Zaandam, Tips and Advice?

[jarand]

We are sailing on the Zaandam in a couple of weeks. We'd love to hear tips and advice from anyone who has sailed on her. This will be our first HAL experience too.

 

Thanks.

[RuthC]

The Zaandam is one of two HAL ships with a theme in the décor; music is the theme on this ship. Spend some time walking around the public areas, slowly, looking at the various ways that theme is executed. Try to find Bill Clinton's sax.

[Shmoo here]

The Zaandam is one of two HAL ships with a theme in the décor; music is the theme on this ship. Spend some time walking around the public areas, slowly, looking at the various ways that theme is executed. Try to find Bill Clinton's sax.

 

I didn't know that! I took a picture of this on our cruise because I thought it was kinda neat, they were all over the ship:

 

[RuthC]

I love the etchings of scales in glass doors.

[Shmoo here]

A little off topic, what's the other ship that's themed?

[Shmoo here]

I found another picture. This is the organ in the atrium/lobby area:

 

[shuksan7]

I believe the other themed ship is Zaandam's sister ship Volendam which has a flower motif throughout.

 

While I thought the organ was interesting, it is too big for the atrium. That said, Zaandam is filled with wonderful spaces, my favorite of course being the Crow's Nest!

[RuthC]

I believe the other themed ship is Zaandam's sister ship Volendam which has a flower motif throughout.

You got it. :)

[Sue from Canada]

We are sailing on the Zaandam in a couple of weeks. We'd love to hear tips and advice from anyone who has sailed on her. This will be our first HAL experience too.

 

Thanks.

 

I was just on the Zaandam in April. Great crew. Go up to the Crow's Nest to hang out in one of the leather seats with foot stools.

[Appygirl]

We are sailing on the Zaandam in a couple of weeks. We'd love to hear tips and advice from anyone who has sailed on her. This will be our first HAL experience too.

 

Thanks.

 

Sorry to hear your first HAL experience will be on the Zaandam. Fortunately I'd been on other HAL ships before the Zaandam so I knew the experience there is not typical for HAL. That doesn't help someone new to the line though.

 

The Zaandam has the best entertainment of all the HAL ships I've been on. Go to the late show. If you really want to see the early show, the best advice is to get there half an hour early to find a seat in the Mondriaan Lounge. If you arrive within 15 minutes you probably won't find a seat. Later show no problem finding a seat.

 

The Zaandam has the rudest dining room maître d's I've encountered anywhere on or off the water and they might be back on rotation about now. Service in the main dining room is very slow due to cutbacks and elimination of assistants. They might not totally be eliminated but the assistants might be assisting several waiters. For an example of how slow the waiters are one night we were seated (3 at our table) and it took the waiter 20 minutes before we got water and bread. He only had one other table of 4 people. At the 25 minute mark our order was taken. We'd been in there for nearly 2 hours and decided to leave before dessert. Another night there were huge complaints to the dining room manager from just about every diner about the rude maître d's, the slow service, and the cold to lukewarm food. The manager sent someone around with free champagne for everyone and spent some time talking to passengers listening to their complaints and apologizing. Our first night we did get a very good server and dinner arrived as it should, so we were tricked into thinking the Zaandam dining experience would be the usual HAL standards. My advice on dinner if you don't like taking your chances with slow service and food that is not warm to hot is find somewhere else to eat dinner instead of the main dining room.

 

The Zaandam is the only ship I've ever been on where passengers got into yelling fights with the maître d's. Not saying other ships don't have that problem, just saying that no matter what time I showed up a passenger would be yelling at the maître d and he'd be yelling back. One time a woman cornered the dining room manager as he was leaving and going up the steps. She chased after him and hollered at him for at least 10 minutes (the amount of time we were in line until getting seated) about the service, the food, and the maître d's. And way to go lady!

 

My other advice is to eat breakfast in the main dining room the first 2 days out when they're still on code orange. Not too many people go down there for breakfast and the service and food is good.

 

Otherwise enjoy your cruise and the destination.

[puddles'n splashes]

We were on the Zaandam in April and had a wonderful experience.The waiters and assistants were rushed, but our meals arrived in good time and were delicious. The maitre d's checked on all the tables and helped with the clearing of dishes. All was "happy" in our section!

 

We are sailing on her again in September and are looking forward to our trip.

I hope your cruise is as pleasant and relaxing as ours.

[SilvertoGold]

Sorry to hear your first HAL experience will be on the Zaandam. Fortunately I'd been on other HAL ships before the Zaandam so I knew the experience there is not typical for HAL. That doesn't help someone new to the line though.

