Zaandam Review

4.0 / 5.0
560 reviews

Shakedown Cruise

Review for Canada & New England Cruise on Zaandam
User Avatar
DiveMaster
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation

Additional details

Sail Date: May 2022
Cabin: Verandah Suite

The Zaandam has returned to service after a year+ absence short staffed and provisioned. About 20 short in the kitchen, 2 in photography and stretched thin on cabin stewards, future cruise staff, and etc. As others have mentioned, gone are dinner theme nights, surf and turf, ice sculptures, live music at diner, the after dinner mint station (aka the traditional HAL level of dining). Service was slow in the dining room - expect 2 hours from seating to desert - seat at 5:30 if you want to make a 7:30. show. Staff are still traditional HAL in friendliness and quality. Television in cabins were a mixed bag of old and new as COVID has delayed the installation of new televisions. The DVD library is gone - if you have a DVD player in your room you have an old television set which may require effort to get channels with your remote. Use the menu button on the remote and get to the settings for channels and look for volume buttons on the back of your television. Your cabin steward may or may not be able to help. In all, I enjoyed the cruise, but I am an old HAL veteran. Here is hoping a few more cruises will resolve the staffing and equipment issues aboard.

Cabin Review

Verandah Suite

condition of cabin was very good, but the television was a real clunker.

Port Reviews

Bar Harbor

Nice enough stop. Great place to enjoy lobster and walk around town or take an excursion to see Acadia National Park.

35 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Zaandam Cruise from $249

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.