Husband and I were disappointed with our Nov. 6 cruise on the Zuiderdam. This was our 5th cruise (3 Carnival, 1 Royal American) and while the food was the best by far, the activities were lacking. Many days we couldn't find anything to do and with an inside cabin there was even limited deck space to watch the sea go by. The ship is divided into many small meeting rooms with no activities most of the time. We do acknowledge the fact that the weather for our cruise was less than desirable. However one problem we discovered was the planned games, like NewlyWed Game, were held during our dining time, 8:00. It seemed like the ship observed siesta in the afternoon and then activities continued at 7:45, after the first dinner seating but while we were eating. If you are planning on cruising on the Zuiderdam definitely opt for the first dinner seating if activities are important to you.

Some of the shows were probably the best we have seen on a cruise ship. However there was only one late night comedy show. The show the first night almost put us to sleep. I was glad I returned, the rest of them were excellent.

My group also missed the interaction with the dining room staff. They didn't even introduce themselves the first night. They just started taking our order. The service was good, although not the best. We observed a waiter spilling bread onto the preparation table and placing it back in the basket with his bare hands. Food was delivered and dishes cleared from either side. While this didn't bother us other passengers mentioned it. Read more