This was my ninth cruise on HAL and my husband's 5th, our second time on the Zuiderdam. We are in our 60's and were accompanied by our friends, a younger couple, first-timers on HAL but experienced cruisers. My friend and I had independently researched the cruise and had chosen the same ship and itinerary. Our original sailing date was chosen to coincide with our 35th wedding anniversary but shortly after booking, we were informed that the ship was a charter for that week and the previous week. The week after our original date proved problematic as that was to be Super Bowl weekend. So we finally chose the January 13th sailing as the two cabins we specifically wanted were available.

We flew into Ft. Lauderdale the day before, which turned out to be a good move as the next day 156 flights through DFW were cancelled due to weather. We stayed at the Sheraton Yankee Trader which was adequate if in need of some updating. We were able to see ships leaving and entering the channel which added to the excitement of the trip.

We got a van to the port at noon and proceeded immediately to the suite check-in line, where there was no waiting. A few minutes later, we were up the escalator and into the photo line where there was a wait. Once onboard, a stop at the hand sanitizer was mandatory. Once our cards had been scanned, we were escorted to the Neptune Lounge to wait for our cabins to be readied. We used their services to schedule the cooking class and at various times during the week.. Read more