Zuiderdam April 7 review

[seaisme]

:) Zuiderdam April 7. 2007

A wonderful cruise, enhanced by getting to know so many CC members! Captain Jeroen van Donselaar. Hotel manager Simon De Boer. Cruise director Trevor Millar. We traveled with my Sis, Brother-in-law and two nephews, ages 16 & 17.

 

Friday, April 6. Flew into Miami. Took limo to FFL and Hyatt Pier 66. Requested tower room with view of port to be able to see ships coming into dock Saturday morning. Paid extra $50...but had no view of the port. (they rebated us $25). We elected to have a light dinner since we would be eating non-stop starting Saturday! Not certain the Hyatt Pier 66 worth the money for such a short stay.

 

Saturday, April 7. Arrived at port at 10:30 and waited for Sis and family who arrived around 11:15. On board drinking fancy drinks and having lunch before noon. Check-in staff were great, especially checking in all six of us at once! HAL leads the industry on embarkation process. Boat drill at 4:15. Love seeing everyone in orange! Set sail at 5:19 pm... dinner at 8:00...everyone excited. meal delicious. "Didit", our server, was fantastic. :) Smile could melt an iceberg! (and we were in the Caribbean!). All attentive, including Asst. Diningroom manager who was promoted to diningroom manager mid-cruise and left us for another HAL ship..I believe it's the Oosterdam. Showtime "Under the Sun" and the Comedy of Jim Labriola. Hubby and Brother-in-law enjoyed show. I enjoyed the casino!

 

Sunday, April 8. EASTER. Mass at 8:00 am. HAL unique in the cruise industry in offering daily Masses on board. then off to HMC. Rented 2 clam shells and had a great day at the beach. Bar-B-Q good as always. wonderful beach day at 77 degrees with a light wind. Showtime was comedian Bob Cates. Mixed reviews. Crow's Nest had 50's/60's "prom night". Watched "Nana"...known by almost everyone on the ship as the 90-year-old celebrating her birthday with a wonderful group of women of all ages...dance the night away. she was incredible. it was formal night...got see Nephews in a suit for the first time! (ages 16 & 17).

 

Monday, April 9. At sea. CC Roll-Call members had our Meet and Greet. HAL surprised us with champagne, Mimosas, Bloody Mary's, punch and hot and cold appetizers. Hotel manager, Simon De Boer addressed the group and appologized for not being able to stay for an hour or more. So he took our cabin numbers and invited us to a very private reception later in the week. it was disappointing that some Roll-call members who confirmed attendance at the Meet and Greet did not attend. HAL went overboard on the drinks and food, and it was a shame that so much was wasted. so if you agree to participate in the future, please make every attempt to do so. it was a wonderful opportunity for our group to become acquainted...and we kept meeting each other for the rest of the cruise...so it was almost like family! Spent time in the Thermal Spa..it's worth the $20 fee...trust me. Showtime was the Zuiderdam cast in "Under the Boardwalk" musical review. Enjoyable. Karioki in the Northern Lights lounge...what fun. Daytime temp was 79 degrees.

 

Tuesday, April 10. St. Thomas. Booked a private tour with Sunny Liston Tours. Combo tour of shopping/island tour/ and beach time at Sapphire Beach. $25/pp. Great value. Guides were on time, friendly, and informative. We had the "happening" tour bus on the island. lots of music...and the entire group really got into the mood...singing and just having a great time. Hubby bought me a beautiful ring at Tanzenite. had a wonderful lunch in a Cafe right down the alley from the info booth along the waterfront (forgot it's name)...but had a great Grouper sandwich...and order any of their speciality drinks! YUM!!! Showtime was an adult late night comedy: Jim Labriola after dinner. And at 11:15 pm the Filipino Crew show (don't miss it). Pool party in the Lido from 8-10 pm.

 

Wednesday, April 11. Puerto Rico. One beautiful island! Another private tour, this time with Countryside Tours...Tony was our guide. Very knowledgeable about Puerto Rico and loved the island. Short hike through the rain forest. Really got to see the area. Tony left us off near the ship and recommended Raices for lunch. It was very good. Local menu/great food and drinks. Invited to a private party hosted by the Captain and Hotel Manager in the evening. VERY nice! had time to spend with our CC Roll Call Board members. Showtime was vocalist Alfreda Gerald. Hubby enjoyed show...I stayed in casino and won the progressive slot prize of $1300! YEA!!! (nothing like going home from a cruise WITH money!).

