Zuiderdam Review
Panama Canal Partial Transit & Caribbean
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise for two reasons, to set foot in South America and to see the Panama Canal. This cruise met both of those criteria but both were disappointing. The stop in Cartagena on the 11 day version of the trip met the South America desire. This stop was a very short 6 hours. Because time was short we didn't think we could arrange our own visit. We elected to take a City Highlights Excursion that was rushed and not very interesting. The guide was not very informative or enthusiastic. To be honest, if you want to see an old city and well preserved fortress, go to San Juan. Cartagena was a disappointment after visiting San Juan recently.
Our biggest disappointment was the Panama Canal experience. I was concerned about a partial transit rather than a full transit. What sold me on this cruise was that Holland America's itinerary described the partial transit as including cruising Gatun Lake, the large lake that you enter after passing through the Atlantic side locks. We were looking forward to seeing the lake and the surrounding jungle as we cruised until it was time to return through the locks later in the day. To our disappointment, the Zuiderdam made a sharp left turn and anchored immediately inside the locks and remained there the rest of the day until it was time to return. No cruising of Gatun Lake! I would not recommend a partial transit on Holland America.
The service on the ship from the mostly Indonesian crew was outstanding. The dining was average but we did enjoy the full room service menu for several breakfasts.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
The cabin was typical for a Balcony cabin. It did include a bathtub which was nice. The cabin staff was very responsive. We were disappointed that Holland America still allowed smoking on the balconies on our cruise though our ticket said it was not allowed. This limited my wife's use of the balcony as she is very sensitive to smoke and we had a heavy cigar smoker next door. We would have reserved a window cabin or skipped this cruise altogether if we had known. Despite what our ticket said, Holland America did not change to non-smoking until January 2017. We expressed our displeasure both on board and to Holland America corporate about how their inconsistency impacted our experience but did not receive significant consideration particularly by the corporate office.
Port Reviews
Curacao
It was great docking right across from the beautiful waterfront.
Half Moon Cay
We always enjoy the beautiful beach at Half Moon Cay. It was a great day when we were there. I only wish we could have stayed longer.
Colon (Cristobal)
Did some souvenir shopping during the brief stop.
Puerto Limon
We enjoyed a walk around the downtown area, bought some souvenirs we really liked and had a young man in the park point out a sloth to us up in the trees.