Zuiderdam Nov 9 2012 - another review!!Good and Bad

[molly2kit]

Can anyone stand another review of this cruise!!!

 

First the bad

 

We ended up in Cabin VA 6173 - a beautiful aft cabin for the Panama Canal - Cabin was in fine shape and will have new carpets soon. The air conditioning was so-so no matter how high or low the dial was turned the room stayed the same temperature. However, the toilet was the big issue on this cruise - The toilet was not working on embarkation - after the cabin steward suggested this was our fault for flushing contraband he arranged to have it repaired. The toilet stopped flushing the next morning also and when I went to the front desk at 6:45 to report it once again it was suggested that I had dropped or put something in the toilet!! When I returned to cabin 1 hr later toilet was still not fixed - I went back to front desk - staff member accompanied me back to room - to verify toilet not working (it wasn't) - Toilet was fixed by the time we returned from breakfast. This toilet continued to have intermittent and delayed flushing for the entire cruise and on disembarkation morning was completely broken again. When I went to search out other toilets on the Lido deck several of them were non functioning also.

 

With regards to sewage smells, I often noticed them in hallways around the ship but I have noticed them on other ships too so I am not sure anything can be done about this.

 

The furniture around the aft pool which looks like wicker has quite a few chairs in very poor condition - the bottoms are broken and you sit way way low in these chairs. I suspect these will be replaced in drydock.

 

The Dining Room service was very slow - so slow that for the first time in any cruise we ate at the Lido 5 nights and Canaletto 1 night. One of my main pleasures on a cruise is being served my dinner in the dining room but after 3 nights of 2 hours and over for dinner service and being late for shows I just gave up. The dining staff is running all the time but there appears to be a lot fewer of them covering the same amount of tables and they just can't handle it. Getting a wine steward is next to impossible.

 

Now the good.

 

The food was as delicious as ever - I did not have a single bad meal. The staff in the Lido at dinner were excellent - no trouble getting a drink here and the staff dishing out the food did not hesitate to go into the kitchen to get a piece of meat cooked how you wanted it -

 

We did the Tai Chi every day - and really enjoyed it - some evenings on the bow we were almost blown over but it was really wonderful.

 

The entertainment - 2 acts were exceptional - Julie Barr - Comedian - I have seen her before and enjoyed her. The other act was a fill in when there were technical difficulties for the stage show - It was a Steel Drum band - 4 people - they played classical music as well as show tunes on the Steel Drums - It was absolutely amazing and they received a standing ovation and played an encore. I think this was one of the best shows I have ever seen!!!

 

The ports -

 

Half Moon Cay - is quite brown - I guess from Hurricane Sandy washing salt water up over the vegetation - It was just not the wonderful lush garden we have visited before but still a very nice day.

 

Aruba - was HOT and HUMID - but we visited from 1pm - 11pm so had a quick walk in the heat and then back to the pool for a few hours. After dinner we went out again and the temperature was wonderful - found a little bar just off to the right when you leave the port area - about a block - up stairs - called Local Bar - free wifi - very cold and cheap beer and really nice staff.

 

Curacao - beautiful as ever - the ship was welcomed by a very enthusiastic man on a bull horn as we pulled in - he is the man that sells water just before the floating bridge. We were lucky to get the berth right in town a short walk from the bridge. We took the See and Sea ship tour here and went on a short Island tour and a semi -submersible - we have not done anything like this before and really enjoyed the boat ride. After the excursion we walked to town and saw the floating market and wandered around town.

 

Panama -- this was exceptional - we were up early and took full advantage of our aft balcony to view all the workings of the canal - we had the bow cam on the TV so would wander back and forth enjoying the view. We had booked the shore excursion to transit the canal in the small ferry and were on the first tender off the ship - our guide was very knowledgeable and provided lots of historical information on the bus ride to the ferry - the commentary on the ferry was excellent and we really enjoyed getting up close and personal with the canal - We enjoyed the ride back to the ship too - apparently a couple of cruises ago there was rioting in Colon and the Zuiderdam and one other ship cancelled their call to the Panama - I am glad this did not happen to us as this was definitely the highlight of the trip. There is a good shopping area at the port after the bus drops you off and a few places there offer free wifi also.

 

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

 

We booked a ship excursion here as this is a commercial port quite a ways from town. However, next time I would definitely book a tour from the taxis and tours stationed inside the port - very professional signage with tour prices clearly marked. A very nice flea market area where you can get a massage or manicure,pedicure. Free wifi and cheap beer and even a small pharmacy.

 

We took the tortuguero canal tour and we enjoyed it - did see a couple of sloths and some monkeys - but the boat didn't stop to look at some animals as they were "common" and they were looking for more unusual creatures.

