What's up with the Zuiderdam?

[pbnjrockette]

We had a wonderful trip in January with few problems and were planning on booking for next year but the reviews don't sound promising! Are they now doing a "floating dry dock"?

 

When we sailed there was one day when they varnished the deck while we were in port and the varnish smell stayed on board during the dinner hours filling the MDR. That same day there was much 'banging and scraping' as they repainted along the promenade. But the reviews from April make it sound like there are constant and continuous, serious repairs on-going while passengers are on board. (Particularly scary was the one report that workers were wearing masks in the Lido while patrons were eating nearby!!) It is understood that repairs are always needed and maintenance is on-going but this sounds excessive.

 

Why isn't this ship scheduled for Dry Dock??? I really like the ship and hope to sail her again but not while she is a 'work in progress'!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

She isn't scheduled to go into dry dock for a couple of years.

She was just in dry dock in 2015 -- March 31 - April 13.

[Topsham]

Varnishing and painting about the ship is ALWAYS done on board by ship's deck crew. Never when in refit or during drydocking periods.

 

Painting during drydocking periods is done on the underwater bottom and topside of the hull. This is done by rollers and paint spraying and require special staging.

 

 

There is a horrible stuff called 'rust'. To remove the rust it must be scraped and chipped with 'chipping hammers'. Well, if you want your ship to be clean and painted then you have to accept some the noise and mess that comes with it. It is called 'Chief Officer's Music'. It takes more than a week or two to do this job in drydock. It is an ongoing job, week and month for the rest of the ship's life. Once you bit a ship steel in saltwater then you get rust. The lifeboat davits that can be quite susceptible to rust... in all the corners and crevices. This maintenance must be done and the best time to do it is when the ship is at anchor or in port. Passengers don't like it. People on the dock don't like it. The first time the ship looks rusty then the owner would be unhappy about it!

 

The smell of paint can be quite strong. Wear it with a mask when working with it, but for the most is part does dry quickly and does not linger.

 

On board maintenance is always on going. Noise, paint... whatever, it must be carried out. It does not mean the ship is falling apart or need serious repairs, it is necessary so that it does NOT need serious work!

[msmayor]

Every single cruise we've been on we've always seen some maintenance during the trip. Varnishing railings, painting, cleaning. We accept it as part of the package.

 

I can understand a member of the crew wearing a mask when painting or varnishing as they are spending hours inhaling the fumes. Passengers may only be passing through the area and far less susceptible to any problems from inhalation.

[shrimp56]

Maintenance is normal. Sometimes annoying, other times no problem.

 

Zuiderdam is lovely after her dry dock, much improved over her former garish self. She has my favorite Ocean Bar in the fleet.

[Copper10-8]

..........................(Particularly scary was the one report that workers were wearing masks in the Lido while patrons were eating nearby!!) ...................................

 

Did you see these "mask-wearing workers" yourself? Were these 'surgical-type masks' or nose/mouth 'respirators'? Staff assigned to the Lido sometimes wear 'surgical-type masks' when dealing with minor colds

 

[pbnjrockette]

I LOVE the Zuiderdam and really enjoyed our January cruise. We've always seen regular maintenance on every cruise and never really been overly bothered by it. (They did apologize for the varnish fumes in the MDR... the ship had been delayed due to excursion traffic issues and they expected to be out at sea during dining, thus eliminating some of the odors).

 

Perhaps the 3 recent reviews from April sailings were exaggerations....

[catl331]

guess you just can' t make everyone happy. Some complain when they see rust or mold; other object to crew tending to them. Some crew can be seen scrubbing during the night. Yrs ago we past a ship from China with crew members lined up to look at us. The ship was so rusty and messy and they looked soooo hungry and we were having tea and scones. Who would want to be on that ship. I am happy that HAL attacks the rust!:)

[Lizzie68]

We had one cruise on the Zuiderdam in a Neptune where we lost use of our balcony for 3 days while they drilled, sanded, painted the balconies adjoining and ours. Then they asked us to vacate our room all day as well so the workers could have easy access to get to our balcony, and I found they propped the door open to do so, all day, so I was not happy. Then we had to vacate again for cleanup. It was pretty much like living in a construction zone - very noisy and smelly. I like the Zuiderdam, but they need to rethink this issue and perhaps not sell the rooms that are going to be most affected by the ongoing work. Getting an OBC for the "inconvenience" does not make the cruise more enjoyable at all or make up for any of it.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Lizzie68

