Zuiderdam

[oliviaonthe beach]

Hi. First time on the forum, I think. Taking my family on the Zuiderdam: husband, me, and two teenage girls. July 23rd Eastern Caribbean. First cruise with kids; 6th overall. We have been on 2 Royal Caribbeans, 1 Princess, and 2 Carnivals (way back when). I am a little scared because the reviews seem either really bad or really good. We will be in a verandah stateroom with the girls across the hall; upper verandah deck. I am most concerned about service and condition of the ship. Please prepare me. Our best food was on Grand Princess and the prettiest ship was the Radiance of the Seas. Thanks for the input.

[Ellya]

We sailed on the Zuiderdam last summer and found it to be wonderful. I thought the dining service was good, the stateroom service was adequate (a few minor omissions but overall ok), but the overall friendly spirit of the staff was very good. We liked the food in the dining room, the Lido, and room service....all good! We also tried the specialty restaurant. The food was good but very "meat" oriented (we have a vegetarian in the family so we have to consider that). There are a wide variety of activities and the atmosphere/decor ranges from "fun" to elegant. I would not hesitate to cruise on that ship again!

[lyndamr]

We were booked on the Zuiderdam balcony cabins for July 2 and after reading many posts on this board and other cruise forums we have found a number of people experiencing "sewage smell", hight low ceiling hallways, toilet problems etc on the Zuiderdam. We immediately changed ships and cruise lines without a hesitation, too many people said the very same thing. I do not want to spend my money and come into these problems....its not worth me chancing it. I never hear anything about the food only very good but also many have spoken about the lack of service on HAL recently and the ship gets much quieter than on other lines after the main show. I rather have an assortment of entertainment, activities and more choices on food (such as carnival offers the sushi (even though we do not eat that), fish and chips, the grill, 24 hour pizzeria, calzones and caesar salad, the deli, the wok station, 24 hour ice cream and midnight buffets daily. HAL does not have half of these.

Teenagers also have their own teen disco, great video game rooms, air hockey tables just to name a few. I also love Carnival's midnight adult comedy shows. :)

[FCOWHER]

I think that most people complain about this ship because they are used to the older HAL ships and the Zuiderdam is a different HAL experience. Sure the people who had horrible experiences will complain, but I dont hate my house because the toilet overflows and the bathroom has a bad smell. If my wife ever made a bad meal that doesnt mean I would never eat in her kitchen again. This is a new ship that seems to have worked the bugs out and I am looking forward to a wonderful cruise 4/23/05 on the Zuiderdam. Joe V.

[jhannah]

Joe, that's a great analogy.

Olivia, we really enjoyed the Zuiderdam. I think you will, too. Just cruise to have a great time and you will.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Hi. First time on the forum, I think. Taking my family on the Zuiderdam: husband, me, and two teenage girls. July 23rd Eastern Caribbean. First cruise with kids; 6th overall. We have been on 2 Royal Caribbeans, 1 Princess, and 2 Carnivals (way back when). I am a little scared because the reviews seem either really bad or really good. We will be in a verandah stateroom with the girls across the hall; upper verandah deck. I am most concerned about service and condition of the ship. Please prepare me. Our best food was on Grand Princess and the prettiest ship was the Radiance of the Seas. Thanks for the input.

Our group of 7 will also be on that sailing. Will have (2) 16 year old boys and a 15 year old girl with us. We don't know the old HAL experience first hand but after reading about it I don't think we are ready for that quite yet, so having the new experience on this ship will hopefully be just what the doctor ordered.

Bill

[lyndamr]

For me I wouldn't want to spend money on my cruise to experience toilets not flushing and running over and bad smells. I guess I am more sensitive as my bathrooms in my home do not have a bad smell and do not overflow. I am not used to that so for me, I would not want to chance being in a stateroom with such problems. As for a bad dinner, I haven't heard anybody complain about the food being bad on HAL, just the opposite. :)

[dst]

LYNDA: I would have to agree with you having a home and owning it makes you reponsible for the upkeep. Paying good money for a vacation gives someone else the upkeep....

