Zuiderdam Review (long) - Alaska Inside Passage - July 17 - 24

[msm0908]

I have learned many things from this HAL forum and wanted to share our experiences with fellow CC members. Sorry this is tad long … :o

 

For many years, I have looked over cruising brochures pouring over the many different cruises that are offered. I always came back to Holland America (something that always stick in my mind was the excellent service that I have read about) so when we finally got the chance to book a cruise, it had to be HAL. We decided to do the Alaska Inside Passage because we wanted to depart from Vancouver. We drive out to Vancouver at least once a year from Alberta so we figure that we could do this and save on the airfare. We booked our cruise back in August/09 and even at that time, we only had a few quad staterooms to choose from. We did this cruise solely for the cruising experience and not for the ports or excursions. We figure that we are close enough to Vancouver that if we enjoyed this trip, then we would do it again and include excursions the next time.

 

About Us

 

Hubby (48) – outdoor type of guy – camping, fishing, fantastic cook, have his SLR Nikon attached to him whenever we are on holidays

Eldest daughter (14) – adventurous, easy going, enjoys the finer things in life

Youngest daughter (8) – good nature, loves to dress up and dance, also enjoys the finer things in life

Myself (43) – enjoys being pampered since it doesn’t happen often with working outside the home full-time. My motto is ‘A bad vacation is still a better day at the office’

 

Parking/Embarkation

 

After leaving Calgary at 10:15pm, we arrived in Vancouver by 10 am. We pre-paid for parking our truck at the CruisePark which was about 2 blocks away from Canada Place ($160 for the week). Dropped our 2 pieces of luggage off (luggage tags attached) in front of the office and went to park our truck. The next time that we would see our luggage would be in our stateroom. The shuttle dropped us off at Canada Place around 10:45am. We saw that there was no one in line to go thru the custom doors so we just went to line up, we figure that we were already there so why not. At 11am, they let us in and the custom officer told us that we were the first ones that day! Talk about eager to board the ship! After that, we checked in at the HAL counter and then took a seat in the waiting area. Waited about half an hour and then we boarded the Zuiderdam! My hubby decided that it would be funny to yell ‘Buffet Time!’ as we boarded, needless to say, I was abit embarrassed even though I knew he was joking! :o

 

Once we boarded, we were ushered into the Lido which was pretty much empty at that time since we were one of the first ones on the ship. Got our lunch – we were served for the first two days instead of helping ourselves which was fine with us. There were hand sanitizer stations at each entrance. After lunch, we explored abit and were quite impressed with all of the art work on board.

 

Stateroom

 

At 1pm, they announced that our rooms were ready. We were on the Verandah deck – Stateroom 5057. When we entered the room, I was pleased to see that the beer, Bailey, soda card, chocolate covered strawberries that I pre-ordered were waiting for us. The only thing missing was the shipboard credits that I was planning to surprise my girls with but after a quick phone call, I was reassured that the credits are posted on their accounts. Our room steward, Lou came knocking with his card and checked to see if we got our luggage yet. When he didn’t see them, he immediately headed out down the corridor and within 5 minutes, he came back with our luggage. What a nice way to start off our cruise.

 

Since this was a quad room, the bunk bed was over the queen bed up in the ceiling. Lou and Wiranto (the other steward) came and brought the bunk down using some sort of crank. We told them not to set up the sofa bed because it looks like the 3 of us girls can share the bed and hubby can sleep on the bunk. This way we can leave the sofa and have more room to get out to the deck. The bed was very comfortable, the bunk tilted a little to one side but hubby says that it was okay. There were plenty of storage space and it was pretty quiet in the room – we couldn’t hear any noise except for the occasional early morning chatter in the hallways.

 

We unpacked and rested alittle since hubby and I didn’t really get a chance to sleep all night. At 4 pm, we headed down to the safety drill.

