Alaska - ms Zuiderdam June 20 - 27- Just Back!!

[22Vines]

As part of my post cruise depression therapy treatment….Here is my quick take on our June 20 – June 27, 2009 cruise with the family. We were my Wife and I, Daughter 9 and Son 14. Also along were my Mom and Dad, Sister and Brother In-Law. We were in a quad Cabin 1003, Deck 1, Cat F – we called ourselves The Ship’s Rowing Crew due to our location. This was our 7th cruise and second to Alaska. The itinerary was Vancouver, day at sea, Juneau, Tracy Arm Cruising, Skagway, Glacier Bay Cruising, Ketchikan, and back to Vancouver. Last year we were on the ms Oosterdam out of Seattle.

 

Ask us your questions!!!!

 

Best parts

 

Pre-Cruise Stay in Vancouver for two days – loved Vancouver and we loved staying at our Timeshare in Vancouver. Saved a boat load (Ha!) on hotel costs. Easy walk to the port.

Holland America did it again – an excellent cruise line. I would give HAL an (A-) on this trip. We will definitely sail with HAL again. We all enjoyed the cruise. Embarkation/Disembarkation was very good and smooth but you need to be patient – it just takes a while! After reading horror posts on this, I was concerned about Vancouver. HAL has this well thought out.

Ms Zuiderdam overall is a subdued, quiet, yet elegant ship. Clean; logical; big, but not too big. We did not miss the bright lights and glitzy feel. There was a faint sewage smell on deck 1 – but not in the cabins and only in parts of the hall. Not a deal breaker. The number of cruises are showing some wear. This is to be expected but needs some attention. She is an awesome ship.

The crew overall were always saying “Hi” and willing to serve. A tad less attentive sometimes in the dining room.

The itinerary. You really get some good Glacier viewing on this route. Juneau – went whale watching – very rainy and cold. Tracy Arm – almost made it all the way to Sawyer Glacier. This was the furthest trip this Alaska season according to HAL. Skagway – took the train and loved it. The town is fair. Glacier Bay – Wow!!! Great NPS guide along too. Incredible day. Ketchikan – went to the TotemVillage – they are charging a $3/person fee now – do not go. Ask us any port questions if you have them.

Alaska – saw more Whales than last year, Bald Eagles, Seals, Dolphins, the incredible scenery, tons of Glaciers, and overwhelming mountains.

The weather – pretty good the entire trip except Juneau. It was colder than last year by far. We had a priceless sunny day in Glacier Bay.

The Dining room food/staff –good food and service. Great wine steward.

Buying the Wine Card – Best deal on the ship. 20 glasses is about $70.

Morning room service with coffee.

Spa – we splurged on a couples Spa package – Good for a cooler weather trip!

Meet and great with the Cruise Critic Group. Fun!!!

Mini –Bar – They cleared it out and we had an empty frig for wine!!!!

Club HAL – Daughter loved it daily. Lots to do and we had to drag her away at times. Teen son had fun but activities were more sparse. Teens didn’t get really started until about 9pm.

Our Cabin – Cat F – Quad – heck of a deal – even if we had to row.

Mariner Club Lunch – Nice.

Cabin Steward – Excellent even on deck 1. Always very attentive.

Sanitation – the constant awareness for clean hands. We noticed quite a few with a nasty cold towards the end of the week so keep using the “bug juice.” No Noro mentioned on our cruise.

Taking your own wine onboard and to dinner!!!

Eating in the Dining Room level 2 – especially on embarkation day – yes it is open from noon to 1pm the first day.

Being with the Family.

Pinnicle Grill – excellent.

 

 

Other thoughts

The Loft – HAL really needs to make this a brighter and more inviting “teen” room on this ship. We called it the mushroom hole. Still, my Son did have fun with the activities.

Balcony vs. Outside Cabin - This cruise, again, we had an outside cabin. Did we miss the balcony? Not really. My Sister and Mom and Dad both had verandahs and they hardly used them due to it being cold. On key viewing times, you spend more time on deck.

Open Seating vs. Fixed Seating – we had open seating, again, and it worked out fine. Would maybe do fixed seating next time to get that “get to know your table partners” feeling. We were able to reserve a great table several nights for our large group of 8.

Whale watching – is a chance of luck. We had bad weather…but Captain Larry found us some whales. Go later in the day and you might see more.

The Lido food – food was OK but it just didn’t do much for me. Kids liked it but we all still preferred the dining room. It’s faster if you want to eat quickly and get back out to the sights, etc.

City Cruise Tour – Oh and if you get a cruise package city tour…you will not be able to get on the ship early. It will be more like 3:45. My Mom and Dad did this (was comp’d from Costco) got on later and missed lunch.

