Home from the Zuiderdam today

[Tweedy]

Trip ended today, June 6. Had a wonderful trip (weather could not have been more perfect). It was so hot in Juneau and Ketchikan, I thought the ship re-routed to Mexico. I'll post a review in due course.

[May4]

I imagine it was quite a surprise to find those hot days where you didn't expect them.

So what do you miss the most from your days on the sea? I will look forward to reading all about your adventures when next we hear from you.

[papergypsy]

Tweedy, we board the Zuiderdam next Saturday for our first cruise ever - can't wait to read your review.

[off2ctheworld]

Welcome Home! Anxious to read your review, we will be onboard in 2 weeks, and getting more excited every day. Hoping the weather remains warm.

[Tweedy]

On Saturday, May 30, 2009, we were dropped off at our home port of Vancouver. There did not seem to be any system for the luggage. The porters weren't really helpful and looked to be in somewhat of an early morning daze. By no means did this change the mood of excitement. We were able to get our luggage onto a cart and then proceeded to US Customs. The line was fairly long but it moved quickly.

As we passed through customs, anticipation for our week-long vacation grew. We were shown to the holding area where we had a fill out health forms. This holding area was done very systematically and went rather quickly. Before we knew it, we were speaking with an agent and getting our room card/picture taken.

Upon booking this trip, we decided to take an inside guarantee. It wasn't important to us to have a window or balcony. However, not ever having booked a guarantee before the anticipation and wait to find out our room number was nerve racking. We received our room assignment 3 days out. They assigned us to an inside handicapped cabin on the main deck forward. Once on board and after the announcement the rooms were available, we stopped by the front office to let them know if anyone needed the cabin, we would be willing to give it up. It turned out no one did. When we reached our cabin, we were pleasantly surprised at the size of the cabin and the size of the bathroom shower. Also, the location was extremely close to the forward elevators and the Vista Theatre which was great. Our cabin steward, Iwan & Moi were outstanding. At our request, they emptied our fridge and kept our ice bucket well stocked.

Upon first impression of the Zuiderdam, she is a lovely ship. The carpet colours may be dated. In fact, it reminded me of a Vegas hotel... I loved it! The artwork around the ship is wonderful. I wish I had downloaded the art tour from the website so I knew where to look as I'm sure I missed something somewhere.

Due to the health alert from the previous cruise, there was no self-service in the buffet. The wait staff handed out the drinks, all the trays and the food. The lines were long at times, especially during the breakfast hour and between noon and 1pm. For the most part, passengers didn't seem too bothered by this. If needed, wait staff where plentiful and assisted by carrying the trays to a table for you.

The food was average in my opinion and nothing to write home about. I enjoyed breakfast the most. There are several choices but I opted for the omelette and waffle stations most mornings. Lunch was enjoyed in the Lido and we split out dinners between the Lido and the Vista dining room, depending on what we did during the day. We attended the Dessert Extravangza (not to be but to see) and have to say I was a little disappointed with the presentation. The nice thing with this ship, they let the passengers get in to take pictures before all the eating began.

The ship is nicely laid out and did not feel too large or overcrowded at all. There was never really a long wait for the elevators. The Crow's Nest on Deck 10 is the perfect place to kick back an watch the scenery float by. Deck 9 was a popular deck. This is where you can find the spa (which seemed to be heavily used), the covered Lido pool, the Lido Buffet and the outdoor aft pool. On deck 2 and 3, you'll find all the ships, casino, movie theatre, bars, restaurants and lounges. The one thing that was a little confusing was the Queen's Lounge and the Culinary Arts Center. They are the same location. Once you realize this, it makes things a little more clear. On deck 1, the front office and shore excursions desks can be found.

We attended the majority of the main entertainment shows. The singers and dancers were enjoyable. Their costumes and stage props were great, especially for the last show "Dreampark". Special acknowledgement goes out to Gene and Rickae. They both have fantastic voices and stage presence. The comedian Lee Bayliss had me laughing so hard I was crying. He's a great clean comic. The illusionist James Cielen was also enjoyable. It was amazing how he did he act.

Cruise Director, Shane, was great. He was funny, well spoken and always seemed to have a smile on his face when you passed him in the halls.

For this week in Alaska, we were blessed with unbelievable weather. When speaking with the locals, they said it was record highs. I can believe it! I still can't decide whether Juneau or Ketchikan was the warmest. It was like the ship headed south instead of North. Lots of tank tops and shorts were worn.

Tracy Arm was beautiful but due to ice flow, we did not make it to the Sawyer Glaciers. However, since we had time to spare before arriving in Juneau, the Captain sat in the fjord for about an hour. It was wonderful. Glacier Bay was spectacular with the Marjorie Glacier and John Hopkins Glacier. It was awe-inspiring.

