Zuiderdam Review-4/16-4/23/05. If you expect...

[watchdiva]

To have your expectations exceeded, you will LOVE the Zuiderdam. As a first time HAL cruiser, I must admit to being apprehensive after reading some of the reviews that were, shall we say, less than positive (bad food, bad decor, ship looking worn-out, etc.etc.) and had in fact seriously considered cancelling our trip and switching to another ship/line. Obviously, we didn't switch our booking and are we ever glad we didn't!

From the moment we arrived at the terminal, checked in (suite passenger line) and were in the Neptune Lounge was no more than 10 minutes. We were escorted to the Neptune by a steward who welcomed us aboard, told us to have a great time and then left to help other passengers. The concierges in the Neptune (Jozen and Machel) were some of the best and most professional we have ever encountered on ANY line and throughout the week we had more than one occasion to seek them out for help, which was always provided with a smile. At approximately 1:20 PM the cabins were announced ready for us and we were thrilled with 7064 (2 cabins from the glass elevators, perfectly mid-ship). The cabin was in pristine condition, with all amenities provided (and restocked) from day one. Our cabin steward Sam introduced himself, pointed out the heat/ac controls, and left.

The service on this ship was exemplary - from Clifford in the Pinnacle Grill, to Melanie in the Greenhouse Spa, the concierges, dining room steward and Sam our steward, we couldn't have asked for anything more.

Our rollcall had scheduled a meeting for 2 PM at the SeaView Bar (aft pool) and approximately 30 people attended - including the HM James Deering! If any of you wonder whether HAL pays attention to this board, rest assured that James Deering freely admits that he reads the boards every day! He had read our roll call and arrived with the entire thread printed out, asking each of us to identify ourselves, handing us his business card and spending 1 hour or so with our group. This was the first (but not last) time we would encounter him. He assisted Ed and Jo Baldwin of our rollcall with setting up a second meeting in the Explorer Lounge which he also attended, supplied hor's d'ouevres for and, much to our delight, presented each of us a book on the Zuiderdam and proceeded to ask our opinions of the ship, share his ideas and expertise with us and just generally chatted. I had previously met Mr. Deering on the NCL Dawn and was thrilled that he was rotating on the Zuiderdam during our cruise.

The food in the dining room, Pinnacle Grill and room service was just fine in our opinion (I certainly didn't loose any weight:p . We never ate at the Lido Grill so I can't comment on that.

The public areas seem very under-utilized (many days the Crows Nest was empty which was sad - what a beautiful spot to view the ocean, read a good book or just "be". The Piano Bar was very lively most nights and was SRO on two of the nights we visited.

DH and I have cruised 20+ years and as we were driving home today, we figure this was a 10! Granted, this ship may NOT be to everyone's liking with its bright colors and more laid-back atmosphere (yes, on both formal and informal nights, some guests choose NOT to go dressy or with jackets) but for a Caribbean cruise vacation it suited us just fine.

I would sail on this (or any other HAL Vista class ship) is a New York minute! The customer service that so many experienced HAL cruisers love is certainly alive and well on the Zuiderdam.

If you have any Zuiderdam questions, please ask.

To all of my fellow cruise critics that we met this week (Brenda and Eric, Ed and Jo, Sophie and her crew, Brian, Steve and Sherri, Dan and Cathy, and the rest), thanks for contributing to one of the best trips for John and I - ever!

Also, thanks for all of the HAL cruisers who patiently answered questions, provided advice during the "I've booked it and now can't wait to go phase" and for providing some of the best cruise tips I've ever had (the lanyard idea ranks right up there - for once, I never had to tell DH "I can't find my room card"!)

Thanks again to all - Lin and John

[BLStokes23]

I really enjoyed reading your review. We had the pleasure of sailing on the Zuiderdam last year. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Welcome home!

[stanford's girl]

What a great review Watchdiva. Nice to know that someone from HAL reads the boards. James Deering sounds like a wonderful representative of the cruise line. I'll be sailing with HAL for the first time in Oct. 05 on the Oosterdam. Looking forward to it being everything you talked about.:)

[CoppellCruiser]

Glad to her another great review of the Zuiderdam. It's also good to hear that HAL is watching and hopefully listening with the idea of improving any legitimate quality issues.