ASK FOR UPGRADES – when boarding – my folks got one to cat SA from SY. They really liked the Neptune Lounge and the Pinnacle for breakfast. We all benefited from the comp. appetizers before dinner and their nice large space!

Windows – why don’t they wash them during the week? Some balconies were really bad and our window could have used a wipe down as well.

 

 

The worst part… but still not by any means reason to not go!

 

Hmmmm…well The seas. Yes, even out of Vancouver they can be (and were!) rough. Mostly the 1st morning out of Vancouver. We had rougher seas on this trip than we did last year out of Seattle. I actually used some meds and so did my wife and kids. This is just the way it goes with the weather. I would say about 20% rough and 80% like glass.

 

The Fish at dinner – except for the Salmon – the other fish was fishy smelling and/or overcooked. Yucky crab legs, ok lobster.

 

Last Day – It was hard packing on the last day and to get off the ms. Zuiderdam.

We would love to sail with HAL and on the ms. Zuiderdam again. We are already planning our next trip!!

 

Lastly … this was a great trip! There was something for everyone in our group aged from 80ish down to 9. We were all impressed by the quality of a HAL ship and the pride that the staff have in their work.

 

Oh and can someone make the house stop rocking back and forth.

[dandro]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

[brucory]

Sounds like you had a great trip...

 

Just curious... Was that upgrade from a SY to SA at the front desk complimentary?

 

(I have a vision of all CC'ers lined up at the front desk on boarding)...

 

:D:D:D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home.

Glad you had a great cruise.

Thanks for taking the time to write your report.

[mary_228]

My daughter is working as Youth Staff at Club HAL. Wonder if you met her? That was her first week, and I've barely heard from her :(

Glad to hear your daughter enjoyed the activities!

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Sounds like you had a great trip...

 

Just curious... Was that upgrade from a SY to SA at the front desk complimentary?

 

(I have a vision of all CC'ers lined up at the front desk on boarding)...

 

:D:D:D

 

For our cruise on the Zuiderdam next week we were offered the upgrade from SY to SA,SB, or SC for $198 per person more. We chose the Aft corner SB because we love the aft cabins.

 

We had heard here that people were being offered $198 upgrades a couple weeks before their cruise and had our TA call HAL and tell them we were interested if it became available for our trip.

 

Three days later we got the call and the offer.

[22Vines]

Sounds like you had a great trip...

 

Just curious... Was that upgrade from a SY to SA at the front desk complimentary?

 

(I have a vision of all CC'ers lined up at the front desk on boarding)...

 

:D:D:D

 

I am fairly sure it was complimentary, I will have to ask.

[22Vines]

My daughter is working as Youth Staff at Club HAL. Wonder if you met her? That was her first week, and I've barely heard from her :(

Glad to hear your daughter enjoyed the activities!

 

I will ask her and let you know. What is your daughter’s first name and/or I will ask her the names of those she remembers.

 

Thanks

[cruzisme]

We were one of the lucky ones that got to tour the ship on Saturday.

We arrived via bus from our home town to Canada Place where we saw passengers disembarking from the Zuiderdam and the Sapphire Princess.

After a short wait and security check etc, we were allowed to view various cabins. One inside cabin that we saw was huge, the largest inside that we have ever seen (comparing HAL, RCI, and Princess insides)

 

We also viewed a handicapped cabin, veranda cabin, and a gorgeous suite on deck 7.

 

After all this and a ship's tour (casino, spa, etc.) we had a fabulous lunch in the Main dining room.

 

We really thought the ship looked great. I was checking for wear and tear and saw very little.

 

Would book this ship in a flash!

[jmps]

Thanks for posting your experience. We were on the week before and also liked the itinerary and ship very much.

[Susie51]

Thank you for letting us know about your cruise.

[jeniferlyn]

Thanks for the great review....will be going next June...can't wait!!

[NoWhiners]

Hi 22 vines (and karl)!

 

ML here, we were on the same cruise and we met at meet and greet (which was fun). I agree with all of your notes. I had forgotten about the morning rolling on Sunday (and i still feel like I am rolling on the ship too).

 

As nice as it was, it is good to be home, back with the dogs, not looking forward to work tomorrow though.

 

now we start planning for panama canal in 2 years--put deposit down with Future cruise Consultant while onboard.

[22Vines]

now we start planning for panama canal in 2 years--put deposit down with Future cruise Consultant while onboard.

 

Hi ML - Great meeting you too. Funny we are planning a Panama cruise in 2 years as well. Cheers.

[mary_228]

22Vines: please ask your daughter if she met Jessica.

[Candy]

Thanks for the review (we LOVE Zuidy!)

 

Who was your Hotel Manager?

