This was our fifth cruise and second with Holland America. Our previous experience with HAL was in March on the Zuiderdam. We booked this cruise about 3 weeks after returning. Some of you may have read our Zuiderdam review and are aware of Diane's phobia on flying. Well, there was no wine on the plane to go with her "feel good pills" so she drank champagne. Let me assure you she will NEVER try to ...
My husband and I are in our late 40's/50's. We were looking for a quiet getaway - to read and relax and found it on the Zaandam. A small ship by new standards, but the best service from the cabin steward and dining staff that we have experienced in our 15 cruises. And by far, the best food. Of particular high quality were the beef entrees and the soups. I wasn't thrilled with the desserts other ...
As would-be first time cruisers, my husband and I debated for several weeks whether or not we should even take a cruise vacation. Weighing concerns over claustrophobia (a red herring worry) and seasickness (ditto, except for some weird feelings of suspended equilibrium the first night) and the feeling that we would be big losers not to take a cool vacation for once in a long time, we finally ...
This was our 8th cruise, but first on Holland America and we are ready to go again! The Zaandam was in excellent condition and definitely a cut above the ships we had sailed on NCL, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. Service was outstanding and my husband and I found the crew to be friendly and helpful. We had a category E large outside cabin on the Dolphin deck and it was very comfortable with the ...
The Zaandam is a beautiful ship. Small and elegant. The public spaces were tastefully decorated and and the cabins were not too small.
The bathtub was very small, almost a washtub.
The service in the main dining room was acceptable but not exceptionable. The food was good but menu very limited. We had to ask for bread 3 times in one night. The service in the buffet was worse. Good luck in the ...
I've been on 3 other cruises prior to going on the MS Zaandam. I was very disappointed with the "5-star" cruise and could not wait to get home. Something that is very unusual for me since I love the Caribbean.
The Good: Embarkation and Disembarkation were actually the smoothest that I have ever experienced. It might be the timing that I arrived and the location of my room, but overall it was the ...
The bottom-line is that the Zaandam is a great ship and we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. This was the second year in a row where we took the Zaandam cruise over our Easter break. Last year it was a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas, this year it was a 7 day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. We drove down from Charlotte to Port Canaveral the Friday before we left and stayed at the Days Inn Cocoa Beach. I ...
We are inexperienced cruisers and this was only our 2nd cruise, having done an Eastern itinerary on the Zuiderdam in Feb. '03 as our first experience. We were so impressed with HAL's service, the quality of the food, the beauty of the ship, and the value of cruising, that we could hardly wait for a second chance! When a mailer arrived with great last-minute deals, I was off to the travel agent ...
I'm going to try to give my objective opinion about my B2B on the beautiful MS Zaandam. All in all we had a wonderful time and would sail her again in a heartbeat!
Transfer: We took Basik Shuttle who picked us up at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Orlando airport. They were well on time and we had a smooth ride to Port Canaveral. They were waiting for us upon arrival and I can recommend them ...
Zaandam 12/27/03 - 1/3/04 (new year's cruise) Cat BB (cabin 6101 - first cabin near the bow on Verandah deck)
I sailed on Zaandam with a group of 14 friends and family for New Years eve. We flew into Jacksonville, saving $200 per person over fares to Orlando, and stayed the night at a hotel near Universal Studios (the Radisson Universal Studios, booked through Hotwire for $49 per room for the ...