Zuiderdam Review

Holland America has lost its core values

Review for the British Isles & Western Europe Cruise on Zuiderdam
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Anita5
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jun 2019
Cabin: Neptune Deluxe Verandah Suite

After 14 cruises with this storied line, I was disappointed with the Copenhagen-Copenhagen sailing that stopped in Norway, Iceland and Scotland:(Lerwick, Inverness were pleasant surprises) All the ports met expectations and more. Holland's receptions had no music; first ship I've been on that had no orchestra; no appetizers, Bloody Mary's had no celery. B-B King's seemed to forget that they were there to play jazz and blues, not 90% rock n roll or whatever it took to get people on the dance floor. If it hadn't been for the Lincoln Center classical performers, there would have been No entertainment. There were no production shows, only a comedian, some signer and a local group that got on in Iceland for one evening that no one understood them or their music. There was an abundance of food that was either tasteless, undeterminable or the chef was left to make whatever he/she wanted. Salads had mushy substances instead of recognizable products(tuna, chicken)???pizza slices had virtually no cheese on them; sandwiches consisted mostly of bread, mayonnaise and mustard(cold cuts, chicken or salads composed less than 10%.) Hardboiled eggs served in room service had turned gray from age. I'd rate the food OVERALL: one level below fast food! Excursions were pricey and in one instance one bus had 64 people on it with one guide in Iceland. Needless to say, it was not worth it! The ports sold themselves in terms of their beauty, offerings and ability to get around on your own. I would recommend future passengers secure their own tours. Disembarkation was efficient and could not come fast enough.

Cabin Review

Neptune Deluxe Verandah Suite

Cabin SA

Cabin was spacious and maintained well. Staff was friendly and helpful. Once underway it was noisy becasue one of the main branches of the air-handler unit was across from this cabin. It was noisy until maintenace covered part of the supply in the cabin. If you take this cabin and have respitory issues or a cold, bring your vaporizer. The humidity in the cabin was 42%; at that rate all your membranes, noise and throat will dry out if you are not used to humidity that low; it can be a problem.

Port Reviews

Alesund

Beautiful city, easy to get around on your own. Both cities in Norway technically advanced and enironmentally conscientious.

Isafjord

One can do this town on your own.

Reykjavik

Very intersting; beautiful city a lot to see, we toured on our own, great whale and fishing musuem. Helpful tour bus drivers; reasonably priced independent tour

Lerwick (Shetland Islands)

Easy to get around. Took local city bus in town and to surrounding towns and sights.

Invergordon (Inverness)

Arrived very early in Invergordon, took the local bus to Inverness; 45 minutes. Wonderful views and Inverness more than met my expectation. I would definitley recommend this town and would go again. Will take the train from London.

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