I actually like the idea of the public areas uncrowded, I was more concerned that would be overcrowded. Not that we want to be out on a dance floor by ourselves :-)

[SueOverend]

Thanks for taking the time to do the review, especially the day you get home. We're trying to work out what the best time to arrive at the pier would be. What time did you arrive and did you notice what was the busiest period. We are also crusing with HAL for the first time and are also in a Suite.

[elmorejj]

Thankls for such a nice positive review, I enjoyed reading it. Great to know that the HAL people are reading the boards and hopefully taking notice............jean :cool:

[Oceanwench]

Wow -- just off the ship and already posting!
Isn't it great to live in South Florida? :)

I am glad to hear so many good thngs. Although I cruised on the Zuiderdam in 2003 and had a wonderful time, certain recent postings had me worried about our 5/14 Zuiderdam cruise!

I am so glad to hear that things went well for you.

I hope Mr. Deering reads the roll calls -- we are not planning an *official* CC meeting, but we are having a sailaway get-together in some of the adjoining SS cabins.

Welcome home!

[watchdiva]

Since we live 20 minutes from the Port, we arrived at approximately 11:20 AM, there was absolutely NO line to check-in and we had our docs and were through security in less than 10 minutes. You can go right to the Neptune Lounge where food is available (munchies, sweets, etc) or drop your bags and run to the Lido Grill for lunch. I would guess that it would be fairly busy anytime after 1 PM with people arriving from the airport but that would just be a guess. I was so excited to board that I didn't want to waste a minute so we boarded early.

I was absolutely amazed to see that Mr. Deering had printed out our entire rollcall thread, and it was clear to me in my discussions with him that he was VERY well aware of what cruise critics were sharing with each other on the boards. And yes, he even knew about Grumpy and Slinkie on the world cruise.

One thing I forgot to mention about our trip was how smooth disembarkation was - we cleared customs this AM at 8:15 and they started calling for passengers to disembark at 8:20. We left our stateroom at 9 AM and were outside with our luggage by 9:10! This was the smoothest embark/disembark ever. Since suite passengers can embark/disembark at their convenience, we could have been off the ship and home earlier today, but we lingered over one last breakfast on the balcony.

[ekerr19]

Thanks for the great review! We had a cabin steward named Sam a couple years ago in 7053, he was fantastic. He put up with us and the kids for the entire week with such a great smile on his face and was certainly deserving of each and every penny of our tip. He made a point to personally thank both DH & I, which I thought was very gracious of him. Our kids simply adored him. He was easily one of the best cabin stewards we've ever had.

If it's the same Sam - he is a gem. :)

So glad to hear your cruise was a 10!!!

[cruznon]

Watchdiva,

Thank you for your review of your Zuiderdam cruise. So glad you had a wonderful time!
Like you, I started to get a bit concerned about our decision to go on the Zuiderdam when several posts of a few weeks ago were not so positive. But recently the reviews have been so positive.

When we sailed on the Oosterdam in February, Mr. Deering met our Roll Call group also and then we met him a few times thoughout the cruise. We found him to be warm, knowledgeable, and thoughtful. HAL is indeed fortunate to have him as HM.
We hope he's still on board the Zuiderdam when we cruise on July 30.

Thanks for posting so quickly. Your posting has really added to our anticipation! :)

Welcome home. Your review was greatly appreciated.

[cheshire999]

WatchDiva, thank you so much for the great review!! It really helps us to just relax and look forward to our cruise instead of wondering about the quality of soup on formal night. Although, knowing Mr Deering is reading the roll call boards makes me want to go change my screenname!! Yikes! We're a crazy crew over there. :D Remember, I'm the quiet one on that thread!!

[ImpulsivePuppy]

thanks for the review! i am sailing the zuider in sept. would love to hear your thoughts on the stops.

[Ziggy7]

Thanks for the great review :) Very enjoyable to read :) Welcome Home !!! :)

[Scrumpy]

Watchdiva - Thank you very much for the review! It sounds like you had a wonderful time and I am happy for you. Thanks for immediately taking the time to post, too. You are FAST!

