oceanlov1
December 28th, 2004, 07:23 PM
A little background.........We have been on the Zuiderdam twice and really enjoyed sailing both times as well as, sailing with RCCL and Carnival. HAL is my favorite cruise line. They did not disappoint, we were treated very well by the crew. They are very hard working folks.
We arrived at the port at 11:30. It was a good time to get there. They had opened the doors already and the check-in was very smooth, maybe a total time of less than 45 minutes and then sitting in the lido having lunch....:)
The lido crew including cooks, servers, etc do an excellent job and the food is very good. I think HAL has a great salad bar. Everything was always fresh and clean. We ate dinner in the lido several nights. The food was always good and cooked to order. They serve similiar food in the lido as in the dining room. Never made it to the dining room. By the way, the carrot cake is so good.
After reading several reviews of poor service in the lido, I was especially attentive to see if it was true. I did not find that at all. When we put our trays and dishes to the side, the guys would come over and take them in less than 5 minutes and the lido was always busy.They came around with coffee , tea, and water. If I asked for something, I received it in a timely manner. The crew is very respectful and polite.
On the ship there was music playing in the background, it was pleasant and not loud at all.
We went to the Pinnacle Grill on the first night and on Christmas night. Both nights were excellent. We enjoyed the good food and good service. On the first night, our servers were outstanding. They work 2 to a team. I like that arrangement. One young lady was especially friendly and efficient. On Christmas night, we decided to go at the very last minute. They said we were on a waiting list and would be notified at around 5:00. The Maitr d' called around 4 and said they had an opening at 6:30 which was perfect for us. This time, we had a different team of servers. They were friendly and efficient. The volcano cake was delicious as ever. I had the lamb which I enjoyed. For anyone who orders the lamb, you might try the mustard horseradish sauce. They ordinarily serve it with the ribeye. That sauce is so good. The ribeye was excellent.
We enjoyed the entertainment. There are 14 singers and dancers. While attending an informal chat with Jason, the CD, he said that a company that Barry Manilow owns, finds all the talent in Los Angeles. They rehearse together for 3 or 4 weeks, then come to the cruise ship to perform. They are under contract for 6 months at a time. They performed 3 shows, we saw 2 of them. The first one, Bob Mackie designed all the costumes. It really showed, the outfits were beautiful. The second show was just not my taste, but many of the folks enjoyed that show. There was an illusionist, which to me can get old, but Leo, was outstanding and amazing. His illusions were excellent. A singer who I really enjoyed was Alfreda Gerald. She is a vocalist for Yanni. That woman can sing. The CD introduced her show as a diva show. She sang song that divas made popular........Gladys Knight, Whitney, Ella Fitzgerald and Tina Turner. Her family was there for the holiday cruise, which made it even more special.
We were in an SS suite, cabin 6099. Last Zuiderdam cruise we had an SS, also. I enjoy the bigger balcony. The cabin was in a convenient location. A little too close to the casino........lol. The room steward was efficient and nice. He was prompt in cleaning the room when we left. We would leave and come back an hour later and the room was made up. That was nice. He did a good job.
The CD, Jason, did a nice job. He is young, 25, but poised beyond his years. He is quite young to have such a responsiblility, but he handles it well.
We had nice weather up until the last day, so we were not able to go to Half Moon Cay. Of course, that was a disappointment, but there was no choice. The workers from Eluthera were not able to leave their dock. The seas were pretty rough and it got worse over night. I think the Westerdam sails better than the Zuiderdam. When we did have rough seas, the ship handled it well. I also think the captain did an excellent job.
Room service was prompt and they always got the order correct. We left the card on the door at night for breakfast in the morning and they were always on time.
This was the first time we attended the Mariner's Society party in the Vista Lounge. It was a very nice get together and well attended. There were free drinks and hors devours.
It was a nice day in Key West and much cooler than usual with the cold front that came through. We had to put the heat on in the cabin......lol. By the way, we're from South Florida.
I knew there were going to be alot of ships in Grand Cayman and was a little bit concerned over the tender situation because of what I had read. We had absolutely no tendering problems even with 6 ships in port. Now, the town was jammed packed. Too crowded for me. We snorkeled at Eden Rock, walked around a little and got back on the tender.
In Cozumel, they are doing major reconstruction of the roadway downtown. The main road in the downtown shopping area is shut down, so the taxis and cars take the next street over. A bit of warning........if you have difficulty walking you have to be extra careful because alot of the sidewalk is chopped up and with a wheelchair, I would not advise it at all. A few years ago I bought a leather purse in Coz and now I wanted to replace it, but the prices were too high, so I passed on the purse. I found a beautiful ceramic plate, a ceramic vase, and a pretty onyx bowl at Cinco Soles. We stopped for a snack of chips and salsa in the downtown square. It was nice to rest and people watch.
Montego Bay is quite an interesting place. We took the shuttle bus for $3 p/p, $6 round trip, to the city center shopping area. They have jewlery and assorted souveniers. We decided to go to the crafts market which was about a 15 minute walk. Basically, the way it works is a local comes up to you and asks you where you want to go. Then, he escorts(walks) you through town to the market. We ended up having 2 escorts, still not sure where the 2nd young man came from. The day we were there the downtown area was very crowded. Just a bit of information, to be on the safeside, if you want to go to the crafts market, which I recommend , go, just make sure you have a local escort. Your escort does expect a tip which we were happy to do. I purchased some nice mahagony items from the crafts market.
The Westerdam is a wonderful ship and the crew worked hard to make sure all areas of the ship were clean.
Disembarkation was a breeze. We ordered room service and stayed in our cabin until our color was called.
All in all, it was a fantastic cruise with a great staff and crew. The crew did everything they could to make an enjoyable cruise for all.
