Zuiderdam Questions from first-time HAL cruiser...

[elena7seas]

Has anyone sailed in SY 6083? Can you please let me know if this cabin has the long sofa or the short sofa?

 

Any pictures would be appreciated.

 

Also, could non-smokers please let me know if you can smell much smoke in the public areas of the Zuiderdam? We usually cruise Celebrity, and after reading other threads, I am beginning to worry that the smoke on HAL might be a problem for us. I find the smell of stale smoke to be very difficult to live with.

 

We are taking a 3-day introductory cruise to see if we like HAL, before committing to a longer cruise.

 

Your help is very much appreciated.

[wwinfl91]

I don't have any info on the cabin but we have been on a number of HAL cruises and after they started limiting smoking have never noticed any problems with smoke smells.

 

We were on the Zuiderdam for an 18 day Panama Canal cruise and really enjoyed the ship. Good food and service and a friendly crew.

 

Hope you enjoy your first HAL cruise.

[SwissMyst]

Never smelled smoke on our 3 trips with HAL on different ships. Not sure where they allow it but it was never in areas we frequented.

 

We never went to the Sports Bar or the Casino though we would walk through it on our way to the show lounge and look at that silly "paddle pushing" game of chance and could never figure out how or why it worked.

 

I would bet the sofas are long in the suites - SY - as there seems to be plenty of room in them. We'll find out soon enough ourselves in a few weeks.

 

Some loyal HAL cruisers who have taken these shorter HAL trips realize they get very little feeling about the ships in these short turn-arounds. So I hope this is not your only impression. They almost sound like they are a negative marketing tool for HAL. Sorry. While you may well have a really nice time, it may not be the full HAL experience because that comes with time and getting to know the familiar faces and routines on ship.

 

The staff unfortunately seems much more rushed on these shorter trips and they themselves don't get the pleasure of getting to know their passengers too. HAL hospitality works both ways. We enjoy the staff and they enjoy us -- and that takes a little time as they get to know things about us over time -- like no longer asking that I like jasmine green tea after dinner, that sort of special thing. But they still will have their smiles ready and their genteel politeness because that comes naturally to the HAL crews. Hope you get that feeling from them, because that is what always puts them over the top for us when we sail with HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have sailed on the Zuiderdam.

Stay away from the Casino and the Sports Bar -- lots of smoke there. Sometimes they also leave the door to the Piano Bar during the day -- and the smoke does go in there and lingers in there for quite some time.

Otherwise we were fine everywhere else on the ship -- no smoke issues.