Zuiderdam - still has awful toilet issues!!

[Wakepatrol]

Where in the persons post that you quoted did they say anything about the crew acting like this was good news :confused:

 

 

Just a general vibe in posting I guess.,surprised there were mechanics brought onboard to fix problems:confused: I answered your question,now answer me, why would this be surprising?

Edited May 29, 2012 by Wakepatrol

[chelseasails]

I was really concerned with this but I'm currently on the ship and my toilet is just dandy. The one in the spa had a slight funk to it but other than that I think this is resolved

[jrzebird]

I was really concerned with this but I'm currently on the ship and my toilet is just dandy. The one in the spa had a slight funk to it but other than that I think this is resolved

 

Thank you, Chelsea! Both for taking the time to post and for bringing a smile to my face. I hope you have a great cruise, with zero toilet or AC problems.

 

If you go to the Piano Bar, tell Jimmy the Piano Man that Maureen said hi! He's amazing.

 

Maureen

[PaulJ]

We're on the Zuiderdam in two weeks (October 19th). I will try to remember to report in on the current status of a/c and toilets. Despite all the horror stories in this thread, I am going with a positive outlook and fingers crossed. We've had two great trips on the Z before. Hoping for a third...

[startwin]

We're on the Zuiderdam in two weeks (October 19th). I will try to remember to report in on the current status of a/c and toilets. Despite all the horror stories in this thread, I am going with a positive outlook and fingers crossed. We've had two great trips on the Z before. Hoping for a third...

 

Just enjoy. We had awful problems back in April with plumbing, and others had a/c not working, and a/c through the ship was "iffy" - but we still had a great time.:D

[protocrone]

We're on Zuiderdam Oct 29 so you will hear from me on her condition when we get back Nov 9. Also going with open mind- the worse day cruising is better than the best day at work!

[PathfinderEss]

We're on the Zuiderdam in two weeks (October 19th). I will try to remember to report in on the current status of a/c and toilets. Despite all the horror stories in this thread, I am going with a positive outlook and fingers crossed. We've had two great trips on the Z before. Hoping for a third...

 

We're on Zuiderdam Oct 29 so you will hear from me on her condition when we get back Nov 9. Also going with open mind- the worse day cruising is better than the best day at work!

 

Hope you both have wonderful cruise on the Zuiderdam and do come back and tell us about your vacations.

[nobog]

When we go on a cruise we expect the same thing that any hotel room room would offer:

 

the lights go on,

the heater works,

the AC works

the plumbing works,

the room is reasonably quiet

its clean

 

It shouldn't matter if its a Wal-Mart ship or Seabourn. If they can't figure out the above, after making ships for what? a couple thousand yrs? they have issues and in this competitive market, press like this is never a good thing.

 

JK ;)

[PathfinderEss]

When we go on a cruise we expect the same thing that any hotel room room would offer:

 

the lights go on,

the heater works,

the AC works

the plumbing works,

the room is reasonably quiet

its clean

 

It shouldn't matter if its a Wal-Mart ship or Seabourn. If they can't figure out the above, after making ships for what? a couple thousand yrs? they have issues and in this competitive market, press like this is never a good thing.

 

JK ;)

and you should expect nothing less from Holland America.

[cruiseapril]

We're considering a 2014 Panama Canal on the Zuiderdam. Looking forward to updates on the situation.

[PaulJ]

No toilet or A/C issues in our port side aft VA deck 7 on Oct 19-29 Canal. I didn't smell any 'bathroom smells' when using public facilities around the ship either.

 

The ship is looking tired in a few areas (carpets) and as previously noted, the Captain indicated in his talk that they would be replaced in drydock this month.

 

Maybe we were lucky, but 3rd time in Z and everthing was fine.

[metairiegal]

No toilet or A/C issues in our port side aft VA deck 7 on Oct 19-29 Canal. I didn't smell any 'bathroom smells' when using public facilities around the ship either.

 

The ship is looking tired in a few areas (carpets) and as previously noted, the Captain indicated in his talk that they would be replaced in drydock this month.

 

Maybe we were lucky, but 3rd time in Z and everthing was fine.

 

Thanks for reporting back. :)

 

We are sailing after drydock on 12/21/12 and I have been wondering about the Z as I haven't seen any recent reviews. I was hoping no news is good news and hopefully that is true! Glad everything was ok on your cruise.

[PathfinderEss]

No toilet or A/C issues in our port side aft VA deck 7 on Oct 19-29 Canal. I didn't smell any 'bathroom smells' when using public facilities around the ship either.

 

The ship is looking tired in a few areas (carpets) and as previously noted, the Captain indicated in his talk that they would be replaced in drydock this month.

 

Maybe we were lucky, but 3rd time in Z and everthing was fine.

Thanks PaulJ for coming back and telling us about your cruise on the Zuiderdam. Glad you had no problems and that you had a nice cruise.

