Zuiderdam Review
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I'm a middle-aged experienced cruiser with 13 cruises under my belt. This cruise was my fourth with HAL and was fully up to HAL's usual high standards. The Zuiderdam ("Z") is the first in HAL's Vista-class of ships built in 2002. Now approaching 10 years old and a seasoned veteran of HAL's fleet. She is typical HAL where understated elegance abounds mixed with modern amenities and tradition. She is well maintained and not unlike any heavily used public venue/conveyance shows some wear patina in some areas and appears like new in others. There were no unaddressed maintenance issues that detracted from the overall cruise experience.
As to the crew, Z has one of the friendliest and attentive crews that I have experienced, with all members smiling and greeting you in some manner. The Z being a mid-sized ship by today's standards with a reasonably high crew to passenger ratio, many crew members will get to know you given a chance. HAL seems to use the formula of having servers who work the lounges in the evenings work the outer decks during the day. The person serving you in the piano bar may be the one getting your drinks in the hot-tub or finding you a table to sit at by the pools, they know you and give you extra attentive personalized service.
Diane Fast was our Piano Bar entertainer, a veteran of HAL's grand and world voyages. She was a gem, had an extraordinary range, and my fellow passengers kept her on her toes and up late at night (sorry to the cabins below her)! In addition to the traditional themes (1-hour intro to each evening) we had an open-mic night that was awesome. She had so much fun she wrote her version of Billy Joel's Piano Man - the Piano Broad, with verses about her experiences on our cruise. The singers and dancers also came in to meet her and join in the merry making which gave everyone a chance to mix with them when they were not up on stage in the Vista Lounge. It was a magical 10 days. The other entertainment on the ship was good, with typical HAL accents towards entertainment to dance to if you choose. With a 10 day itinerary there was a resident singing/dancing troupe (standards/broadway/lounge), Island Magic steel drum orchestra (awesome), comedian, illusionist, guitar soloist, jazz quartet, Halcats - modern swing/vocals, and the Adagio Strings.
Cabin Review
Signature Superior Verandah Suite
8089 is a SS (Superior Suite) category cabin on starboard deck 8, located slightly aft of mid-ship under the Lido restaurant area. The location is quite good, and despite being underneath the Lido, there was little noise from that area. Overall this cabin would be very roomy for 3 persons and includes a makeup dresser area, a seating area with a sofa-bed, coffee table and two chairs, a desk / tv area. The Balcony is an extra wide that has room for a two chair cafe table and two lounge chairs with ottomans. The bathroom has double wash basins, a separate shower stall, and whirlpool tub/shower combo. The tubs are small, so don't get your hopes up - it is one person (normal sized - if your tall or big you might be tight). HAL has recently started putting the Elemis shampoo, shower gel, and conditioner in dispensers in the shower/tub areas. I actually like this better than dealing with the small hotel bottles and it is likely more Eco-friendly as well.