Great experience on Zuiderdam

[brichar499]

Just back from Eastern itinerary. I must say reading the posts prior to departure had me concerned. Our Dec 4 cruise marked our third on HAL. Ten overall. Well, surprise. We found the food superior to our other HAL cruises and on par with our previous favorite, Celebrity. In fact the food was so outstanding, we did not give up a night in the dining room to try the upscale grill on board ($20 cover). Service was equally impressive. Another observation: I heard few complaints-only glowing comments from fellow passengers. This is also a change from other cruises. Our one downside was the Fort Lauderdale airport. It is way over capacity and a very poor experience. The long lines and lack of amenities was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise great vacation.

[Golfgrl1911]

Brichar499, I agree with you on the FLL airport experience. Perhaps they should think about expanding a bit given the amount of cruiseship traffic that they incurr. But isn't it cool that all you have to do is look out the window of the airport and see the Zuiderdam docked at the pier?:) It made me want to run right back to the port and board all over again!

[Lisa616]

Thanks for great comments! I smile when I see a post about the Zuiderdam that's positive! We sail in February, our first HAL cruise and can't wait!~ Thanks again!!

[Golfgrl1911]

Lisa,

I see that you're a fellow Akronite!! You all will have a ball on the Zuiderdam! I just sailed in Sept., have another one booked in Sept. of 2005 and wouldn't be suprised if we book one before then just to "feed the need"!!
Have a great cruise and let us know how your voyage went! Nancy:)

[Nouveau]

Lisa,

I see that you're a fellow Akronite!! You all will have a ball on the Zuiderdam! I just sailed in Sept., have another one booked in Sept. of 2005 and wouldn't be suprised if we book one before then just to "feed the need"!!
Have a great cruise and let us know how your voyage went! Nancy:)
If you want to sail "Zuiderdam" again, you deserve it. This was my first cruise since getting out of the U.S.Navy in 1970 (on "the 'Z' " in 2003). My expectations were nil, and I wasn't disappointed. The dining room was staffed by surley (on a good day) Indonesians that made it quite clear you were an interference with their getting a paycheck-- - much like Americans treat their own. The dining 'experience' was certainly just that... everything tasted like it was marinated in salt brine... and, after the U.S. Navy... trust me... I'm not a picky eater. The attitude was much like the Queen Mary 2.... you were shoveled around like coal, and expected to be grateful they were even bothering to shovel you. Suggest you try a smaller line, like MSC... no tinsel and glitz.... however, if you're a U.S. citizen, stick to mainline Carnival... tacky to the "Nth" degree.... with a plethora of grossly overweight folks from Georgia and South Carolina that can't/won't flush a loo. Would NOT "do" ANY line controlled by Carnival, EVER! Then, again, I have an attitude.... while I don't expect red-carpet service, I DO expect to get treated like I walk upright. (Rotas ruck, Roger)

[SHayesShip]

I was on the Z in April 2004 and had a great time also. I had great service throughout the ship. I had a table for 2 in the dining room on lower deck aft and the service was excellent. However, I did notice how rushed the staff seemed. The Lido food was good and varied and much better then other HAL lido buffets that I have encountered. My balcony cabin was great. My a/c worked fine and had no problems with bad smells.

Steve Hayes

Just back from Eastern itinerary. I must say reading the posts prior to departure had me concerned. Our Dec 4 cruise marked our third on HAL. Ten overall. Well, surprise. We found the food superior to our other HAL cruises and on par with our previous favorite, Celebrity. In fact the food was so outstanding, we did not give up a night in the dining room to try the upscale grill on board ($20 cover). Service was equally impressive. Another observation: I heard few complaints-only glowing comments from fellow passengers. This is also a change from other cruises. Our one downside was the Fort Lauderdale airport. It is way over capacity and a very poor experience. The long lines and lack of amenities was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise great vacation.

[Golfgrl1911]

Roger,

So sorry to hear that you had a bad experience on the "Z". I found mine to be lovely! As a chef I am quite picky about food and service....and while some offerings were not to my taste (I prefer a thicker cream soup), others were marvelous and the presentation I found to be outstanding! Sorry again that the cruiseline did not give you a great experience. Chef Nancy:)

[Himself]

In the first few months the Zuiderdam was in operation, we heard NOTHING BUT NEGATIVES. I was scheduled to be on it for two weeks in the Spring and I was a bit nervous about it. There were a couple of things I did not like but on the whole I liked it very much. I would go on the Zuiderdam again.
I am glad you enjoyed your voyage on this fine ship--the first of the "Vista" Class ships.

Himself

[Seaside2358]

Brichar499, I agree with you on the FLL airport experience. Perhaps they should think about expanding a bit given the amount of cruiseship traffic that they incurr. But isn't it cool that all you have to do is look out the window of the airport and see the Zuiderdam docked at the pier?:) It made me want to run right back to the port and board all over again!The Ft. Lauderdale airport is undergoing major construction. It was going on last year at Christmas when I was there and is still ongoing as we were just there in November for Jewel of the Seas...

[Krazy Kruizers]

You think Ft Lauderdale airport is over-whelmed now??

When I used to fly in and out of Ft Lauderdale in the 60's there wasn't much of an airport and very few flights.

She has been busting out of her seams for years. They no more than complete expanding her (seems to be going on for years) and she is already outdated and can't handle all the daily flights.

[asmitty]

Nouveau...Loved the comment about the Georgians and S. Carolinians (rude and overweight people come from lots of places around the country - do you not have any from your state?). It sounds to me like you just need to try a different type of vacation - not cruising. Why would you try to burst the bubbles of so many people who have just had a lovely experience on the Zuiderdam? There had to be atleast one or two positive experiences you had with HAL. I am quite pleased to hear some positives from these folks and am looking forward to my cruise on the Z this week. I believe you can make most any situation a positive one if you have a good attitude.

[florida_mom]

Interesting comparison to Carnival. We've been on Disney (7 day Eastern) , RC (3 day Bahamas), and Carnival (7 day Western). We leave to go on the Zuiderdam this week. Of the three we've been on, I think in many ways my favorite was Carnival, and I was not expecting that to be the case, AT ALL. Disney was certainly a beautiful ship, but the service was better on Carnival. So, I think the hillbilly perception of Carnival is not true in my opinion. But that's just my experience. I'll try to post my views of what the Z was like when we return.:)