 

Sail-Away

 

Once the safety drill was finished, we headed up to the observation deck to check out the sail-away. They had a bbq going on the Lido deck and Regina & the Halcats were playing some tunes. It was a festive atmosphere. Many times, I have watched ships sail under the Lions Bridge on their way to Alaska and this time it was my turn. I have always wanted to wave to the people who were standing at the observation deck at Propect Point in Stanley Park and I got to do just that! Enjoyed the bbq, had some ice cream, the food was just beginning … I should have brought my buffet pants! :eek:

 

Dining

 

The first night we made reservations to dine at the Pinnacle Grill. We got all dressy up and made our way for our 8:30pm seating. We got a table by the window; it wasn’t very busy in there at this time. My eldest daughter ordered the lobster bisque, followed by the filet mignon and my youngest started with the Caesar salad and then the broiled lobster tail. I ordered the Dungeness CrabCakesand the lobster too. Hubby ordered the Pinnacle Ocean Platter, followed by the Land and Sea. They also served us the chef’s complimentary appetizer which was a scallop dish. The food was delicious, the plating was beautiful and the service exceptional. By the time dessert arrives, we were stuffed to the gills! Also, included with our coffee, they had some chocolate truffles. We enjoyed it so much that both my girls wanted to come back again (which we did on another night).

 

All of this eating and this was only the first day! :D

 

We did order room service for breakfast a couple of times and it always arrived promptly and I remembered to clear the table so that there is room for the tray and to have my money ready to tip the server before he ran out of the room. We are not big breakfast eaters but did manage to get to the MDR in time for breakfast. Service was fantastic and we were waited on hand and foot.

 

Lunch was usually in the Lido – by the third day, we could serve ourselves. There were always fresh selections of salads, fruits, sandwiches/wraps, hot entrees (different everyday), pizza, desserts (ok, I am starting to drool again!). I loved the fruit pies with vanilla ice-cream.

 

We had open seating in the MDR and this was where we had all of our dinners except for the nights that we were in the Pinnacle Grill. We usually head to dinner at around 7 pm and never had to wait for a table of 4. We got to meet many of the different servers and they were all so wonderful and accommodating. The meals were pleasantly plated and tasted pretty good, even for my hubby who can get alittle picky with food that are not prepared by him! The portions were adequate and pretty soon, even my youngest got used to ordering an appetizer, salad or soup, entrée and dessert. They never get to do this at home!

 

Every afternoon from 3-4pm, they served tea in the Upper Dining Room. We made it to most of them – my daughters and I would dress up in our little dresses and pearls (we have tea parties at home and this was their chance to attend a real tea). The first day was the Royal Dutch tea, when we entered the MDR, our eyes came upon this feast of goodies laid before us. They also had a cupcake tea which was a hit with my youngest – our server, Darma, gave her 5 little cupcakes. He was her new best friend! On the last day at sea, they served the Indonesia tea with Indonesian goodies along with the little sandwiches, scones etc. It was a really nice to attend the tea, the atmosphere was quiet and serene.

 

From 10:30-11:30 pm on most nights, there was always a snack theme going on in the Lido. We would wander up there to check it out. We usually ended up with a cup of coffee and something on our plates! Some of the themes were Western, Hawaiian, Indonesian, and Italian.

 

Also, the last night at sea, they had the Dessert Extravaganza up near the Lido pool. Lots of desserts, ice carvings, chocolate carvings. Quite the sight, this one night we were too full to sample much except for the chocolate dipped strawberries.

 

We didn’t get a chance to try the Terrace Grill but did have some tacos that were set up on the Lido deck. Also, there was a day with a bbq at the Aft pool and a salmon bbq at the Lido deck. One can only eat so much!

 

Drinks prices were $6.50 for my pina coladas and $3.50 for virgin pina coladas for the girls. Hubby's beer was around $4.75. Didn't drink too much but did order sometimes when we were at the Lido pool or at Queens Lounge.

 

Activities & Entertainment

 

Each night, our stewards would leave a daily program for the next day on our bed along with some chocolates and a towel animal. We didn’t want to do too much on this cruise except to relax and enjoy just being on the ship. We went to the Culinary Arts Center once, casino a few times (the girls enjoyed being back in the stateroom) and spend a few nights listening and dancing to Regina and the Halcats in the Queens Lounge. We didn’t get a chance to see any shows; my family wasn’t too keen on it so we just skipped it. Everyday, we were at the Lido pool because our youngest likes to swim – the roof on the Lido deck was covered most of the days. She didn’t have an interest in going to Club HAL. Didn’t see too many kids around so maybe most of them were in Club HAL? My oldest daughter went to the Loft one night for a karaoke but she was the only one there so that was the last time that she attempted to go to the Loft. Both our girls were happy just hanging around the pool or on our balcony or with us.

