Zuiderdam May 18-25 Review

[Crew News]

This review is written for the period May 18 – 25 with references to the previous week that I also sailed on the Zuiderdam. Since all reviews are subjective, I have taken care not read SAPete’s review for the May 11 -18 week but will make a few references to my experience during that week.

 

Pre-Cruise Hotel: Holland America provided a pre-cruise hotel, Pan Pacific, as part of our Neptune Suite package. Negotiating the traffic pattern to get to the proper side of the street for the hotel lobby was interesting to say the least. The Check-in Desk had a letter from HAL that gave the instructions for luggage. The room was vast and the luggage arrived in the room within five minutes of opening the room door.

 

There was an underground shopping arcade across the street with a number of fast food restaurants, gifts shops, shoe repair shop, etc.

 

In Transit: As the only two in-transit-passengers, we were to meet in the Zuiderdam Atrium for escort to the terminal. We were guided through Canadian Customs and to a waiting area with other passengers. Less than five minutes later, we were released to proceed to the gangway. I was amazed at the speed of “zeroing” the ship and letting us reboard. At the gangway, terminal security held us 15 minutes and my amazement crumbled. Time off of the ship was about 45 minutes.

 

CC Meet & Greet: Six of the ship’s staff attended the M&G, including the Hotel Director, Culinary Operations Manager, Head of Housekeeping, and Bar Manager. We learned that the ship’s officers are lurkers on Cruise Critic so these reviews are important to get their attention.

 

Facilities: The ship was clean and was in a constant case of being cleaned. Several minor maintenance issues were noted: surface rust on outside room dividers and a small aluminum door lock cover that needed reglueing. Some cabins were having their verandah balcony rails replaced as I spotted about 30 feet of fresh railing against the passageway walls. It was pointed out that I had a Cisco internet connection on the ceiling of my stateroom. This saved me walking to the Lido late at night for internet access. Heating and air conditioning in our stateroom (5191) functioned well. A bathroom issue was the stopper in the bathtub needed to be removed to drain well. This was a design flaw in the stopper and not a clog issue. One overhead light in the stateroom began to blink and was replaced within the hour.

 

Laundry: Laundry submitted after dinner was returned normally befor 10:00 AM in the morning. This is the best of any HAL cruise I have taken.

 

Stateroom: Agung, our Room Steward for SC5191, was the best we have found in the HAL fleet. After hearing my request for a large bucket of ice three times a day and my fondness for green grapes, he met my requests for 14 days. Although his wallet was stolen when he left the ship to send money home in our first stop in Juneau, he never stopped smiling. There was an empty shelf in the cooler where I could place five Mountain Dew cans for cooling without having to remove any of the liquor. There were times when the TV reception froze but that was probably due to a ship’s dish receiver issue.

[Crew News]

Concierge and Neptune Lounge: All interactions with the Concierge were positive. When I ordered two surf and turf dinners through the Concierge for formal night dining in my room, I specified that I did not want the filet mignon. I received four lobster tails and smiled while eating all of them. I was positive that the Concierge did a good thing.

Culinary: When quizzed about the lack of chocolate purses on the MDR menus, the Culinary Operations Manager, who we met at the CC Meet & Greet, sent four chocolate purses to our stateroom in conjunction with in-room dining.

 

Room Service: With the exception of disembarkation day, all breakfasts arrived within three minutes of the requested time. The final day’s breakfast was 25 minutes late. There remained the same flaw throughout the entire HAL fleet as calls to Room Service for tray pickup were futile. The Room Steward removed all but two Room Service trays from our room. Despite a single instance of a missing salt shaker on our last day, every meal was hot and as requested. Note that there is a new Room Service Breakfast card that I will post on my website: www.rogerjett-photography.com.

 

MDR: I was very impressed with the efficiency of the waiters for both of my weeks on the Zuiderdam. Meal times averaged 65 minutes. The food was always at the proper temperature and was served without delay after being received by the waiters. The International menu baked brie as well as the lamb shank was especially good. I also liked the hazelnut cake. There is an “A” and “B” menu series that alternates each week. These will be posted on my website shortly after I return home.

