Suggestions for Zuiderdam Panama Canal Cruise?

[GABEEG]

Hello Everyone,
I was wondering whether anyone has any suggestions for the Zuiderdam cruise from Ft Lauderdale to the Southern Caribbean and through the Panama Canal?
Any suggestions on specific suites to book and on which deck?
Do they offer discounts or charge for a 3 year old?
Is Open Seating more convenient, or does it result in waiting in lines?
Has anyone used the Children's Play Center?
Does HAL offer priority boarding at initial departure for those staying in a suite?

I appreciate ANY feedback that you can give to me before I book this cruise.
Thank you,
Gabeeg:cool::)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Hello Everyone,
I was wondering whether anyone has any suggestions for the Zuiderdam cruise from Ft Lauderdale to the Southern Caribbean and through the Panama Canal?
Any suggestions on specific suites to book and on which deck? We always book an SA near the Neptune Lounge on the Rotterdam Deck.
Do they offer discounts or charge for a 3 year old? I am not sure what the 3rd passenger price is when it involves a child.
Is Open Seating more convenient, or does it result in waiting in lines? We always chose fixed dining.
Has anyone used the Children's Play Center?
Does HAL offer priority boarding at initial departure for those staying in a suite? For those people staying in the PS, SA, SB and SC cabis you will have priority boarding and and disembarkation.

I appreciate ANY feedback that you can give to me before I book this cruise.
Thank you,
Gabeeg:cool::)

Be up early the morning you appraoch the Panama Canal -- we started our approach around 5 AM. The best place for the view through the locks is on the bow.

And don;t forget to try the Panama Buns.

[Clampram]

We recently completed the Dec 13 sailing of the Zuiderdam/Panama Canal. Since we had done a cruise in the canal some years ago, we were not "over the top" about the canal, but we choose the cruise based upon our availability to take vacation time.

We originally booked an SY category cabin, but the upsell fairy offered us an SC for only $199 pp, which of course we gladly took! We were assigned suite 4185 which is directly on the stern of the ship and has a large wrap around verandah. Being at the stern offered us a view of the canal that was unbelieveable and it was a totally different experience than our original canal cruise. We were actually able to reach out and touch the sides of the canal wall.

I have attached a pix of Ike (cc IkeEsq) enjoying his moment on the wall.

If you want a great experience, this cabin location could not be beat for this cruise.

[GABEEG]

Thank You so much for your suggestions. I really appreciate it!

[packedandready]

Don't forget binoculars

[jetstorm]

Just back from the Dec. 23rd Zuiderdam/ Panama Canal and it was a blast! We had a balcony cabin on Deck 4 and you could really see the ship rise through the locks on this deck. This is also the deck (odd number hallway) to go out onto the bow to see the locks. We chose to get off the ship in Gutan Lake instead of going back through the locks. We did the Embera Indian Village tour which was great (be advised of "cultural nudity) on this tour, includes a 40 min. dugout canoe ride and lunch is also included.
In Costa Rica, we toured and did a zipline with Danillo Hall who went out of his way to ensure we had a good time and we saw and did more than our friends on the ship's tour did, plus it was about half the cost. In Curacao we did a land tour with Cheraldine of Coast2Coast and then snorkled with the dive bus (not actually a bus trip).
To read a blog from one of our cruise mates, look for a thread under the Holland America board about live from the Zuiderdam Dec 23rd sailing. I don't remember the exact title.
You will love the Panama Canal cruise!!

[MBM54]

We just returned from this cruise, and simply by luck got cabins on the port (left) side (6100 and 6102). This turned out to be great for viewing the ports when docking/docked. We were also far enough back that we had a good view of the canal looking forward from our verandah. On the canal day, we ordered room service and viewed the first lock from our cabin (you can also watch all the activity forward and aft on the TV in your room). For the second lock, we went down to deck 3 (the walking deck) and it was not crowded at all. We walked around and got views from both sides (part of it is blocked, for the workers from the canal). Then, for the third lock, we went up to the Lido deck and watched from the back of the ship to see the lock closing (again, not crowded). This was a holiday cruise, and the ship was sold-out. So, I think this approach would work well anytime. They do take pictures of everyone on the bow of the ship, so we missed out on that part. However, while on our balcony, in the first lock, they took a picture of just our family, so we got that. We really got a good view of everything, and when our bus tour stopped a Miraflores Lock, we didn't feel we saw much more than we had from the ship, other than seeing it all from land. We took the train back, and saw even more of the canal and bridges. If I did it again, I would take the bus tour that goes into Panama City and gives a tour of the city (and luch at a 5 star hotel) and old Panama. The highway also goes by the canal, so you see a lot from the bus. Have a great trip.