 

Ports

 

Like I mentioned before, we weren’t planning on any excursions while we are in the ports. We were just going to wander around and take photos. Our first port was Juneau (2:30pm – 10:30pm) and with 4 ships docked, it got pretty crowded. Our ship docked at the furthest from town, so we paid the $3/person for the bus into town. My first impression of Juneau was that it was just like Banff with all of the tourists on Main Street. Call me naïve but I didn’t know that there were going to be so many jewelry shops there! My youngest bought a Russian nesting doll. And then we headed to Tracy’s Crab Shack because they got some pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor. It cost about $14 per king crab claw. Kind of pricey but since we were there; we just had to try it. We also tried the crab cakes. Both of these were very good. We also took the Mount Roberts Tramway, got a beautiful view of Juneau. There was a nature shop, hiking trails, a restaurant, a souvenir shop and an injured eagle who is now cared for up there. Weather was sunny and hot.

 

Skagway (7am – 9pm) – we liked the layout of this town better, there were also 3 other ships docked (2 Princess and 1 Celebrity) but it didn’t seem to be too crowded. We docked right in front of the town so we didn’t have far to walk. It was a bit cooler in Skagway and we had our jackets on. Walked around, window shopped, bought some Hatley hats and more nesting dolls, took more photos and headed then back to the ship.

 

Ketchikan (10am – 5:30pm) – we docked beside some sailboats and it made a pretty picture. There were also 3 other ships docked but two left in the early afternoon. Walked into town and wandered around. It was another beautiful sunny day. Bought last minute souvenirs – soaps and another nesting doll!

 

Tracey Arm & Glacier Bay

 

Both Tracey Arm and Glacier Bay was splendid. The scenery is breath-taking. Of course, we were camera happy again! We saw whales in Tracey Arm and enjoyed the landscape and mountains. And we saw 4 bears and a wolf (I didn’t see the wolf) near a whale carcass on the beach when we were cruising in Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay was so serene and it was really nice to enjoy the quietness of the area. Once we approached the Margerie Glacier, the captain turned the ship around so that everyone could have a view of the glacier. We also saw some calving on Margerie Glacier. There were two park rangers on board and one of them provided information on the park, the glaciers and the surroundings. Seeing the glaciers was one of the high-lights of our trip (we have seen the Columbia ice-field in BC before but this was much better).

 

Miscellaneous Stuff

 

Greenhouse Spa – the girls and I tried the Spa Sampler – 20 minutes reflexology, 20 minutes scalp massage and mini-facial for $89. They tried to sell me some of the products but they were too expensive for my taste. They weren’t being pushy which was a good thing.

 

Photo Gallery - We did purchased the embarkation photo for $20 and a sheet of our formal portrait for $39. We didn’t buy anymore since between the 3 cameras that we had, we must have over 3000 photos. :eek:

 

Exploration Café - Nice library of books and magazines. Tables to sit and have a drink. We did not use the internet, it seemed a bit pricey for us. Towards the front, there is a great view as the ship is cruising forward but all of the chairs were already taken by people. There were bench seating in front of these chairs but I didn’t want to interfere with someone’s view by sitting there.

 

Shopping Onboard - There was a jewelry shop (surprise!), a ‘souvenir’ shop, a perfume shop, a gift shop and another very expensive jewelry shop. They have announcements promoting sales and lots of people buying watches for $20 etc. It was fun to just wander around the area.

 

Formal & Casual Nights - When I told my hubby that there were going to be two formal nights onboard, he wasn’t too keen on that. But my daughters loves the idea of dressing up since we don’t do it much. They brought their dresses, jewelry, heels and purses. And I brought a suit for my hubby. We dressed up for both formal nights and our dinners at the Pinnacle. Even my hubby didn’t seem to mind because he never change back to casual clothes even when he got the chance. There were a few tuxes, suits, cocktail dresses, dresses and a few men wearing slacks with a dress shirt. As for casual nights, I did see some jeans but nothing ripped or torn. Everybody seemed to be just enjoying the cruise and not worrying about what to wear.

.

