Delighted by R Class (Zandaam)

[lissie]

On 5/14/2023 at 12:32 AM, teacherman said:

To all who enjoy, or have cruised on, the Zaandam, I would suggest you read the book entitled "Cabin Fever."  This is the true story of the Zaandam, which was in South America the winter of 2019-20 when the Covid first broke out.  It is the story of the ship's very long voyage back to Florida, due to the fact that no country would allow the ship to land and disembark passengers.  We were on the cruise prior to the story told in this book, and we remembered some of the crew members mentioned in the book.  I recommend it to anyone who enjoys cruising.

Its an excellent book - I read it while cruising a different line last year - and only  after I'd booked our upcoming cruise on the Zaandam did I remember it was the  same ship 🙂

[Blackduck59]

I'm happy to hear from a satisfied customer. We are not long time cruisers with megahuman status on 4 different lines. We are just some average folks who will be sailing on HAL for the first time in August. We actually board Zaandam in Boston when @lissie gets off. I won't know how it "used to be" so we're going on with an open mind.

Thanks for letting us know that you had a great time Zaandam.

[BigMattT]

Just now, Blackduck59 said:

I'm happy to hear from a satisfied customer. We are not long time cruisers with megahuman status on 4 different lines. We are just some average folks who will be sailing on HAL for the first time in August. We actually board Zaandam in Boston when @lissie gets off. I won't know how it "used to be" so we're going on with an open mind.

Thanks for letting us know that you had a great time Zaandam.

If you’re ok staying at one of those old well-designed convention Marriotts built in the 1980’s but maintained well and renovated 5 years ago, you’ll have a splendid time on Zaandam. We’re not usually all that social on cruises, but we ended up meeting some of the friendliest people on this voyage. Universally, everyone kept remarking how nice it was to be on a smaller ship even though it’s obviously not sparkling and new. Fewer frills, but sturdy quality where it counted.

[*Miss G*]

20 hours ago, Monarda55 said:

OP, you mentioned enjoying “finding cozy nooks to read” onboard. Would you care to share some of your favorites?  We’ll be on Zaandam in a few weeks and I’d love to have some advance intel on where the best nooks are. 🙂

 

On Deck 4 you will find the Explorations Cafe.  Behind it is a huge multi-room library.  I loved this room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could even read in the ladies’ room across from the café if you like!  (Don’t try this if you’re a man.  😂)

 

[RuthC]

39 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

You could even read in the ladies’ room across from the café if you like!  (Don’t try this if you’re a man.  😂)

But if you do see a man reading in there, it wouldn't be the first time. I have! 

Slight correction: The library is on Deck 5---Upper Promenade, not Deck 4. 

[*Miss G*]

8 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Slight correction: The library is on Deck 5---Upper Promenade, not Deck 4. 

 

Thank you!

 

And if I saw a man reading in the ladies’ room I’d have to back out to read the sign on the door again.  lol. (This, coming from a woman who used the mens’ room at Dulles Airport.  🤭)

[RuthC]

6 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

And if I saw a man reading in the ladies’ room I’d have to back out to read the sign on the door again.  lol. (This, coming from a woman who used the mens’ room at Dulles Airport.  🤭)

To be fair, the ladies room on starboard, across from the Explorations Café, is of an older style. You enter into a 'primping' area with small seats in front of a series of vanities, with some comfortable chairs by the windows. There is a second room off that where you find the water closets and a row of sinks. 
So, it isn't quite like most restrooms women are used to. 
Still, I was beyond surprised to see a man sitting there, enjoying the peace and quite. 

Late one evening I also saw a young boy (who really should have been in bed, if not at least with an adult) using the area as a hiding place during a game of hide & seek. 
Who was going to look for a boy in there??? 

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 5/13/2023 at 5:15 PM, beach spring said:

Rambling on, I must add that the two ships offer so much more than all those loud, silly, bells and whistles of the megaships.  Not for us.  We Veendam passengers were able to dock in downtown Hamilton, Bermuda, while the big ships had to dock way outside.  Those passengers had to make their way somehow from the ship to the sites of interest on that island;  we just walked off and onto the ship, as we chose, for several nights.  

 

I don't need those loud, silly bells and whistles, either. My last cruise to Bermuda was more than 10 years ago, when Veendam was sailing out of NYC. It was my fourth or fifth to Bermuda, always docking on Front Street, and sometimes also in St Georges. I have no wish to be docked way out of town with the megas. 

