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Live from Zuiderdam 01/03 to Panama

JPCruising

By JPCruising,
in Holland America Line

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JPCruising

JPCruising

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Are you on Explore 4? If so, any problems with the Signature Beverage card?

Used it last night with no problem, cannot use it at Half Moon Cay as they don't have computers on the island. So far things have been going very smoothly on this cruise.

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Eileen G

Eileen G

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Thank you for doing a live review. I actually came to the HAL board to see if anyone was doing one. My brother and his wife are on board. He was in a bad bicycle accident 3 years ago and broke his back so he is confined to a wheel chair. I know he planned to go to Half Moon Cay today so I hope he made it. They went on a Carnival cruise last year and it wasn't too great so I really encouraged him to go on HAL. My DH and I sailed this itinerary a few years ago on the Zuiderdam and we really enjoyed it. I hope the Zuiderdam staff will help him with all his needs and meet his expectations.

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startwin

startwin

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The chairs in the Pinnacle Grill are comfortable - the experience of being able to have breakfast there is wonderful!!

 

I so agree! Unfortunately, I have only been able to experience breakfast in the PG on one cruise and likely won't be able to again afford a Neptune Suite.:(

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JPCruising

JPCruising

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SEA DAY - Jan. 05, 2014

 

Started off the day enjoying breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill, it was wonderful. Service was very good as was the coffee and food. Spend the morning giving some one on one photograph instruction to a friend as we wandered around the ship. Wife enjoyed the thermo pool at the spa and we relaxed through out the day. Dinner was formal night and we ate in the MDR. Food was okay but nothing I would rave about. Attended the evening show, then spent a little time at the Piano Bar, the musician was very good, then we went to the BB Kings Blues Club they were really good and were playing to a packed crowd. AC continues to be very cold in our room although I notice the hallway outside our room seemed to be warmer. Also a friend reported that there was a plumbing problem that affected the 7th deck but it was fixed very quickly. So all in all we are enjoying the cruise and pleased with the ship. Photos from the day are posted at: http://jprimages.com/travel/hal/zuiderdam/panama

 

Beverage card was the $50 one, have not talked with anyone with deck one room. Have not heard anyone complaining about the AC.

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idiebabe

idiebabe

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SEA DAY - Jan. 05, 2014

 

Started off the day enjoying breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill, it was wonderful. Service was very good as was the coffee and food. Spend the morning giving some one on one photograph instruction to a friend as we wandered around the ship. Wife enjoyed the thermo pool at the spa and we relaxed through out the day. Dinner was formal night and we ate in the MDR. Food was okay but nothing I would rave about. Attended the evening show, then spent a little time at the Piano Bar, the musician was very good, then we went to the BB Kings Blues Club they were really good and were playing to a packed crowd. AC continues to be very cold in our room although I notice the hallway outside our room seemed to be warmer. Also a friend reported that there was a plumbing problem that affected the 7th deck but it was fixed very quickly. So all in all we are enjoying the cruise and pleased with the ship. Photos from the day are posted at: http://jprimages.com/travel/hal/zuiderdam/panama

 

Beverage card was the $50 one, have not talked with anyone with deck one room. Have not heard anyone complaining about the AC.

 

Enjoying your review and pics! :)

 

We have Explore 4, too, and wondered how they handle the PG Dinners. It said they assign a time? Is this info in the room upon Embark?

 

Thanks!

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startwin

startwin

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Just curious - I understand the internet has been upgraded since I was last on the ship. How are you finding it? You are uploading lots of photos, so I imagine it is quite fast now. Are you having to find a good spot or are you able to do this from your room? Thanks!

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momatibm

momatibm

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Enjoying your posts. We took this cruise 3 years ago and enjoyed the ship so much we are taking it again the 14th (next Monday). Loved the thermo spa. It has been 23 below zero here in MN so we can hardly wait. It will be our 18th cruise.

 

If you are going on the Z next week the ship is leaving on the 13th -- it is Monday tho.

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JPCruising

JPCruising

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ARUBA - Jan. 06, 2014

 

We docked just after 1:00 and got off the ship to take a HAL shore excursion - the 4x4 Expedition. After getting off the ship things were somewhat disorganized and it was hard to find out where we suppose to go. We were told the bus was late and to wait by the ship. Eventually my wife spotted the HAL lady that had told us to wait, walking off with a small group of people, we caught up with them as it was our group. Waited on the bus for a bit as they were missing two people. Eventually left and went to compound were the excursion was to begin. Had to wait for the other two people to show up. Tour ended up starting very late. The 4x4s where Land Rover in good shape and we enjoyed the excursion, but several of us did decide to skip the beach time and head back to the ship. We had dinner reservations with a group of friends that we didn’t want to miss. We ended up being 30 mins. late but were able to join the group. Had an excellent meal at the Pinnacle Grill although I thought it progressed too slowly, taking approx. 3 hours. After dinner retired early to the room. Have lots of photos but internet service is proving a little too slow for photo posting so I probably won’t post many more until after the cruise.