 

Thursday, April 12. Grand Turk. had a special invitation for a "Behind the Scenes" tour with hotel manager Simon De Boer. You wouldn't believe how CLEAN all areas of the ship are! Able to see all food prep areas, freezers/coolers and work areas. Then off for a wonderful day at Grand Turk. Loved the island. Caribbean 50 years ago. So undeveloped. Spent the day at Grand Turk Inn hosted by Sandy and Katrina. :) wonderful lunch...and their special island slaw is to die for! had a beautiful, private beach...floated the day away. Then showered off...and back to the port area. met up with Sis and Brother-in-law and had wings and drinks at Margaritaville. they went on a shell "hunt"...and found lots of wonderful shells. Back on board...it was formal night...with lobster (Yummy) and of course the Baked Alaska parade. The Zuiderdam cast did another show..."Stage and Screen"...with costumes by Bob Mackie.

 

Friday, April 13. (yes, Friday the 13th!). At sea. spent morning in the Thermal spa. (my best time for TRUE relaxation). Mariners Society reception at noon. Purchased several pieces of art at the auction in the afternoon. Attended a special invitation to a Q & A hosted by the hotel manager at 5:00. Folks, HAL really cares about what you think. There are no excuses for not putting your concerns forward. and Simon De Boer ( hotel manager) was FANTASTIC. he really wanted to improve service delivery. He listened intently and made lots of notes. packed in the late afternoon. Had the delightful Parmesan Chicken for dinner.

 

Saturday, April 14. Depart. :( . Got van to Thrifty car rental and then drove to Miami and spent the afternoon in South Beach. Had a wonderful lunch. Hubby got his fill of "bathing suit beauties". Flew out next morning. American Airlines lost our luggage and it was finally delivered late Tuesday after numerous calls to the airline.

 

Special notes:

 

Had an Ameretto (sp?) post dinner each evening in the dining room in a special glass (etched with HAL logo). A good purchase and ended up with a beautiful collection of shot glasses.

 

Food was very good. We each gained more than 5 pounds. Try the hot sandwiches (veggie) in the late afternoon in the Lido as a snack if you have a late dining time. We had breakfast delivered to our cabin each morning. It arrived precisely on time, hot, and exactly what we ordered.

 

We took wine on board for our use in our cabin...HAL is one of the few lines that allows wine to be brought on board. It was great havinig a glass on our aft verandah in the evening to watch the sunset.

 

The Ocean Bar (deck 3 outside the dining room) was wonderful pre-dinner each night. We loved watching folks dance. And the musicians were fantastic. Nice appetizers, too.

 

If you want to purchase liquor in San Juan...do it at the terminal BEFORE you leave the port area. At the terminal, there is no tax (on the island...it's a 7% tax). and it's difficult to find on shore. We got off a little early, purchased our liquor, then walked it back to the ship for 'storage", and then off for the day. Easy. Covenient. or just do it at the end of the day and pick it up on your way back onto the ship.

 

Not everything went smoothly. Room keys didn't work for the first half of the cruise. But they were dogged about getting the problem fixed...and the front office staff were great in helping you replace your card. Bartender in the Sports Bar could have smiled once in a while. And the drink cards were confusing...we got different answers every time we used them. But the hotel manager took note of all the issues, and I can guarantee you that he WILL have them resolved!

 

There was a group of teens who were VERY disruptive...and who severely damaged one of the elevators and other property (they broke several charis, etc.). They hung out in the halls, drinking and smoking (not tobacco), and were just plain disgusting. Parents, please have better oversight of your children. There were many other teens whose parents wouldn't allow them to use the Loft area due to this disruptive group. And that was a loss for them. Our Nephews included. They just didn't want to be anywhere near these kids. (it was a Holiday week and Spring Break, so there were more kids than usual on the cruise).

 

We were so very impressed with Simon (hotel manager). He connected with the passengers...and staff. And his focus was on making the Zuiderdam the best in the industry. I do a lot of leadership development...and I can tell you that he is a good leader...and as a result, the staff are positive and happy...which translates to excellent customer service.

 

You won't be disappointed on a cruise with HAL. We're booked again for February (Southern Caribbean) and also booked a future cruise while on board for $100 deposit each. (good for four years). So we're thinking that it would be fun to cruise next December in the Mexican Riveria to celebrate my 60th birthday.

 

Hope this post helps future cruisers. Please post specific questions. And if I can't answer, I know our CC group members will know the answer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[seaisme]

please note that this review on the Zuiderdam is VERy positive. don't know how the wrong 'face" indicator appeared on the thread.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

please note that this review on the Zuiderdam is VERy positive. don't know how the wrong 'face" indicator appeared on the thread.

 

Actually, the "angry" face may ensure that LOTS of people read your review;) . I'm impressed with your writing, and also with your positive attitude which took the good and the not-so-good in stride. I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves. Thanks very much for taking the time to write about your Zuiderdam cruise. Glad to hear you were finally reunited with your luggage!

 

Karin

 

ps You can send an email to hostwalt@cruisecritic.com and ask him to please change the icon for your thread, if you wish. He's pretty handy at doing things like that :-)

[fatcat04]

:)

 

Sunday, April 8. EASTER. Mass at 8:00 am. HAL unique in the cruise industry in offering daily Masses on board.

