The Zuiderdam 7/31 review you waited for !!!

[superstein61]

Superstein61

 

Somebody just posted they were refused a second entree in the dining room , did you hear or experience anything like that ??

 

Srpilo

Srpilo - I do not know about this - no one at our table requested a 2nd entree. I did have extra steak at the on deck BBQ qith no problem but I can't comment on a 2nd entree in the dining room.

 

I will say one day, my daughter not liking any of the appetizers, soup or salad - asked our waiter if by chance they had any shrimp cocktail hidden away that he could bring her. he said, no, no - but a little bit later, he did bring a goblet filled with the small, baby shrimp (the kind they use on salads).

[superstein61]

Superstein61-

I'm loving your review. We are doing this itinerary in November. Your Tortola review was so helpful. I am glad to know we can do the Baths on our own. I was under the impression that you couldn't get there w/o doing the ship excursion.

A few questions-

Were there chairs and umbrellas to rent at the baths or do you just bring a towel to lay on?

Can you give me an idea of the price per person you paid each way for Smith's ferry and safari taxi to the Baths?

Is there a Bath's entrance fee?

When you left the baths, did you have to call a taxi or did Smith's safari came back at a prearranged time?

Just trying tofigure out how much cash we'll need.

Thanks so much for the info. You have been so patient answering everyone's comments.

Cookwise - thanks.

 

yes - going to the Baths on your own is pretty easy.

 

No chairs or umbrellas on the beach - we just laid on the towels from the ship. There is a small bar there and several picnic tables under a shelter if you want out of the sun for a while. Plus the beach isn't that wide - so you could sit near the back of it and be in some shade if you wanted.

 

If I recall correctly, it was $19 per person for a roundtrip ferry ride which included roundtrip taxi to the baths. I may be off a few dollars as it was chaotic that morning in Tortola - but I think that was it.

 

There is a small charge at the Baths - $2 or $3 per adult I recall.

 

No need to call a taxi when leaving - we prearranged a return time with the safari taxi that dropped us off in the morning

[superstein61]

Superstein61

 

Have enjoyed reading your review of your cruise on the Zuiderdam.

 

By the way - what part of the Pittsburgh area are you from?

Thanks. We live in the South Hills portion of Pittsburgh

[superstein61]

Great Review

You said that you stopped at a supermarket and purchased soda in 12 packs. My question is how did you get the 12 packs on board. Did anyone from HAL say anything about the soda and where did you store the soda once you had it on the ship. Did your room have a small fridge.

Thanks Again

 

Bill and Kate

 

We are on the Zuiderdam Oct 16th

Thanks Bill and Kate. I carried two 12 packs of soda in my carryon on board. Went thru HALs caryon luggage screening and all - and no one stopped or questioned me. Could have been 24 cans of beer for all they knew - but they didn't bother to check.

 

The room does have a small fridge - but its full with HALs minibar. We just kept the soda in our closest - and our room steward did a terrific job ensuring our ice bucket was always full.

 

i am sure you could probably remove some of the mini-bar things if you wanted to refrigerate a few cans - but with the readily available ice, we saw no need to

[Vic The Parrot]

Hey dude

 

Nice review. It gave the essence of your trip.

 

 

 

But.....

 

 

Did you REALLY bring a blender with you? LOL

Where did you pack it? Didn't security give you a hard time?

Just had to ask. I heard someplace that it's a no-no

packing electronic equipment in baggage.

 

I guess if you were'nt hassled, I can pack my portable radio

in my suitcase next time I fly.

 

Thanks for your input

 

 

vic

[Cookwise]

Superstein 61-

 

What were your port hours in Nassau? I have seen conflicting times on many websites. Some say 12-6, others 12-7, and HAL says 12-9. I hestitate to take HAL at its word due to the many port changes they've made recently to this itinerary. What time did you have to be back on the ship? I may try to do the Atlantis/ Comfort Suites day and am trying to figure out if I really have the time to do it or not.

 

Thanks again!

[superstein61]

Hey dude

 

Nice review. It gave the essence of your trip.

 

 

 

But.....

 

 

Did you REALLY bring a blender with you? LOL

Where did you pack it? Didn't security give you a hard time?

Just had to ask. I heard someplace that it's a no-no

packing electronic equipment in baggage.

