TR 9-5-08 Zuiderdam 12 day Barcelona to Venice

[Sunshinecrew]

We returned 9-18-08 from Venice after having had the trip of a lifetime aboard Holland America's Zuiderdam!

 

For the most part, everything went very smoothly and according to plan. Best trip ever!

 

Getting through immigration and customs in Barcelona was very quick and Holland America representatives were waiting just feet from the baggage claim area to load our luggage and lead us to a waiting bus. We arrived at the new terminal D around 9 AM and had to wait until 10:30 to check in and board. We were not allowed to go to our cabins until 1:30 PM and our luggage did not arrive until around 2:00. We were tired and that proved a challenge but the wait is understandable and at least we were on board.

 

We had a veranda cabin, 5020. It was a smaller cabin than on any previous cruises we've taken (this was our first on Holland America. There were only two very small drawers on each side of the bed in nightstands and though there was plenty of hanging space in the closets, they were too short to hang pants or long clothing and the shelves were not adjustable. In the main cabin, there was a desk/bar/dressing table combination and a small sofa with table in front. The king sized mattress was so comfortable that I'm already missing it. We were traveling with another couple in the cabin next door so our cabin steward opened the balcony divider between us which was very convenient. The bathroom has a medicine cabinet and large shelf under the sink so storing items there was no problem. The hair dryer can be found in a side cabinet under the dressing table in the main cabin.

 

While there were complaints in a previous post about toilet problems and odors on level five as well as in public restrooms on the Zuiderdam, and dirty glasses, this was not our experience. The ship was very clean and lovely. I was impressed with how easy it was to get elevators...not my experience on previous cruise ships.

 

As You Wish Dining worked perfectly for us. We appeared without reservation at all hours...from six to nine and there was never a long line and we never had to wait. We did agree to sit with another couple on three different nights rather than wait even a short time. Two of those occasions were delightful and one, unfortunately, a bore. The food was very good though service is certainly not what it used to be with fixed dining when tips are at your own discretion. The automatic deduction for the tip pool did free us from having to decide what to tip and handing out those envelopes...a process I've never felt comfortable doing. Our biggest problem was with wine stewards/bar staff in the dining room as they often didn't appear to take our drink orders until we were into our first course. I suppose we could have just refused to order food until we were served wine/drinks. All in all, I think the reduced service is a good trade off for being able to set your own schedule.

 

The food on the Lido deck wasn't up to par with the dining room but was adequate and sometimes quite good. Lines could be long and finding a table a challenge at times, but nothing that a little patience couldn't cure. I do have to say that some of the service staff there acted as if they were doing us a favor.

 

We took full advantage of room service breakfast due to early tours and found the ice machine on the floor to help ourselves after that provided by the cabin steward melted. Breakfast was always on time and as ordered. Only the toast arrived cold.

 

The Pinnacle Grill was a delight. The service was fabulous as was the food. I never passed it when it was full, however. Some nights I wondered how they can even justify having it.

 

We used the "By the Bag" laundry service for $15.00 once. It took 48 hours. I was worried because I sent some items I was afraid they would shrink or would wrinkle badly but all came back neatly hung, folded and shrink and wrinkle free.

 

The soda card is NOT a deal. I would never do it again. For one punch you are entitled to one half of a can (sometimes flat). Two punches to ensure a whole unopened can equals the same price as buying one from the bar. It's easier just to use your room card to purchase a soda.

 

You do not need to go to a particular place to sign up and pay for Internet service. Just start your computer, find the wireless network, and open Internet Explorer. You will be led through the steps of signing up and paying.

 

The wireless Internet service was erratic. Though always slower than broadband, it worked quite well at times and at others it was down completely or keep hanging up or tossed me off. I had the same strength signal in my cabin as I did in the Explorer's Lounge Internet area.

 

WARNING: If you do not log off with the HTML address they give you you will continue to be charged with minutes! Always log off as described. If you have problems, take your laptop up to The Explorer's Lounge and tell the Internet specialist. He was very good to credit back minutes to our account on several occasions. More than we actually deserved!

