Zaandam was the only ship sailing this route during the one week in March we could all go (5 adults).

Travel to Embarkation Port:

We live in Florida and 2 of us had planned to rent a car and drop it off at Hertz's location near the Port (as we had done on many prior cruises). By the time we arrived, we discovered that all the rental car return lots have been relocated to the airport. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a crowded shuttle bus that stopped at the Star Princess and Celebrity's Infinity before finally arriving at Zaandam. Next time, we'll just pay to park our own car near the port. Read more