Zaandam Review

4.0 / 5.0
558 reviews

Tried it, gave it a fair chance, not liking it

Review for Alaska Cruise on Zaandam
User Avatar
squeaky_1974
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Jul 2014

Background information: We were a party of 3, with my retired parents and myself in two separate ocean view cabins. My parents, age 70 and 64, have cruised once before on a Norwegian ship, and selected this ship and schedule. I'm a very active 40-year-old.

Ship information: The ship is immaculately clean on the inside, but they never washed the windows or the lido cover even on the sunny days while in port. It is not an extremely large ship and has a more traditional feel to it. My mother was disappointed because there was no deck that offered an unobstructed front view from the railing. On her previous cruise, she'd had that experience and loved it. The ship, despite having only 1400 passengers or so, was extremely crowded. Everywhere we went, we had to stand in line. The public parts of the ship are extremely noisy, because of the piped-in Muzak in the lido dining area, the acoustics in the Rotterdam, and the fact that with the exception of the classical duo, the musicians in the lounges played too loudly to allow people to sit quietly and converse. My parents both turned off their hearing aids after the first day due to the feedback and noise.

Activities: There are lots of sedentary activities but little to nothing for active people. There are two small pools, but nothing big enough for swimming laps. The two hot tubs were unfortunately so deep that I had trouble keeping my nose and mouth above water (I stand 5'7"), and they are seldom used except when people are soaking their feet. There are no jogging or running options since jogging on the promenade or upper deck is forbidden. A gym exists, and I checked it out the first day, except the high pressure sales tactics just didn't stop. No, I don't want a body fat analysis or a private fitness consultation or an extra-fee yoga class: I have a trainer back home that I already pay to do that, so I just want to work out in peace. I especially do not want to buy "supplements" or "therapies" that are based on pseudoscience bunk. Those guys won't take no for an answer, and the idea of running on a treadmill while staring through filthy windows just didn't appeal to me, so we never went back. I wanted to book a lesson with their tennis pro (since I saw they had a court), but it turned out to be toy tennis and with some plastic racquets for the kids, and there was no tennis pro on staff. A miniature basketball court existed on the top deck, but I never saw anyone actually using it. There was one charity 5k walk on one of the sea days where, for an extra fee, you could get some miles in on the outdoor promenade. We signed up for that, and I had spots on my retina for three days afterwards due to a photographer who would simply not stop popping her flash bulb in my face after I asked her to stop.

Cabin Review

previous reviewnext review

Find a Zaandam Cruise from $224

Any Month

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.