Zuiderdam Review
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Additional details
We chose to cruise on the Zuiderdam ship because it went to the Southern Caribbean, Central America, and the Panama Canal. The price was excellent for a long cruise.
We had a great cruise with no real issues. I had read some rather negative reviews so I wanted to share my experience to balance out the reviews for this ship. I would cruise on this ship again as it provided us a wonderful, laid-back cruise with outstanding service throughout the ship.
Embarkation: We arrived at the cruise port by taxi from Ft. Lauderdale Airport. This is a short 10 minute taxi ride which cost about $20.00 (set by Florida law). Once we arrived at the cruise port, we had to stand in line for an hour to embark. Even though this was not an awful experience, it could have moved faster. I think we just arrived at the prime time (12:30pm) when most people arrived. They did need more help during embarkation, at least for this busy time period. Once on board, everything was great. Our room was ready when we arrived with luggage arriving in about 2 hours.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
4145 Balcony Room VB: We loved the cabin because it had a bathtub and extended balcony with the best mattress and pillows ever. I have never slept so much or so well on a cruise.
The furniture is worn but not in disrepair. The TV is too small but that is not anything to focus on for a cruise. We thought the storage was adequate with drawers under the bed and sofa and really enjoyed having the extended balcony. We had no view obstruction and were near the aft elevators. This was a convenient location to reach any dining venues. I would want this room again if I was booked on Zuiderdam.
Port Reviews
Half Moon Cay
The clam chairs allow you to have shade while enjoying the beach. The beach is gorgeous and chairs are plentiful. There are bars and lots of activities if you choose to be more active than we did. We just enjoyed the gorgeous day with a good lunch provided by the ship staff.
Aruba
We walked around the city, ate, shopped, and enjoyed interacting with the people.