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The Zuiderdam is a lovely ship and he Deluxe Veranda Suite is roomy and pretty. The balcony is larger than that we had on the Royal Caribbean. However, the balcony deck and furniture were very dirty, including food on the deck and on the deck chair cushions. We had wipes so cleaned the deck ourselves and then wiped down some of the missed surfaces inside the cabin. The beds were fabulous and very clean! Friends who had a lesser Veranda cabin had a jacuzzi tub, which we did not, and I thought that strange.
Our adventure on the Zuiderdam was a cruise tour from Vancouver to Juneau and Skagway, Alaska then on land aboard the White Pass and Yukon Express train to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and points north, including 2 days in Fairbanks and one night in Denali.
The cost of our cruise tour was to include deluxe accommodations throughout the tour; however, there was no upgrade in accommodations at any of the hotels where we stayed. The staff in the hotels was top notch, but the facilities themselves had walls as thin as paper. When the people in the next room showered, the noise from the shower appeared as though it was right in our room. Street noise was also very loud, particularly in Whitehorse, YT. The Westmark Klondike in Whitehorse was also the only facility that was not cleaned adequately.
We were in one of three coaches moving through the YT and parts of Alaska and it was all very well coordinated. We never once had to worry about moving our luggage, we just had to have it ready for pickup - although, admittedly, 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. was a bit early. The included excursions were EXCELLENT and the additional shore excursions were also the best. Entrees on the ship were very good; however, the desserts were much less so. That's okay, though since it resulted in no weight gain. Most of the meals on the land tour were also very good, especially the lunch at the Westmark in Tok, and the biscuits at the Dredge in Fairbanks.
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