 

We arrived late for a couple of shows and could not find an empty seat. We also had trouble finding seats in the screening room for movies.

 

Frankly, one thing that might keep us from choosing Holland America again is that we felt it not quite age appropriate for us. We are sixty yet the majority seemed to be more seventy-eighty-ish. The string quartet, piano bar and ballroom dancing were nice touches but a bit of a yawn.

 

The tours we chose to take through Holland America also went quite smoothly and were on time. Just very expensive.

 

We did our own thing in Barcelona by hiring a taxi driver at the port to take us to several sights we wanted to see. This saved us a lot of walking, especially uphill to Park Guell. The Gaudi architecture was magnificent. Don't miss going into the apartment and to the roof of La Peradeta. We then had the taxi driver drop us in the Bari Gotic and walked from there to have a fabulous and inexpensive dinner at Les Quinze Nits just off La Rambla in Placa Reial. The line is very long so arrive right before eight when they open. We continued to walk after dinner and finally flagged down another taxi to take us back to the ship. Be sure you know the name of your terminal as we didn't and the driver didn't speak very good English.

 

Taxis in Barcelona, especially for four, are actually cheaper than the shuttle bus to and from the ship and you certainly do not want to walk it.

 

The duty free shop inside the Terminal D at Barcelona has the cheapest soft drinks of any place and we had no problem bringing them aboard there as well as from Katakolon's duty free shop at that port. There was no problem bringing wine and vodka aboard either.

 

We did the "Jewels of the Cote D'Azur" ship's tour in Monte Carlo. The French Riveria around Nice was breathtakingly beautiful. I am so glad that we got out of Monte Carlo and had the chance to see the coast. Eze is quite a strenuous climb but charming.

 

In Italy, we hired Rome in Limo for all three ports and they were absolutely fantastic. We beat the ship's tour buses to each location and were able to add additional ones that the ship's tours were unable to fit in. Rome in Limo has permits to drive right up to the front of the buildings and let passengers off so our walking was cut down considerably. We saw more, walked less and had fabulous meals at restaurants they recommended based on our desires. (Best pizza ever at Insalata Ricca behind the Vatican) They knew all the best toilet stops as well! Jany was a delight to work with for scheduling and our driver/guides, Gian, Duman (the owner) and Luca were entertaining, knowledgeable, well dressed and spoke excellent English. The Mercedes mini vans were very comfortable. Divided by two couples, we paid only slightly more than the cruise tours but gained so very much more.

 

The villages of San Gimignano in Tuscany and Taormina in Sicily were delightful. Quaint, wonderful photo ops and great shopping.

 

The town of Navplion is also delightful and I'm sorry that we didn't just stay there instead of taking the ship's tour to Corinth.

 

We had visited Olympia on another cruise so stayed in port in Katakolon. There's not much to it but we did buy some souvenirs and had a great lunch on the quay. Hubby rented a scooter and got lost out in the country side which was quite an adventure.

 

Corfu was very disappointing in that it is so dirty and unkept. They have such a beautiful island and don't take care of it. Perhaps they can not afford to. However, a little picking up, washing, watering and paint would certainly help. We took the ship's tour "Palaces of Corfu" which covered a large driving area, two palaces and one other photo stop. We enjoyed the tour. We were to get off and stay in town for the afternoon but it rained hard so we returned to the ship.

 

It also rained in beautiful Dubrovnik, but we took a chance and used our AT&T Blackberry cell phone from the ship to call the cell phone of a taxi driver, Rade (roll the R and say R-R-Rah day) that we learned about in a post on the Med boards. He met us at the ship and we spent six hours with him. He was fabulous! Hoping that it would stop raining before walking the wall in Old Town, he drove us first to Cavtat where we had coffee with him, walked about, shopped, drove up, parked and walked to the terrace of a hotel for fabulous views and photos and then drove up to Napolean's fort on tiny cliff-hanging roads for the same, and finally back to the old city but it was still raining so we walked a bit, ate lunch and never did get up on the wall. Rade brought to life the people, their political plight, life during the war as well as the city's history and sights. To call when in port, his cell number is: 098-847-152. Before you go call: 0038-98-847-152. He is 61 and says he is too old to learn the internet so does not have a web site or email. His daughter was to send me her email but has not yet.