Disembarkation

 

We opted to be in the first group to disembarked carrying our own luggage. We had an early breakfast in the Lido at 6:30am and got off the ship at 7:30am along with many others. A quick line thru Canadian customs and we were back to reality.

 

Conclusion

 

This was our first time cruising on HAL and it won’t be our last. We wanted to just enjoy the cruising experience and now we are forever spoiled! We had an exceptional crew who were always smiling, willing to help and one Lido server even did magic tricks for our daughters. We love the Zuiderdam and after 7 days of exploring, we feel so at home on her. The Zuiderdam was the right size for us, it never felt crowded, we never had to wait in long lines but it was really the crew that made the biggest impression on us. I thought about trying another cruise line to compare but I don’t think so, HAL have already taken that special place in my heart. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home.

 

Glad you had a wonderful cruise -- loved your review.

[AZNative2000]

Enjoyed reading your review! Got to relive our cruise. Thanks and welcome back to "reality".

 

Cheers!

[horseymike]

Thanks. Very well written.

[portofrome]

Thanks very much for your review.

[IRL_Joanie]

....

 

Conclusion

 

This was our first time cruising on HAL and it won’t be our last. We wanted to just enjoy the cruising experience and now we are forever spoiled! We had an exceptional crew who were always smiling, willing to help and one Lido server even did magic tricks for our daughters. We love the Zuiderdam and after 7 days of exploring, we feel so at home on her. The Zuiderdam was the right size for us, it never felt crowded, we never had to wait in long lines but it was really the crew that made the biggest impression on us. I thought about trying another cruise line to compare but I don’t think so, HAL have already taken that special place in my heart. :)

 

I knew the review would be amazing!! The photos you sent me were great as was the descriptio of the stateroom:)

 

I am just sorry that you will not be cruising for a bit:( But I do understand the reasoning:)

 

Thank you hon for the awesome photos and even more awesome review!!

 

I'd love to have you and yur family enjoying our 1st cruise with us September 2011 aboard Zuiderdam. You make her come so alive for me and now I cannot wait the 400+ days I have to wait to board here.

 

Joanie

[LindaKE]

Thanks for the review. It's so hard to wait for our turn next year! Did you go to the Master Chef's Dinner? How was it, and when was it?

Thanks!

[msm0908]

I knew the review would be amazing!! The photos you sent me were great as was the descriptio of the stateroom:)

 

I am just sorry that you will not be cruising for a bit:( But I do understand the reasoning:)

 

Thank you hon for the awesome photos and even more awesome review!!

 

I'd love to have you and yur family enjoying our 1st cruise with us September 2011 aboard Zuiderdam. You make her come so alive for me and now I cannot wait the 400+ days I have to wait to board here.

 

Joanie

 

 

Thanks Joanie!

 

We would love to be able to join you on the Zuiderdam in September 2011, trust me, I have been checking the HAL website. :D But we have a big 5 weeks trip planned for next year and there is no way that we can add a cruise too. I will have to live thru your experience!

[msm0908]

Thanks for the review. It's so hard to wait for our turn next year! Did you go to the Master Chef's Dinner? How was it, and when was it?

Thanks!

 

Lucky you! Wanna trade places? :D Yes, we did attend the Master Chef's Dinner on the last night. We had the early seating and it wasn't full in the MDR (lower level). I have read some comments on this forum about it so I went in with an open mind. IMO, it was kind of silly but fun. We all wore the hats and waited for the singing/dancing servers to go thru the dining room. This being our first time, we didn't really know what to expect. But it seemed like everyone who was there had a good time. We still got the same great service but wished that we could have had the bread basket instead of the bun on our plates and a choice of dessert instead of the baked Alaska. Would I do it again? Not sure about that one. :confused:

[TracieABD]

Thanks for your review. I really enjoyed hearing how your girls liked their cruising experience! Sorry to hear that the kid's programs were not so active...:)

[twins79]

Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed your review.

[wanderlust268]

Loved your review. We're going on our first cruise Sept.18 on the Zuiderdam and your comments and insights are really welcome. Hope we have as great an experience as you did! I can hardly wait - time seems to be creeping by really slowly!

[SwissMyst]

......... I thought about trying another cruise line to compare but I don’t think so, HAL have already taken that special place in my heart. :)[/font]

 

Your report was wonderful and your last line says it all. For those of us who have now taken many more HAL trips, the feeling stays the same. Hats off to the very special HAL crews on all their ships who keep delivering their special brand of smiling and welcoming service. HAL's secret weapon that stole our hearts too.