 

Lido: All food served was tasty and at the proper temperature. The Code Orange was terminated during the breakfast meal just as I was handed a glass of orange juice. Seated diners tended to occupy a table long after the last morsel of food was consumed. Tables were cleaned quickly by the efficient staff. I saw no crew members occupying tables that could have been used by waiting passengers as was reported in other CC reviews. I would still like melted cheese at the Terrace Grill steam table for my nachos. For my two weeks, I noticed a large number of passengers taking full advantage of the late night dining opportunity in the Lido. Although sun prevailed, the aft Lido deck was only sparsely occupied by diners as the chilling winds whipped over the seating area.

 

Pinnacle: The PG Manager, Sam, was friendly and checked the diners numerous times. HAL considered us two in-transit passengers to be in a “Collector” status and gave us two free PG dinners on embarkation evening. My steak Diane was cooked perfectly and was very delicious. The Caesar salad was prepared at table side to our specifications. Service was quick and each course arrived within moments after completing a preceding course.

Entertainment: Attended only one show that was typical of all of the other shows that I have attended. With the exception of new singers, it was very similar to a Westerdam show last December. Since I didn’t attend any of the games, visit the Culinary Arts Center, or spend in the casino, I cannot comment on them. The Screening Room routinely ran out of popcorn if you were not seated 10 minutes before the movie started.

[Crew News]

Digital Work Shop: The first class of each week overflowed the computer class room. Twelve computers were observed by nearly 30 folks on the floor or standing around the walls. Classes were repeated throughout the cruise with attendance dwindling each day. The Windows 8 classes that I attended were well presented and very helpful in getting used to the new operating system.

Internet: A new Cisco internet connector was installed on the ceiling of my stateroom and allowed full access without going to the Lido each night. Of course during the day, so many users caused the speed to slow measurably.

Excursions: Whale watching in Juneau was another successful photography chance. The Haine's Eagle Preserve excursion out of Skagway was in the rain but the provided ponchos and waterproof blankets kept us warm and we spotted eight eagles and a glimpse of a moose. The first week Crab Fishing excursion on the Aleutian Ballad (Deadliest Catch fame) was one of the best in my HAL experience. Fish was tossed over the side to feed the more than 100 eagles that populated the trees and shoreline. I now have hundreds of eagle photographs. The Flightseeing and Crab Feast in Ketchikan in week two was dining at its best. All of the crab you can eat and then a float plane flight over the outskirts of the city was great. The Behind the Scenes Tour was cancelled due to lack of participation.

 

Crew: The crew was for the most part was very friendly and continuously asked how the cruise was going for each passenger. The Hotel Director we met at the CC Meet & Greet stopped several times to ask how we were enjoying the cruise. The Assistant Dining Room Managers stopped at each table every evening. The Lido Managers were always visible and helpful to all passengers.

 

Photography: The photographers continued to block embarking passengers in Vancouver while some passengers posed for photos. This has been consistent on all HAL ships. A walk-around path would make a number of passengers, who don’t want pictures taken, very happy.

 

Shops: The shops were well stocked with Alaska gear and souvenirs. Sales on the Lido Poolside started at 8:00 AM and were concluded by 11:00 AM.

 

Disembarkation: This was the quickest I have ever cleared a cruise ship, picked up luggage, and on my way to a hotel. Four Canadian Customs officials stood near the right turn into the building and collected the customs forms without a passenger not losing a single step. It was impressive. The luggage transfer to the Pan Pacific post cruise hotel was made quicker with HAL performing an advanced check-in for us. I was relaxing in my room with my luggage around me within half an hour after leaving the ship.

Our cruise was memorable as we met so many CC members, made new friends, interacted with the incredible crew of the Zuiderdam, and had some great excursions. Kudos to Captains Turner and Williams, the Hotel Director and Culinary Operations Manager, Agung (best Room Steward in our experience), and the efficient MDR staff, who took a personal interest in our requests/needs.

[erewhon]

Thank you for the review of your Zuiderdam cruises.

 

Did you have a corner room at the Pan Pacific?

[AZNative2000]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. Brought back fond memories from our first cruise as well as our favorite cabin.:)

 

Have you got 5191 reserved for Panama too??:D:D

 

Cheers!

[Crew News]

Thank you for the review of your Zuiderdam cruises.

 

Did you have a corner room at the Pan Pacific?

 

Unfortunately not. The post cruise room overlooked the harbor.

[Crew News]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. Brought back fond memories from our first cruise as well as our favorite cabin.:)

 

Have you got 5191 reserved for Panama too??:D:D

 

Cheers!

 

For Panama, it will be 6166 aft wrap. FWIW I have already reserved my MDR Table with the Assistant Dining Room Manager.