[joepeka]

Did you see these "mask-wearing workers" yourself? Were these 'surgical-type masks' or nose/mouth 'respirators'? Staff assigned to the Lido sometimes wear 'surgical-type masks' when dealing with minor colds

 

 

I remember reading that particular review where this was mentioned - here's the link and though it was a first hand experience, the reviewer probably doesn't answer your 2nd question:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=531388

[SetAnOpenCourse]

We had one cruise on the Zuiderdam in a Neptune where we lost use of our balcony for 3 days while they drilled, sanded, painted the balconies adjoining and ours. Then they asked us to vacate our room all day as well so the workers could have easy access to get to our balcony, and I found they propped the door open to do so, all day, so I was not happy. Then we had to vacate again for cleanup. It was pretty much like living in a construction zone - very noisy and smelly. I like the Zuiderdam, but they need to rethink this issue and perhaps not sell the rooms that are going to be most affected by the ongoing work. Getting an OBC for the "inconvenience" does not make the cruise more enjoyable at all or make up for any of it.

 

Sounds to me like the OBC in that case should have been half the price of your cruise.

 

The hours that varnishing and painting is done, and even the pace of the workers sometimes, IMO suggests that passenger comfort is not always given enough thought.

[Copper10-8]

I remember reading that particular review where this was mentioned - here's the link and though it was a first hand experience, the reviewer probably doesn't answer your 2nd question:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=531388

 

Thanks for the link Joe!

[KAKcruiser]

After many cruises, I am familiar with ongoing maintenance and can generally deal with it. However, on the Zuiderdam in April, there was an overwhelming amount of projects in progress. The hotel manager mentioned in a Q&A session that there was a worker's strike during the last dry dock and many things did not get done. Therefore, they were replacing carpet in the hallways every day, doing major maintenance in the lido and lots of scraping and chipping and painting of rust. While I agree that some of this is necessary, it did seem to be excessive. Also, I couldn't believe the poor condition of the sofa and chairs in the cabins.

[iancal]

I would not have vacated our room nor would I have given up access to our verandah for three days. On HAL or any other cruise line. It would have been a deal breaker for us.

Edited May 15, 2016 by iancal

[rothbury]

Not an exaggeration pbnjrockette. As I previously mentioned there was more than normal maintenance going on.

 

I worked in the shipbuilding industry for 30 years prior to retirement. Keeping ahead of rust spots and varnishing chipped and scratched railings is routine maintenance. Replacing wall coverings with strong contact glues during eating hours in the Lido is not normal. Closing a portion of the Lido and removing ceiling tiles to work in the overhead is not normal. Several people were questioning why these types of things were not done at 2 AM instead of 2 PM. Closing hundreds of feet on Promenade at a time is not normal. You pay a premium for a balcony and the paint fumes take your breath away. Maybe once per cruise....Not 5 days out of 10.

 

You know, I never considered, nor would I, ask for credit or anything. I rely on CC to let me know when things "aren't right". A "new" captain had just come onboard the week prior to our sailing. Maybe he runs a "tight ship". Would I consider canceling a cruise over it? No. If you have respiratory issues or asthma.....maybe. It was NEVER so bad that I couldn't go to some other space and still enjoy my cruise.

[iancal]

We stopped letting people and vendors make their 'problems' into our problems a long time ago. People and companies take advantage of you when you let them. And the more you let them, the more advantage they will take. It is human nature.

 

Our experience is that many people/companies will try to do this in order to shed their own problems on to us in order to shirk their responsibilities. The provision of a lame excuse does make us inclined to simply accept a lesser solution even though that may be the expectation on their part.

 

Those days are long past for us and we no longer accede to those notions. Far too long and too many experiences in the business world as a vendor and as a customer to accept that sort of nonsense in our personal lives. From HAL or anyone else.

Edited May 15, 2016 by iancal

[lvz2cruz]

We were on Zuiderdam in March and one of the officers had said that there was a strike when it was in drydock and much of the scheduled work was not done.

We had an aft balcony and our loungers were disgusting. We kept them covered with towels from the pool deck. Some things were worn and some were okay.

I told several people on their first HA cruise this was not typical HAL and to try another ship.

After being on Eurodam in January a few weeks after drydock, I was a little shocked when we boarded Z but it was a great cruise. I would not hesitate to book it again. Service and crew were outstanding. Dancers and one singer not so great.