Yeah, cheshire999 - Hmmm... Quiet?...we'll see how quiet you are on the ship, shall we? LOL! ;)

Scrumpy

[watchdiva]

We sailed the Eastern Caribbean - some thoughts on Ports...

HMC - there is nothing I can add to what has already been said of this incredibly beautiful place. Get over there as fast as you can and spend as much time there as possible. The stingray snorkel was incredible - how many times in life do you have the opportunity to feed a stingray out of your hand!

St. Thomas - we did a private sail with Highpockets (www.sailhighpockets.com (http://www.sailhighpockets.com)) and highly recommend sailing with Captain Kathleen and Mate Bill. Great snorkel stops away from all the crowds. The traffic in St. Thomas is not to be believed - massive traffic jams on Waterfront Street. Our taxi driver was fearless navigating the roads, driving is on the left side (if I recall correctly) and the roads are some of the steepest I have ever seen.

Tortola - we did a catamaran sail with Patouche (www.patouche.com (http://www.patouche.com)) and it was one of the best days of my life. Since Shamwari carries a maximum of 18, there was room to stretch out on deck, the Captain and Mate Pierre (native islander) shared their love of Tortola and their knowledge of the surrounding islands with us so a "fun trip" also became a learning experience. Pierre guided us through the Baths at Virgin Gorda, offering advice and assistance as we navigated our way through the rocks, making sure that everyone was fine. The food was great as well. All in all, a terrific day and one that I will never forget.

Nassau - we spent the day onboard (have been to Nassau many times and this is not one of my favorite ports).

[mjshaq]

It sure was nice to read your review. My family is just about to leave for our cruise aboard the Zuiderdam this coming Saturday April 30th. We are avid cruisers and normaly cruise Celebrity. We took a Disney cruise last year with our daughter andshe loved it.

We have also sailed Princess. We are HAL first-timers so it was nice to see you had a great time!

Mike:)

[dealin dave]

wife and 2 little children will be sailing July 30 2005, thank you for the insight. Would you happen to know if children on board had as good a time as you?

[popcruisers]

We decided, last minute once again, to book a 7 day on the Zuiderdam, April 30th, guarantee VD, hopefully an upgrade? We sailed on her in November '03, Cat S, room 7056. What a treat! Everything was wonderful start to finish! Oosterdam back-to-back December '04, first 7 days in an SS, last 7 in an S. Westerdam back-to-back December '05, Cat S once again. Like many others, we have become HAL addicts!!

Me - US Navy '66 to '70, APD 89 stationed in Little Creek, VA - lots of steaming time. Us - first cruise together on Sitmar '78 (a great line later bought out by, I beleive, Princess?), from then on every chance we get. None better than HAL!!!

5 days and counting!!

Popcruisers

[Sierrachik]

We decided, last minute once again, to book a 7 day on the Zuiderdam, April 30th, guarantee VD, hopefully an upgrade? We sailed on her in November '03, Cat S, room 7056. What a treat! Everything was wonderful start to finish!

That was our cabin this past October, we loved that suite :)

[Himself]

I am glad to see some positive reviews on this nice ship. I think the negativity of a couple of years ago was ressitance to the Vista Class.

I was on the Zuiderdam almost two years ago. I was also nervous about it and found the ship much nicer than I had been left to believe it would be.
Himself

[CruiseWacker23]

Watchdiva,

So glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise! I remember your concerns regarding the Zuiderdam after some of the bashing by a very disgruntled individual about a month ago. ( I'm sure I don't need to mention the name, we all know who I'm referring to) My DW and I sailed on the Zuiderdam twice in 2004, first time in May and then again in November and both times were extremely pleasing expericences. As you stated, the food, the service, everything could not have been better! My only surprise is you did not mention the extraordinary Hunky Dorey! He makes a lasting impression.

Mr Deering, thanks for caring enough and taking the time to read this board. Keep up the good work and for the DW & I, don't change one thing on HAL...we like you just the way you are. One more thing...we are sailing on the Volendam on November 15th on the Southern Caribbean Cruise...think you can transfer to her for 10 days??? :D

[watchdiva]

I had read about Hunky Dory on these boards but we never had the opportunity to meet him (or if I did meet him, I didn't know it!). Hopefully, we'll have that opportunity next time.

