We traveled from Oregon to Vancouver, BC aboard an Amtrak train, and arrived at about 1am on the day of our cruise. We stayed overnight at the Georgian Court Hotel in downtown Vancouver, BC. It was a boutique-type hotel with probably the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in! Hotels in the downtown core (near the cruise docks) in Vancouver are all expensive, but the Georgian Court is definitely worth the money and was a 5 minute cab ride to Canada Place docks.

The MS Zuiderdam is a nice looking ship and appeared very clean and well-maintained. We frequently saw crew cleaning, vacuuming, and tidying the public areas of the ship. The crew are friendly, helpful, and are eager to help make your cruise a positive experience. The decor of the ship is a bit on the gaudy and flashy side, but that was no surprise to us. Despite the bright colors and stimulating designs everywhere, the ship does still have a classy feel to it. There are fresh flowers all around the ship, and they get changed out on a rotating basis. It gave a very romantic and classy feel to the ship to see so many floral arrangements.

Our stateroom, a category VB on the 6th deck, forward, was adequate although it was definitely cramped. We had great views from our verandah and spent a lot of time out there watching the scenery and wildlife. The bed, linens, and pillows made for a very comfortable sleep! The only bad thing was our bathroom...our toilet was a continual issue...there was a minimum 30 minute wait time until it would eventually flush. This proved a bit disgusting when two people both needed to use the bathroom and had to put up with using the facilities while the other person's business was still there. Need I say more?! Read more