My first time on HAL, Zaandam alaska many?

[moofus]

I am so excited to try HAL. We've been RCCI cruisers for a long time, but wanted to go a "step up" for this cruise.
Is it really a step up from RCCI?
Is the food good, great, so so?
Going to Alaska Sept 11,,, will we be freezing.?
The Zaandam is an older ship, is it nice and does it still seem new?

[RuthC]

Yes, HAL is a "step-up" from RCCL. It's a traditional line; the ship will have a traditional, elegant atmosphere. Fresh flowers everywhere; cloth towels in the public restrooms; crew that remember your name and greet you with a smile.

The food will be good, banquet-type food. Probably not great, but better than RCCL, IMHO. The food in the Lido will be good to excellent.

Alaska is Sept will be cold. Freezing? Depends on what you're used to. On my first cruise to Alaska I ran in to some Texans who were freezing in July. It was around 70 degrees. My third trip there was in Sept and I found a sweatshirt and jacket necessary.

Zaandam an older ship? Hardly; these aren't cars. True, she isn't brand-spanking, fresh out of the box new, but less than 10 years old.
I have not sailed the Zaandam, but will say that HAL's best feature is her crew and the atmosphere the crew creates. That is true across the board regardless of which ship I happen to be on at the moment.

[Roz]

I was on the Zaandam last December, before her drydock, and thought she was a wonderful ship. To me she was new, since I'd never sailed on a ship built after 1996. The crew, captain, service, and food were wonderful in my opinion.

Roz

[obriendan]

On an Alaska cruise early in the season, late May, we had temperatures in the 80's! So the best warning about temperature is perhaps be prepared for a wide swing.

[Budget Queen]

Mid Sept, is a VERY iffy time to go weather wise. Average is temps 40-50's, ave. of 3 days of rain, and dusk by 7pm. Take layers including rain gear and plan your port time carefully. Last 2 seasons were very ATYPICAL with warm nice weather, but far from the norm. But maybe global warming is having the inpact on Alaska??

[grannynurse]

She just had her "signature of excellence" upgrade last month, and she's beautiful.
Our pillow top mattresses were like sleeping on a cloud, and my DH is very fussy. We had our choice of pillows. The duvets are wonderful and HAL triple-sheets.
The towels and robes are soft and wonderful. The room amenities, hair dryer and make-up mirrors are great.

Our only complaint, and it's always been so on "S" and "R" class ships,
too few outlets. Bring a 3 plug extension cord, even if you're in a suite.

We've tried RCCI, NCL and others, and we won't stray from HAL.
The Zaandam is a classy ship, even outshines our favorite Rotterdam in some areas. The service is top notch.
GN

[Tinknock50]

I am so excited to try HAL. We've been RCCI cruisers for a long time, but wanted to go a "step up" for this cruise.
Is it really a step up from RCCI?
Is the food good, great, so so?
Going to Alaska Sept 11,,, will we be freezing.?
The Zaandam is an older ship, is it nice and does it still seem new?

I hate to be a but-insky, but since the Zaandam sails on the 10th you had better arrive a day earlier in Vancouver ;).

I am booked on this cruise, but was thinking of changing to the 3rd because Labor Day falls during that week and I will only have to take 4 additional days off from work.
If I don't change....see you on board!

[missygirl]

We just got back Sat. off the Zaandam. Our cabin was top notch, always clean. We had fresh fruit delivered on the second day, big cushy bathrobes and the new mattress was top of the line, slept like a baby. Also new flat screen TV's with DVD player, you can rent those. The cabin steward called us by name every time he saw us. The dining room was elegant and food and service was wonderful. The Lido buffet was good but would run out of popular dishes and desserts and you would just miss out, that was dissapointing. All public areas was clean and staff helpful. Overall we had a very nice time and I hope this helps. Have a great cruise.