I have been on 10 crusies until July 2004 I had never been on HAL, we decided to take the Zuiderdam and had a suite (it was our honeymoon) The ship seemed to be a bit cramped and not open like others, the service in the dining room was horrible (we had to complain several times) for example we pre-ordered wine with our dinner every night and half of the time we had our dessert before we could get our bottle of wine. The pool area was filled with kids and parents who did not watch them (not HAL's fault), the adult swim time was never enforced. I never smelt any bad smells. We did love our cabin and the stewart that we had. HMC was beautiful and we had a cabana. Overall I think it was a nice cruise but I have had better cruises and I am very hesitant about booking another one on HAL.

This is just my opinion, which you asked for. My answer would be if not too late, I would switch ships.
Deb

[lyndamr]

Deb is absolutely right, I failed to mention a few things that others have told me about the Zuiderdam such as the poor service in the dining room (many people told me which outweighed those who had decent service too many people received lacking service) as Deb mentioned above. To get your bottle of wine at dinner around dessert time? I think I will just order my wine per evening and not pre order it, maybe that would help, but I agree with Deb, no HAL for me also.

[Stevedan]

We were on the Zuidy this past Christmas sailing (with our 3 kids of 11, 9 and 6) and had a wonderful time. We have cruises many times so have a basis for comparison. I too was nervous about this ship based upon the many criticisms I read on this board, but was very pleasantly surprised. Please see the review I posted just after we returned.

[dst]

Lynda: thanks for the support, I must say there are a lot fo loyal HAL fans on these sites and it seems whenever you speak against HAL you get BASHED...

Funny enough we are planningf a crusie for Nov with a group of friends to paln a birthday/holiday cruise and everyone this evening said I could plan any cruise other than HAL.....I wonder how much longer HAL can continue with just the loyal people and not contribute to the new cruisers that want more than a trip to Islands, especially when so many other cruises offer the same thing.........

For me RCCL and Carnival offered much more and without the attitude :(

Thanks, Lynda I do not feel alone

deb

[lyndamr]

Di Deb,

Thank you and enjoy choosing the cruise. I have to totally agree with you! Funny how they said any cruise line but HAL. Try to find yourself a cruise with a group rate, not that you have your own group, but many cruise agencies out there add others into their group booking and this will give you a better rate! Good luck and Happy Cruising! Lynda

[dst]

Thanks, I am sure whatever we chose it will be a fun time. Cruising after all is still the best vacation :)

[doone]

Any complaints about any ships certainly can happen on all cruise lines, not just HAL. I have never experienced any of these complaints and not to say I won't in the future, just haven't in the past. However, its your cruise, and your hard earned money you are spending and you need to spend it the way you feel. Take the time to read other boards and you will find others complain about those lines as well. Take what you read here with a grain of salt.

I had booked the Volendam a few years ago for the first time on her. I read so many complaints here about the Volendam that I was ready to cancel the entire cruise. I did not and within minutes of me boarding the Volendam, all my concerns were totally unfounded. That was my experience.

Whichever cruise you choose, I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

[Lokalona]

HI we were on the Zuiderdam Nov 6 2004 cruise and my review is around here somewhere. Now I will say we had some great food and some not so great food which I find typical with any cruise line. Our dining room table was lower level Vista dining room #275 I think...been a while... but anyhow there was a large amount of vibration and noise if we were barreling out to sea on this level. Request an upper level table. Definately get a balcony or a suite as this makes the cruise so much more pleasent. We had gale force winds one day for 15 hours, rocking and rolling on the high seas and let me tell you 75% of the crew had their heads in a bucket, and about the same percent of passengers. I however did not get ill and neither did my husband or 73 year old mother. Walking was difficult and I saw quite a few people who fell down and a few cuts and bruises.The never drained the pools which I found odd for such rough seas, the Lido deck was awash with water. All in all the Zuidy made it through what the seasoned crew members I spoke with called "the roughest day we have ever sailed" I didn't have good service, nor was I impressed with the ship. I think they have dry docked her since to fix some issues, and the cruise director has changed (thank goodness because Dane Butcher was not effective in his job) as well as the hotel manager, so your expierence may be totally different than ours. HMC is beautiful and they make a mean Cosmopolitan drink in the crows nest bar up top. Go for the flambe' dessert in the schooner bar (I think this is the one right off the dining room) I liked the internet cafe as well, much more efficient than RCI on this issue. The spa was overated and over priced, I'd opt out on that one and find a "spa day" package on one of the islands you visit. Check a local resort for spa information. I will say due to the way HAL responded to my complaints I won't be booking them in the future, I am sorry to say unless they go backwards in time and treat people the way they used too, they will be well on their way to Chapter 13...