[dobiemom]

No toilet or A/C issues in our port side aft VA deck 7 on Oct 19-29 Canal. I didn't smell any 'bathroom smells' when using public facilities around the ship either.

 

The ship is looking tired in a few areas (carpets) and as previously noted, the Captain indicated in his talk that they would be replaced in drydock this month.

 

Maybe we were lucky, but 3rd time in Z and everthing was fine.

Thanks for reporting back. I sail on the Zuiderdam next year and am very interested in any updates.

 

Welcome home! :)

[serendipity1499]

I have a Friend who is on the Zuiderdam this week..She will be back on Friday to pick up her little Dachshund "Fritz" from our house..I'll ask her about her cruise & report back to you all..

I said a prayer for her that all went well, as her DH recently passed away after a long illness & she deserved this rest..Fortunately, Hal permitted her to do a name change (for a price), so she was able to take another Friend with her..

"Fritz" who is almost 14 yrs was grieving for his "Dad" before he came here, but he seems to be doing much better since he's been with our "Doxi" "Brandy" for the entire time..Hope Fritz will be OK when he gets home & be able to give some comfort to his "Mom"..

 

Betty

Edited November 8, 2012 by serendipity1499

[Big Gordo]

I am on Zuiderdam for Inside Passage, 8 June 2013. I hope the problem is sorted out by then. Sailed on her in May 2007. This will be my 4th Inside Passage trip.

[protocrone]

Just disembarked from the Zuiderdam. Had about half hour of toilet trouble and AC was going great, in fact parts of ship too cold! Had a great time & ship is beautiful.

[metairiegal]

Just disembarked from the Zuiderdam. Had about half hour of toilet trouble and AC was going great, in fact parts of ship too cold! Had a great time & ship is beautiful.

 

Glad to hear you had a great cruise. I watched the Zuiderdam docking in Fort Lauderdale this morning. She looks so pretty!

[dobiemom]

Just disembarked from the Zuiderdam. Had about half hour of toilet trouble and AC was going great, in fact parts of ship too cold! Had a great time & ship is beautiful.

Thanks for reporting in. Welcome Home!

[makentake]

We just got off the ship on Friday too. We were in 4166 port side. Had flushing issues a few times but eventually seemed to resolve itself. The AC in our room worked well during the whole trip. The furniture on our balcony needed to be trashed as the faux wicker was unraveling.

[sandygal]

Just got back on the 9th. Had not one moment of flushing issues, but we had significant air conditioning issues. The second night they turned it off completely to do some repairs (that's what they told us when we called down to the front desk to ask why our cabin was so hot), . The rest of the cruise the cabin remained warm, so they gave us a fan and I must say that did help. The air conditioner just did not seem able to deal with the higher temperatures of the Southern Caribbean. We also noticed that the temperature around the ship was inconsistent, quite warm in some areas, cooler in others.

 

The other issue was the smell of sewage. We were on Deck 4, forward, port side, and whenever we would walk mid ship, there was often a terrible stench. It was really bad, but we were grateful that it wasn't up where our cabin was.

 

We had a great cruise, but this ship definitely needs some work, hope the drydock will resolve some of the problems.

[startwin]

We just got off the ship on Friday too. We were in 4166 port side. Had flushing issues a few times but eventually seemed to resolve itself. The AC in our room worked well during the whole trip. The furniture on our balcony needed to be trashed as the faux wicker was unraveling.

 

We were in 4166 last April when the toilet seldom worked at all, and ended up backing up from other toilets:eek: But the air conditioning worked great!! Well, except for the day they turned it off right through the ship and everyone melted. Oh dear, sounds like there are still some issues - and the balcony furniture was in pretty bad shape back then too, so evidently it hasn't been replaced.

Edited November 12, 2012 by startwin

[vicocala]

There were issues with her when she was only three years old. I remember reading reviews before our trip in 2005. Back then it was only on the lower deck. It sounds like it has compounded since then. How sad, she was a beautiful ship.

[metairiegal]

Sorry to read recent reports of problems. I am definitely bringing a fan with me in December.

[Zyzygy]

We just disembarked from Zuiderdam on Nov 9 and did not share some of the problems described in recent posts. Threre were two fire alarms, but both were reported and explained calmly and professionally by the captain.

 

The only sewage smell I detected was in a public restroom on Deck 1 (Main Deck).

 

Our toilet, AC, and wicker furniture were all in excellent order. I also thought that the carpet and brightwork in the public areas were also in excellent shape.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the Zuiderdam. She has a very enthusiastic and helpful crew. Apart from my cholesterol level doubling in just a few too-short days, everything was great!

 

P.S.: Why in the world would they serve rum raisin ice cream at the same dessert as the chocolate souffle? Anyone with any sense knows that passengers would have to order both. My theory is that Crestor pays them to do such things!