21 Days on the Zuiderdam

[Lady Chew]

We paid $250 for 1,000 minutes of internet, that was the largest package. It lasted for 13 days. Then we spent another $175 for for 500 minutes. We used it all.

[Keith1010]

Very well done.

 

Keith

[jankn]

just wondering if you actually were aware of the size of the cabin before you booked it or were you misled ? I always check the square feet before we book as I really don't enjoy being cramped... The deck space is actually probably more important to us as is inside. Mostly we must sleep in the cabin but "live" outside on the deck.....We were on the Eurodam in early Feb and "enjoyed" some of the "iffy" weather you talked about too, not much for suntanning but at least we got out of a couple of weeks of winter at home. Glad you didn't get sick or take any falls... happy Sailing.......

[Lady Chew]

We booked this cruise only a few weeks out, and there were only a few cabins left for the entire 21 days we would be aboard. We did not want to have to change cabins. The other cabins were inside or partially obstructed, so we elected to have a balcony. There was at least one other cabin on Deck 10 available; we just picked one at random.

 

I did come onto CC to try and get some info. All I could find was one post about how these cabins seemed "small" That's why we tried to measure once we saw the actual cabin.

 

The HAL website said this category of cabins started at 215 sq. ft.!! There is no way our cabin was even close to that, as I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. On turn-around day in Ft. Lauderdale, when the ship was empty in the morning and we were waiting to be "kicked off" I made a point of going into some of the cabins on Deck 1, interior & exterior. I believe they were advertised starting at 150 sq. ft. They were all much larger than our cabin.

 

Our balcony was tiny. It had two chairs & a table, and there was barely enough room for the two of us to stand. If once of us was already outside, and the other wanted to come out, you had to back up against the front bulkhead (don't know if that's the correct term?) so that the other person could open the door. Even with one person out there, it felt cramped. But we made the best of it.

 

The lesson we have learned - no more "bolt-on" cabins for us!

 

I should mention that we have noticed this trend toward smaller cabins with less storage on the newer, bigger ships on Celebrity & Royal C as well. I guess that's how they're able to squeeze so many cabins on the ships!

[oaktreerb]

I was on the second half of Lady Chew's cruise, the 11-day Feb. 15-26. My DH and I were in 10024, down the hall from 10002. It's billed as an inside cabin, although it has a window overlooking a narrow hallway between the cabins and the Lido pool cover. We never left the curtains open because people walking along that passageway could see inside.

 

I am posting photos of 10024. It has a full length counter in the bathroom (advantage) and a very small shower (disadvantage). If you are big and/or tall (my DH is tall), it's a tight fit. There is also NO COUCH in the inside cabins on Deck 10.

 

I was in the Crow's Nest when a man - maybe Mr. Chew - said his pants ripped when he caught the pocket on a chair! And I remember when we first got to the hallway leading to our cabin, it must have been you, Lady Chew, coming out of the door of 10002. You mentioned you were on the 2nd leg of a b2b, and that the cabins on Deck 10 were very small! (They are.)

 

I liked the location. Just outside our door was easy access to the outside Observation Deck, the Lido was quick to get to as well as the Crow's Nest and Library. My DH didn't like it because it was too far to the outside Promenade Deck.

 

It was an interesting cruise - our first to the Panama Canal. We took the ferry tour through the canal to the Pacific Ocean. Beware if you take this excursion, we didn't get back on board the Zuiderdam until 9:45 p.m. We were due back at 6 p.m. There were some delays.

 

I would do it again, though, if I had never been through the canal. We couldn't see getting that close and not going through. The canal was interesting and we got to take a side trip to see the ongoing construction of the new locks. There is plenty of free bottled water and pop on the ferry, a can of beer is $2, a vendor was selling t-shirts, hats, etc on board, and they served us lunch and dinner. However, I was glad I brought snacks.

 

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Good job on the pictures. Have you seen the HALFacts site of cabin pictures?

[lvz2cruz]

I enjoyed your review.

Do you know if CD Simon had been on Eurodam?

[Lady Chew]

I enjoyed your review.

Do you know if CD Simon had been on Eurodam?

