What Do You Like or Don't Like About Zaadam

[mcrcruiser]

We are booked  for a 14  night solar Eclipse /Mexican riviera cruise on Zaasam  bext year  ,We booked into a Outside Handicap cabin on Deck 3 lower Promenade 

 

 What are the best & not so good point of Zaandam . So far we have not booked any smaller ships than  Noordam

 

 TIA

[Cruising Is Bliss]

18 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We are booked  for a 14  night solar Eclipse /Mexican riviera cruise on Zaasam  bext year  ,We booked into a Outside Handicap cabin on Deck 3 lower Promenade 

 

 What are the best & not so good point of Zaandam . So far we have not booked any smaller ships than  Noordam

 

 TIA

 

I'm doing it too and really looking forward to this cruise. I love the Zaandam. It still has the Exploration Cafe. It also still has an entire Crows Nest instead of half of it replaced by the new expanded shore excursion department. The Vistas are larger at 297 sq feet.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Cruising Is Bliss

[3rdGenCunarder]

I haven't been on Zaandam, but I've been on Veendam, Amsterdam, and Maasdam. For me the big minus is that the thermal suite has a hot tub instead of the thalassotherapy pool. On the plus side, the aft pool is still there on Zaandam (unlike the mess they put at the back of Veendam). The small size makes it easy to get around quickly. Unlike the Pinnacle ships, the promenade has deck chairs. And I think Zaandam doesn't have lanais, so none of the deck chairs would be reserved.

[janmcn]

Library with Exploration Cafe! Favorite hangout!

[Sir PMP]

Overall a great ship.

[cwd79]

Disembarked from Zaandam yesterday after 16 days aboard and we loved the ship being smaller, easier to get around. Service was fantastic. Food is subjective but less options for food is a negative. But the Pinnacle Grill was wonderful and we ate their five times during the cruise and by far our favorite Pinnacle Grill out of all the ships we've sailed on HAL (new and older). The library by the Exploration Cafe is fantastic. We had an Ocean View room and it was large compared to the newer ships Ocean Views. We had a fantastic time and will be sailing on Zaandam again in August for 21 days. 

[mcrcruiser]

Thank you for your replies . This is what we needed to hear   .Thanks again 

[robotpony]

16 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We are booked  for a 14  night solar Eclipse /Mexican riviera cruise on Zaasam

 

We also booked this and are excited for the smaller ship (but have no experience with it) and different cast of voyagers.

 

I can't imagine we won't enjoy this trip, though, as we even enjoy our regular BC Ferry trips to Vancouver island. Most of the larger ferries here are approaching the size of the Zaandam, but are very modest ships with cafeteria food and not a lot to do other than enjoy the ride, and yet we still look forward to these trips.

[FlaMariner]

She's our first HAL ship.......she sealed the HAL deal for us......but for itineraries where we think we want/need a balcony, we find the balcony prices out of reach on the smaller Zaandam....It was built before balconies were available for us commoners.

 

 

 

 

[mcrcruiser]

34 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

She's our first HAL ship.......she sealed the HAL deal for us......but for itineraries where we think we want/need a balcony, we find the balcony prices out of reach on the smaller Zaandam....It was built before balconies were available for us commoners.

 

 

 

 

Yes we are aware as we booked a handicap  outside cabin on the lower promenade ,deck 3  , what we can do is easily get out  on the promenade like a balcony  & we understand there are deck chairs for our use   .Going into Mexico waters the weather will be warm ,so outside sitting in deck chairs is the next best thing to a balcony  . although the balcony is nice to have breakfast on it  . Those Vista suite balcony cabins are quite pricy   .On HAL's other ships we can easily book into a handicap balcony   .The older,&smaller  HAL  ships were designed & built differently 

 

 

[RuthC]

3 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

what we can do is easily get out  on the promenade like a balcony  & we understand there are deck chairs for our use 

There are no reserved deck chairs on the Zaandam, as there are on her sister the Volendam (and were on the Rotterdam and Maasdam), as there are no lanai cabins on the Zaandam. 

[mcrcruiser]

4 hours ago, RuthC said:

There are no reserved deck chairs on the Zaandam, as there are on her sister the Volendam (and were on the Rotterdam and Maasdam), as there are no lanai cabins on the Zaandam. 

Ruth that is OK  .We just want to watch the ocean . If chairs are available ,we will use them  for the time we are out  on the lower promenade . Thanks for your heads up 

[pmjnh]

13 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

She's our first HAL ship.......she sealed the HAL deal for us......but for itineraries where we think we want/need a balcony, we find the balcony prices out of reach on the smaller Zaandam....It was built before balconies were available for us commoners.

 

 

 

 

I totally agree with this. We are about to take our first Pinnacle class ship (Koningsdam) to Hawaii side by side with the Zaandam -Panama Canal eastbound. We have only sailed HAL's smaller ships, ie the Ryndam, Maasdam, Veendam. We LOVE the smaller ships but budget wise, the balconies are a huge jump in price. There just aren't that many of them. The  verandahs on the bigger ships are more affordable, but balance off with a bigger ship...I can't say take the good with the bad because clearly NONE of that is bad...but you get my drift.

Edited January 7, 2023 by pmjnh

[mwj]

The are very few negatives about this ship. The intimacy of the 'smaller' ship is fantastic. Most all the inside and outside rooms have a couch for sitting. There are numerous nooks and crannies about the ship for sitting and relaxing. The crows nest is virtually empty in the mornings. It's never more than a couple of decks to where you want to go. The Lido deck rarely seemed packed to overflowing. The balconies (Vista Suites) are large with ample storage. It's a ship made for sailing in an inside/outside room, as the costs of suites are higher in proportion to other ships.

[Boatdrill]

The above post sums it up well. The smaller size is a bonus.

However for me, the interior layout of the public spaces is a bit claustrophobic. While  I like the interior decoration/design (furniture, art, etc.)   there just aren't a lot of unobstructed views looking out at the ocean in the public areas, so there's limited natural light coming in. I call it the "indoor ship".   

 

For those who have been on Crystal, It's the antithesis to Crystal Symphony and Serenity, which have large picture windows for magnificent ocean views, and let in plenty of natural light in the public areas.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Boatdrill

[3rdGenCunarder]

5 minutes ago, Boatdrill said:

The above post sums it up well. The smaller size is a bonus.

However for me, the interior layout of the public spaces is a bit claustrophobic. While  I like the interior decoration/design (furniture, art, etc.)   there just aren't a lot of unobstructed views looking out at the ocean in the public areas, so there's limited natural light coming in. I call it the "indoor ship".   

 

For those who have been on Crystal, It's the antithesis to Crystal Symphony and Serenity, which have large picture windows for magnificent ocean views, and let in plenty of natural light in the public areas.

 

The only place I've had that "indoor" feeling on one of the small ships is the Pinnacle. It always feels closed in and dark to me, in contrast with the Pinnacle on a Vista or larger, with the long row of windows.

[cwd79]

Another thing I remembered from the Zaandam. The quickness of the elevators was fantastic. We were onboard for 16 days in December and we rarely had to wait for an elevator and we were on deck 2. Loved the coziness of the ship. Tons of places to sit and relax.

[3rdGenCunarder]

And there are three elevator banks on the "R class" ships, unlike the old "S class," with only two.