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JPCruising

JPCruising

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CURACAO - Jan. 07, 2014

 

Started with breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill and hurried to get off the ship to meet a private tour with Tours By Martin L. that I found on the net. Martin was there waiting for us and four of us loaded into his car to begin a tour of the island. Martin was a great guide and took us to many beautiful places and I am looking forward to sharing many photos in the future. Really enjoyed Curacao and preferred it over Aruba. Could have enjoyed another 2 hours or so. Dinner in the MDR and we attended the BB King’s Blues Club which was the main show. It was a very good show and everyone in our group really enjoyed it.

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JPCruising

JPCruising

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SEA DAY - Jan. 08, 2014

 

Having a leisurely day on the ship. Breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill, good as usual, processed photos this morning - wife enjoying the balcony. Lunch at Pinnacle Grill with group, my food was good although two in the group did not have their burgers cooked enough. Service was very slow, took 2 hours

BTW, AC and plumbing have been working very well on this trip.

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startwin

startwin

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SEA DAY - Jan. 08, 2014

 

Having a leisurely day on the ship. Breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill, good as usual, processed photos this morning - wife enjoying the balcony. Lunch at Pinnacle Grill with group, my food was good although two in the group did not have their burgers cooked enough. Service was very slow, took 2 hours

BTW, AC and plumbing have been working very well on this trip.

 

Thanks for the update. Lately we have heard about Neptune suites having a/c problems, but it sounds like you have a good one:D

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JPCruising

JPCruising

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PANAMA CANAL - Jan. 09, 2014

 

Wife and I got up early to go to the bow with some friends to watch us entering the canal. On deck 4 starboard side the opened access to the front. I was positioned almost at the front rail and a crowd built up rather quickly. If you want a good position best plan to get up early. Totally loved the experience of the Gatun lock and photographed the entire process, although I left at 8 to go to the Pinnacle for breakfast. Enjoyed breakfast as we sailed into the Gatun Lake. We finished breakfast and met in the Vista Lounge to await the announcing of our Gatun Lock & Canal Expansion tour. This was a really good excursion, our guide decided to go to the Expansion area first to avoid the congestion at the Gatun lock, then we returned to the lock in time to see our ship going through. Weather was hot, no rain and a great breeze. A short bus ride to Colon and we were let off at the pier area and shopped for awhile because our ship had not reached the dock yet. Went to local grocery store in that area to purchase some Panama coffee. Boarding the ship was easy and we enjoyed dinner at the MDR. The main show was the Illusionist James Cielen which everyone in our group really enjoyed. He put on a very good show that will keep you wondering how he did things. BTW, AC is still working extremely well, actually turned it up as I was getting too cold.

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JPCruising

JPCruising

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PUERTO LIMON - Jan. 10, 2014

 

Got into port early and because of early starting time for our Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure & Tortuguero Canals excursion we chose to eat at the Lido restaurant as did everyone else it seemed. Lido was very crowded, I had an omelet made to order and then proceeded to find coffee and a table. After breakfast went back to my room to gather gear for the excursion and noticed it was raining outside, but it quit before our excursion began. Boarded bus for short trip to Tortuguero canal. Had a very good guide and she explained well what we would be doing that day and our various opportunities to visit restrooms through out the day. Boarded small boats that were well suited for sightseeing. Really didn't travel very far in the canal but did get to see several types of birds, iguana, lizards, sloths and plant life. The boat guide was extremely good at spotting wildlife and turned the boat around at each sighting so both sides had an opportunity to see and photograph the animals. From there we re-boarded the motor coach for an hour ride to the rainforest. Distance wise it is not that far, but you are traveling on narrow gravel and dirt road through the hillside to get to the Vega Rainforest which is a privately owned operation. The facilities were good there and our guide was informative. Being that I was there to photograph things I was not as interested in the many exhibits and the amount of time that the guide took talking about the exhibits, I am sure others appreciated it. All in all it is a long excursion but we enjoyed it. We did get back to the ship a little past the all on board time, but being it was a HAL excursion that was not a problem. Back to our room hot and tired, we cleaned up and went to the thermal pool to soak and relax before dinner at Le Cirque. The Pinnacle Grill was “transformed” to Le Cirque, different plates and menu. My wife very much enjoyed her meal and mine was okay but I was not overly impressed and much prefer the regular Pinnacle menu. Attended the main show at 8:00 but was so tired from the day that I left early to call it a night.

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