 

Yes, he had just come from the Eurodam ...

[HarR]

Comments on some of your comments:

 

That tour got back late on both of the cruises. We were told that Panama has not had as much rainfall this year, so Gatun Lake is lower than normal. They won't drain it for smaller ships coming through from the Pacific side, so the tour boats have to until a ship of the right size for "sharing" a lock comes through ... hence the delays.

 

This has apparently been a problem for several months, it makes the staff nuts, and they are trying to get Seattle to drop this tour for the time being. I don't remember who we talked to about this ... someone in uniform we met in the hall.

 

Got this excursion booked for our upcoming Zuiderdam cruise. The only reason I settled for a partial instead of a full canal cruise, is that I could experience the full canal via this excursion.

 

Sure hope the "uniform" won't be able to persuade Seattle to have it canceled anytime soon.

[lvz2cruz]

Yes, he had just come from the Eurodam ...

 

thanks!

Edited March 9, 2016 by lvz2cruz

[Lady Chew]

Got this excursion booked for our upcoming Zuiderdam cruise. The only reason I settled for a partial instead of a full canal cruise, is that I could experience the full canal via this excursion.

 

Sure hope the "uniform" won't be able to persuade Seattle to have it canceled anytime soon.

 

Just be forewarned that it may take a very long time to get back to the ship ... tours got back 3 & 4 hrs late ...

[sail7seas]

Thanks so much for your wonderful review. Lots of very good information.

Happy that you got from your cruise most of what you really wanted and had such a good attitude about 'making do' with the things that were disappointing or uncomfortable.

 

Welcome Back.

[Iris5383]

Good job on the pictures. Have you seen the HALFacts site of cabin pictures?

 

I did not know about that site. Thanks for mentioning it. I'll send my photos there.

[Iris5383]

Got this excursion booked for our upcoming Zuiderdam cruise. The only reason I settled for a partial instead of a full canal cruise, is that I could experience the full canal via this excursion.

 

Sure hope the "uniform" won't be able to persuade Seattle to have it canceled anytime soon.

 

Both my husband and I are glad we took the ferry for a full transit, even with the added hours. While enjoying the scenery and the many ships using the canal, we absorbed a lot of history listening to a man talking about the canal. On a normal Monday I'm at work 8-4:30. This tour was so far from my normal world, I'm still dreaming about it after two weeks back home. Every night I'm watching the world go by in a ferry on the Panama Canal!

 

We received a letter at our cabin the day before the transit telling us the tour would return late (the letter said we would be back at 8 p.m.).

 

I suggest bringing a small bottle of water for the hour or two before you get on the ferry. Our tour included a stop at the site of the new lock construction, which wasn't mentioned in the tour description, but really interesting.

 

Once you are on board the ferry, there is plenty of free bottled water and pop. The tour includes a decent lunch - fruit, pasta, chicken & rice, and blueberry muffins (grab one when you see it, they run out fast). We also had dinner on board - chicken & rice, fresh fruit, muffins. But I suggest you grab some food from the Lido the day before and bring it with you. Not that you will starve without it, but it's nice to have. The Zuiderdam crew kept the Lido open for two hours after we returned, which was really nice.

 

This tour was fully booked, three full buses and a van, probably about 150 people, so it is very popular. Hopefully, for your sake and others, it won't be discontinued. The return from Panama City is by bus, which takes about 90 minutes. I slept most of the way back, I would have liked to see the jungle and rain forest, but it was too dark anyway.

[Iris5383]

We paid $250 for 1,000 minutes of internet, that was the largest package. It lasted for 13 days. Then we spent another $175 for for 500 minutes. We used it all.

 

I bought the smallest package, $55 for 100 minutes. It was practically impossible to use in the daytime. A sign in the library said it had to do with the spring solstice and the sun. I guess that's why it worked at night. In retrospect, I would have just gone minute by minute at 75 cents per minute. It would have been cheaper for the small amount of time I really needed it. I ended up burning the remaining minutes on the last day on Facebook, just so I wouldn't leave any unused minutes.

[HarR]

Thank you Iris. Really looking forward to this tour. The Canal is the main reason I wanted this cruise.

 

 

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