 

 

So there it is...... My good and bad - the final verdict is that this was a wonderful experience and I visited some incredible places. I think the ship has some major physical issues that need addressing and have for some time - toilets are a necessity!!!! As well, I am very disappointed that the staffing appears to be stretched so thin. This was echoed by quite a few people we met on the ship.

[startwin]

Your toilet saga sounds like a replay of our cruise last April.... when they replaced the vacuum pumps and supposedly "fixed the problem" (no it didn't) - and it's such a shame the issues continue, because I loved the ship and crew, and even some of the front office staff became friendly after a very frosty start:rolleyes: The passenger is ALWAYS wrong seems to be the mantra.

 

For the most part we really enjoyed the food and ate at the MDR most nights (except when we used the free PG dinners thanks to our non-functioning toilet:p) but it really is a shame how the servers are rushed off their feet. Can it be that HAL is in such bad financial shape that they can't hire another handful of servers?

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review, sorry to hear about the toilet and MDR service.

[travelerone]

This sounds like a fair review. I believe everyone's experience can be different on the same ship. We were also in this cruise and did not experience any of the plumbing or AC problems. I would like to add though that if you use a hair dryer you should probably take your own. I have very short hair but the hair dryers took a long time to dry. They were located in the cabinet on the side of the desk. I had to sit at the desk chair to dry my hair and they require you to hold down on the button to operate. A few time I put the hair dryer down to brush my hair and it wouldn't start again until it cooled down. There is plenty of storage, two drawers under the bed, 3 closets and two night stands. There is a shelf under the sink and a medicine cabine in the bathroom. I did take quite a few wire hangers and needed them all. I left them so I had room for souvenirs. The bathroom has shower gel and shampoo in dispensers in the tub. I used the shampoo a few times but liked my own better. They did not have conditioner. there is a clothes line in the tub but nothing to hold the items on it.

We ate in the MDR every night. It took us at the most 1 1/2 hours. Sometimes we were the first out of the dining room if we didn't want dessert. We were constantly ask if we wanted to order wine or cocktails. Maybe because we sat in the middle of the dining room where all the preparations are taking place. We were on level 2 for anytime dining. We made reservations every night, you could make up to 3 days in advance. Most nights the people who just showed up without a reservation got in quickly too, but we ate ate 5:30pm. We made reservations as we wanted to sit in the middle due to motion sickness issues. I found that eating lightly helped with the motion sickness so all of our waiters were concerned when I didn't finish my meals and wanted to know if there was something wrong with it. The staff was constantly cleaning railings, spot cleaning and vacuuming carpets and very attentive in the MDR and Lido. The only issues was getting iced tea with dinner and getting refills once we got it.

[cmdchiefthom]

molly2kit,

 

Thanks for your honest review. Having been on the Zui several times, I agree she has toilet and aroma issues. I found it interesting that her sister, the Noordam, although newer, has similar issues. My son and daughter-in-law cruised her this summer for their honeymoon, and their toilet issues drove my new DIL to tears at the front desk. My guess is its a design issue aboard the Vista class ships. Anyway, it sounds like you enjoyed your ports, and didn't let the condition of the ship get you down. Thanks for your review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

So sorry to hear that you had toilet issues and that the service in the dining room was slow.

Island Magic -- steel drum group. They are great -- they were also on the Zuiderdam when we were on her in 2009. Love the fact that they can play all types of music.

[solocanadian]

Thanks for posting Molly2kit and travelerone. The more I read about the Zuiderdam the more I am sorry to be sailing on her next May. Sure hope I don't have toilet issues. It is embarrassing, stinking and worrysome. I'm not a fan of Vista ships and really dislike that dinky desk and silly little rectangular cabinet with the useless hair dryer. Miss the drawers at the desk as in S and R class ships. Those drawers under the bed are very inconvenient. They look like a design afterthought to me. sSjure hope service in the MDR improves by the time I sail, but I'm not holding my breath.:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Thanks for the review, I came very very close to going on your cruise but ended up staying with a cruise we had booked over a year ago that was 7 days on the NCL Dawn instead. While I would have preferred more days on a ship we had a fantastic time on a ship the exact age of the Zuiderdam that felt like brand new. But we will be returning to the Zuiderdam in May for 11 days. While I agree that the carpeting will be replaced by the time we sail her again, I seriously doubt that all of the furniture will be replaced (that really is not always done in Dry Dock and even less so in the past several years with HAL.

I am glad to hear that the phone is still great and that is still a shining star for HAL which keeps many of her old time regulars returning.

