Zuiderdam Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,028 reviews
See all photos
Editor Rating
4.0
Very Good
Overall
Chris Gray Faust
Executive Editor, U.S.

With its traditional heritage and older demographic, you might expect a cruise on Holland America's Zuiderdam to be a placid affair. Wrong. Thanks to interesting enrichment partnerships and outstanding entertainment choices, we found ourselves going from morning to night.

What kept us so busy? A morning mindfulness session developed by editors at "O, The Oprah Magazine." Cooking demonstrations with "America's Test Kitchen." BBC Earth movies. Afternoon classical music concerts at the Lincoln Center Stage. Singing along to the dueling pianos at Billboard Onboard. Watching the passengers get down in the B.B. King's Blues Club. Add in trivia sessions, wine tastings, mainstage shows and (if you're a PC fan) a full schedule of Microsoft Digital Workshop classes, and we barely had time to eat.

Zuiderdam received the full line-up of HAL features in a late 2017 refurbishment; the ship itself dates back to 2002. There are still some places where the vessel shows its age -- the polar bear in the pool area needs to go (while Zuiderdam sails Alaska, it also does Panama Canal and European itineraries), as does the strange throne-like bench in the aft pool -- but overall, the refresh brought some life to an older ship. We were particularly cheered by the USB ports near the bed in the cabins, although we still feel the rooms lacked storage.

On a previous Zuiderdam cruise, we gave the ship excellent marks for logistics. For example, our time on the ship was part of an Alaskan cruise tour, and passengers both embarked and disembarked in Skagway. Zuiderdam staff had the process down to a science; our room was ready when we boarded the ship and luggage arrived promptly. We found similar attention to detail on a subsequent partial Panama Canal transit; despite an array of tours and a tricky time-sensitive tendering operation, the cruise ship staff had their act together to make the operation run smoothly, with competent and efficient service that we found throughout the ship. And, it's that consistency that makes a cruise on Zuiderdam a fail-safe proposition.

Pros

Partnerships and Music Walk mean exciting enrichment and entertainment choices

Cons

Pool and some public areas appear dated; cabins could use more storage

Bottom Line

Continual refurbishments and additions keep older ship fresh for a variety of destinations

About

Passengers: 1970
Crew: 800
Passenger to Crew: 2.46:1
Launched: 2002
Shore Excursions: 1224

Fellow Passengers

Holland America has a reputation for attracting a more mature crowd, although this can vary depending on the destination. On a late August Alaska cruise, the bulk of the 2,022 passengers were ages 51 to 74; there were 174 children under the age of 17. During longer cruises through the Panama Canal and Caribbean, the number of children drops to less than a dozen or even zero; on our Panama Canal cruise, the only young children onboard were crew kids who were visiting families. The number of passengers who are repeat HAL customers also increases on these trips; 65 percent were repeat passengers on our Panama Canal cruise.

HAL draws a fair number of international passengers, though North Americans always dominate. Other nationalities might include Australians, Chinese, British and Dutch, among others.

Holland America Zuiderdam Dress Code

Zuiderdam is a fairly casual ship, particularly during the day when most people wear T-shirts and shorts. Most evenings, the dress code is smart casual in all dining venues, with men wearing casual shirts and women wearing pants and sweaters. Gala nights are held twice on a seven-night cruise; we saw only a handful of gowns and tuxedos, with most passengers opting for cocktail dresses (women) and a sport coat (men). Even during longer voyages, we found passengers eschewing more formal attire in favor of being more comfortable.

Find a Zuiderdam Cruise from $499

Any Month

More about Holland America Zuiderdam

Where does Holland America Zuiderdam sail from?

Holland America Zuiderdam departs from Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Rotterdam, Boston, Quebec City, Ijmuiden, Piraeus, Piraeus, Laviron, Sydney, Singapore, Cape Town, Mahe, Miami, and San Diego

Where does Holland America Zuiderdam sail to?

Holland America Zuiderdam cruises to Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, Half Moon Cay, Rotterdam, Cobh (Cork), Dublin, Belfast, Reykjavik, St. John's (Newfoundland), Halifax, Boston, Bar Harbor, Sydney (Nova Scotia), Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island), Quebec City, Portland (Maine), Alesund, Akureyri, Isafjord, Santos (Sao Paulo), Corner Brook, Eidfjord, Rockland, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts (Port Zante), Athens (Piraeus), Naples, Rome (Civitavecchia), Corsica (Ajaccio), Barcelona, Cartagena (Spain), Gibraltar, Seville, Lisbon, Madeira (Funchal), Grand Cayman (Georgetown), Puerto Limon, Lima, Easter Island, Tahiti (Papeete), Moorea, Raiatea, Rarotonga, Noumea, Sydney (Australia), Aarhus, Rostock (Warnemunde), Tallinn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Visby, Kiel, Copenhagen, Oslo, Saint John (New Brunswick), Yorktown, Newport, Eastport, Nassau, Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Cornwall (Falmouth), Cherbourg, Brugge (Bruges), Portree (Isle of Skye), Kirkwall, King's Wharf, Curacao, Aruba, Grenada, Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Bonaire, Moreton Island, Cairns, Darwin, Bali, Komodo Island, Singapore, Kelang (Kuala Lumpur), Langkawi, Phuket, Colombo, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Zanzibar, Mombasa, Safaga, Aqaba (Petra), Alexandria, Walvis Bay, Miami, Cartagena (Colombia), Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera), Acajutla, Puerto Quetzal (Antigua), Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, San Diego, Fuerte Amador (Balboa), La Paz, and Mazatlan

How much does it cost to go on Holland America Zuiderdam?

Cruises on Holland America Zuiderdam start from $499 per person.

Is Holland America Zuiderdam a good ship to cruise on?

Holland America Zuiderdam won 32 awards over the years.
Holland America Zuiderdam Cruiser Reviews

A relaxing B2B

We chose the b2b Boston-Quebec-Boston for a two week get away aboard Holland America’s Zuiderdam.Read More
User Avatar
4405

many10+ Cruises

Age 70s

Not Quite Epic, But Worthwhile

Certainly the Zuiderdam is worth the expense of a remodel. 7.Read More
User Avatar
MostlyLegal

many10+ Cruises

Age 70s

One week being pampered in Atlantic Canada

The Zuiderdam is an older cruise liner as were the patrons so we felt right at home.Read More
User Avatar
Ayerbank

couple2-5 Cruises

Age 70s

Great itinerary, but the operation of the ship needs some improvement

I went to the Rollingstone Lounge on the Zuiderdam and listened to the music, but it was so loud.Read More
User Avatar
Clive ross

few6-10 Cruises

Age 70s

Holland America Line Fleet
Volendam

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.