 

Venice is incredible. But being there was like being at Disneyworld over Spring Break. I never dreamed it would be so crowded. We could barely move all over Venice or on the Vaporettos. St Mark's Square was flooded and only two boardwalks had been erected and it was chaos to try to walk them. We tried to enter the square from three different gates and could not get in very far. We gave up. We spent an extra night in Venice at Hotel Principe and spent most of the second day on the island of Murano. We enjoyed that a lot as the crowds were thin and we bought lots of small glass gifts.

 

Disembarkation from the ship went smoothly as well. Warning: If you are going to get your own water taxi from the port, be sure to line it up in advance (as we did) as the lines were very long to get one.

 

Upon returning home, I discovered that I had lost my camera. After several calls, I was directed to the Lost and Found at the Venice airport and fortunately they have it! Now I have to figure out how to hire someone to go pick it up and ship it to me, as well as fax permission for them to do so along with a copy of my passport. The airport will not ship it.

 

I've probably forgotten something so please feel free to ask questions.

 

Glynda

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your wonderful review.

 

I enjoyed reading it.

[jools28]

Thanks for your review after some of the other reviews this was a great to read.

 

Also for the tips in port if you need help getting your camara Glynda let us know, not sure if we can help but will fly out of the airport October 24th.

 

Jules

[Sunshinecrew]

Thank you so much. I'm hoping that my travel agent will be able to arrange something this week. Hope you have a great trip.

[sneffles]

Thank you so much. I'm hoping that my travel agent will be able to arrange something this week. Hope you have a great trip.

 

We'll be in Venice for two days prior to our cruise on the Zuiderdam (leaving Oct. 23), so if you haven't figured out how to get your camera let me know and I will try to pick it up for you. They'll probably want a pint of blood to release it LOL.

How much did the taxi/tour in Dubrovnik cost???

[Sunshinecrew]

We'll be in Venice for two days prior to our cruise on the Zuiderdam (leaving Oct. 23), so if you haven't figured out how to get your camera let me know and I will try to pick it up for you. They'll probably want a pint of blood to release it LOL.

How much did the taxi/tour in Dubrovnik cost???

 

Thanks!

 

We were two couples who split the 240 Euro cost plus tip. It depends upon how long you stay with him and where he takes you. You can negotiate that. It was cheaper than ship tours for four but Dubrovnik is a town you can do yourself with just a cab ride to the Old City if you just want to stay there and wander.

[Infrequentcruisers]

Thank you so much for your great review of your trip on the Z, Glynda. We will be taking a cruise aboard the Z leaving Venice Oct 23rd to Ft. Lauderdale arriving Nov 9th. This will be our 3rd HA cruise, the last one on the Z from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale last Sept. (repositioning cruise). We are booked in cabin VB6039, the same size cabin as you had. Last year we had a Superior cabin which is large than the VB cabin. It had tons of storage room, pleanty of drawers, closet space, etc. Hoping we will not find the VB cabin too small.

Our first port will be Dubrovnik, and I was wondering about using Rade the taxi driver. I will have a cell phone but do not know if it will work there. You list two phone numbers to call him, so I am a bit confused on that score.

We also have a stop at Corfu, so we may take the "Palaces of Corfu" tour.

Our 4th port of call is Civitavecchia (Rome). Altough we have been to Rome before, we want to visit the Vatican again and I was wondering where you were able to hired Rome in Limo and what the cost was. We are scheduled to arrive in Venice by air at 9am. The Z is scheduled to leave at 5pm. Would you recommend trying to see anything of Venice in such a short time span?

Thanks for any suggestions.

InfrequentCruisers

[bdaycruisers]

We returned 9-18-08 from Venice after having had the trip of a lifetime aboard Holland America's Zuiderdam!

 

For the most part, everything went very smoothly and according to plan. Best trip ever!