Thanks for giving us the good and the bad :)

 

For the most part we really enjoyed the food and ate at the MDR most nights (except when we used the free PG dinners thanks to our non-functioning toilet:p) but it really is a shame how the servers are rushed off their feet. Can it be that HAL is in such bad financial shape that they can't hire another handful of servers?

To startwin, while I agree that there seems to be some slight indications of financial issues with HAL (and not just what we are seeing on the ship) The crew numbers have always been severely limited on HAL ships. The problem is accomodations for them. HAL has never built enough crew cabins. In recent years HAL's revenue department has actually gone as far as to turn crew cabins into passenger cabins and or at the very least entertainer's cabins and in turn, turning those cabins into revenue producing cabins. Right now on any given HAL ships there is not one empty crew berth and in many cases they have turn some of these cabins into quad quarters or management has become match maker with the one and two stripe officers that have their own cabins hoping that a relationship developes between two people so that it frees up another cabin.

Unfortunately even if HAL wanted to have more crew there is just no where to place them. The bad part with the match making is when the couple no longer want to be together :eek: Even 5 years ago when it appeared HAL was in their prime there just was not enough berths for crew.

[startwin]

Thanks for the review, I came very very close to going on your cruise but ended up staying with a cruise we had booked over a year ago that was 7 days on the NCL Dawn instead. While I would have preferred more days on a ship we had a fantastic time on a ship the exact age of the Zuiderdam that felt like brand new. But we will be returning to the Zuiderdam in May for 11 days. While I agree that the carpeting will be replaced by the time we sail her again, I seriously doubt that all of the furniture will be replaced (that really is not always done in Dry Dock and even less so in the past several years with HAL.

I am glad to hear that the phone is still great and that is still a shining star for HAL which keeps many of her old time regulars returning.

Thanks for giving us the good and the bad :)

 

 

To startwin, while I agree that there seems to be some slight indications of financial issues with HAL (and not just what we are seeing on the ship) The crew numbers have always been severely limited on HAL ships. The problem is accomodations for them. HAL has never built enough crew cabins. In recent years HAL's revenue department has actually gone as far as to turn crew cabins into passenger cabins and or at the very least entertainer's cabins and in turn, turning those cabins into revenue producing cabins. Right now on any given HAL ships there is not one empty crew berth and in many cases they have turn some of these cabins into quad quarters or management has become match maker with the one and two stripe officers that have their own cabins hoping that a relationship developes between two people so that it frees up another cabin.

Unfortunately even if HAL wanted to have more crew there is just no where to place them. The bad part with the match making is when the couple no longer want to be together :eek: Even 5 years ago when it appeared HAL was in their prime there just was not enough berths for crew.

 

Thanks for the explanation - but then what have they done with the servers they used to have? They haven't been relocated through the ship because every crew member is doing more. Surely they can't have cut the crew to free up cabins for paying pax?

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Thanks for the explanation - but then what have they done with the servers they used to have? They haven't been relocated through the ship because every crew member is doing more. Surely they can't have cut the crew to free up cabins for paying pax?

Sadly yes that has been what has happened on all of HAL ships. They also have eliminate positions across the board from Wine Stewards to Officers. Yes there has also been more passengers cabins that have become available. I would venture to guess HAL has one of the lowest crew to passenger ratios.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks go out to the OP for your insights into your cruise on the Zuiderdam. Sorry to hear about your toilet problems but it does sound like all in all you had a good cruise.

[lovetocruise2020]

No matter how much i try and stay from the older ships to stay away from toilet issues and the like, (I stick with just the Eurodam and NA) on our last cruise SC deluxe suite 4176 aft, we had horrible toilet issues every day. They once sent us a plate of 4 truffles to apologize- and we spent the last might having our toilet rebuilt-

 

Our upcoming NA cruise will be our last with HAL if we have toilet issues like this again. No matter how much we like HAL, (we prefer HAL over any other line) there is no way we will stay with them now that the new Royal Princess is coming out. Our time is just too precious, and its just too expensive to deal with the drama of a nightmare toilet.

 

We have been on a lot of cruises, and we have never ever had this kind of issue anywhere but HAL.

[vicocala]

Thank you each for your reviews. I don't know what is more distressing, hearing all the toilet issues or Lisa's comments on what is going on behind the scenes.

 

If HAL is in such bad financial shape then why is Carnival issuing extra dividends? If I were a current stockholder, I would be concerned that money isn't being used to invest in their products.

 

Give me long term price appreciation due to increased business over taxable dividends any time. I suspect the dividends are to avoid expected future taxation on dividends, but realize most passengers could care less about the business end. They want a great cruise.

 

I certainly hope I don't see these kind of problems on the Westerdam, now three weeks from tomorrow.