 

The Zaandam has the best entertainment of all the HAL ships I've been on. Go to the late show. If you really want to see the early show, the best advice is to get there half an hour early to find a seat in the Mondriaan Lounge. If you arrive within 15 minutes you probably won't find a seat. Later show no problem finding a seat.

 

The Zaandam has the rudest dining room maître d's I've encountered anywhere on or off the water and they might be back on rotation about now. Service in the main dining room is very slow due to cutbacks and elimination of assistants. They might not totally be eliminated but the assistants might be assisting several waiters. For an example of how slow the waiters are one night we were seated (3 at our table) and it took the waiter 20 minutes before we got water and bread. He only had one other table of 4 people. At the 25 minute mark our order was taken. We'd been in there for nearly 2 hours and decided to leave before dessert. Another night there were huge complaints to the dining room manager from just about every diner about the rude maître d's, the slow service, and the cold to lukewarm food. The manager sent someone around with free champagne for everyone and spent some time talking to passengers listening to their complaints and apologizing. Our first night we did get a very good server and dinner arrived as it should, so we were tricked into thinking the Zaandam dining experience would be the usual HAL standards. My advice on dinner if you don't like taking your chances with slow service and food that is not warm to hot is find somewhere else to eat dinner instead of the main dining room.

 

The Zaandam is the only ship I've ever been on where passengers got into yelling fights with the maître d's. Not saying other ships don't have that problem, just saying that no matter what time I showed up a passenger would be yelling at the maître d and he'd be yelling back. One time a woman cornered the dining room manager as he was leaving and going up the steps. She chased after him and hollered at him for at least 10 minutes (the amount of time we were in line until getting seated) about the service, the food, and the maître d's. And way to go lady!

 

My other advice is to eat breakfast in the main dining room the first 2 days out when they're still on code orange. Not too many people go down there for breakfast and the service and food is good.

 

Otherwise enjoy your cruise and the destination.

 

You are talking about last year on the Zaandam Hawaii in September, aren't you?

 

Crews change!

Seriously, we found the difference between that cruise and this June remarkable. A different, excellent, personable HD seems to have whipped the ship into shape. The DR was super, with the same DRM, superior ADRMs who really excelled at service and graciousness!

 

You can't go wrong with the Zaandam right now: great young Captain, same HD likely. A really great experience.

[Shmoo here]

Sorry to hear your first HAL experience will be on the Zaandam.

 

The Zaandam has the rudest dining room maître d's I've encountered anywhere on or off the water and they might be back on rotation about now. Service in the main dining room is very slow due to cutbacks and elimination of assistants. They might not totally be eliminated but the assistants might be assisting several waiters. For an example of how slow the waiters are one night we were seated (3 at our table) and it took the waiter 20 minutes before we got water and bread. He only had one other table of 4 people. At the 25 minute mark our order was taken. We'd been in there for nearly 2 hours and decided to leave before dessert. Another night there were huge complaints to the dining room manager from just about every diner about the rude maître d's, the slow service, and the cold to lukewarm food. The manager sent someone around with free champagne for everyone and spent some time talking to passengers listening to their complaints and apologizing. Our first night we did get a very good server and dinner arrived as it should, so we were tricked into thinking the Zaandam dining experience would be the usual HAL standards. My advice on dinner if you don't like taking your chances with slow service and food that is not warm to hot is find somewhere else to eat dinner instead of the main dining room.

 

The Zaandam is the only ship I've ever been on where passengers got into yelling fights with the maître d's. Not saying other ships don't have that problem, just saying that no matter what time I showed up a passenger would be yelling at the maître d and he'd be yelling back. One time a woman cornered the dining room manager as he was leaving and going up the steps. She chased after him and hollered at him for at least 10 minutes (the amount of time we were in line until getting seated) about the service, the food, and the maître d's. And way to go lady!

 

My other advice is to eat breakfast in the main dining room the first 2 days out when they're still on code orange. Not too many people go down there for breakfast and the service and food is good.

 

Otherwise enjoy your cruise and the destination.

 

I'm sorry you had that experience. Our maitre'de for our cruise was fabulous. He came over to our table every night to see how things were going. We had a bit of a problem at the beginning of the cruise about table size and dining companions (we had asked for large table with others and didn't get that). Our service every night was great, orders and service were prompt and food was good. No shouting on our cruise.

 

Thanks for the breakfast tip. I never thought about that.

[CJcruzer]

one of our best HAL cruises, in terms of service, food and crew - this past Jan/Feb on the Zaandam.......