My hubby and I (ages 62 and 70) recently returned from a 10-day Canada/New England cruise on the Zuiderdam. This was our 3rd cruise with Holland America and for the most part we were very pleased. We picked this cruise mainly for the itinerary/ports of call and truly enjoyed getting to see a bit of all of them. Our embarkation was a breeze. BY the time we reached Quebec City, it was 2 in the afternoon, so there was no line up at all to get onto the ship. Our room was ready for us as soon as we boarded. We had chosen an inside cabin this time for a couple of reasons. One- it was more affordable. Two - we have friends who told us that since you're rarely in your cabin anyway, why not just get an inside one and save the $$? So we did. We looked at the cabin layout on the cruise line website, and went ahead. Unfortunately, our cabin was NOT laid out in the way which was portrayed online. It was very small, no couch, and a small amount of room on either side of the bed. Hubby said it was like a "broom closet with a bed". Okay, so this was our choice but I must say, we were disappointed. Despite the room like an office cubicle, we had excellent service as always with our room steward. The service on this ship is one of it's biggest perks. The bathroom by the way, was your basic cruise ship bathroom - functioned perfectly - no issues.

We had "as you wish" dining which was great. We only had one evening where we had to wait to get a table.... but keep in mind that we were willing to sit at any sized table and visit with folks and never did request a table for two - so I do not know how long that wait may have been. We did not go to any specialty restaurants on this trip, so cannot speak to the Pinnacle Grill or Canaletto. We ate in the main dining room most nights and the service as well as the food was excellent. It was fun (for us) to meet lots of different people every evening. We did eat in the Lido one evening and even that was good. We had Lido breakfasts every day and the food was consistently good. The folks that work in the Lido were so nice every day. Since our last cruise (3 years ago) we noticed that they changed the way the Lido works. You no longer EVER get to serve yourself. I'm sure there are many reasons for that.. less chance of Norovirus being spread around, and less food waste by people who take WAAAAAYY more than they really can eat and heap it up on their plate.

The evening entertainment was so-so. I'll admit we weren't intrigued enough to go more than three evenings, so I can't speak to all the acts. What we saw was not horrible, but it wasn't amazing, either. Considering we do not go on a cruise for the evening entertainment, it really wasn't a big factor for whether we enjoyed the cruise or not. I do have to mention the Piano Bar, however. Our tablemates one evening encouraged us to go with them to the Piano Bar after dinner - telling us that the pianist was fabulous. We went, stayed about half an hour (all we could take) and left, along with a lot of other people. The pianist could play the piano, but he could not sing - yet he "sang" to every song, and in a rhythm that was his alone. It was impossible to sing along, which is probably the main reason folks go to listen to "James Taylor, Jim Croce, & John Denver night". Each night the Piano Bar had a theme, and while it sounds like it would be an enjoyable evening, it was not. Read more