[Wakepatrol]

No matter how much i try and stay from the older ships to stay away from toilet issues and the like, (I stick with just the Eurodam and NA) on our last cruise SC deluxe suite 4176 aft, we had horrible toilet issues every day. They once sent us a plate of 4 truffles to apologize- and we spent the last might having our toilet rebuilt-

 

Our upcoming NA cruise will be our last with HAL if we have toilet issues like this again. No matter how much we like HAL, (we prefer HAL over any other line) there is no way we will stay with them now that the new Royal Princess is coming out. Our time is just too precious, and its just too expensive to deal with the drama of a nightmare toilet.

 

We have been on a lot of cruises, and we have never ever had this kind of issue anywhere but HAL.

 

Truffles used as toilet paper? That must have been awkward

[lovetocruise2020]

Truffles used as toilet paper? That must have been awkward

 

Hehe!

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[kc320]

Thank you for your review...I will be doing the 10 nt panama canal in March...I have a VB aft on deck 4...hoping I don't experience toilet issues...but if I do I am not afraid to be persistent until it is properly corrected...

 

Luckily for me I have the anytime dining..and am traveling solo...if service is to slow in the MDR I will either go to the Lido or enjoy room service on my balcony...it's a pretty sure bet I won't go hungry ...:)

[travelerone]

Forgot to mention- they replaced our desk chair with a brand new one half way through the cruise. Not sure why.

[startwin]

Sadly yes that has been what has happened on all of HAL ships. They also have eliminate positions across the board from Wine Stewards to Officers. Yes there has also been more passengers cabins that have become available. I would venture to guess HAL has one of the lowest crew to passenger ratios.

 

Well, I think that just about finishes me off.... to think that pax are paying a premium to sail in what used to be crew quarters, and then getting shafted on the service as well. We've been debating cancelling our April cruise on the Zaandam, now we know we will.

[startwin]

Thank you for your review...I will be doing the 10 nt panama canal in March...I have a VB aft on deck 4...hoping I don't experience toilet issues...but if I do I am not afraid to be persistent until it is properly corrected...

 

Luckily for me I have the anytime dining..and am traveling solo...if service is to slow in the MDR I will either go to the Lido or enjoy room service on my balcony...it's a pretty sure bet I won't go hungry ...:)

 

Oh yes be persistent.... it won't be corrected but you will make friends with the plumber and you'll get several bottles of wine, chocolate-covered strawberries, and PG dinners:D:rolleyes:

[MS7777]

I posted this on another Zuiderdam thread as well.We were on the 11/9-19 Sunfarer as well. We booked an sy guar and were upgraded to an SA. We had no complaints anywhere. Toilets all flushed, a/c perfect and were at fixed seating for two early seating and our Dining room staff was outstanding. I saw no great issues anywhere. I didn't even think the carpets looked especially worn, in fact many looked new. We had a chair swapped out for a newer one without us asking but I didn't think the old was that bad to begin with. All in all, having been on the Westerdam, Noordam & Eurodam, I found the Zuiderdam excellent in every area and on par with the others I have been on. I am not a nit-picker but like things done well and I loved the cruise. The meals in the dining room were fabulous as ususal. I certainly didn't have any problems with the third formal night surf & turf. THe steak and lobster were perfect. If your meal is unedible, send it back. As to slow service, I don't get it - what's the rush? I like slow service, it's not McDonald's for crying out loud. Where are you going - to the show? The shows were ok but certainly not worth rushing out of dinner for. We loved the Zuiderdam, 10 days was just right to do nothing and be pampered. What's not to love? We are truly blessed. PS The Pinnacle Grill served me the best filet I have had in two years anywhere with exceptional service and the creme brulee' is outstanding.

[erewhon]

molly2kit,

Thank you for taking time to write your review.

Sorry to read about the bad experiences.

[molly2kit]

Thank you everyone for your comments - I just want to reiterate that this was still a wonderful holiday - it just had a few more hiccups than usual.

 

The only carpets I thought looked worn was the one in our room - and only at the balcony door where it would get sun and moisture from outside - I was surprised when one of the officers said the carpets were 5 years old.

 

We were given late dining on our key card, even though our reservation showed early - when we boarded the ship we changed to Any Time as early was completely full - We just went to the Vista dining room on deck 2 and never waited more than one minute after we showed up - no reservations were made although we were certainly aware that we could make reservations.

 

We do like to go to the shows and that is why the long dining times were bothersome.

 

I am now wondering if the Any Time Dining is an issue too - people constantly coming in, instead of the dining room filled at one time and so instead of the kitchen having to prepare appetisers, mains and then desserts in order they are having to prepare all courses at the same time - while this would not be a problem in a regular restaurant, a cruise ship produces huge numbers of meals in a short time frame.