what do you think of Zaandam ?

[JanDom]

We just found a nice cruise with the Zaandam in 2015.

It is 3 weeks long, and so it is important for us we will like the ship.

The cruise will also have a lot of sea days.

 

We now read a lot of different things about the Zaandam :eek:

Is it a nice ship ? And how does it look ?

How was the food ?

 

Thank you for every answer.

 

Janine

[Krazy Kruizers]

Even though it has been a while since we sailed on her, we think she is a lovely ship.

Food is subjective and some items on HAL change with the season and itinerary.

I wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again if she came back to the Caribbean or even did the back-to-back 10 day itineraries for Mexico and the Sea of Cortez.

[JanDom]

We think of going with her to southamerica and Antarctica in an outside cabin :)

[senorjim]

I think she is a lovely ship. Just the right size for us. My wife and I just finished a 16 day circle Hawaii cruise on Zaandam. There were 10 sea days. We will be back on her for Antarctica at the end of January.

Its hard to describe, but I felt there was a real positive culture and morale among the staff.

Jim

[JanDom]

Does anybody maybe has a picture of a cabin ?

We think of booking an outside cabin on the lower promenade deck...is it possible to look easily in there ?

 

Thank you :)

[Daisyloo]

We sailed on the Zaandam in July to Alaska. We loved her. The ship was in wonderful condition. The crew was great, as was the food. My mother and I have cruised before, but this was a first cruise for my sister. She was blown away! She now knows why I like to cruise so much!

[DaveOKC]

We were on the Zaandam a coupe of years ago and really liked it. I especially like this size of HAL ship since it is not as large and has a bank of elevators midship, which makes it so easy to get around.

 

DaveOKC

[RuthC]

We think of going with her to southamerica and Antarctica in an outside cabin :)

Do it!Do it!Do it! This has GOT to be one of the best experiences I have ever had. I have been incredibly fortunate to have cruised to Antarctica three times, and would not have missed it for the world. This is truly an instance where the itinerary matters more than the ship.

 

That said, I thought the Zaandam was a very pretty ship. She is one of two HAL ships with a theme, hers being music. There are little touches all around to reflect that theme. Take time to look for them.

 

Outside cabins on Lower Promenade have the advantage of easy access to the great outdoors---which you will use whenever you spot something out the window. That window is coated with a film so that people cannot see in, unless it is dark out AND you have the inside lights on, while the draperies are open.

The outside cabins on Lower Promenade are smaller than the outsides on other decks, but in this instance may be worth it for the quick exit to outside.

Do get a cabin forward of the mid-ship elevators, or aft of the aft elevators; this will keep you from being under the galley (which can be noisy at night).

 

If you take this cruise on this ship you will not be sorry.

Edited October 8, 2014 by RuthC

[JanDom]

Dear Ruth,

thank you for your answer. Has you been to Antarctica over Christmas?

We think of taking a cabin Midship, because of the maybe strong weather conditions...

 

Greets

Janine

[boulders]

I took this cruise this past December. It was my favourite all time cruise. It is an excellent value. They bring on Antarctica experts who give talks 2-3 X per day. Make sure to visit Volunteer Point on the Falkland Islands. Try to fit in one or two of the other fabulous sights in South America - Iguassu Falls/Galapagos Islands/Machu Picchu/Easter Island.

 

Ship's Condition - The good - Zaandam was just completely refurbished a year ago. Most of the areas looked new. The bad - The movie theatre looked about 50 years old - broken chairs etc. Hopefully they have fixed this. Older ships tend to have some problems with plumbing. There were at least 2 floods due to broken pipes during our voyage that I'm aware of - one in the Lido buffet and one in a cabin.

 

Food was mostly good, but sometimes very disappointing. The lobster thermidore was awful. The apple pie was atrocious (there were no apples in it :eek:). We kept trying different fruit pies throughout the cruise but none of them ever had any fruit in them. :confused::confused: The lobster tail was great. I usually stuck to the steak on the regular menu which was very good. The lido buffet was fine. It was not as crowded as on other ships. My favourite food area on HAL ships is the room service - we often ate breakfast and lunch or had a snack in our cabin.