 

I guess if you were'nt hassled, I can pack my portable radio

in my suitcase next time I fly.

 

Thanks for your input

 

 

vic

Vic

 

Thanks. Yes - I really brought my blender :D But its one of those handheld portable blenders like this:

 

http://www.consumer.philips.com/global/b2c/dap/catalog/subcategory.jhtml;jsessionid=5LZTPZ3JI4XK3J0RMRERX2VHKFSEKHAW?divId=1&groupId=MYKITCHEN&catId=MYK_BLENDINGANDJUICING&subCatId=BL_HANDBLENDERS

 

 

No problem at all with security.

 

Don't leave home without your trusty blender !!!:D

[superstein61]

Superstein 61-

 

What were your port hours in Nassau? I have seen conflicting times on many websites. Some say 12-6, others 12-7, and HAL says 12-9. I hestitate to take HAL at its word due to the many port changes they've made recently to this itinerary. What time did you have to be back on the ship? I may try to do the Atlantis/ Comfort Suites day and am trying to figure out if I really have the time to do it or not.

 

Thanks again!

Cookwise - port times in Nassau were 12-7. I believe you had to be back on board by 6:30 at the latest (can't say for sure since we were back earlier - but I do know they let go all lines to sail away at 7pm (and based on all the other ports - this usually occurred 30 minutes after last call to be onboard).

[superstein61]

Sorry - been busy lately - will hopefully finish the last couple sections of the review soon

[RevNeal]

superstein61, NEVER feel you have to apologize for being busy in the "real world"!!! We all know that -- GASP -- there are times when a few things must take priority over what happens here!!!! ;)

[HeatherInFlorida]

Well, Superstein, we're back and thankfully I didn't miss your review of the old fogies:D . And now I really do feel old because on our way back from beautiful Fernandina Beach, we did an overnight at DisneyWorld with our grandchildren. What an experience. And I can safely say, never again in Magic Kingdom. Epcot, yes, but we've seen the last of the Magic Kingdom.

 

And now, back to cruising and Superstein's next installment!:eek:

[Peggy Sue]

thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

We have had the pleasure of enjoying the chocolate volcano at Roys in Hawaii..in fact, we loved it so much we purchased the kit to make them at home...everyone loves them. Thanks for reminding me of a happy hawaii memory! The night we dined in the Pinnacle (May 03/Zuiderdam) we were NOT impressed. Service was VERY BAD, my steak, which I order rare, was almost well done, they did bring out another one, but it was medium, and DH was finshed with his meal, so I just gave up. I thought the sides were just so-so and our volcano cake was really soupy..like it hadn't been fully cooked. We canceled reservations for later in the week.

 

We will be on the volendam later this year and we will try again..every kitchen, wait staff etc. is different. Well see..maybe this time we will be singing their praises. We did enjoy all the other meals on the zuiderdam.

 

We stayed at the Marriott last year and used their shuttle..got on the first one. we had a room in the tower that overlooked the inner coastal waterway. They originally put us in a room that did indeed overlook the curise port, but it smelled so badly of cig smoke that we immediately asked to be moved. we'll be staying there again in Nov. prior to our Volendam cruise. Maybe we'll luck out and the construction will be over??!!

 

Sailaway - we've sailed on Disney twice - 3 night and 4 night cruises. Agree their sail away parties are quite festive..but I think it goes along with the overall feel of the ship. Obviously they have a lot of kids on board and they do a great job getting family up and jumping around with all the disney gang. We enjoy being out, listening to the music, having and drink and watching land slip away as we sail out to sea. I don't recall the hal sailway last year..i think we had a downpour during the safety drill, and we just stayed on our verandah sipping drinks and happy to be under way.

 

Looking forward to the remainder of your review.

[gliles]

Sorry to dredge up an old post but I was really into it and then it just stopped, I thought there was to be one more part? :eek:

[superstein61]

Sorry to dredge up an old post but I was really into it and then it just stopped, I thought there was to be one more part? :eek:

gliles - yes - I stopped before finishing. Got busy with school starting back up - coaching 2 youth soccer teams (which is taking up 4 or 5 nights a week) and lately with helping with the flood cleanup. I have been meaning to finish it - but haven't found the time and motivation to sit down and do so lately.

 

I will try though