 

Getting through immigration and customs in Barcelona was very quick and Holland America representatives were waiting just feet from the baggage claim area to load our luggage and lead us to a waiting bus. We arrived at the new terminal D around 9 AM and had to wait until 10:30 to check in and board. We were not allowed to go to our cabins until 1:30 PM and our luggage did not arrive until around 2:00. We were tired and that proved a challenge but the wait is understandable and at least we were on board.

 

We had a veranda cabin, 5020. It was a smaller cabin than on any previous cruises we've taken (this was our first on Holland America. There were only two very small drawers on each side of the bed in nightstands and though there was plenty of hanging space in the closets, they were too short to hang pants or long clothing and the shelves were not adjustable. In the main cabin, there was a desk/bar/dressing table combination and a small sofa with table in front. The king sized mattress was so comfortable that I'm already missing it. We were traveling with another couple in the cabin next door so our cabin steward opened the balcony divider between us which was very convenient. The bathroom has a medicine cabinet and large shelf under the sink so storing items there was no problem. The hair dryer can be found in a side cabinet under the dressing table in the main cabin.

 

While there were complaints in a previous post about toilet problems and odors on level five as well as in public restrooms on the Zuiderdam, and dirty glasses, this was not our experience. The ship was very clean and lovely. I was impressed with how easy it was to get elevators...not my experience on previous cruise ships.

 

As You Wish Dining worked perfectly for us. We appeared without reservation at all hours...from six to nine and there was never a long line and we never had to wait. We did agree to sit with another couple on three different nights rather than wait even a short time. Two of those occasions were delightful and one, unfortunately, a bore. The food was very good though service is certainly not what it used to be with fixed dining when tips are at your own discretion. The automatic deduction for the tip pool did free us from having to decide what to tip and handing out those envelopes...a process I've never felt comfortable doing. Our biggest problem was with wine stewards/bar staff in the dining room as they often didn't appear to take our drink orders until we were into our first course. I suppose we could have just refused to order food until we were served wine/drinks. All in all, I think the reduced service is a good trade off for being able to set your own schedule.

 

The food on the Lido deck wasn't up to par with the dining room but was adequate and sometimes quite good. Lines could be long and finding a table a challenge at times, but nothing that a little patience couldn't cure. I do have to say that some of the service staff there acted as if they were doing us a favor.

 

We took full advantage of room service breakfast due to early tours and found the ice machine on the floor to help ourselves after that provided by the cabin steward melted. Breakfast was always on time and as ordered. Only the toast arrived cold.

 

The Pinnacle Grill was a delight. The service was fabulous as was the food. I never passed it when it was full, however. Some nights I wondered how they can even justify having it.

 

We used the "By the Bag" laundry service for $15.00 once. It took 48 hours. I was worried because I sent some items I was afraid they would shrink or would wrinkle badly but all came back neatly hung, folded and shrink and wrinkle free.

 

The soda card is NOT a deal. I would never do it again. For one punch you are entitled to one half of a can (sometimes flat). Two punches to ensure a whole unopened can equals the same price as buying one from the bar. It's easier just to use your room card to purchase a soda.

 

You do not need to go to a particular place to sign up and pay for Internet service. Just start your computer, find the wireless network, and open Internet Explorer. You will be led through the steps of signing up and paying.

 

The wireless Internet service was erratic. Though always slower than broadband, it worked quite well at times and at others it was down completely or keep hanging up or tossed me off. I had the same strength signal in my cabin as I did in the Explorer's Lounge Internet area.

 

WARNING: If you do not log off with the HTML address they give you you will continue to be charged with minutes! Always log off as described. If you have problems, take your laptop up to The Explorer's Lounge and tell the Internet specialist. He was very good to credit back minutes to our account on several occasions. More than we actually deserved!

 

We arrived late for a couple of shows and could not find an empty seat. We also had trouble finding seats in the screening room for movies.