[DCThunder]

Thanks for this review of Zaandam.  I'll be aboard her next Feb/March for a cruise up the Amazon and m looking forward to it.

 

To the OP, you'd probably like the Oosterdam/Westerdam, etc. class too.  A bit larger but same sort of elegant older ladies who've aged well and haven't taken up with gigolos after their money.😎

[BigMattT]

23 hours ago, Monarda55 said:

OP, you mentioned enjoying “finding cozy nooks to read” onboard. Would you care to share some of your favorites?  We’ll be on Zaandam in a few weeks and I’d love to have some advance intel on where the best nooks are. 🙂

 

Some are cozier than others— and it was usually a matter of moving different places when people started getting loud or events started…

 

During the day, the seats closest to the shops in the Mix bar (near the future cruise desk) were super comfy with a great view. Despite the foot traffic past it, the sounds from nearby activities were pretty much blocked, and it was a great quiet spot for reading.

 

Explorer’s Cafe/Library was very comfortable but also tended to have people playing board games and cards somewhat loudly at times. The explorer’s LOUNGE, however, had some seating tucked away by the windows that was great when there wasn’t a performance going on.

 

I had a thermal suite pass for the week, and sat in the “Greenhouse Relaxation Room” several times. Great view. Always quiet.

 

Atrium on deck 3 had some seating and rarely ever people down there. (The organ was either never played during our voyage or we missed it.)

Most surprisingly, there was booth seating in the lido buffet tucked away in a corner nearest to the pool end that was very comfortable and relatively quiet between most meal periods.

 

I will say that the Crows Nest on Zaandam was much louder than any of the other Crow’s Nests on other ships… I usually get through 2-3 books in the Crows Nest, but barely went up there on Zaandam.

 

Of course, depending on the weather, a lounger on the Promenade is unbeatable for watching the world go by between chapters.

[OlsSalt]

I loved "reading" my audio books onboard these smaller ships - plenty of places indoors and out  with just enough sound buffer when using the earphones.

 

Good thing with smaller ships you can easily survey where others have also found the quiet corners. And you can also easily move to a new spot, if things do get noisy or used for a public activity. 

[BigMattT]

10 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

I loved "reading" my audio books onboard these smaller ships - plenty of places indoors and out  with just enough sound buffer when using the earphones.

 

Good thing with smaller ships you can easily survey where others have also found the quiet corners. And you can also easily move to a new spot, if things do get noisy or used for a public activity. 

Comically, one night I seemed to be one stop ahead of the Bar Crawl in each venue I sat down in. I didn’t even realize there were Bar Crawls on HAL… but the bartender said they had 50 people the week before! For our voyage it was just 7 chanting and yelling between musician sets one night in the bars. Wild!

[terrydtx]

Thank you for your review, we are doing the Boston to Montreal cruise in August next year on the Volendam. This has been a bucket list cruise for us and we chose the Volendam over similar cruises on Viking Ocean and Oceania. We booked a Vista Suite in a B category and added Club Orange and got upgraded to a mid-ship A Vista Suit. The Premium early booking HIA promo was the big difference in us choosing the Volendam over the other cruise lines.

 

We like the smaller R class ships and the Volendam was our first HAL cruise back in 2007 and one of our favorite of all the 20 plus cruises we have done since. 

[LouChamp]

Aloha.  We have been blessed to sail HAL since the 1970s in various of their ships including the old Statendam.  We sailed the various R class ships during their inaugural seasons as well and really love their size, layouts and amenities. The newer classes beginning with the Zuiderdam are also enjoyable but their platforms are across the Carnival brands including Cunard and Carnival and Costa which we have sailed as well. Thus I agree with you heartily as the R class is unique to HAL and was sad to see some go. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha.  We have been blessed to sail HAL since the 1970s in various of their ships including the old Statendam.  We sailed the various R class ships during their inaugural seasons as well and really love their size, layouts and amenities. The newer classes beginning with the Zuiderdam are also enjoyable but their platforms are across the Carnival brands including Cunard and Carnival and Costa which we have sailed as well. Thus I agree with you heartily as the R class is unique to HAL and was sad to see some go. 

