Zuiderdam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We were on the Zuiderdam for a 22 day Venice to Rome to Barcelona vacation. Very port intensive, but most of the ports were wonderful. First part was Greece and Greek isles; second part was Italy, France and Spain. Ship was extremely comfortable and convenient. Crew was exceptionally friendly and helpful. Cabin (6041) was above average in space and storage. We never felt crowded. The elevators came as soon as you pressed the button! I think the highlight, and the reason we selected this cruise, was the ports of call. It was very port-intensive and we began looking forward to the few sea days. There were a lot of different ship activities for different interests, but we found that they often overlapped/conflicted. Most of the guest entertainers were great, but the resident singers and dancers were only a B, at best.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
Spacious (for a ship) with lots of storage places. Beds were very comfortable. TV worked, but no in-room tech (like reviewing your account on the TV). Verandah was adequate in size. Location was immediately starboard of the forward elevators. Nonetheless, it was very quiet; we could only occasionally hear the "ding" of the elevator. Wonderfully convenient to the entertainment locations, but a bit of a hike to the dining room.
Port Reviews
Naples
Went with our travel companions to Capri. Very confusing to figure out the ferries and their locations, prices and schedules. Once there, we took the around-the-island boat tour (including the blue grotto) and it was a lot of fun. Having learned from our morning experiences, getting back was a lot easier (and cheaper) than getting over. Pick the ferry closest to your cruise ship. While there may be a faster ferry from another location, you will spend at least that amount of time getting to the other place. On our second stop in Naples, we took a guided tour of Pompeii, which is not to be missed.In advance, we arranged for a driver to and from and a tour guide there.
Florence (Livorno)
Florence is closed on Mondays, a fact that should have been mentioned by Holland America, and David is on sabbatical. So we decided, instead, to take a self directed tour to Cinque Terres. Cab from port to Livorno Central train station (25 euro per cab), train to La Spezia (15 euro pp r/t) pass to Cinque Terres (12 euro pp) which included all of the train transfers between the cities. Took a little bit of planning to be sure we saw what we wanted and still got back to the ship on time, but it was a lot of fun.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
Since there was really not enough time to go into Rome (on our own) because of the requirement to be back for the lifeboat drill, we stayed local and went to Tarquinia. This is an interesting and quite manageable alternative outing.
Kusadasi
If you have never been, you really need to go to Ephesus. If you've been before and don't need to see it again (however there are new things, like the terrace houses), there are interesting things to do in and around Kusadasi.
Monaco (Monte Carlo)
Old city, Monacoville, was very interesting, especially the aquarium. Rest of the town, not so much. If you're a gambler, there is probably an attraction to the casino, but they charge 10 euro just to get in. A little difficult to get around since they were preparing for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Saint-Tropez
Not as ritzy as you might think, once you get a couple of blocks away from the port. Wander around, go to the Citadel. You can see the whole town in a couple of hours.
Katakolon (Olympia)
Olympia is not a big deal, unless you have never been to ruins before. Katakolon is okay to wander through.
Santorini
Possibly the most beautiful island in the world. We read that the donkeys should be avoided, but everyone we talked to that rode the donkeys UP had a great time. We walked around the city and then took a taxi to Oia, which should not be missed!