First, some preliminary notes and disclaimers:

This was our second cruise; the first taking place in November 2007 aboard the Noordam. Perhaps the bar was set too high by this inaugural cruise because I can't recall a single thing to fault with the ship, the crew or the itinerary. By comparison, our Panama Canal cruise was markedly different.

When we sailed aboard the Noordam, our TA had booked us into a large interior cabin at the aft end of the main deck. We loved this room... the size... the quiet location... the layout... and, of course, our ever-helpful room steward. When we booked this cruise on the Zuiderdam, we specifically requested the same room since the ship layouts were essentially the same. It turned out that K1119 was already booked, but the room right next to it was available, so we quickly booked it for this cruise. Read more