[rafinmd]

Zaandam had some really bad reviews around 2010-2011. I think it has recovered very well since then and I greatly enjoyed it when I sailed her in Asia in February 2012.

 

I posted pictures of my Lower Promenade OV cabin on halfacts.com

 

http://halfacts.com/3341-zaandam/

 

Roy

[RuthC]

Has you been to Antarctica over Christmas?

We think of taking a cabin Midship, because of the maybe strong weather conditions...

I've never done that cruise over Christmas. All of them have left in early January (around the 6th, or so), and ended near the end of the month.

There have been smooth seas, and seas that were quite rough. Either the "Drake Lake" or "Drake Shake", but it was worth every speed bump for the scenery. Rough seas kept me out of The Falklands two out of the three times. Every time the scenic cruising around the Cape was smooth, however.

YMMV.

By all means, take a cabin between the forward and mid-ship elevators. That is one of the best spots.

Edited October 8, 2014 by RuthC

[visagrunt]

The Zaandam and the Volendam are my favourite ships.

 

The big plusses for me are the smaller size, which cuts queues down, and the public decks are sandwiched between the accommodation decks, so there is less vertical travel to or from the dining room, shows etc.

[Cruisa Loosa]

We sailed on the Zaandam to Alaska in August 2014. This was my first time on a HAL ship and had previously only sailed on Princess. I agree with previous posters that the staff were great and the food was good. I found the ship's decor very dark and dreary, the floor plan seemed difficult to follow and overall the ship seemed small to me. I prefer the bright, open space of the Princess ships, including the wonderful movies under the stars.

Although I am doing another trip on HAL next summer, it is for the itinerary not the ship. If I had my preference I would choose Princess, although I would sail on any ship if it meant going on a cruise!

[trixiee]

Hi Janine,

My DH and I are booked on this cruise! Join the roll call, if you decide to book! :)

 

I'm looking very forward to being treated like a queen over Christmas and New Years! The polar opposite of what happens at home over the holidays! :D

 

I haven't been on the Zaandam yet, but look forward to seeing her!

[Loreto]

We were on the 21day Holiday/South America Antarctic Cruise last December, and I agree with Boulders, it was a fantastic experience! Our vista stateroom looked brand new....even the built in furniture. The crew was very accommodating and the Zaandam was perfect.

 

Karen

[Dobermangal]

We did three 18 day cruises on the zaandam between oct 2012 and October 2013 (mexico, hawaii, panama canal) the last one being her final cruise before the refurbish dry dock. Cannot say enough about the ship or crew. Many of the crew from our first trip on her had returned and were there to greet us on the third.

 

They had requested reposting to the zaandaam because the work environment for them was so good there. It shows.

 

Cannot wait to board the zaandam again hopefully in the spring and see the changes.

 

We had a balcony on deck six twice and an outside on deck one once. with The outside we booked the same cabin for the last cruise as we really liked it..spacious and clean. At the last minute we were offered an upsell to a balcony though so we went with that... It was the Panama Canal after all :)

 

Food was great. But the crew, amazing. Zaandam is a perfectly sized ship for us.

 

Carla

[idiebabe]

We did the 13 Nite SA on Zaandam this past March. Loved the Ship, Staff and Crew and thought the food was very good!

 

Would love to sail her again! :)

[Bubba54]

We have sailed on the Zaandam twice, Hawaii 2010 and Alaska 2014. She is a very nice ship and I love the size. We had great service both times and I found the food to be good.

 

 

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[ozcruizer]

The Zaandam and the Volendam are my favourite ships.

 

The big plusses for me are the smaller size, which cuts queues down, and the public decks are sandwiched between the accommodation decks, so there is less vertical travel to or from the dining room, shows etc.

 

It is some years now since we sailed on the Zaandam, but we've done a couple of cruises on the Volendam (sister ship) and it is still my favourite ship even though we've been on the larger HAL ships since (and will be going on the Oosterdam in January). We also like the smaller size and having the public decks between the accommodation decks is a definite plus. Anyway, back to the Zaandam - I would have no hesitation in doing another cruise on her. We must have enjoyed it because we have not looked for any other cruise line since.

 

Ozcruizer