[kevingastreich]

I would not have vacated our room nor would I have given up access to our verandah for three days. On HAL or any other cruise line. It would have been a deal breaker for us.

 

You would have just lived with it? I mean, they are going to do the work whether you approve or not.

Edited May 16, 2016 by kevingastreich

[Topsham]

You would have just lived with it? I mean, they are going to do the work whether you approve or not.

 

 

 

I have heard the comment 'deal breaker' so many times the poster must be getting very short on cruise ships to sail in! If it is broke it is a 'deal breaker'. If you don't fix it is a 'deal breaker'. If it is not perfect it is a 'deal breaker' . Someone must have an 'all seeing eye'! There is no such thing as a 'perfect ship'. Get over it!

[HarR]

Sailed the Zuiderdam in March. The interior did not show need of serious maintenance, and we did not see any major repairs or replacements being made.

The exterior showed a different image. The hull definitely needed painting. They were working on a small section of the promenade deck ( painting hammering).

So nothing dramatic.

 

But you never know what plans they have for your balcony, the ones next, under or above you on any ship. ......

 

I would not hesitate to book her again.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[iancal]

I would expect someone from management to knock on my door prior to taking away the use of our balcony for three days.

 

I would have expected an explanation, an apology, and a resolution. Perhaps a move to another cabin or at the very least a credit,not OBC, for the inconvenience.

 

Sorry, but unlike the HAL cheerleaders I would not make excuses and brush something like this off as normal mitce or 'it hints happen' on a ship. We typically spend a great deal of time on our balcony.

 

We have had workers chipping, varnishing on our balcony. No issue. But what the OP described was not in the same league. It falls into what I call cheating the customer.

Edited May 16, 2016 by iancal

[shrimp56]

I agree that serious loss of balcony or room usage is not normal maintenance and should not be done in a cabin that has been paid for. No argument.

[SetAnOpenCourse]

You would have just lived with it? I mean, they are going to do the work whether you approve or not.

 

This situation with the dry dock strike sounds pretty uncommon. Something has to bend and maybe it turns out to be some guests on the next cruise. That should be a last resort. The staff needs to accept all of the inconvenience if possible, although if those workers in the jumpsuits are in a union, I imagine that would affect the situation. I wouldn’t blame any guest who makes a stink about it, as long as they can keep their cool, and in the long run they’re probably doing everybody a favor.

[kevingastreich]

Those days are long past for us and we no longer accede to those notions. Far too long and too many experiences in the business world as a vendor and as a customer to accept that sort of nonsense in our personal lives. From HAL or anyone else.

 

Ship maintenance is hardly "nonsense". Actually. it is quite vital.

[iancal]

I consider it nonsense and extremely poor customer service when someone takes away use of my verandah on a cruise ship for three days.

 

So here is a different approach. We had a Princess SA cruise booked. Several months before they called and said there was a challenge. I guess they had overbooked. They could have sorry, here is a $500 credit yata yata yata. Instead, they asked us to consider giving up the cabin in return for a full refund, a free cruise of equal length, in an upgraded cabin, on any itinerary for the same number of days, plus up to $300. to offset any air penalties. I did not ask for this nor did we really expect it. Great customer service and a great way of resolving a customer challenge.

 

This past summer, Wesjet called and told us the equipment on our flight in two weeks time had been changed, or something. Bottom line, could they reschedule us on another flight that landed within an hour or so of the one we had booked. No issue for us. As we were ringing off the agent told me that she had deposited $200. in our account for use on a future flight. I never asked for it, did not expect it. Great customer service. They know that it is much less expensive to keep an exisiting customer than find a new one.

 

Great customer experience in both instances. Have had similar customer service in hotels/resorts a number of times. So I often compare this to some of the incidents that OP's describe on HAL. Heck, it seems that HAL cannot even send out complaint acknowledgement letters in a timely or consistent manner. This is the most basic of customer service resolution steps.

 

We like HAL. Great cruise line and we anticipate cruising for at least 12, possibly 24 days this fall. But we are not blind to their shortcomings and just because we like them as a cruise line does not mean that their customer service is anywhere near perfect or that we will blindly accept any issues that have an impact on our enjoyment of the product/service that we purchased. They are, after all, a just a business.

Edited May 16, 2016 by iancal