[GABEEG]

Thank You Everyone for your wonderful advice! We are booked now for this fascinating cruise in an SS Suite on Deck 8.
Questions:
1- any opinions about the SS Suites on Deck 8?
2- Do we get priority boarding in Fort Lauderdale with a Superior Suite? (It may be for only Deluxe Suites). How long does it take to get through the lines in the regular boarding process?
3- Do they sell Pull Ups for toddlers on board?
4- Any tips for a three year old toddler regarding the children's club HAL? (with a parent present because I would not leave our son there)
5- Any food tips for toddlers? Choices?
6- Any toddler / children's books or DVDs in the library?
7- Do any of the stops require specific shots/vaccines?
8- Any troubles with open seating?
9- Weather at night on board?
10- I understand that HAL generally caters to an older crowd (which is great - less drunken partiers :) ), however are there many families with young children or very few?
I really appreciate any feedback. Thanks my cruise critic friends:)

[Cruisin'Lady]

Thank You Everyone for your wonderful advice! We are booked now for this fascinating cruise in an SS Suite on Deck 8.
Questions:
1- any opinions about the SS Suites on Deck 8?
2- Do we get priority boarding in Fort Lauderdale with a Superior Suite? (It may be for only Deluxe Suites). How long does it take to get through the lines in the regular boarding process?
3- Do they sell Pull Ups for toddlers on board? I have yet to see this on a HAL cruise
4- Any tips for a three year old toddler regarding the children's club HAL? (with a parent present because I would not leave our son there) If your toddler is not completely potty trained they will not let them stay by themselves anyway. The workers there do not change pants.
5- Any food tips for toddlers? Choices? The kids menu on Maasdam consisted of your basic american kids menu, chicken nuggets, speghetti, hamburgers, pb and J, mac and cheese, pizza...ect. I cannot image it would change much between ships.
6- Any toddler / children's books or DVDs in the library? Family dvd selections but no barney (yeah). As for books I did not see toddler reading material...although my 10year old found a black beauty book.
7- Do any of the stops require specific shots/vaccines?The caribbean and panama did not require anything in december...but you might check with the cdc. I would recommend that the children (and adults) be updated on their shots such as hep a and b.
8- Any troubles with open seating? We booked nightly on the very earliest seating...5:15pm every night. That way we always got the same table and steward (after the second night. the first two nights the tables we were at would take 2 hours to get through dinner...too long for kids so we changed tables on night 3 and stayed put). We were in and out in 45 minutes (more or less)...great when you have kids...plus had time to arrange for night time care so we could see the early show.
9- Weather at night on board?
10- I understand that HAL generally caters to an older crowd (which is great - less drunken partiers :) ), however are there many families with young children or very few? On the off season (during school sessions) for kids its a crap shoot. We had a total of 6 kids on our cruise the 2 weeks before christmas break. 2 toddlers who were too young for HAL club, 3 kids between 8 and 10 and one teenager.
I really appreciate any feedback. Thanks my cruise critic friends:)

your welcome.

[GABEEG]

Thank You again for your imput. I really appreciate it:)

[GABEEG]

We are booked now for this fascinating cruise in an SS Suite on Deck 8.
Questions:
1- any opinions about the SS Suites on Deck 8 in March?
2- Do we get priority boarding in Fort Lauderdale with a Superior Suite? (It may be for only Deluxe Suites). How long does it take to get through the lines in the regular boarding process?
3- Do they sell Pull Ups for toddlers on board?
4- Any tips for a three year old toddler regarding the children's club HAL? (with a parent present because I would not leave our son there)
5- Any food tips for toddlers? Choices?
6- Any toddler / children's books or DVDs in the library?
7- Do any of the stops require specific shots/vaccines?
8- Any troubles with open seating?
9- Weather at night on board?
10- I understand that HAL generally caters to an older crowd (which is great - less drunken partiers :) ), however are there many families with young children or very few?
11- Do we need any other documents besides ID & US Passports for trip (like special visas etc.. to stop at any particular country?)
12- Do we need shots for any of the stops?
I really appreciate any feedback. Thanks my cruise critic friends:)

[VermeulT]

7 - no

9 - warm (in Jan.)
10 - the one we just finished had about 3 kids (that I saw) under 5. The passenger crowd is certainly much older skewing
11. - no
12 - no

[fann1sh]

Just a quick note - the SS suites are not the deluxe suites which entitle you to priority embarkation and many other perks mentioned above. The SS is a lovely large cabin with an extra large bathroom/double sinks/tub+separate shower stall.

[GABEEG]

Thanks a lot for all of your imput and suggestions. We are sailing on March 3rd!

[SandyMc]

We just returned from this cruise and had a wonderful time. The one thing I would have done differently is be sure your cabin is on the port side. We love to sit on our verandah and watch the ports but unfortunately, our cabin was on the starboard side and all we saw the entire cruise was the sea.........This is definitely a cruise for a port side cabin!

We also did open seating and think we will never do traditional again. We never waited to be seated and you can easily make a reservation for days at a time if you like.

Enjoy!

[2ptu/000]

When you go through the canal, the deck 4 area will be very crowded and the Crow's nest will be impossibly crowded. Go to deck 6 forward starboard side. There will be a sign that says crew only. They don't mean it. Open the door. There is a lovely viewing area out there. Not crowded at all. Photographer even came up there and took our picture. I think other floors are open too. Maybe deck 5?

[srqgirl64]

We just returned from this cruise with our three year old son and he LOVED Club Hal. There were only two other boys there with him but he had plenty of attention and loved all of the toys. :)

They have a specific kids menu with crayons, etc in the dining room for kids.

Our son also loved the Dolphin Encounter in Curacao. It was awesome. We also did the Embera Village and that was an amazing experience.

Enjoy!

[GABEEG]

Thank you for all of your advice. I appreciate it greatly.
Anya

[GABEEG]

thanks. We are very excited for next week;)

[pd10s27]

There were not many young families on the HAL cruises. I have been on three and only saw a few. However, the cruise people will entertain your son and I would let him enjoy time in a play area rather than just on the ship. Our children and their families were going to come on this cruise with us but decided it was too long for their toddlers(twins 3 and a 2 year old) The pool is not really for children too deep but I think he would enjoy the beaches at the islands and the sand not the tours so just let him have fun.