Zuiderdam

[bones774]

I have sailed most of the lines and enjoyed them all for the most part and took them as they came. My personal worst was CCL Glory and it was ok, just an example. I have never sailed HAL and was kinda looking forward to it and i've been reading the passenger reviews and they seem kinda mediocre. It's age and wear and tear seem to be recurring complaints. Anybody have any insight? Thanks

[RuthC]

You need to separate reports on the physical ship herself, and the atmosphere (including décor, service, food, entertainment) on her.

 

The ship has had more than her share of on-going plumbing and HVAC problems. Some times are better than others, as things get repaired, and then other things go wrong. You may, or may not, hit that one right.

The colors and furniture may not be what you would choose for your home, but it is attractive in it's own way.

 

Service on the ship was as good as I could have asked for. Food was very good. Entertainment was up to HAL standards---take that for what it's worth.

 

I sailed the Zuiderdam during a phase when the public restrooms were pretty much all out of service all the time. And some of the cabin restrooms couldn't be counted on, either (mine was all right). Still, I would be happy to take my chances on this ship again---assuming an itinerary I wanted to sail.

[bones774]

You need to separate reports on the physical ship herself, and the atmosphere (including décor, service, food, entertainment) on her.

 

The ship has had more than her share of on-going plumbing and HVAC problems. Some times are better than others, as things get repaired, and then other things go wrong. You may, or may not, hit that one right.

The colors and furniture may not be what you would choose for your home, but it is attractive in it's own way.

 

Service on the ship was as good as I could have asked for. Food was very good. Entertainment was up to HAL standards---take that for what it's worth.

 

I sailed the Zuiderdam during a phase when the public restrooms were pretty much all out of service all the time. And some of the cabin restrooms couldn't be counted on, either (mine was all right). Still, I would be happy to take my chances on this ship again---assuming an itinerary I wanted to sail.

 

Thanks, sounds fair. I could deal with many problems but I have to also listen to the rest of my family. One daughter and wife may find little problems disturbing. I was looking forward to trying HAL, maybe I should wait for a better option in the future and get a newer HAL ship?

[kazu]

Thanks, sounds fair. I could deal with many problems but I have to also listen to the rest of my family. One daughter and wife may find little problems disturbing. I was looking forward to trying HAL, maybe I should wait for a better option in the future and get a newer HAL ship?

 

If it helps, the Westerdam which is the same style ship gets good reviews overall and has one of the highest repeat passenger ratios. We have sailed on her and are happily returning. We have sailed on the Zuiderdam and had a wonderful time with no issues and very good service. But, that was 3 years ago nearly for the Zuidie and since then there have been reports of issues. I would be reluctant to risk going on her myself. I am happily returning to the Westie :)

 

The Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam are the newest ships in the fleet.

 

I think it really depends upon what you are looking for. For us, we prefer the older ships. Others rave about the newer ones. One thing that they have that the others do not is the Tamarind Restaurant. It is excellent. We enjoyed that restaurant so much we went back a couple of times ;) Pan-Asian style and very, very good. The Silk Den (only on those two as well I believe) is a lovely spot as well.

[MermaidWatcher]

My wife and I have only sailed HAL 2 times, and were very happy with her. The ugly ac problem seems to have reared its head again (we had no trouble either time, but there were some major issues for others on our Nov trip), but you can read lots of posts on this issue, and decide.

 

I saw lots of these same posts about the tired condition of the ship before we finally decided to try her, but I found this to be greatly exaggerated. Is everything perfectly brand new, no, but certainly not shabby as many posts would lead you to believe.

Complaints about the style of the ship's décor are subjective at best, I would say "eclectic" if I had to pick a description, from classic and subdued to garish.

But isn't most cruise ship décor pretty much outlandish anyway ?

The long time HAL fans say the food quality is way down, but we found it to be excellent; funny, because the same feeling of diminished food quality is exactly why we decided to sail other than RCL.

The MDR service was adequate, but not extremely attentive, and occasionally it took a bit of effort to get someone's attention, but I actually like that better than having someone reach over my shoulder every minute for something.

Our stateroom was also serviced well without being intrusive. As I feel on most ships, the casual dining venue is hit or miss, but there is enough selection that we always found something to our liking.

Addressing the entertainment complaints, another subjective topic, but we enjoyed it overall.

It is a more mature crowd overall , but still a mix of ages. However if you are a fan of constant deafening pool music, and belly flop contests, you will be disappointed with the quieter deck atmosphere and music.

Edited January 12, 2014 by MermaidWatcher

[drco]

Thanks for the replies. Don't mean to hijack this thread but I also have the same concerns as OP so glad to hear people's opinions. I currently have made reservations for Alaska in May but I can still back out until final payment in March.

 

Main reason why I chose this is because of the itinerary. I did hear that food is generally very good so that's another plus for me.

 

I hope all the AC and toilet problems have been resolved.

 

Anyone care to share any tips/advice on this ship?