[Seago2]

Thanks for your review. Went to your website- your pictures are outstanding. Where the heck is Joanie? It's way too quiet around here.....!

[Crew News]

Thanks for your review. Went to your website- your pictures are outstanding. Where the heck is Joanie? It's way too quiet around here.....!

 

Thanks for our kind words on my website. Had to learn WordPress site builder. There will be lots of more pictures once I start digging through thousands of slides and negatives. I use the pictures to create large calendars for friends.

 

Joanie is on vacation and refuses to use a computer until Tuesday.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[solocanadian]

Thanks for our kind words on my website. Had to learn WordPress site builder. There will be lots of more pictures once I start digging through thousands of slides and negatives. I use the pictures to create large calendars for friends.

 

Joanie is on vacation and refuses to use a computer until Tuesday.

 

The calendar gift is beautiful and very much appreciated. A wonderful keepsake of this cruise which I was on for 1 week.:)

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience.

[erewhon]

Unfortunately not. The post cruise room overlooked the harbor.

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Is Joanie OK,? have not seen her posting for ages.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for sharing your review.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

So sorry that your cabin steward had his wallet stolen in Juneau.

[aloisia]

A very nice review ... thank you!:)

[KirkNC]

Thanks for taking the time for such a detailed review. Dining sounds preety quick at just over an hour per night.

[Seago2]

Joanie is on vacation and refuses to use a computer until Tuesday.

 

Good for her! Tell her I miss her and I take back everything I said about bold font and exclamation points. Tell her I say "come back... Come back...." in Rose from Titanic's voice... Blowing a whistle, alive on my floating door.

[stlouistravelers]

Great review. Thank you.

[aliaschief]

Very nice review. Thanks for sharing your cruise experiences.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your wonderful review of the second week of your cruise. How did you end up with so many Hal officers coming to the second meet and greet. They certainly did not come to the first one, wonder why?

[IRL_Joanie]

Good for her! Tell her I miss her and I take back everything I said about bold font and exclamation points. Tell her I say "come back... Come back...." in Rose from Titanic's voice... Blowing a whistle, alive on my floating door.

 

Just too too funny my friend:)

 

I MISSED Y'ALL Also:)

 

I'm heading back to bed now and should be back on tomorrow or the next day. To tired to stay sitting here and need sleep. Being on my ship was amazingly relaxing, but getting home was extremely tiring....

 

Joanie

[IRL_Joanie]

Thanks for your wonderful review of the second week of your cruise. How did you end up with so many Hal officers coming to the second meet and greet. They certainly did not come to the first one, wonder why?

 

Melodie, Bobhan, the newest Hotel Manager in the HAL Fleet (He was promoted to his new position on the day that y'all disembarked 18 May 2013 from Culinary Operations Manager) explained to us that the reasons were many;

 

1. Many Many Inspections going on due to

US Customs and Coast Guard Inspections of the entire ship, section by section, the week of 11 May 2013.

 

2. The Hotel Manager Promotion, Kees the previous Hotel Manager going home to Holland May 18 2013 on vacation and then on to the Volendam in 2 months. As I stated, Kees leaving and Bobhan taking on the new duties had to be organized and well synched.

 

3. Master Captain Turner leaving us on May 18th for a 1 week Staff Conference in Rotterdam and getting Staff Captain Michael (pronounced Michelle) Williams ready for his first command, if only for 1 week.

 

Bobhan, The Hotel Manager and Ron, the New Culinary Operations Manager (See Ron, I told ya I'd get it right one day *GRIN*) apologized for the lack of Officers in attendance the week of 111 May and asked that we accept their apologies, which we did with the graciousness that they asked:) (As a side note, we have met and loved Kees, Bobhan and Ron sincew our September 2011 cruises on Zuiderdam and they are fantastic people!!) As Roger a.k.a. Crew News said, all of the Officers on HAL are members of Cruise Critic and do lurk. They specifically pay attention to all reviews of their individual ships. We had that bit of info from another of the Zuiderdam Staff!!)

OK, will quit taking over hubby's review and let him answer questions:) I'm also headed back to bed to try and recoup some much needed rest from the long travel day that we had on Monday.

 

Joanie

[gerryl12]

Great review, great ship, Fantastic May weather for Alaska sun, sun, sun.

[madera1]

Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed review. Glad you had a great 2 weeks at sea.