We chose this cruise for the itinerary. We've sailed on the Zuiderdam previously, in 2009, and enjoyed ourselves. The ship was showing her age on this cruise, I must say. The staff we dealt with were very good, the food was good, and most of the port stops were enjoyable, even with the cooler temperatures. We were offered an upgrade about 3 weeks prior to sailing and took the upgrade to a Neptune class suite. Definitely worth the price we paid as an upgrade!

We were disappointed in the wear-and-tear seen on most of the ship. There were rust stains on much of the exterior and while there was ongoing maintenance ( check out some of the other reviews) it appeared that the cruise line had waited too long to do anything.

One of the joys on Holland America is the food and for the most part, we were pleased this time as well. The baked goods and pastries were better than we remembered, but the beef while tender, lacked flavor unless the sauce with it was well seasoned. Read more