[startwin]

I don't know if this will help or deter you.... the ship is known for a/c and plumbing problems. I have experienced the plumbing issue myself, for 22 days on a repositioning cruise. I have to say - and have said it before on here - that we still had a great cruise. The front office is an exercise in frustration - I had to threaten to come down there and scream blue bloody murder to get a plumber within 5 minutes - and they continually insist there has never been a problem before (ha! just check on here:rolleyes:). Our a/c worked fine - good thing, we were going through the Panama. The food in the MDR is likely the best on any HAL ship. The Pinnacle Grill is so-so. I love the ship, there is just something about it that - in spite of all the problems - makes me feel comfortable and taken care of. The crew is phenominal.

 

Since my 22-day cruise, we returned to do a 7-day Alaska cruise, and were fortunate to be upgraded/upsold to a Neptune Suite. Wow! Loved it. And had no plumbing problems either. However, in recent weeks we have heard reports from Neptune Suite pax about lack of a/c.

 

We are booked again for the repositioning cruise in April. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we get a cabin with good a/c and a flushing toilet. In fact, I have written to HAL and warned them that everything had better be functioning well - or else!

 

Yes there are shabby areas. The a/c is obviously unbalanced throughout the ship and you will go from warm into cool public areas. She's not a new ship, that's for sure, and her age is showing. But I am giving her one more chance, and I believe we won't regret it.

[Typhoon1]

We have sailed the Zuiderdam twice. There have been some complaints about the ship, however, we wouldn't hesitate to sail her again.

[Aegis1984]

She was the first ship I sailed on, and I am sailing twice more with her this year. Despite the almost garish colour scheme, she gets the job done and in great comfort.

 

The only complaint I have was the fold out bed from the couch was disturbingly uncomfortable. I had a Swedish massage on the first full day up to Alaska and although it was so-so, the bed had me crying to get another one out of necessity by the end of the trip. And this is coming from someone in his late 20s with no history of back problems!

 

Knock on wood, no plumbing or A/C issues in the cabin I was in, though it was an inside cabin on the main deck. Surprisingly enough, I'm booked in the exact same cabin for the Panama Canal, but there is no way I'm sleeping on that couch again!

Edited January 12, 2014 by Aegis1984

[WayneFougere]

... I have written to HAL and warned them that everything had better be functioning well - or else!

 

Wow, that's a wonderful idea. Can you write them back and add my name to your warning?

[HALcruiser2]

I've sailed on the Westerdam twice, Niew Amsterdam once and will embark on the Zuiderdam in three weeks!

 

What I love most about HAL is the cleanliness! We took our three kids on Carnival once and while we had a great time, I couldn't get past the sloppiness (trays of food left out for hours outside of cabin doors, glasses on the pool deck, tables not cleaned off, etc.). On the NA I happened to walk by the Captain and actually stopped him to compliment his staff on the great job they were doing in keeping the ship spotless!

 

I also love the classiness of HAL. My DH and I enjoy quiet activities and relaxing - which is exactly what we get with HAL. I hope this doesn't come off as being snobby, but the HAL passengers I've cruised with in the past just seem to conduct themselves a little better than what I've experienced on other cruise lines.

 

For us, just being on a cruise vacation is all that matters and all the better if it's on HAL - we know we will enjoy ourselves and have a great time!

[65 Gator]

We have sailed on eight different HAL ships and I can't say anything negative about the Zdam in comparison to the others. I was surprised to see so much negative feedback as we had a great experience on her, in fact, we are repeating our 2009 trip to Panama on the Zdam. YMMV

[startwin]

I've sailed on the Westerdam twice, Niew Amsterdam once and will embark on the Zuiderdam in three weeks!

 

What I love most about HAL is the cleanliness! We took our three kids on Carnival once and while we had a great time, I couldn't get past the sloppiness (trays of food left out for hours outside of cabin doors, glasses on the pool deck, tables not cleaned off, etc.). On the NA I happened to walk by the Captain and actually stopped him to compliment his staff on the great job they were doing in keeping the ship spotless!

 

I also love the classiness of HAL. My DH and I enjoy quiet activities and relaxing - which is exactly what we get with HAL. I hope this doesn't come off as being snobby, but the HAL passengers I've cruised with in the past just seem to conduct themselves a little better than what I've experienced on other cruise lines.

 

For us, just being on a cruise vacation is all that matters and all the better if it's on HAL - we know we will enjoy ourselves and have a great time!

 

"Trays of food outside of cabin doors"....? That is a no-no on a cruise ship. I admit I have never been on Carnival, but have never seen this on any other ship.

[jankn]

We have always sailed on Holland America, love it and see no reason to try anything else, as it suits us perfectly....We are three star mariners so you can see its more than a couple of times, ...People like us can be accused of being "cheerleaders for HAL".....if so, that's fine, as we have never encountered anything on any of our cruises that would cause us to be otherwise...and we are looking forward to our third Zuiderdam Panama Canal cruise in a couple of weeks....if there is anything negative needing to be noted, I will post it, but I'm planning on a wonderful cruise again....