As far as the kids that we saw (and there was not very many on our sailing), they all appeared to be having a blast! I don't recall ever seeing kids at the Aft pool (which is where we laid out) but the kids that I saw at the Lido pool were having a great time.

Himself: I can appreciate that many long-time HAL cruisers would prefer the smaller ships but as for me, Vista any time! The Zuiderdam was perfectly suited to DH and I - not too big, not too small, in fact, just right!

[paradisegal]

Watchdiva - Thank you very much for the review! It sounds like you had a wonderful time and I am happy for you. Thanks for immediately taking the time to post, too. You are FAST!

Yeah, cheshire999 - Hmmm... Quiet?...we'll see how quiet you are on the ship, shall we? LOL! ;)

Scrumpy

WONDERFUL review!!!!!!!! Now thats what we like to hear!!!!! And as far as "quiet ones" over on the that thread............NO SUCH THING!!!!! :D
See you onboard!!!!!

[beachfamily]

Lin and John, happy to know that you enjoyed the same wonderful experiences and services that we did. Thanks for sharing the High Pockets sail and dingy ride!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Thank you for taking the time to post a review. I for one greatly appreciate it. Yours and another I just read have put my mind at ease. :)

Bill

[hogwildcruzers]

Lin, that is a great review and one that is very well seconded by us, as we enjoyed this cruise and the fellow CC'ers more than any cruise ever,we miss you all already and look forward to seeing you again. I don't think there will ever be a day that will top the one we had with Patouche at Tortola,( that review will come later) :)

[sable1]

Thanks for your review. Although we are sailing on Maasdam July 16 r.t. Boston, I really appreciated all the information you provided. Also made me more eager for July to arrive.
We met James Deering on the NCL Dawn Trans Canal last year and he did an excellent job of providing extra "perks" to our group who were guinea pigs for the training of the American crew. At that time he gave us his business card with instructions to contact him when we sailed again. Well, I'm wondering if you could post his e-mail address for me? Thank you very much. Do you have any idea why he left NCL? HAL's gain.
Thanks again for your very good review.
Happy sailing,
Joanne, the chocoholic

[watchdiva]

Dear Joanne:

I checked James' business card and it doesn't have an e-mail address for him on it.:o So sorry. However, rest assured that he does read these boards and you could probably start a "thread" and ask if ANYONE has an e-mail address for him.

I agree that James' arrival at HAL is a loss for NCL. I have no idea why he left NCL but am grateful that he is now with HAL. His fans on NCL were legion - I expect he will have a similar following on HAL!

[carolmacey]

[QUOTE=
Our rollcall had scheduled a meeting for 2 PM at the SeaView Bar (aft pool) and approximately 30 people attended - including the HM James Deering! If any of you wonder whether HAL pays attention to this board, rest assured that James Deering freely admits that he reads the boards every day! He had read our roll call and arrived with the entire thread printed out, asking each of us to identify ourselves, handing us his business card and spending 1 hour or so with our group. This was the first (but not last) time we would encounter him. He assisted Ed and Jo Baldwin of our rollcall with setting up a second meeting in the Explorer Lounge which he also attended, supplied hor's d'ouevres for and, much to our delight, presented each of us a book on the Zuiderdam and proceeded to ask our opinions of the ship, share his ideas and expertise with us and just generally chatted. I had previously met Mr. Deering on the NCL Dawn and was thrilled that he was rotating on the Zuiderdam during our cruise.



Thanks again to all - Lin and John[/QUOTE]

Lin,
Did you keep James' business card? I sailed with hime last year and had his e-mail address for a long time, but have lost it. Am wondering if his e-mail address is on his card?

Please help!
Carol

[sophiecruiser]

Greetings to my fellow CC'ers! We also had an absolutely wonderful week onboard the Zui. We were a group of 12 - 6 adults and 6 teens ages 13-17. We ALL had a great time! It was so much fun meeting everyone from the CC roll call! Mr. Deering was very gracious and genuinely interested in hearing our feedback. The bottles of champagne sent to our cabins and an invitation for cocktails with the captain were a lovely touch!


