First cruise on Holland America but 20th cruise overall. Wanted to see the Panama Canal and we selected Zuiderdam. I have avoided HAL for years and confirmed that this is not the cruise line for me.
Embarkation went very smoothly in Ft. Lauderdale. Ship is older and smaller than what we have sailed on recently but it is in very good condition. The ship has three sets of elevators where ...
Hub and I booked a balcony cabin rather last-minute -- back surgery on his part necessitated us letting go a steal of a deal on Empress of the Seas and rebooking a different trip. We were looking forward to sailing on HAL again, as we appreciate the relative calm on board (we drop the average cruiser age by 20 years when we embark) and had not been on a Dam ship in four years.
(As background: ...
We've cruised with Holland America at least 4 times and chose them because of their excellent service. This cruise stopped at their private island first, then Grand Turks, Amber Cove and Key West. The service was excellent, as usual, and the food was good. The entertainment, however, was sorely lacking. The first night, there was no show in the main stage area. For 6 nights, the main entertainment ...
We chose because of the Panama Canal. The cruise was good; the weather was fabulous. It's always nice to sit on the verandah and enjoy the ocean. Unfortunately, between the noisy room, the 8-9 choices on the TV (with no guide), the substandard internet and predictable food (after 5 days, I didn't know what to eat), we were very disappointed. The hamburgers were fabulous,but how many days in a row ...
We chose this cruise because we had taken Holland America before and really enjoyed it. This trip was to celebrate my 60th birthday and what a wonderful celebration it was!
Everything was perfect! Our stateroom was nicely furnished with lots of storage. Our cabin stewards were amazing. Always there if you needed them but not intrusive at all. The concierge in the Neptune lounge were both ...
Super-friendly staff with excellent customer service attitude. Easy embarkation & debarkation. Beautiful food presentation in Lido market & dining room. The staff were very accommodating for my food allergies.
Many choices for excursions. The Curacao Beach Express & Costa Rica Tortuguero Canal were very enjoyable. High quality, talented entertainment onboard. The Step One dance show was ...
We chose this ship because we are not into mega ships and had been wanting to do the Panama Canal. This delivered so much more than expected. The food was excellent, the service superb. Lectures were interesting and helpful, and entertainment was wonderful. Lincoln Center Stage was a highlight, BB Kings was fun, and I enjoyed watching a movie on the Mainstage.
The OV cabin was well ...
We had a sort of family cruise. Ended up only being 5 of us. This cruise was a good value for 11 nights, onboarding very easy, although I arrived on a red eye so first in line does help. First cruise with Holland, 10th overall, Princess, NCL, Carnival, Royal Carib.I'm mid 50s but it was like an Alaska Cruise, I felt young and thin
Manicure/pedicure was great. Young gal said this was ...
This is our third cruise on Zuiderdam so we knew what to expect from the ship and were looking forward to seeing the Panama Canal up close and personal. We were given the opportunity to upgrade from our usual Neptune Suite to the Pinnacle Suite and jumped at the chance to experience this once in a lifetime deal. It did not disappoint. Embarkation and settling into our suite as a breeze. There ...
We chose this cruise because of timing as we wanted to cruise in April. We were a little worried about cruising with Holland American because of their reputation of being geared toward a much older crowd then we were used to. Yes the average age was much older, but don't let that deter you as the cruise was excellent.
Accommodation:
We had a balcony room on the 10th deck. The room was ...