Short Zuiderdam Review

[kpgibbs]

Got back last Saturday from Alaska on the Zuiderdam. This is my first time sailing with HAL. I will say the service and food is far better on HAL than any other cruise line I have been on. Which is not many, Princess and RC.

The staff is beyond helpful and nice. With the exception of the guy in the Neptune lounge. He didn't know anything and was not helpful at all. And for the life of my, I can't figure out why anyone would want to sit in the Neptune lounge. It’s dark and dreary. With that said, we did not spend much time in there.

It amazes me how these people can remember your name after just one day. I can't remember someone’s name after five minutes. I went the casino on the second day and joined the slot tournament. After that, the slot host called me by name every time I went in. I did fairly well in the casino....except I ended up giving most of it back.

The food in the PG was wonderful. Our waiter was great. I can't say enough about the food and service.

Lido food was so so. Typical buffet food. Dive in.......OMG, wonderful. I loved everything I had there.

We stayed in the Neptune Suite 7151, aft with wrap around balcony. The room wasn't what we expected. We expected bigger. But I can't tell you have much storage space we did not use. I think that cabin had more storage then my house. The wrap around balcony would be great in a warm climate. Most of the time we didn't go on the side due to the wind and it was too cold.

My only complaint is the ship. I think that is one ugly ship. The colors are horrible. The ship didn't feel open to me. Plus, a lot of the bars or areas that you could sit had very low seats. If you have a bad back or bad knees, it can be hard to near impossible to get up. My mother and I went to one of the bars to sit and she ended up not being able to get up out of the low chair. She did finally get up. We got really tickled about it though.

I know this is very brief, but you have any questions, fire away. I will try to answer what I can. All in all it was a great cruise and I did not want to come back.

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks for your review.

 

We loved the colour scheme and look of the Zuiderdam, sorry you didn't.

 

Agree about lot of the chairs, way too low, somewhat uncomfortable and not easy to get out of. I saw 20-somethings having a hard time of it!

 

Pinnacle waiters were the best! Glad you had a good experience there.

[POA1]

Thanks for your review!

[frankc98376]

Do you remember who your PG waiter was? We have a few favorite servers in Zuiderdam PG.

[Lizzie68]

I've done 3 cruises on the Zuiderdam, and have to agree that the colour scheme is garish - sort of psychedelic gone wrong. And in some bars, the seats are so low - I'm thinking of the chairs in the Ocean Bar, especially. But we had great Neptune Lounge staff each cruise. The PG was hit and miss for breakfast service. Otherwise, a great ship, great crew and lovely captain.:) Thanks for your report.

[kpgibbs]

Do you remember who your PG waiter was? We have a few favorite servers in Zuiderdam PG.

 

I'm sorry I don't. I can tell you he was a tall white guy but not American. That may not help much.:D

Edited August 15, 2014 by kpgibbs

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the review..

[RJ2002]

Thanks for your review of the Zuiderdam. We sailed on the Z recently in a Neptune Suite, and I generally agree with most of your observations.

 

We were in a suite directly across from the NL, but we did also get to see an aft suite. It is indeed smaller than the other suites, but the trade-off, I guess, is that huge balcony. Some people really like them, but I'd prefer the larger cabin. We were fortunate to have 2 great young women for our lounge concierges. Some people did seem to enjoy just sitting in there, but we generally just popped in for refreshments and took them back over to enjoy our cabin and on the balcony.

 

Agree with your PG comments as well. We thought it was great, and had breakfast there most every morning. We only had one dinner in the PG, as we were generally very pleased with the quality and variety in the MDR.

 

Finally, I have to agree that the colors and decorations on the Z can border on garish. We found it to be the same on the Oosterdam.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the review of your Zuiderdam cruise. I have to agree with you about the chairs. I'm tall and have a horrible time sitting in any of the lounge chairs, so I usually sit at the bar.

[Lizzie68]

I'm sorry I don't. I can tell you he was a tall white guy but not American. That may not help much.:D

 

Sounds like Mario.

[frankc98376]

Sounds like Mario.

 

Same thing I was thinking- he is great

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

We first sailed on the Zuiderdam in 2005. We didn't like the colors either. Then she went through a couple of dry docks and people said how much better she looked. Sailed on her again 2010 -- colors were still awful. JMO

[kpgibbs]

Same thing I was thinking- he is great

 

Mario sounds correct.

[Laminator]

We stayed in the Neptune Suite 7151, aft with wrap around balcony. The room wasn't what we expected. We expected bigger. But I can't tell you have much storage space we did not use. I think that cabin had more storage then my house. The wrap around balcony would be great in a warm climate. Most of the time we didn't go on the side due to the wind and it was too cold.

 

Thank you for the review. We will be in 7151 for the fourth time on the Zuiderdam Aug. 30th.

[Linda&Vern]

I'm sorry I don't. I can tell you he was a tall white guy but not American. That may not help much.:D

We were on the Zuiderdam in Feb/March. DH and I both said Mario at the same time when I read him the question. We loved all the PG staff this trip. I agree with everything you said about ship's décor. DH and I just laugh it off and roll our eyes. Also agree about the NL. While grabbing a drink/snack is nice, no way would we want to just sit around in there. Why pay top $$$ for a suite, then sit in there? Not our cup of tea. :rolleyes: Finally, my advice to anyone cruising on the Z would be do not sit on any sofa style seat unless you are certain you can get back up. Low, low, low!

 

Thanks for sharing your review.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Linda&Vern

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[summersigh]

Thanks for posting ... we sail the Zuiderdam in November ... Can't hardly wait:D

 

If the décor is still as "interesting" as folks say ... I should get some incredible photo shots ... LOL

 

We're booked in a regular verandah cabin and although some other lines might have bigger cabins ... HAL has real showers in a real bathtub. RCC and CCL had dinky little shower stalls with cloth curtains that stuck to your backside if you leaned over to try to shave your legs :eek:

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Candy]

Sounds like Mario.

 

Mario is my favorite PG waiter. He saw how disappointed we were with our Le Cirque selections and brought us dinner off the menu. For breakfast he brought my usual smoked salmon platter and small portions of two others. Always smiling and friendly, rather than the dour dispositions of the others.

 

Hope he's on our next ship

[sapper1]

I'm sorry I don't. I can tell you he was a tall white guy but not American. That may not help much.:D

 

Sounds like Mario. He was Eastern European and we enjoyed having him serve us. He does a wonderful job.

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Zuiderdam cruise.

[frankc98376]

Thank you for reviewing your Zuiderdam cruise.

 

Norman and Yudi are also great servers on Zuiderdam PG.

Yudi is soooo funny- he kept us smiling and laughing every day at breakfast and dinner.

Norman almost seemed like he read our minds and brought us exactly what we needed without having to ask.

 

If on Oosterdam look for Clifford in the PG- he is top notch.

Edited August 16, 2014 by frankc98376

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review.

 

Keith

[kpgibbs]

I will say that our whirlpool tub was awesome. I used it every night!

[kjw869]

Same thing I was thinking- he is great

 

Frank, Mario and one of the young ladies has been our PG servers on 4 of our last 5 cruises. It's amazing he can carry 14 of the large wine glasses, seven in each hand.

 

We keep kidding him to marry the young lady from Indonesia, and for two straight years, he always said they are getting hitched in the next port, which he always named.

 

A great asset to HAL.