[22Vines]

22Vines: please ask your daughter if she met Jessica.

 

Hi - Yes she did meet Jessica and liked her very much!

[coolmom]

Just got our documents for our sailing on the 25th of July! I noticed there are 2 formal and 5 smart casual nights. Can you tell us which nights were the 2 formal ones and if you have any recommendations? DH is still debating the tux vs the dark suit and if you do need jackets the other nights.

[off2ctheworld]

We were on the same cruise-it was GREAT!!! The formal nights were on sea days. We did see a few tuxs but mostly suits for the men. My dh wore a sport coat or long sleeve shirt as it is cooler in the Vista Lounge for the show after dinner. I always had a sweater with me for the shows. We enjoyed the dining room and only ate at the Lido twice. Room service for breakfast was wonderful. We marked the delivery time box by 6:30-7 and every morning at 6:31 there was a knock on the door.

 

The Ultimate Yukon and White Pass Railroad excursion is not to be missed. You ride in a bus in the morning and come back via the train. The other two towns we took the city tours, just to get a feel of the town.

 

Great to meet everyone at the Cruise Critic meet n greet! The ship had coffee-cookies for us and it was so nice to put faces with names. With this size ship, we visited with members of our group several times throughout the cruise. Perfect size ship for us-not too big-not too small and out of our budget. Entertainment was excellent-very funny magician and comedian, plus the HAL singers and dancers do a great job. Having been on the ship a few months ago, it was the same musical productions but the dancing was superior.

 

Wishing I'd packed the room steward with my souvenirs. No one is making my bed and putting towel pets with chocolate eyes in our room!

[ZAMOST]

My quick summary:

 

1) Spent extra day and a half in Vancouver after the cruise, and was well worth it. Weather was fantastic, and city was easy to explore with walking

2) We were family of six, four adult children in their 20s.

3) Chose HAL solely for the itinerary and the general impression from message boards that this cruise line and this specific itinerary was the among the best for Alaska.

4) Typical large cruise issues for us. Food was average; we didn't go to too many of the entertainment shows. Boat was okay, nothing fantastic. Crew was very friendly, especially in the dining room.

5) Enjoyed our balcony and would do it again, but to save money, doesn't seem to be a necessity at all.

6) Wine card was a good deal.

7) We had free style dining, but the system that allows reservations for certain times, and not for others made little sense.

8) Even after a week, I still found eating on the Lido deck for breakfast and lunch confusing and crowded.

9) All three excursions arranged privately and not thru the cruise line. Far and away, the best was our Juneau trek to Mendenhall glacier, and hiking on the glacier with crampons through Beyond Alaska. Good physical condition required to hike there, but the highlight of our trip. Skagway was a 90" tour into the Yukon, culminating in a horseback ride of an hour or so...fun, but not overwhelming. And in Ketchikan, we kayaked...a vigorous, but invigorating experience, especially when we were out in open waters for a bit.

 

Would I do HAL again? Probably not, unless there was an itinerary that could only be reached with that cruise line. Or, if we travelled with our children again, and were trying to cut costs. This isn't really a specific criticism of HAL, just perhaps any large ship of comparable cruise lines. Otherwise, I suspect that my wife and I would travel on a much smaller vessel, with perhaps more costs included in the upfront payments.

 

We did have a good time. Alaska was beautiful.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

[papergypsy]

Thanks for the review (we LOVE Zuidy!)

 

Who was your Hotel Manager?

 

Candy, We were on Zuidy June 13-20, and the Hotel Manager was Kees van Santen.

[happy cruzer]

thanks to vines for the mention of carryon wine with dinner. I love that feature on HAL, Princess and Carnival.

 

Did you carryon or check the wine? We love to bring on a few bottles of Pinot Noir to have with HAL's good dining room food and service.

 

Thanks for the report.

[themerle]

Thanks for sharing your review! I really enjoyed reading it. When we got home from our cruise to Alaska I "rocked" for about three or four days. Still......not as bad as my first cruise 15 years ago. It took a week before I could walk without staggering. I stayed in bed almost the whole week. :eek:

[22Vines]

thanks to vines for the mention of carryon wine with dinner. I love that feature on HAL, Princess and Carnival.

 

Did you carryon or check the wine? We love to bring on a few bottles of Pinot Noir to have with HAL's good dining room food and service.

 

Thanks for the report.

 

Hi - we just carried it on, no need to check it in.

[Teton cowgirl]

MANY thanks, 22Vine, for your review. We are sailing on the Zuidy July 18 and are new to cruising, so your post was timely. Important question: On shore excursions in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan were you hassled by mosquitoes? I'm especially interested in the experiences of cruisers who opted for the outside adventures in the woods.