 

Frankly, one thing that might keep us from choosing Holland America again is that we felt it not quite age appropriate for us. We are sixty yet the majority seemed to be more seventy-eighty-ish. The string quartet, piano bar and ballroom dancing were nice touches but a bit of a yawn.

 

The tours we chose to take through Holland America also went quite smoothly and were on time. Just very expensive.

 

We did our own thing in Barcelona by hiring a taxi driver at the port to take us to several sights we wanted to see. This saved us a lot of walking, especially uphill to Park Guell. The Gaudi architecture was magnificent. Don't miss going into the apartment and to the roof of La Peradeta. We then had the taxi driver drop us in the Bari Gotic and walked from there to have a fabulous and inexpensive dinner at Les Quinze Nits just off La Rambla in Placa Reial. The line is very long so arrive right before eight when they open. We continued to walk after dinner and finally flagged down another taxi to take us back to the ship. Be sure you know the name of your terminal as we didn't and the driver didn't speak very good English.

 

Taxis in Barcelona, especially for four, are actually cheaper than the shuttle bus to and from the ship and you certainly do not want to walk it.

 

The duty free shop inside the Terminal D at Barcelona has the cheapest soft drinks of any place and we had no problem bringing them aboard there as well as from Katakolon's duty free shop at that port. There was no problem bringing wine and vodka aboard either.

 

We did the "Jewels of the Cote D'Azur" ship's tour in Monte Carlo. The French Riveria around Nice was breathtakingly beautiful. I am so glad that we got out of Monte Carlo and had the chance to see the coast. Eze is quite a strenuous climb but charming.

 

In Italy, we hired Rome in Limo for all three ports and they were absolutely fantastic. We beat the ship's tour buses to each location and were able to add additional ones that the ship's tours were unable to fit in. Rome in Limo has permits to drive right up to the front of the buildings and let passengers off so our walking was cut down considerably. We saw more, walked less and had fabulous meals at restaurants they recommended based on our desires. (Best pizza ever at Insalata Ricca behind the Vatican) They knew all the best toilet stops as well! Jany was a delight to work with for scheduling and our driver/guides, Gian, Duman (the owner) and Luca were entertaining, knowledgeable, well dressed and spoke excellent English. The Mercedes mini vans were very comfortable. Divided by two couples, we paid only slightly more than the cruise tours but gained so very much more.

 

The villages of San Gimignano in Tuscany and Taormina in Sicily were delightful. Quaint, wonderful photo ops and great shopping.

 

The town of Navplion is also delightful and I'm sorry that we didn't just stay there instead of taking the ship's tour to Corinth.

 

We had visited Olympia on another cruise so stayed in port in Katakolon. There's not much to it but we did buy some souvenirs and had a great lunch on the quay. Hubby rented a scooter and got lost out in the country side which was quite an adventure.

 

Corfu was very disappointing in that it is so dirty and unkept. They have such a beautiful island and don't take care of it. Perhaps they can not afford to. However, a little picking up, washing, watering and paint would certainly help. We took the ship's tour "Palaces of Corfu" which covered a large driving area, two palaces and one other photo stop. We enjoyed the tour. We were to get off and stay in town for the afternoon but it rained hard so we returned to the ship.

 

It also rained in beautiful Dubrovnik, but we took a chance and used our AT&T Blackberry cell phone from the ship to call the cell phone of a taxi driver, Rade (roll the R and say R-R-Rah day) that we learned about in a post on the Med boards. He met us at the ship and we spent six hours with him. He was fabulous! Hoping that it would stop raining before walking the wall in Old Town, he drove us first to Cavtat where we had coffee with him, walked about, shopped, drove up, parked and walked to the terrace of a hotel for fabulous views and photos and then drove up to Napolean's fort on tiny cliff-hanging roads for the same, and finally back to the old city but it was still raining so we walked a bit, ate lunch and never did get up on the wall. Rade brought to life the people, their political plight, life during the war as well as the city's history and sights. To call when in port, his cell number is: 098-847-152. Before you go call: 0038-98-847-152. He is 61 and says he is too old to learn the internet so does not have a web site or email. His daughter was to send me her email but has not yet.