[dakrewser]

thanks for the support, I must say there are a lot fo loyal HAL fans on these sites and it seems whenever you speak against HAL you get BASHED...



When anyone extrapolates their one experience on one ship as a condemnation of an entire cruise line then you can expect to hear from those who have had many wonderful experiences on multiple ships of that line. That's not limited to HAL, either. Check threads on the Celebrity, Carnival or RCCL boards.

The Zuiderdam is simply not a typical HAL ship. Its not even a typical HAL Vista-class ship any more. It's the budget-priced (and budget-serviced) ship which unfortunately carries the HAL logo. I've never sailed on her, but my impression is that I would not recommend her to someone looking for a HAL experience.

[Tatka]

We had a very good time on Zui...

Strong Points: Very good food, great-sized inside cabin with wonderful bedding, interesting ship in terms of arts, nice shows (we only saw production shows).
Good itinerary (west carib), HMC is not to be missed.:)

My 12 yo son really enjoyed basketball/volleyball court.

Not so Strong Points: Slow service...specially in cabins, our attendant was very nice but I feel he had to many cabins to clean, same can be said about dining room. I don't feel HAL tablemates matching ability is good...
We had great table mates, but 82 + 80 + 56 yo usually don't mix very well with 32 + 32 + 12.;)

We didn't experience bad smells or not working A/C.

Our cabin was I-6067 on Upper Verandah deck.

Enjoy you cruise.:)

[TYMAN]

Hey Tatka...We have 6067 in June. Did we pick a great cabin?? Bill
Oops, sorry, we have 6057

[ekerr19]

I think Dave is correct in his assessment that the Zui is not the typical HAL experience. We sailed on her during the summer 2003 and would not repeat the experience again - even if it were free, but that is just me.

Dave hits the nail squarely on the head, "it's the budget-priced (and budget-serviced) ship", at least it seemed to be on our cruise. HAL seems to be trying very hard to attract a specific niche that currently cruises on other lines.

There are quite a few cruisers on these boards (who have opinions I respect) that had fantastic cruises on the Zui. I wish only ours had been the same.

Our Zui cruise was our least favorite vacation - it was still a vacation, mind you - but not the type we've grown accustom to and enjoy.

[gammaf]

Olivia:

Do not believe everything that you hear on the boards. I was skeptical too when we went on the Zuiderdam in May for 7 days. I was afraid that we had spent all that money and that the cruise would be terrible. We went and had a wonderful time! The Zui is a beautiful ship! We had a balcony cabin which was more than I had ever expected and the service was outstanding. We had no problems with the food, it was wonderful. This was the first time on Hal and we were both impressed with everyone trying to make us happy. We never once smelled any sewage smell or had AC problems, etc. There was a little vibration in the dining room, but nothing earth shattering that caused us not to eat! All I can tell you is go with an open mind and have fun!! You will not regret that you did! We are sailing Feb 8th again on the Zuiderdam in an SS Suite. Can't wait to see her again!!

[Cameron-by-the-Sea]

:) We had a fine cruise experience on the Zuiderdam and we will be going again this July so my dh can participate in an on-board dental seminar. I am trying to understand why this ship is treated as the "red headed step child" by so many on this board.

We are looking forward to our cruise and I will try to overlook all the negative comments. I would like to offer an encouraging word to those who have upcoming cruises on this ship. Be prepared to have a great time!

[Sierrachik]

We had a wonderful time this past October and have booked for this coming October as well. I think the current biggest issue for most is the Zuiderdam is so very different from all of the other HAL ships. When the ship first sailed there were lots of problems, I think they're all worked out now for the most part and now the problems that come up are the normal problams any ship has.

Enjoy yourself!

