My husband and I went on the Zuiderdam to celebrate our Anniversary. We had no idea what to expect as this was our first cruise. We are in our mid to late 30s and needless to say, despite being warned of the average age of cruise-goers, we were surprised at how few 'younger' couples were on the cruise. People generally seemed nice though and we preferred this to having too many kids running around; it was an adjustment though and we would have liked to see more people under the age of 50.
The Ship - We were disappointed at the ship's decor. We thought it looked rather dated - the type of decor you would identify with tacky over-the-top 1980s Vegas. We were supervised to learn that the ship was only 5 years old. The condition was very good, the colors and decorations were just not attractive. The staterooms though were very nice and spacious. We had the smaller of the rooms with their own verandas but we were perfectly happy with the room. It had lots of storage and the beds were very comfortable.
The Food - The Lido Dining was where we had most of our breakfast and lunches. It's the cafeteria style dining area and the variety of food was good. The food itself was adequate- tasting like typical cafeteria food. The staff was extremely friendly and nice though, and there was always somewhere there to clear your setting or carry your tray to your table. Fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast was always a nice treat.