[matondo]

I have been of two minds about cruising on the Zuiderdam. We have been on it two times previously but it has been almost 10 years. We are going with another couple who have never sailed HAL. They have sailed Carnival and NCL. They told me they knew another couple who did not like HAL. We are hoping to do a 10 night partial transit of the Panama Canal this fall and that is the only HAL ship we know that does it. If it was just us I would not think twice about it BUT...so far my DH and I have held firm and said we wanted to sail HAL.

 

So what would you all do? I keep going back and forth and I am driving myself and my DH crazy with how hot and cold I am about the "Z".

[Linda&Vern]

I have been of two minds about cruising on the Zuiderdam. We have been on it two times previously but it has been almost 10 years. We are going with another couple who have never sailed HAL. They have sailed Carnival and NCL. They told me they knew another couple who did not like HAL. We are hoping to do a 10 night partial transit of the Panama Canal this fall and that is the only HAL ship we know that does it. If it was just us I would not think twice about it BUT...so far my DH and I have held firm and said we wanted to sail HAL.

 

So what would you all do? I keep going back and forth and I am driving myself and my DH crazy with how hot and cold I am about the "Z".

 

If you could spend some time poking around CC, Facebook, and other cruise talk sites I'm betting you would find lots of things being reported as wrong on any and all ships. I read a complaint on another site this morning about the Oosterdam that made it sound like that ship was going to sink any minute there was so much wrong with it ... not to mention its awful crew.

 

In case you haven't read the story of my first cruise - I'll briefly repeat it. Booked Maasdam for Christmas/New Years cruise in 2004. Then found CC. Everyone on CC said the ship was literally falling apart - nothing worked - :eek: just plain awful cruises were happening. We did not cancel, we went on our cruise, and guess what ... we found nothing wrong. All seemed well to us. We had a fabulous time.

 

So, my suggestion is don't let the comments here ruin your cruise. You will be mentally prepared "if" something mechanical happens ... but I suggest you look forward to your wonderful cruise. FYI - We are cruising on the Z again in a few weeks. We loved her 3 years ago and we look forward to loving her again. :D

[HALcruiser2]

"Trays of food outside of cabin doors"....? That is a no-no on a cruise ship. I admit I have never been on Carnival, but have never seen this on any other ship.

I probably should have stated that differently - what I meant was trays that passengers put outside their doors after having room service (uneaten food, dirty dishes, etc.). I was shocked - had never seen that either; however, I will also state that this ship was booked to capacity (3600 passengers) so it was probably difficult for the staff to keep up. Regardless, it left me with a bad impression.

[drco]

She was the first ship I sailed on, and I am sailing twice more with her this year. Despite the almost garish colour scheme, she gets the job done and in great comfort.

 

The only complaint I have was the fold out bed from the couch was disturbingly uncomfortable. I had a Swedish massage on the first full day up to Alaska and although it was so-so, the bed had me crying to get another one out of necessity by the end of the trip. And this is coming from someone in his late 20s with no history of back problems!

 

Knock on wood, no plumbing or A/C issues in the cabin I was in, though it was an inside cabin on the main deck. Surprisingly enough, I'm booked in the exact same cabin for the Panama Canal, but there is no way I'm sleeping on that couch again!

 

I'll be in the interior Main deck as well. I just realized that above the Main Deck is the casino. Can you comment on the noise?

 

Thanks everyone for the comments. I plan to go ahead with this cruise and lower my expectations. :)

[RuthC]

I'll be in the interior Main deck as well. I just realized that above the Main Deck is the casino. Can you comment on the noise?

I was in an inside on Main Deck, under the Casino, once. I didn't have a problem with noise there, although I do prefer starboard closer to mid-ship.

That's not to say you won't hear anything, but it's not definite that you will.

[Aegis1984]

I'll be in the interior Main deck as well. I just realized that above the Main Deck is the casino. Can you comment on the noise?

 

Thanks everyone for the comments. I plan to go ahead with this cruise and lower my expectations. :)

 

When I did the Alaska Inside Passage this past September, we were in cabin 1025 on the main deck, which is DIRECTLY below the casino. We were not bothered once. That being said, I was sharing the cabin with my mother and father who are getting on in years and snore like chainsaws, so my earplugs were in. However, the time we spent awake in the cabin, I did not hear a peep from the casino.

 

It was actually even more convenient as we were that much closer to the Vista lounge.

[cruise crazed]

I just returned from the January 3rd sailing of the Zuiderdam. We had a wonderful time. Service was outstandng. Food was good. Air conditioning was working. Other than a little wear and tear the ship was in good condition and very clean.

 

Hope this helps....

[ICUQT]

I just returned from the January 3rd sailing of the Zuiderdam. We had a wonderful time. Service was outstandng. Food was good. Air conditioning was working. Other than a little wear and tear the ship was in good condition and very clean.

 

Hope this helps....

 

I am also just off this cruise and I would agree with this assesment. Built in 2002 it is showing a little wear and tear but it is no big deal she is a fine ship. My wife and I also had a wonderful cruise and we would not hesitate to sail her again.

 

bob