[itsme_jj]

I had planned to take a trip on carnival because I was sure that is all i could afford when my father in law who has been cruising for over 10 years suggested I check out holland due to a sale on balconies. (i only wanted a balcony).

Sure enough I was surprised to get a rate comparable to carnival on such a high end ship (4046 for 2 vc balconies connecting) for the 6/4 west carrib. I booked it and then wondered about the age group...as I heard it was mostly retirees. But he assured me if I sailed when others families mostly sail, i would be fine.

He said while I could go on carnival, i probably wouldn't like all the waiting, and I am also really picky when it comes to cleanliness and food. So I was all set after I read this article and felt good about it until now....is this not the ship for me?

http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/family/HALfamily.cfm

My FatherinLaw is a pretty well rounded fellow and knows my boys well, so I trust him completely. But wonder since he's in his 70's whether he is right.
He said we definitely probably shouldn't do Alaska as he thought the boys would be bored, but felt the carribean in summer, the kids would have plenty of others to play with, but not soooo many we were all run over and neglected.

What do you think?

I also wanted to know if the new water park hal was building for kids on half moon cay was done?

Help please....you are making me nervous....

I like clean, comfortable, but not bored to death kids......:(

[doone]

Which HAL ship is he suggesting you take, the Zuiderdam?

Your father-in-law sounds like a well informed person and wouldn't steer you in the wrong direction.

[dst]

EKERR: I was not aware that Zui was considered the "Bargain Cruise" we certainly did not get a bargain. We were in a suite and paid more on this cruise than we would have on other lines, but decided to try HAL for the first time. Even if it were a "Bargain Cruise" I do not think it excuses poor service.

Deb

[finest14]

These are great 3D views of areas on the ship.......

http://www.virtualtoursusa.com/hollandzuiderdam.htm


Justin

[dakrewser]

EKERR: I was not aware that Zui was considered the "Bargain Cruise" we certainly did not get a bargain. We were in a suite and paid more on this cruise than we would have on other lines, but decided to try HAL for the first time. Even if it were a "Bargain Cruise" I do not think it excuses poor service.Deb

But cabin for cabin, day for day, the Zuiderdam is less expensive than any other HAL ship, thus the "bargain" term. Poor service is never excusable, but it does appear to be more frequently reported from this ship than any other in the HAL fleet.

[dst]

Dave: I wish I had known that prior to our cruise, I may have thought differntly about it. We certainly paid more than we usually would have for a cruise but we had heard so many good things about HAL and it was out honeymoon so we thoguth to give it a try. Maybe we shoudl consider another ship on HAL and compare........the interesting thing is why would HAL have a "bargain" ship when the have all of Carnival?

[dakrewser]

the interesting thing is why would HAL have a "bargain" ship when the have all of Carnival?

Each cruise line within the Carnival Corp. is operated as a seperate "profit center." Each has leeway to create their own image. The "big concept" behind the launch of the Zuiderdam was to steal younger cruisers away from both Carnival and Royal Caribbean by offering "cut price" (for HAL) 7-day cruises in the Caribbean all year round.

[Iggipolka]

We absolutly loved the Zui and woudln't hestitate to book another cruise on her again. We experienced none of the problems that other's have mentioned and had a fantastic time.

[anngie]

Well, I have been reading this thread and really do not think that that calling the Zuiderdam the bargain ship is correct. I have sailed on the Zuiderdam, the Oosterdam, and the Westerdam. I have not sailed on any other HAL ships but have sailed on many Carnival ships, some of them over and over again. Unless the Zuiderdam has completely changed since it's first year it is just as nice as the Oosterdam and the Westerdam. The service was wonderful and the food was too. My son and his wife sailed on the Zuiderdam about a year after we did and they just loved it. They are in their early 30's.
We sailed on the Carnival Glory last year and it is a lovely ship with wonderful food. It is just too large for us. Our only complaint was that it took too long to move the passengers on and off in the ports.
The only negative thing that I could say about the Z is that we did have a problem with our commode. It would not flush and it did back up. We did get it fixed though. The plumber came when we reported it. It was still not working right so our cabin steward miraculously fixed it and there was no more problem with it. We had an A verandah on the upper promenade.
I did not feel that the Z was inferior at all to the other 2 Vista ships.