 

Venice is incredible. But being there was like being at Disneyworld over Spring Break. I never dreamed it would be so crowded. We could barely move all over Venice or on the Vaporettos. St Mark's Square was flooded and only two boardwalks had been erected and it was chaos to try to walk them. We tried to enter the square from three different gates and could not get in very far. We gave up. We spent an extra night in Venice at Hotel Principe and spent most of the second day on the island of Murano. We enjoyed that a lot as the crowds were thin and we bought lots of small glass gifts.

 

Disembarkation from the ship went smoothly as well. Warning: If you are going to get your own water taxi from the port, be sure to line it up in advance (as we did) as the lines were very long to get one.

 

Upon returning home, I discovered that I had lost my camera. After several calls, I was directed to the Lost and Found at the Venice airport and fortunately they have it! Now I have to figure out how to hire someone to go pick it up and ship it to me, as well as fax permission for them to do so along with a copy of my passport. The airport will not ship it.

 

I've probably forgotten something so please feel free to ask questions.

 

Glynda

 

Your review is very helpful. We will be in cabin 5115. Our past experience with Holland America was that we had plenty of storage room.We will be on the Zeiderdam Oct. 23.

 

In Dubrovnik how much did Rade charge you for the day? We had heard about the hop on hop off in Corfu. Did you know of anyone who did that? If so, were they pleased or displeased.

 

We really appreciate your letting us know about your experience-especially the AYW dining.

 

Could you please respond at my email: ljmeyer@earthlink.net. Thanks so much.

Judy

[Sunshinecrew]

Thank you so much for your great review of your trip on the Z, Glynda. We will be taking a cruise aboard the Z leaving Venice Oct 23rd to Ft. Lauderdale arriving Nov 9th. This will be our 3rd HA cruise, the last one on the Z from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale last Sept. (repositioning cruise). We are booked in cabin VB6039, the same size cabin as you had. Last year we had a Superior cabin which is large than the VB cabin. It had tons of storage room, pleanty of drawers, closet space, etc. Hoping we will not find the VB cabin too small.

Our first port will be Dubrovnik, and I was wondering about using Rade the taxi driver. I will have a cell phone but do not know if it will work there. You list two phone numbers to call him, so I am a bit confused on that score.

We also have a stop at Corfu, so we may take the "Palaces of Corfu" tour.

Our 4th port of call is Civitavecchia (Rome). Altough we have been to Rome before, we want to visit the Vatican again and I was wondering where you were able to hired Rome in Limo and what the cost was. We are scheduled to arrive in Venice by air at 9am. The Z is scheduled to leave at 5pm. Would you recommend trying to see anything of Venice in such a short time span?

Thanks for any suggestions.

InfrequentCruisers

 

We were in VC 5020.

 

One number for Rade, the shorter one, is for when you are in port. Hubby's AT&T Blackberry has international calling as he travels out of the US often. The other number is one that you could perhaps call him from before you leave.

 

Rome in Limo has a web site. romeinlimo.com

 

We paid 1500 Euros for all three ports plus 150 Euros for our private Vatican guide...plus tips. I've noticed an increase on their web site since I booked and keep in mind that they discounted because we did all three ports.

 

I'd recommend hoping on Vaporetto #1 at the first Roma stop near the ship and riding it up the Grand Canal to San Marco (Saint Mark's Square) and walk to the square and from there just wander till you are ready to drop and hope back on a Vaporetto to Roma. If you're tired, take a cab back to the boat from there or walk it. Be aware that there are other vaporettos that go to San Marco but they do so on the outside, not up the Grand Canal which is what you want to see. Also, if you have an iPod, Rick Steves has a free download on iTunes of a guide of the Grand Canal to be used when on the Vaporetto #1 from Roma to San Marco.

[Sunshinecrew]

Your review is very helpful. We will be in cabin 5115. Our past experience with Holland America was that we had plenty of storage room.We will be on the Zeiderdam Oct. 23.

 

In Dubrovnik how much did Rade charge you for the day? We had heard about the hop on hop off in Corfu. Did you know of anyone who did that? If so, were they pleased or displeased.

