We chose this cruise for the itinerary, taking us from Venice, through the Greek Isles, ending in Turkey. This was a perfect follow-up to our 1-month driving trip through Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, and finally to Venice where we met our ship. We were tired and ready to let someone else do the driving, food service, laundry, and decision-making. Though we travel extensively, we don't usually take cruises unless there is some particular advantage to doing so. For this itinerary through the islands, a cruise seemed like a good choice.
Embarkation in Venice was a bit convoluted and slow in comparison to other cruises (Celebrity, Viking) we have taken, but uneventful. Our first impression of the Zuiderdam was that this was an older ship, a little garish in decor, not as light and open as many, but generally clean and OK. Our veranda cabin was fine, if a bit tired and worn...but so were we so we didn't mind. The cabin and restaurant staff were friendly, helpful and efficient; and so patient and polite even with guests who were demanding and rude to them.
We chose to eat in the main dining room and found the food and service very good, though the food choices were not great on the last few nights. We were pleasantly surprised since others had described HAL food as rather bland and geriatric. We liked the flexible dining hours and location since it gave us a chance to enjoy the company of new people or repeat with those we hit it off with if we chose, as well as allowing flexibility in timing. The entertainment was "meh" and we skipped it after the first few torturous evenings. No problem....Shipboard activities and entertainment are far down on the list of priorities for us. The movie theatre was nice. We also enjoyed the extensive library and good selection of board games for days at sea. Although we are a hetero married couple, we were glad to see that they offered LGBT and Singles activities for others.
Clean, comfortable bed, quiet, not as much storage as other cabins of same type. Constant wet spot on floor near door. Bathroom looked old and tired, but kept clean. Toiletries not refilled after first set used, no lotion ever. Arrangement of furnishings a little awkward.