"The history and discussion the cruise director did really brought the history of the canal to life.We have been in the canal before but never end to end...."Read More
RetiredFLRN
6-10 Cruises
•
Age 60s
Filters
1-10 of 14 Holland America Line Zaandam Cruise Reviews for Fitness to the Mexican Riviera from San Diego
HAL does the Panama Canal very well. The day before the transit, there were presentations on the history and the building of canals in general, and the Panama Canal specifically. The day of transit, all ship schedules were adjusted for the transit. All deck areas were opened for people to view the locks, special foods (Panama Rolls, etc) were made and served on deck areas. The cruise ...
Weakest link in our cruise has been the excursions, not as described, bus broke down in Costa Rica w a 2 hr delay. Tour Cartagena Columbia listed as 3.5 hrs lasted over 4.5 hours w no food or cafe stops available. Onboard bars running out of my favorite beer and 12oz waters is disappointing. Despite purchasing Have It All package my account has been charged incorrectly for drinks several times. ...
I have wanted to see the Panama Canal for longer than I want to talk about! Had an offer which made the two week cruise reasonable enough to pull the trigger, and had a great time!
I saw a previous review that said this was the worst ship ever, I just don't see that. Is it older? Yes. But it is aging pretty well. The carpets, furniture, and other fittings have clearly been kept up. The ...
We started in San Diego and ended up in our home state, which made this a fun trip! We had several family tragedies the months leading up to the trip and it was nice to get away, just the two of us.
We have been in the canal before but never end to end. The history and discussion the cruise director did really brought the history of the canal to life.
The stop in Guatemala we so ...
I took this trip with three girlfriends and had a great time. While the ship is older and our bathroom had orange and pink tiles, the rest of the ship was fine.
We enjoyed the trivia each night! The lido pool was packed with folks who reserved chairs and left…..oh and kids doing cannonballs in the pool. Meals were wonderful and the spa was excellent. We were able to get two massages and a ...
The cruise offered a chance to circumnavigate South America with mostly interesting ports. Speedy embarkation, The ship has sophisticated/muted interiors and an outstanding display of art & musical memorabilia throughout the ship. Cabin 6180 looked fine, spacious with all amenities but when the ship was at sea a creaking/grating noise came from the junction of the veranda & the ceiling, the noise ...
I did the 37 day cruise Oct 2, 2016 from San Diego to Buenos Aires on the Zaandam and have a few comments.
As a four star mariner i have done quite a few HAL cruises. This was my second time on the Zaandam. The first was last year YVR to Valparaiso also on the Zaandam.
Embarkation at San Diego:
For me it was fine but as four star I got to skip a big line of very frustrated looking people ...
I came back to Holland after my experience on the Regal Princess. Holland has always been my favorite but she would be priced somewhat higher for balconies because she has fewer that other cruise lines. One thing you could always depend on was the service and the food. I am now traveling alone since loosing my husband.
This ship had many single cruisers traveling alone. The cruise line gave a ...
My husband and I have cruised 8 times, three on Holland America. This was our first time on the Zaadam, a smaller ship than we are used to.
First of all, I want to share a great tip that I got off of Pinterest. Take a power strip with you on your cruise, as most state rooms only have one outlet. With the onslaught of cell phone, ipads, ipods, etc., the extra power outlets are a great way to get ...
I had read with caution the recent cruise stories and reviews for the Zaandam but I must say it was truly a pleasure to sail on her last week. The ship has been refurbished and we had zero problems with maintenance during our cruise.
The embarkation process in San Diego was one of the easiest and fastest I can remember. We literally were able to walk right up to the cruise agent, turn in our ...