 

We really appreciate your letting us know about your experience-especially the AYW dining.

 

Could you please respond at my email: ljmeyer@earthlink.net. Thanks so much.

Judy

 

We paid Rade 240 Euros for what was a little over six hours, plus tip. Since there were four of us, that was cheaper than the ship's tour and we saw more and could set our schedule.

 

I don't recall a Ho Ho bus in Corfu, sorry.

[MamaTene]

Thanks for posting such a thorough review. We sail the "Z" on Nov 29 and certainly appreciate your honest thoughts.

[DMorris]

Thanks for the great review... can't wait to sail on her again in November. I loved her in 2006.

[sneffles]

Thank you so much for your great review of your trip on the Z, Glynda. We will be taking a cruise aboard the Z leaving Venice Oct 23rd to Ft. Lauderdale arriving Nov 9th. This will be our 3rd HA cruise, the last one on the Z from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale last Sept. (repositioning cruise). We are booked in cabin VB6039, the same size cabin as you had. Last year we had a Superior cabin which is large than the VB cabin. It had tons of storage room, pleanty of drawers, closet space, etc. Hoping we will not find the VB cabin too small.

Our first port will be Dubrovnik, and I was wondering about using Rade the taxi driver. I will have a cell phone but do not know if it will work there. You list two phone numbers to call him, so I am a bit confused on that score.

We also have a stop at Corfu, so we may take the "Palaces of Corfu" tour.

Our 4th port of call is Civitavecchia (Rome). Altough we have been to Rome before, we want to visit the Vatican again and I was wondering where you were able to hired Rome in Limo and what the cost was. We are scheduled to arrive in Venice by air at 9am. The Z is scheduled to leave at 5pm. Would you recommend trying to see anything of Venice in such a short time span?

Thanks for any suggestions.

InfrequentCruisers

-----------------------------------------------------------------

If your flight arrives at 9 a.m. the day the ship sails, I would recommend heading straight for the ship from the airport. Allow an hour or maybe even two to get your bags at the airport and to get to where the ship is docked, unless you want to hire an expensive motorboat. At the dock, you should be able to check in with HA by 11 or 11:30; give them your bags, board and have lunch. Then you still would have some time to have a quick look at Venice. But I believe you will be due back on board by 4 p.m.

[mho]

Thanks for such a great review. We are on the same trip on the Oosterdam next May. How did you get to Taormina, was there a ships shuttle or did you take a tour?

[sneffles]

-----------------------------------------------------------------

If your flight arrives at 9 a.m. the day the ship sails, I would recommend heading straight for the ship from the airport. Allow an hour or maybe even two to get your bags at the airport and to get to where the ship is docked, unless you want to hire an expensive motorboat. At the dock, you should be able to check in with HA by 11 or 11:30; give them your bags, board and have lunch. Then you still would have some time to have a quick look at Venice. But I believe you will be due back on board by 4 p.m.

----------

Clarifying:

You could catch the Alilaguna water bus from the airport at either 9:45 or 10:45 and it will arrive at San Marco at either 11:05 or 12:05. Then you could take Alilaguna from San Marco to Marittima (the dock) at either 12:10 or 12:40, arriving at the dock 20 minutes later.

The expensive water taxis are of course a faster option to get from the airport direct to Marittima.

[Sunshinecrew]

Thanks for such a great review. We are on the same trip on the Oosterdam next May. How did you get to Taormina, was there a ships shuttle or did you take a tour?

 

That was part of our private Romeinlimo tour. We were with him about eight hours.

[Infrequentcruisers]

Thanks so much for the info on Venice, Senffles. It sounds like we will be able to see a little of Venice. Thanks again.

Infrequent Cruisers

[Infrequentcruisers]

Our transfers from the airport to the docks is being handled by HAL.

Thanks again Senffles.

InfrequentCruisers

[solent]

We returned 9-30-08 from Venice on HAL Zuiderdam

 

This cruise did restore our faith in cruising - after a very average cruise on Naviagtor of the Seas in May, we were concerned that cruising in general had been dumbed down to much by RCCL since out first cruise with them 7 years ago.