I love cruising because it is such an easy, fun, and enjoyable way to spend a vacation. Can't wait to go again on the Zuiderdam in May if all goes well.
We arrived at the port at 11:30. It was a good time to get there. They had opened the doors already and the check-in was very smooth, maybe a total time of less than 45 minutes and then sitting in the lido having lunch....:)
The lido crew including cooks, servers, etc do an excellent job and the food is very good. I think HAL has a great salad bar. Everything was always fresh and clean. We ate dinner in the lido several nights. The food was always good and cooked to order. They serve similiar food in the lido as in the dining room. Never made it to the dining room. By the way, the carrot cake is so good.
After reading several reviews of poor service in the lido, I was especially attentive to see if it was true. I did not find that at all. When we put our trays and dishes to the side, the guys would come over and take them in less than 5 minutes and the lido was always busy.They came around with coffee , tea, and water. If I asked for something, I received it in a timely manner. The crew is very respectful and polite.
On the ship there was music playing in the background, it was pleasant and not loud at all.
We went to the Pinnacle Grill on the first night and on Christmas night. Both nights were excellent. We enjoyed the good food and good service. On the first night, our servers were outstanding. They work 2 to a team. I like that arrangement. One young lady was especially friendly and efficient. On Christmas night, we decided to go at the very last minute. They said we were on a waiting list and would be notified at around 5:00. The Maitr d' called around 4 and said they had an opening at 6:30 which was perfect for us. This time, we had a different team of servers. They were friendly and efficient. The volcano cake was delicious as ever. I had the lamb which I enjoyed. For anyone who orders the lamb, you might try the mustard horseradish sauce. They ordinarily serve it with the ribeye. That sauce is so good. The ribeye was excellent.
We enjoyed the entertainment. There are 14 singers and dancers. While attending an informal chat with Jason, the CD, he said that a company that Barry Manilow owns, finds all the talent in Los Angeles. They rehearse together for 3 or 4 weeks, then come to the cruise ship to perform. They are under contract for 6 months at a time. They performed 3 shows, we saw 2 of them. The first one, Bob Mackie designed all the costumes. It really showed, the outfits were beautiful. The second show was just not my taste, but many of the folks enjoyed that show. There was an illusionist, which to me can get old, but Leo, was outstanding and amazing. His illusions were excellent. A singer who I really enjoyed was Alfreda Gerald. She is a vocalist for Yanni. That woman can sing. The CD introduced her show as a diva show. She sang song that divas made popular........Gladys Knight, Whitney, Ella Fitzgerald and Tina Turner. Her family was there for the holiday cruise, which made it even more special.
We were in an SS suite, cabin 6099. Last Zuiderdam cruise we had an SS, also. I enjoy the bigger balcony. The cabin was in a convenient location. A little too close to the casino........lol. The room steward was efficient and nice. He was prompt in cleaning the room when we left. We would leave and come back an hour later and the room was made up. That was nice. He did a good job.
The CD, Jason, did a nice job. He is young, 25, but poised beyond his years. He is quite young to have such a responsiblility, but he handles it well.
We had nice weather up until the last day, so we were not able to go to Half Moon Cay. Of course, that was a disappointment, but there was no choice. The workers from Eluthera were not able to leave their dock. The seas were pretty rough and it got worse over night. I think the Westerdam sails better than the Zuiderdam. When we did have rough seas, the ship handled it well. I also think the captain did an excellent job.
Room service was prompt and they always got the order correct. We left the card on the door at night for breakfast in the morning and they were always on time.
This was the first time we attended the Mariner's Society party in the Vista Lounge. It was a very nice get together and well attended. There were free drinks and hors devours.
It was a nice day in Key West and much cooler than usual with the cold front that came through. We had to put the heat on in the cabin......lol. By the way, we're from South Florida.
I knew there were going to be alot of ships in Grand Cayman and was a little bit concerned over the tender situation because of what I had read. We had absolutely no tendering problems even with 6 ships in port. Now, the town was jammed packed. Too crowded for me. We snorkeled at Eden Rock, walked around a little and got back on the tender.
In Cozumel, they are doing major reconstruction of the roadway downtown. The main road in the downtown shopping area is shut down, so the taxis and cars take the next street over. A bit of warning........if you have difficulty walking you have to be extra careful because alot of the sidewalk is chopped up and with a wheelchair, I would not advise it at all. A few years ago I bought a leather purse in Coz and now I wanted to replace it, but the prices were too high, so I passed on the purse. I found a beautiful ceramic plate, a ceramic vase, and a pretty onyx bowl at Cinco Soles. We stopped for a snack of chips and salsa in the downtown square. It was nice to rest and people watch.
Montego Bay is quite an interesting place. We took the shuttle bus for $3 p/p, $6 round trip, to the city center shopping area. They have jewlery and assorted souveniers. We decided to go to the crafts market which was about a 15 minute walk. Basically, the way it works is a local comes up to you and asks you where you want to go. Then, he escorts(walks) you through town to the market. We ended up having 2 escorts, still not sure where the 2nd young man came from. The day we were there the downtown area was very crowded. Just a bit of information, to be on the safeside, if you want to go to the crafts market, which I recommend , go, just make sure you have a local escort. Your escort does expect a tip which we were happy to do. I purchased some nice mahagony items from the crafts market.
The Westerdam is a wonderful ship and the crew worked hard to make sure all areas of the ship were clean.
Disembarkation was a breeze. We ordered room service and stayed in our cabin until our color was called.
All in all, it was a fantastic cruise with a great staff and crew. The crew did everything they could to make an enjoyable cruise for all.
I love cruising because it is such an easy, fun, and enjoyable way to spend a vacation. Can't wait to go again on the Zuiderdam in May if all goes well.