The port towns of Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan were all hopping with cruiseship passengers. Having visited Alaska last September, we only did the Railway excursion in Skagway. I really enjoyed it especially with all the snow at White Pass Summit.

Wildlife was plentiful. We saw whales (orcas/humpbacks), porpoises, bald eagles and seals. Reports from the bridge indicated bear sightings on shore but we didn't bring binoculars so we missed out.

Once in Vancouver, customs was the usual zoo and we chose the slow lane. It took us about 45 minutes but that made it easier on the other side to collect our luggage. That only took minutes and we were on our way home.

In summary, this cruise was fantastic. I would defiinitely sail this ship again and would also tray another ship in the fleet. Thanks HAL for a great week away.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Hi Tweedy - Thank you for your review of the Zuiderdam. I was on her the week before you. :D I think we drew the short straw for weather because it rained in Skagway and Ketchikan and was cloudy in Juneau (but Tracy Arm was sunny) for our cruise. It's good to read another nice review of the Zuiderdam as I also thoroughly enjoyed my cruise. I hope the Code Red from our cruise didn't last long on yours....I didn't even know it had been instituted as I spent all day Friday (the day it went into effect) in my room watching movies and rain pelt on my balcony.

Welcome home to your beautiful city of Vancouver. I really enjoyed my time there and hope to return to spend more than just one day! :)

Diane

[Tweedy]

We had the code red the entire length of the cruise but that didn't put a damper on things. I think my hands suffered the most from the Purell. The alcohol dried them out pretty good.

[DizzyDallasDi]

We had the code red the entire length of the cruise but that didn't put a damper on things. I think my hands suffered the most from the Purell. The alcohol dried them out pretty good.

I completely understand! I'm a crazed handwasher when onboard and by the end of the cruise my hands were red and chapped from the Purell and washing routine. Upshot -- no Norovirus for me or you on our cruises. :D

Diane

[Krazy Kruizers]

WElcome Home!!

Glad you enjoyed your cruise inspite of being in Code Red.

[db777]

Thank you for the review....we sail in August, but I love the Zuiderdam, I hope we escape the rain...but we are booked on the aft 5th floor that is covered so we are prepared...

Iwan was our room steward last cruise and he was really outstanding...that is one of the things I love about HAL, so many of the staff seem to stay with HAL and you will often see them on other ships...I know they can't remember us all, but if you make note that you were with them on a previous sailing you become extra special to them on that cruise...db

[WouldBeCruiser]

Trip ended today, June 6. Had a wonderful trip (weather could not have been more perfect). It was so hot in Juneau and Ketchikan, I thought the ship re-routed to Mexico. I'll post a review in due course.0

We were also on the Zuiderdam last week, Tweedy. And I have to agree with all of your review - so thorough a review, that I don't see any need for me to add to it! We really enjoyed our cruise ( our first ) and would definitely be interested in doing another one.
We avoided the lido buffet whenever possible due to the slow line-ups, and opted for the Vista Dining Room most of the time. I too judged the food to be nothing really special, except for our last evening which we chose to spend in the Pinnacle Grill, where I enjoyed the best steak I have had in years.
And yes, the weather was fabulous, but those warm coats, with gloves and hats - they weren't wasted, we needed them when we flew back into Alberta !

[Tweedy]

Sounds like you had just as good of a time as we did. I'm still wading through my photos but here are a couple of my favourites so far:

John Hopkins Glacier
http://sunburstmiata.smugmug.com/photos/558067152_tDsHd-M.jpg

Somewhere before the Marjorie Glacier
http://sunburstmiata.smugmug.com/photos/557990157_yD2CH-M.jpg

Marjorie Glacier
http://sunburstmiata.smugmug.com/photos/558039370_t8tbR-M.jpg

Humpback whale as we head towards Tracy Arm Fjord
http://sunburstmiata.smugmug.com/photos/557393586_9a857-M-1.jpg

I found taking photos from the promenade a great way to get a different perspective on the size of the glacier

[larsenbiz]

Thanks for the review and the pics. I can't wait to go next year.

[WouldBeCruiser]

Love your photos Tweedy. I have one of the John Hopkins Glacier that is identical to yours.
Here are a couple of my pics. One from our Glacier Flightseeing Tour, 2 whale pictures from the Whale-Watching Tour and one of the Marjorie Glacier.
I hope this works - I've never uploaded photos before. Here goes . . . .

[WouldBeCruiser]

Well, that seemed to work okay - but my pictures appear smaller than I expected. One of these days I will master all this technology - until then, just click on the thumbnails I guess.

[Tweedy]

Great pics!

Next time I'll definitely have to go on a whale watching excursion.