This review is for the Zuiderdam cruise from Fort Lauderdale, commencing December 16th. My wife and I drove from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, December 16th and arrived at the parking garage in Port Everglades around 1:00 pm. The boarding procedures went fairly quickly and it took us about 45 minutes from the time we parked the car to the time we got to our cabin. We were a little disappointed that we boarded the ship by a hallway near the elevators rather than into a nice atrium, but we were quickly shown to our cabin by a crew member. Our balcony cabin was on the Verandah deck and we were pleased at the size and overall appearance of our accommodations. Gus, our cabin steward, was great and our room was always neat and clean whenever we returned to it.

We found the Zuiderdam to be in very good condition with little signs of wear and tear. The public bathrooms were very well maintained. However, the Crow's Nest bar was not kept clean and that was noticeable as we spent a lot of time there. Finding our way around the ship was a bit of a chore for us, but that was mainly our own forgetfulness rather than any design flaw. For the most part, the staff was friendly and attentive. As it was nearing the holidays, we heard a lot of the crew casually singing Christmas songs which was a nice touch.

We found the food to be about as good as could be expected for a cruise ship. The presentation was generally very good but aside from a few standout dishes, the cuisine was ordinary. We dined a few times off ship at our stops and those were our best dining experiences. However, our meal at the Pinnacle Grill was very good and we were quite pleased with their food and service. The service in the Vista Dining Room in the evening was generally good, but were disappointed a few times when having breakfast and lunch due to slow and inattentive service. We found the food in the Lido Buffet was just okay and we thought the station setups were a bit confusing and if you arrived at the wrong time, there were long lines. Read more