Our first cruise together was on the Zuiderdam in Fall 2004. With a long Christmas break at work and the availability of a Monday to Monday cruise we decided to sail on her again. This allowed for a two day drive to Fort Lauderdale instead of cramming all 14 hours of the drive into a Saturday as we did for a Sunday to Sunday trip on the Eurodam a couple years back.
This ship is now a bit more ...
Having done the same cruise on NCL, I found HAL quieter, friendlier and more upscale. Their Half Moon Cay was a pleasant surprise - much nicer than NCL's private island. My signature suite was large; you could throw a small party on the balcony. While the Pinnacle Grill was not worth the extra charge, overall the food, especially in the main Vista dining room, was very good.
The entertainment ...
We had read several negative reviews of this ship, we had a wonderful experience! Yes, some of the soft goods were a little worn (i.e. scratched leather furniture) but the elegance of the ship more than compensated for wear and tear. We had originally booked a Signature Suite but were offered an upgrade at a a reduced price to the Neptune Suite. Since I will be retiring soon, we decided to treat ...
Having sailed numerous times (over 200 days) on Holland america I think I can safely say they have dropped from a premier cruise line to a mediocre line. Upon arriving I was told that I was only a 3 star Mariner and I could wait with everyone else. Nice remark. I think I saw beef once on the 10 days. The line ha s changed over to pork, lamb, chicken and turkey. It does get old the same ...
This was the 2nd time on Zuiderdam as mom wanted to see the Panama Canal AGAIN. Embarkation was a breeze, and right to our room at noon.
The ship is easy to manuver around, but even with an update she is nothing special.
All the positives.
1. Oceanview room was nice
2. Entertainment was good.. singers and dancers, a comedian, A group called Synergy from America's got talent, B.B. ...
Our travel agent advised us that this cruise line attracts mature travelers. Being recently retired, I assumed that meant 50's and 60's. I think we were among the youngest ones on the cruise. Watch out for the ones on the mobile scooters! We saw maybe a half dozen children.
One of the best parts of the cruise was the unlimited laundry for $7 per day! The worst was their wifi access. It was ...
Our 9th cruise, and 2nd on Holland America was just O.K. The food was Buffet Restaurant quality at best, ( think Golden Corral, Old Country Buffet). Dining room service was not quite up to par as I've experienced on most other cruise lines, but all services were done with a smile! Main stage entertainment was, as others have commented, High School Drama/Glee Club quality. Demographic was ...
Embarkation: It was only a 10 minute cab ride from the airport to the cruise terminal. Once there the embarkation process proceeded quickly and we were on board the ship within an hour or so. The ship is definitely older however we didn't encounter any major problems anywhere. There was rust on the verandah and the carpet showed some wear but nothing we couldn't live with. There were new ...
Intro: I wanted to share how our trip on the Zuiderdam, which sailed Nov. 9th to Nov. 20th from Ft, Lauderdale, FL, was an overall positive and memorable experience for us. We typically plan a year in advance, but this go around, we waited till my husband had an all clear on his health status (one-month prior), and so I must say...it became a very special trip for us. We typically cruise with ...
This is our 15th cruise, and second on HAL. Holland America's service is outstanding as is the food. Yes, the Zuiderdam is an older ship, but, a well maintained and clean vessel. This ship is for the older crowd, as it doesn't have climbing walls or ice skating rings. What is does have is almost daily Culinary classes, which I rate a 3, and too many daily Trivia Pursuit games in the Crow's ...