 

I like the Vista class. I've been on 3 of HAL's 4, plus Cunard's QE (my current favorite ship), and I'm trying QV this fall. I love the spa hydropool on the Vistas. That's the only amenity I find lacking on the R class ships. 

[terrydtx]

3 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha.  We have been blessed to sail HAL since the 1970s in various of their ships including the old Statendam.  We sailed the various R class ships during their inaugural seasons as well and really love their size, layouts and amenities. The newer classes beginning with the Zuiderdam are also enjoyable but their platforms are across the Carnival brands including Cunard and Carnival and Costa which we have sailed as well. Thus I agree with you heartily as the R class is unique to HAL and was sad to see some go. 

I hope keeping the last 2 R ships are in HAL's future plans for the longer and more unique itineraries they do. 

[BigMattT]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I like the Vista class. I've been on 3 of HAL's 4, plus Cunard's QE (my current favorite ship), and I'm trying QV this fall. I love the spa hydropool on the Vistas. That's the only amenity I find lacking on the R class ships. 

Yes, the small thermal suite whirlpool on Zaandam isn’t really sufficient in size. But I do love that little outside deck accessible only from the thermal suite. Was great to step outside into the 40 degree air after a steam :))

[margie1221]

12 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Thank you for your review, we are doing the Boston to Montreal cruise in August next year on the Volendam. This has been a bucket list cruise for us and we chose the Volendam over similar cruises on Viking Ocean and Oceania. We booked a Vista Suite in a B category and added Club Orange and got upgraded to a mid-ship A Vista Suit. The Premium early booking HIA promo was the big difference in us choosing the Volendam over the other cruise lines.

 

We like the smaller R class ships and the Volendam was our first HAL cruise back in 2007 and one of our favorite of all the 20 plus cruises we have done since. 

Hi Terry!!  We're boarding the Zaandam this Saturday for Maine and Nova Scotia - hope all is well with you and that we sail together again someday!!!

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, margie1221 said:

Hi Terry!!  We're boarding the Zaandam this Saturday for Maine and Nova Scotia - hope all is well with you and that we sail together again someday!!!

Hi Back to you!  We have 7 future cruises booked through March 2025. You can always join us for the Volendam cruise from Boston next year.  Other than 2 days in Niagara Falls in 2021 and getting on a cruise in Vancouver in 2019, this will be our first extensive trip in Canada. We are planning to spend 4 to 5 days post cruise exploring both Montreal and Quebec City too.

 

Have great cruise on the Zaandam next week.

Edited May 16, 2023 by terrydtx

[Monarda55]

Thanks so much everyone for the “nook” locations. I’m not one for live entertainment and would much rather scurry off somewhere and stick my nose in a book. I’m relieved to know there are so many places to go, and I’m looking forward to trying all of them out!  (It’s my first cruise btw.)

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, Monarda55 said:

Thanks so much everyone for the “nook” locations. I’m not one for live entertainment and would much rather scurry off somewhere and stick my nose in a book. I’m relieved to know there are so many places to go, and I’m looking forward to trying all of them out!  (It’s my first cruise btw.)

 

Welcome to cruising (and Cruise Critic)! Be warned, cruising can be addictive. 

 

Your screen name is one of my favorite plants!

[beach spring]

BigMatt, you mentioned reading while in a lounger on the promenade deck.  Are those loungers considered the "property" of the staterooms at that point or is it a "free" space?  I don't want to get into any arguments!  

 

My other question:  Can someone describe the afternoon teas, if those still exist?  I've seen lots of posts about meals but none about the teas which I enjoyed on a previous HAL cruise.  TIA

[Mary229]

2 minutes ago, beach spring said:

BigMatt, you mentioned reading while in a lounger on the promenade deck.  Are those loungers considered the "property" of the staterooms at that point or is it a "free" space?  I don't want to get into any arguments!  

 

My other question:  Can someone describe the afternoon teas, if those still exist?  I've seen lots of posts about meals but none about the teas which I enjoyed on a previous HAL cruise.  TIA

There are a select number of loungers belonging to the inhabitants of the lanai cabins.  They are clearly marked reserved.  The remainder are first come first serve 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Mary229

[beach spring]

Thank you, Mary, for clarifying.

[fkfad]

The afternoon teas are still held.  It is a very nice afternoon activity which we always enjoy!