I'll provide some insight regarding our children's experience: I must admit that after we booked and the kids learned there was no rock-climbing wall or mini-golf or in-line skating, they were a little bummed out. But the kids always had plenty to do...basketball, ping-pong, movies, karaoke, swimming, golf simulator and doing what teens do best: eating! A favorite for the boys were the steak sandwiches ordered daily (and nightly) from room service. The availability of pizza and ice cream all afternoon was a plus in their eyes too.

We adults enjoyed the art auction, wine tasting, relaxing in the aft pool/bar area, and dining in the Pinnacle.

No worries - you'll love the Zui!

[sophiecruiser]

Thank you to Ed and Jo for all your efforts in organizing our CC get-togethers!
From the name tags on day 1 to the phone messages on day 6 - you covered it all! Many thanks.
Sophie

[cruisebunny40]

i have been looking for your review under the review section since the day we got back. i don't know what made me look under the holland america section today, but i'm glad i did.

just a note to all of my new friends from CC, i miss you guys. we had the best cruise every thanks to you. hope everyone came back to good weather and are getting over you post cruise blues.

i agree with everything lin said and we had an interior cabin. the service was the best, our room steward was like having my own personal butler(thanks Amis) james derring and captin scott were the wonderful. chris the shopping guru helped me get a great deal on my pearl ring by shopping in tortola instead of st thomas(much less pushy and more friendly) and the trivia mc's, the dam australian was a hoot. we didn't do any shore excurisions and still had the time of our life.

and i whole heartly agree with the rest of our group who have posted, thank you again ed and jo for keeping us together and organized.

hope to see you all on the waters again sometime
Cruisebunny 40 (brenda and eric)

[sable1]

Remember us? NCL Dawn last year.
I was wondering what you have been up to. Good to see you are still cruising.
As you can see from my above post, we are sailing on the Maasdam in July and I can hardly wait. From all the posts I've read, we should have a great experience.
I was surprised to read that Mr. Deering was with HAL now. I'm sure he probably got frustrated with the Dawn changeover to POA. Did he mention why he isn't with NCL anymore? Wish he was on the Maasdam in July, really liked him.
Where's your next cruise?
Happy cruising,
Joanne, the chocoholic

[dhowell]

Tortola - we did a catamaran sail with Patouche (www.patouche.com (http://www.patouche.com/)) and it was one of the best days of my life. Since Shamwari carries a maximum of 18, there was room to stretch out on deck, the Captain and Mate Pierre (native islander) shared their love of Tortola and their knowledge of the surrounding islands with us so a "fun trip" also became a learning experience. Pierre guided us through the Baths at Virgin Gorda, offering advice and assistance as we navigated our way through the rocks, making sure that everyone was fine. The food was great as well. All in all, a terrific day and one that I will never forget.


Watchdiva - Thanks for all of your info. Here's a question regarding your patouche sail - we have 18 family members signed up to sail with Patouche in July and my parents are the only ones not signed up. We're concerned for their comfort and safety - Mom has a bad back and needs to be seated in a chair of some sort - not sitting on her bottom. Dad had a replacement hip and knee last year and uses a cane to stabilize himself. They can both get around pretty easily, but my biggest concerns are where they will sit on the boat and the difficulty in getting on/off the boat itself. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!!:)

[rtluvr]

We, too, are booked with a guarantee and this is our first Zuiderdam cruise. I am uncertain as to the track record of their upgrades...Anyone have an experience? We are traveling on June 11 and thanks for the well received reviews.

[watchdiva]

I also have problems with my back and have had neck surgery so I can emphathize with your concerns. I had absolutely no problem either getting onto or off of Shamwari. There are a few areas that could work for your Mom and Dad - the boat had 2 part cushions that were propped against the windshield (is it a windshield on a catamaran:rolleyes: ) and I sat on the deck (cushion under my rear and second part of cushion against my back). For me, it was extremely comfortable. I believe there might also be room where the captain steers the catamaran.

My best suggestion to you would be to contact Julie directly and ask her opinion - she was honest in all of her dealings with me (and my numerous questions) and I would expect that she would address your concerns honestly.

One thing however, if you are sailing to Virgin Gorda, Shamwari anchors offshore and you swim into the beach - just something to consider with Mom and Dad (maybe they'd be having such a good time, they would decide just to stay on the boat!).