 

 

Thanks for the great review!! I really enjoyed reading it. I had not even thought of HAL for the carib (thiknking more Alaska or Mexican Riviera) but your review is making me think that might be fun. :)

 

Also, just to let you know, on the Costa Mediterranea (not sure abt the other Costa ships) there was a daily Catholic mass in the onboard chapel. Pretty little chapel too.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. Glad you had a great cruise. Sorry about the children.

[SmokinActuary]

I had the good fortune to meet Simon and he is a true gentleman and from speaking with the front office staff he is great to work for.

[earl_m]

I am glad you had a great time. thats what cruising is all about.

[Odd Ball]

Great review. :)

Sorry you had a pack of wild teens. Hal needs to take control of this.

[BaltimoreCruise]

I was also on the April 7 Zuiderdam cruise. Great review. It was a pleasure to meet you and other CC members at the CC events and all over the ship. I hope to post my review by early next week. I am working on it. I would be happy to answer any questions.

 

BaltimoreCruise

[iflyrc5]

We are on the Zuiderdam for the Repo cruise 22 April - 12 May. Of the activities that are available during the sea days are there any that are a don't miss :) and are there any that are a bust:mad: ?? Did they have cooking demonstrations in the Culinery Arts Center?

 

Also - I understand they have laundry service by the bag - about how much can you fit in a bag (let's say Shirts) and what is the cost per bag - I have read $12 on one posting and $24 on another.

 

Thanks for any and all help.

[ldog]

Thanks for the review. Good thing your luggage was lost on the return flight not your out-going.:) Just to let you rest up for the laundry!

[hammybee]

Thank you for making the time to write a well balanced review. You sound like a lot of fun with the ability to obtain the best from every experience.

 

"Teens hanging out in the halls drinking and smoking" sounds like something management might be interested in. 18 year olds can easily acquire alcohol in most ports and oftentimes parents buy for the kids, figuring the ship is a safe place to consume. Or perhaps, some were college kids over 21, impressing the younger teens. It's curious they did not take it into the cabin.

 

As for smoking the evil weed :) .......better to be busted on HAL than in a port. Nothing like having your kid hauled away by the local Police looking to make an example, to ruin a family vacation.

[localady]

Thanks for the nice review!! I do have to admit, when I saw the angry smilie I was a little concerned. Great to hear you actually really enjoyed the cruise!!:D

[noblepa]

Seaisme,

 

My wife and I were on that cruise, as well. I did not see the gang of teens that you referred to. They must have hung out on your deck and not ours. Just another example of how two people can be on the same ship at the same time and have different experiences.

 

Like you, we had a great time, although our dining room waiter was not the best.

 

I did get your note on Wednesday, but the note said that the party was "tomorrow (wed.) at 7:30". Since it was on our door on Wednesday afternoon, I wasn't sure when it really was. We had dinner in the PG on Wednesday, so we couldn't have made it, anyway. Thanks for the invitiation, though. Maybe next time.

 

Normally, I agree with you about the Ocean Bar. However, on one of the last nights (Friday, maybe?), we stopped by at about 7:35 for a drink before dinner at 8:00. Should have been plenty of time, right? It took over ten minutes to even have our order taken. We ended up not receiving our drinks until just a couple of minutes before 8:00, and no bill. After several more minutes waiting, I went to the bar and asked for my bill. We ended up being almost ten minutes late for dinner. I had to carry my drink with me to the dining room. To be fair, they were VERY crowded that night, but still...

 

On the whole, though, it was as wonderful as you describe. Nothing ever goes perfectly well and its silly to let a couple of little things ruin a vacation you've waited months or years for, as some people do. We were on a Holland America ship and missed several inches of snow back home in Cleveland!

[Crusing Bob]

seaisme-Grand Turk- did you do any snorkeling when at the Inn? Bob

[hammybee]

 

Just another example of how two people can be on the same ship at the same time and have different experiences. QUOTE]

 

This is so basic and so true, it's worth repeating.

[seaisme]

by the way...the Cafe in St. Thomas was Glady's. It's received good reviews on the Boards and was a nice place to stop. We had a mixed drink there that was to die for...tasted like a chocolate/coffee milkshake...but had three different rums in it! SMOOTH!

 

Folks on boards also raved about the banana daquari at Mountain Top (St. Thomas)...overlooking Megan's Bay. It was OK...but rather "icy". perhaps if it had been a VERY hot day it would have hit the spot better.

 

As for the teens, apparently one of the group was in the corner aft cabin (two doors down from us). So we got to experience them quite frequently...until the episode with the damaged elevator...then they weren't seen in the halls again. I personally feel it's the parents responsibility to assure appropriate conduct for their children...and not HAL. It's a delicate balance for the cruise line...HAL tries to assure that each passenger, regardless of age, has a memorable experience.

[Jade13]

Great review! I initially thought it was going to be negative because of the mad smiley.