 

We stayed the night before the cruise in Venice at Ca Dogressa a hotel near the Jewish quarter we all agreed it really enhanced our experience of Venice, very peaceful and good to be away from the crowds of St Marks square.

 

We were a group of 5 and were undecided how to transfer from Airport to hotel and then to cruise terminal, when we landed we had just missed the direct boat to our hotel and ended up negotiating at the water taxi desk at the airport we paid E 180 for the transfer to the hotel and for the following day to the ship from the hotel.

 

We had a veranda cabin, on deck 6, our cabin steward was fantastic I don't think I have ever met anyone that smiled so much, the others in a group had a different steward who was very effiecient but rarely even said hello. We were not impressed by the bathroom or lack of storage space in the bathroom.

 

We found the ship very clean and the staff the best we have ever encountered.

 

As You Wish Dining did not initially work for us, we tried to book a table for 8pm and were offered 6 or 9pm on two nights, the first night when we were seated the area was freezing, we mentioned it and were told we would be moved if we were not happy, we never saw the person again.

The second night we did negotiate a fixed booking for 8pm after that our dining experience improved considerably, the wine steward did seem overworked and one night after pouring our own wine (we coped) one of the managers noticed and did mention that AYWD had played havoc with staffing levels and they were still trying to resolve this.

 

On a few nights I did not enjoy the main course of my dinner maybe I made the wrong selection and did not think the food was always served as hot as it should have been, if I had mentioned this I am sure it would have been changed as our waiter could not do enough for us, but some nights did seem to have a lot of tables to look after.

 

We dined at the Pinnacle Grill two nights, the table service was great but would not say the same of the front desk somehow felt they were doing you a favour, but that was the one place that we all thought that RCCL did better somehow the ambience and service of Portofinos was something we preferred to the Pinnacle.

 

We did have the pleasure of meeting Hunky Dory who did remember our names and even who had appeared that day and where they were sitting!

We found the food in the Lido excellent and did not have a problem finding a table but did notice sometimes all the tables were occupied when just walking through so maybe it is just a question of timing. Did also come across from very dirty glasses ,think the dishwashers need some attention.

 

We did find some areas of the ship very cold and do feel that HAL over use the Aircon and could also cut down on the amount of paperwork from the cruise documentation through to the amount of post each day.

 

We would have liked more information regarding the weather perhaps a forecast via TV, we thought the pools were very cold and did notice the temperature reported on tv log each day did not change which considering the changes of weather we encountered surprising.

 

We did not use HAL excursions and booked private guides for most ports.

 

Overall we had a great experience as whilst I would not cruise with RCCL again I would book with HAL with confidence, I was worried prior to leaving having read some of the reports about the Zuiderdam that we had made a big mistake.

 

We returned to the Airport by Taxi which cost E 34, as there were 5 of us one of the party walked to P. Roma and caught the Airport bus for E 3, he arrived about 20 mins after us.

[Sunshinecrew]

It was freezing in the dining room!!!

[Cruzin Terri]

It was freezing in the dining room!!!

I second that. I always needed a sweater, jacket or shawl and sometimes that did not help much,

Terri

[solent]

When we arranged set dining we were seated at a table at the very back of the dining room by a window and it was not cold there, after our initial complaint the manager agreed that some parts of the dining room are very cold.

[Williebill]

Thank you for the reviews. My wife and I have never been tothat part of the world and appreciate you opened our eyes to what is there. We will be sailing on the Zuiderdam December 9th and also appreciated your thoughts concerning the ship.

[Sunshinecrew]

When we arranged set dining we were seated at a table at the very back of the dining room by a window and it was not cold there, after our initial complaint the manager agreed that some parts of the dining room are very cold.

 

The first time I went in I had to practically wrap up in the table cloth. After that, I wore long sleeves and a sweater.

 

One more complaint about the dining room. If you sit in the center section under the lower ceiling, it is very noisy.