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CORealtor

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    Mediterrranean - 2017

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    2017 Mediterranean cruises are now posted on the HAL USA site -- not just Prinsendam, but other ships as well.

     

    Dave

     

    Awesome! Thanks for the heads up! Just booked the 12-DAY MEDITERRANEAN TAPESTRY on September 20, 2017! I have been waiting for them to post!

    Formal Nights on Zuirdam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Trying to decide when to book the Pinnacle on our 11 day Panama cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale.

     

    When are the formal nights normally done?

     

    We were on the 11 night Panama cruise on the Zuiderdam last February. Our formal nights were the third night of the cruise, and the 10th night, I believe. It's the last night right before the last sea day. Hope that helps!

    February 3-14 Zuiderdam Review

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We just returned from the 11 night partial Panama Canal transit from February 3-14. After reading many threads about the plumbing and air conditioning issues on the Zuiderdam, I was not sure what to expect. We were in stateroom 5191, and I am happy to report that we had no issues on either front. We actually turned our air conditioning up a couple of times because it was too cold. We also had no issues with the plumbing or water temperatures in the shower or tub. One time I noticed that a public bathroom was out of order, but a plumber was working on it to get it fixed. There was a slight sulfur odor in the aft portion of the ship on deck 9 or 10 that I noticed one day, but that was all.

     

    Embarkation

    We left the hotel at about 10:30 and got to the port shortly thereafter. There was no line to get through security or to get our key cards. Security noticed my 4 bottles of wine, and directed me to the table to have them logged. Since the rules had just changed on how much you could bring on, the person checking the wine in seemed confused on the process. There was a sign on the table that said one bottle of wine per person was permitted and that additional bottles may be brought on board for a charge of $18 each. The person logging the wine said that I could only bring on the two (one of me and one for my husband), and that HAL would hold the additional two bottles until the last day of the cruise. I turned the sign that was on the table around to show him what the rule was, and he finally allowed me to pay the additional $36 to bring on the other two bottles. Hopefully they have figured out a system by now.

     

    We waited for about 10 minutes in the holding room, and they began boarding. We were permitted to go directly to the stateroom to stow our bags. The room steward came in to introduce himself and ask us if the room was to our liking. We assured him that it was perfect!

     

    Ship

    I had read in several threads that the Zuiderdam was in need of an overhaul. I disagree! The only carpet that I saw on board that was thinning was replaced one day at port. The ship has been maintained and continues to be maintained on a daily basis. There are places that are showing signs of rust, but other than that, the ship looks good.

     

    Dining

    Our dinner in the MDR was originally scheduled for 5:30. After the first night, we changed it to 7:45, as 5:30 was just too early to eat. Food was prepared to order each night and was always the perfect temperature. The wine steward was very attentive and our wine glasses and water glasses were never empty. Our waiter (Nur) and assistant waiter (Luke) were wonderful! Every night, the headwaiter (Indra) came to our table to ask how dinner was. We have not complaints regarding the MDR.

     

    Each morning we had breakfast and coffee delivered to our balcony. The food was delivered on time and exactly as ordered. We had eggs benedict on several mornings, and that was not even on the menu. We wrote it on the card we hung on our door and it would come the following morning perfectly prepared. We ate in the Lido for lunch three times and the food was always hot and prepared well.

     

    Entertainment

    The entertainment on the ship was average, except for BB King. They were amazing! I highly recommend seeing them if you are on a ship that they are on. The HalCats seem bored with what they do. The guitar player in the Crows Nest plays well, but I did not enjoy his singing. The piano player of the piano/violin duo was very good, but the violin player was not good at all. The entertainment on this ship needs an overhaul for sure!

     

    Excursions

    We booked three excursions through HAL. The first was sailing and snorkeling in Aruba. It was very windy, so the water was murky and the shipwreck that was 50 feet down was hard to see. The shallower water snorkeling was clear, but not much to see. I would not recommend this excursion, as it was expensive for what you got out of it. In Panama, we did the Authentic Embera Indian Village Tour. This excursion was very good, but after getting up early to see the locks, it was a long day! If I ever go to the Panama Canal again, I will not plan an excursion on the same day as the canal. The last excursion that we did was in Costa Rica. It was a tour of the Veragua Rainforest and Tortuguero Canals. This was a wonderful excursion, and probably my favorite of the three. I highly recommend this one!

     

    Disembarkation

    We were to disembark between 8:00 and 10:00 at our leisure. What they don’t tell you is that at 8:30, your room steward will come strip your linens and take your towels, so be sure you are about ready to leave by then, or you won’t get a shower. We left the room at 9:00 and walked off the ship. We were escorted by a customs agent off the ship and taken directly past the line of 100’s of passengers to a back room. We were not sure why, but finally realized that we had purchased a piece of jewelry on board and needed to pay duty on the item. It was very nice not having to stand in the customs line. By 9:30 we were in a cab headed to the airport.

     

    Final Thoughts

    This was without a doubt, the best cruise I have ever taken. The average age of the guests is probably 65 or so, but if this isn’t an issue for you, I’d highly recommend the partial transit on the Zuiderdam!

    zuiderdam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We just got off the Zuiderdam on February 14, and I am happy to report that we had NO issues with either A/C or plumbing. I don't know if there were issues in other cabins, but I heard of none. I recommend you go on the cruise, as it is an awesome one!

    MS Zuiderdam - 03 Feb -14 Feb - Some Thoughts

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    My husband and I were on this cruise with Mark and his family (Spire2000). Mark, your daughter indeed stole the show where ever she was. She is a cutie! I have not posted my review yet, since we just returned from FL yesterday, but I plan to this week.

     

    Unlike Mark, we had a wonderful experience in the MDR. We were served perfectly cooked food in a timely manner every night. We had late seating. Maybe that's the difference?

     

    My full review will come soon.

    Thank you to all of the experienced cruisers

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    I just wanted to say thank you to all of the experienced HAL cruisers who have posted. I will be taking my 5th HAL cruise on Monday, yet there were so many things I didn't know until reading some of these posts.

     

    As of now, we still haven't been assigned our cabin (we booked a guaranteed SY), but I've learned that even when a cabin is assigned, it could change (on our 2007 New Year's cruise we found out at check-in that we had been upgraded to an SA - after having been assigned an SZ a week earlier!).

     

    This will be our first cruise on the Zuiderdam and our first through the Panama Canal. My DH and I are very excited and appreciate all of the info I came away with by perusing the Cruise Critic boards.

     

    Again...thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge! :)

     

    I want to ditto the OP on a thank you! I am very new to CC and also appreciate the tips from the experienced HAL cruisers. We are also on the partial transit Panama Canal cruise on Monday.

    New Wine Policy - February 1?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    So will I from our Feb 2 Eurodam cruise, which at this point in time is likely our last with HAL. :( unless ...

     

    And I will from our February 3 Zuiderdam cruise. It will be interesting to see how many folks try to bring on more wine and how HAL keeps track of who brings on what...

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