Zaandam

[seaoma]

4 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Good tip.  I tend to run on the hot side so I carry a small travel fan.  It also helps my in-room laundry operation dry clothes faster. 😁 

 

I have a fan I travel with also. I will admit I hadn't thought of using it for the laundry hanging in the shower. Thanks for that tidbit.

[Banditswife]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

The Zaandam looks to be a good fit for a cruise up the Amazon.

We have Zaandam booked for the Amazon in 2025.  That is one of the reasons we booked her for this year.  I wanted to get a good feel for the ship before embarking on a 27 day journey.  I am enjoying everyone's comments about the condition of the ship.

[SargassoPirate]

6 hours ago, Banditswife said:

We have Zaandam booked for the Amazon in 2025.  That is one of the reasons we booked her for this year.  I wanted to get a good feel for the ship before embarking on a 27 day journey.  I am enjoying everyone's comments about the condition of the ship.

That's a good approach.  I went for the itinerary and booked the cruise without any previous experience on the Zaandam - trusting the comments and reviews of others. 

 

It will be an awesome cruise.

[Mosaic]

We were on the Zaandam earlier this year through the Panama Canal.  This Feb going on her again to the Amazon.  As you may know, the Zaandam is currently on a Grand Voyage to South America---including the Amazon.  So we will be getting a lot of info......

[CruiserBruce]

10 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

We were on the Zaandam earlier this year through the Panama Canal.  This Feb going on her again to the Amazon.  As you may know, the Zaandam is currently on a Grand Voyage to South America---including the Amazon.  So we will be getting a lot of info......

No, not yet. It is sailing from Montreal to Ft Lauderdale.

[Dutchman48]

23 hours ago, Hobcat said:

Just got off the Zaandam on 9/13 after 21 days. We thought the ship was in fine shape. Others may have a different opinion of course. 

Totally agree.

Spent 25 days on it last month and thought it was in great shape. She may be old but still a great ship to sail on.

[crystalspin]

8 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Crystal we are booked into a EE on promenade deck . will Hal be converting those showers  .Also didn't they replace all the TVs to the modern TVs ? 

Cliff, I know you book handicapped cabins -- the ones on Lower Promenade (probably everywhere on Zaandam) have always had large showers without threshholds (or very very low threshholds, hard to tell from photos). Here is 3391 on the Z'dam:

https://halfacts.com/r-class/3391-zaandam/

 

ETA: I don't know if they would convert a HC cabin from curtain to glass -- mighten curtain be easier with a shower-chair?

Edited September 26, 2023 by crystalspin

[crystalspin]

6 hours ago, FrankieSue said:

We were in H3398 and it was converted

Zaandam had another drydock in February 2022 -- good to know that other cabins got the update then. 

[mcrcruiser]

38 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Cliff, I know you book handicapped cabins -- the ones on Lower Promenade (probably everywhere on Zaandam) have always had large showers without threshholds (or very very low threshholds, hard to tell from photos). Here is 3391 on the Z'dam:

https://halfacts.com/r-class/3391-zaandam/

 

ETA: I don't know if they would convert a HC cabin from curtain to glass -- mighten curtain be easier with a shower-chair?

Crystal we booked into cabin 3429 which is the one full handicap with window facing the stern of the ship on the promenade deck . I saw a video  made by a handicapped person where they asked the cabin attendants to place the beds at a L in the cabin because there was not enough toom yo move around with his power chair having the 2 beds together . We also saw the vath & habdicap shower  . i use a electir scooter & my wife uses a Yollator large walker . I can walk short distances but she needs the walker all the time except  in our senior condo . 

 

 Thanks for your infomation . It all helps . We haven't neem on this small of a ship since we sailed the old ritterdam  in 2019 pre covid from Tampa to the Westwrn Caribbean . We normally sail the Mexican riviera itinerary on koningsdam & thise handicap cabins are quite large doe mobility pirposes .also large entry doors that open  & close electrically   .since the cruise is not until early april 2025 ,much can happen . 

 

We have a neighbor wjo owns a large home on many acres on Utah .He  said  that where he built is is 6500 ft elevation . We been to your state many times  to get to the national parks .Itah  is a lovely state 

Cliff

[Brewgirl1]

10 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

That's a good approach.  I went for the itinerary and booked the cruise without any previous experience on the Zaandam - trusting the comments and reviews of others. 

 

It will be an awesome cruise.

Hi, There is a roll call for this cruise, it's going to be a great trip!

[tartanmom]

We were in 6113 last year for the holiday cruise. Cabin had been totally renovated/updated and every thing was like new. Of all our cruises with HAL, this was the nicest, "newest" cabin we have ever had. 

[Btimmer]

We board in less than 2 weeks for the Grand SA for almost 3 months.  Look up my "BTimmer's Almost Live GSA" thread on this board for current information.  We sailed on it once before from Valparaiso to BA via Antartica in 2017 and were quite satisfied with it.

[WriterOnDeck]

23 hours ago, seaoma said:

 

It absolutely will be. I would need to get a fan for my cabin though. I like cool but I also like moving air and on some days, especially the warm ones, I felt our inside cabin was stuffy. I'm sure having any other cabin would not have helped my situation. It's just me.

Ask your cabin steward for a fan if you need it. No need to bring one.

[Banditswife]

13 hours ago, Brewgirl1 said:

Hi, There is a roll call for this cruise, it's going to be a great trip!

There are roll calls for both the 2024  & 2025 Amazon cruises.  Both are active roll calls.

[seaoma]

13 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Ask your cabin steward for a fan if you need it. No need to bring one.

 

Mine uses a USB and is small enough that I can take it anywhere. I really wanted it this year because we flew and I'd heard of several instances of planes waiting on the runways in this hot weather.

[SargassoPirate]

23 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Ask your cabin steward for a fan if you need it. No need to bring one.

I tried that in the past with mixed success, so rather than take my chances I take my own.  And I always use it, sometimes on a land tour where HVAC standards are lax.

[cabogal]

We're thinking of doing a Panama Cruise in 2024. Do either the Zaandam or the Volendam have the Music Walk like the Pinnacle class ships have? TIA

[CruiserBruce]

13 minutes ago, cabogal said:

We're thinking of doing a Panama Cruise in 2024. Do either the Zaandam or the Volendam have the Music Walk like the Pinnacle class ships have? TIA

No.

 

And the Pinnacle class ships can't go through the old locks. You want a ship that can go through the old locks. All the ships not in the Pinnacle class can go through the old locks.

[Banditswife]

4 hours ago, cabogal said:

We're thinking of doing a Panama Cruise in 2024. Do either the Zaandam or the Volendam have the Music Walk like the Pinnacle class ships have? TIA

N Amsterdam or Eurodam would be a good choice for Panama Canal if you are wanting a mid size ship with more bells & whistles.  We sailed NA thru Canal twice, it had more music venues than the smaller ships have.  Tamarind for a great specialty dining option.

[SargassoPirate]

16 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

No.

 

And the Pinnacle class ships can't go through the old locks. You want a ship that can go through the old locks. All the ships not in the Pinnacle class can go through the old locks.

First time through should be the original locks.  Second time, a partial transit into the new canal on one of the bigger ships is just as fascinating to see the difference in technology between the two.

 

JMHO, having done both.