[msm0908]

Your report was wonderful and your last line says it all. For those of us who have now taken many more HAL trips, the feeling stays the same. Hats off to the very special HAL crews on all their ships who keep delivering their special brand of smiling and welcoming service. HAL's secret weapon that stole our hearts too.

 

The special HAL crew really made our trip a memorable one for us. From the room stewards to the dining room crew, everyone made us feel special. It was especially nice when they interacted with my girls. Even the security crew joked when we re-boarded the ship from the ports that no pets were allowed when my youngest brought along her stuff puppy. We also got a chance to chat with some of the crew about themselves and their families. To be away from your family for 10 months at a time must be very hard. But to always smile and give great service, that is remarkable. At the end of the cruise, they felt like family to us. Before our cruise, I read that the crew were very good but to see it first hand, it was incredible to be treated this way. I only hope that on our future HAL cruises, we will meet up with some of them again. :)

[msm0908]

Loved your review. We're going on our first cruise Sept.18 on the Zuiderdam and your comments and insights are really welcome. Hope we have as great an experience as you did! I can hardly wait - time seems to be creeping by really slowly!

 

I am sure that you will have a great time, we went with an open mind and were blown away! A vacation is what you make it, just remember to enjoy the time on the cruise because it goes by so fast! Wish that we could join you. :D

[aliaschief]

Very nice review. Thanks for taking the time and sharing your experience.

[matondo]

Thank you for the excellent review. An Alaskan cruise is on my bucket list for sure.

[fsuzonie]

We will be the Zuiderdam Sept. 10th 2011 for our 25th anniversary. This will be our second cruise overall and our first with HAL and I can't wait. thanks for your review as it makes me feel like we made the right choice.

[IRL_Joanie]

We will be the Zuiderdam Sept. 10th 2011 for our 25th anniversary. This will be our second cruise overall and our first with HAL and I can't wait. thanks for your review as it makes me feel like we made the right choice.

 

Hi fsuzonie!! We, hubby (65) and I, (57) will be with you on 10 Sept, 2011. It will be our 1st of 2 weeks aboard her. I cannot wait!

 

I just noticed that there is no Roll Call yet so I just started one here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1249759

 

Joanie

[Himself]

Thanks for your complete and comprehensive review. I am sorry your girls and you and hubby missed the Alaskan Fudge Company on Franklin Street in Juneau. There is also an Alaskan Fudge Company in Skagway.

[phabric]

First time cruisers on HAL Aug 2011.

 

Can you tell me which night or port is formal night?

 

Do you have to dress up for Pinnade Grill or is smart casual ok?

[msm0908]

First time cruisers on HAL Aug 2011.

 

Can you tell me which night or port is formal night?

 

Do you have to dress up for Pinnade Grill or is smart casual ok?

 

 

Our cruise was Sat to Sat, so the formal nights were the first day at sea which was the Sunday and the Glacier Bay day which was a Wednesday, I recall. Master Chef's Dinner was the last day at sea (Friday). We dressed up for the Pinnacle Grill but smart casual is fine too. Did see a gentleman with a blazer and dark blue jeans. I am sure that you will have a great time on HAL! :)

[cruisingwithrobin]

Thanks for the wonderful review. Making me think that the Z is the ship to book our cruise aboard.:)

[3rdGenCunarder]

Our cruise was Sat to Sat, so the formal nights were the first day at sea which was the Sunday and the Glacier Bay day which was a Wednesday, I recall. Master Chef's Dinner was the last day at sea (Friday). We dressed up for the Pinnacle Grill but smart casual is fine too. Did see a gentleman with a blazer and dark blue jeans. I am sure that you will have a great time on HAL! :)

 

How did people dress on formal nights? Did many men wear tuxes? Suits? Sportcoats? (trying to plan packing for DH)

[msm0908]

How did people dress on formal nights? Did many men wear tuxes? Suits? Sportcoats? (trying to plan packing for DH)

 

Didn't see too many tuxes, my hubby wore a dark blue suit. Lots of gentlemen in suits and some in sportcoats and some just in a shirt and tie.