Zuiderdam Review
Rating by category
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Zuiderdam was in good shape even though there was a little wear and tear due to her age. Her decor is a little "loud" for my tastes [i.e. not quite as elegant as other ships in the fleet] but fresh flowers are still all over the ship and the restrooms still have cloth hand towels which I always found to be a nice touch. Our waiters, Rudi and Paul, were fabulous and Sis and Siddiq kept our stateroom spotless. Jacob at the Seaview Bar was one of the friendliest barman I've ever met on any ship. We met some wonderful fellow passengers on this trip as well. Stateroom 4121 was fabulous.
The Lido Buffet hours [shut down way too early for lunch and dinner] and most of the evening entertainment [non-existent to mediocre] left something to be desired though. Holland America Line offers some of the best itineraries for the Baltics, with overnight stays in multiple cities, which is really the reason for sailing in this region. Port-intensive trips such as this can get away with less on-board entertainment as one is pretty exhausted by the end of each day.
Ports:
Cabin Review
Large Ocean-View Stateroom
Stateroom 4121 was amazing and is one of only two cabins in this format on the ship. This is a Deck 04 unobstructed ocean-view with a full, floor to ceiling window that allows for fantastic views. Most all of the other ocean-view staterooms on this deck are either fully or partially obstructed; the only exception is the corresponding stateroom on the port side.
In addition to the huge window, the bed placement is like that of a balcony cabin with the bed against the side wall next to the loveseat. This is preferable [at least to me] than having the bed under the window.
Port Reviews
Copenhagen
FABULOUS city with so much to see. Beautiful people, charming architecture and delicious food. Tivoli Gardens is a must as is Nyhavn.
Tallinn
Beautiful and charming old town. Such a pleasure just walking around and soaking it all in. Olde Hansa was great for lunch.
Helsinki
Lovely city with some interesting art nouveau / art deco architecture. A good amount of stuff to see that cannot be squeezed into one port day.
Stockholm
Gorgeous city and very easy to DIY. First day we did Gamla Stan, Changing of the Guard, and Hallwyl Museum [very nice!]. Second day we did Vasa Museum [amazing but go first thing when they open to avoid long lines] and Skansen [so-so. glad we went but once was enough].
Rostock (Warnemunde)
Went to Bad Doberan to take the Molli train. Loads of fun. Had lunch in Rostock and walked around Warnemunde which are both charming]