[mmacdcc]

We sailed the Zui in December. It was our first (and hopefully not last) cruise. I would go again in a heartbeat.

We too had an INTERMITTENT toilet problem, it never lasted longer than an hour, never backed up or smelled. It was NOT consistent or long-lasting.

I thought the food was very good, service was excellent, the crew was very friendly and helpful.

We had one very rough day, that was the only time I felt or heard any vibration in the dining room.

I can't speak for any of the children's programs, we didn't have any little ones along.

We were on Upper Veranda, had a balcony cabin, it was well laid out, beds were extremely comfortable (I wish I could have brought it back with me!).

There are people who have valid complaints, on a ship that size there's bound to be some problems. But if you look for problems, you can be sure you'll find them.

Go and have a great time!

[imsulin]

Well, shoot! Here I am, going on my second cruise on the Zui (after the Zaandam and the Veendam), and I liked my first cruise on her so much, that I'm going again on April 9! Budget??? Hmmm..wow! I just got a fax back from HAL stating that I/we were "Paid in Full" ...to the tune of a few thousand scooties!!!~ Now, look...I COULD have booked a 4-5-nighter on the CCL Holiday out of Mobile to Cozumel. What's that they used to say? "Been there, done that..." . Won't do it again. For me, HAL offers the best in cruising...FOR ME! Loved the Zaandam and the Veendam! Love HAL, and always will! My first cruise on the Zui (May, 2002) was great (my first full day at HMC!) and the glitches in the Queen's Lounge and the first floor dining room were all taken in stride. Going on Princess (Caribbean Princess) in Sept...we shall see. Just want to say that HAL suits my style. Enjoy your HAL cruise!

[winher]

Last June, my family travelled on the Zuiderdam(Eastern Caribbean) for a family reunion. My nephews - ages 9 and 11 last year had a terrific time. They are thrilled to pieces (like their elders - 40's, 50's and 80's) to be going again on the Zuiderdam in June for the Western Caribbean.
In December, we travelled on RCI Legend (Panama Canal). While we had a lovely cruise, we kept comparing it to the Zuiderdam and HAL. We thought the food was much better on the Zuiderdam, as well as the beds being much more comfortable.
We rarely saw my nephews. They were always off doing something with new friends - after we chased them away from watching movies and cable TV in the suite, that they don't get to see at home. The youngest's only complaint was that they didn't serve sushi for breakfast.
I think you will be very happy and have a great time. I can't wait till we sail on it again. Cheers!

[Oceanwench]

Going on our second Zui cruise in May ...
We really enjoyed the ship the first time [Nov 2003] and look forward to another great time!

[Cruisers NJ]

DST,


How is married life treating you?

We will be sailing againg in July to celebrate our 25th anniversary.

We were RJWCW on the old message board.

Cathy & Bob

[Ziggy7]

We had a wonderful b2b on the Zuiderdam! I would sail her again, we sailed RCI after that it really made us appreciate the Zuiderdam! :) Just because one person does or does not have a good time, does not mean you will or you wont! Go with a positive mind and you can see for yourself. Have a wonderful cruise no matter what you decide :)

[Majika]

Going on my first HAL cruise in July. I can live with just about any problem that might come my way as long as I dont have to, cook, mop, dust, scrub, launder, fold or wash anything.

Our first cruise on Carnival Triumph we had no A/C for the entire week, last summer we sailed on her again. Had a wonderful trip both times and yes we did have A/C the second time.

[artvlay]

We were on the Zuiderdam last month and were disappointed. This was our 17th cruise, and we booked on HAL because of the reputation. We were surprised in a few catagories, that failed to meet our expectations. First the ship was layed out poorly. Nothing like the Radiance class of ships on RCI. The food was better than RCI, but the bbq on Half moon, was gross.

We didn't experience any odors, and very little vibrations. Our AFT cabin was nice, with a great balcony, however the steward was the worst we ever experienced. I think we found most of the staff was not into excellent service because there tips were automatic.

I would think twice about going back on HAL, however, like others have written here, it still is wonderful to be on a cruise ship.