Zaandam 4/5-4/8 review

[reyson]

This was a short,inexpensive repositioning cruise. The ship is beautiful and very clean. I was suprised at how good the food was. I was impressed that the Lido food choices were much better than other cafeterias on other HAL and other lines I have been on.

A lecturer ,Goeff Mark,gave great talks on Lucille Ball and Ethyl Merman and after the formal lecture answered questions on show business--very entertaining. The rest of the entertainment was awful.

The weather was always cold and rainy. The actvities during the day were limited but it was good to sit under the dome and read. It was annoying that parents let the children in the pool scream at the top of their lungs--in an enclosed area,the sound magnifies.

All in all a good cruise--although just as we were ready to disembark,they called medics to a cabin on deck 2--I don't know if someone died or not. ;) :) :p

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you had a great short cruise. Have sailed on the Zaandam many times.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Geoffrey Mark was on our 2nd cruise on the Maasdam just a short while ago. I wrote all about him and lectures on Lucille Ball.

[RuthC]

The rest of the entertainment was awful.
Ah! The most important part of the review. ;)

If you'd tell us who the entertainers were it might be of help if we ever see the name on our own Daily Program. Are you referring to guest entertainers or the HAL lounge musicians? Or both?

[cirpi]

This was a short,inexpensive repositioning cruise. The ship is beautiful and very clean. I was suprised at how good the food was. I was impressed that the Lido food choices were much better than other cafeterias on other HAL and other lines I have been on.

A lecturer ,Goeff Mark,gave great talks on Lucille Ball and Ethyl Merman and :p

We, too, were on this ``cruisette'' from San Diego to Vancouver, our first sailing with HAL. We did not eat at the buffet, but we found the food uneven and service slow in the dining rooms compared with our experiences with Celebrity. Much to HAL's credit, the ship was spotlessly clean. When we boarded, we thought the carpeting had been installed withing the past month or so because it appeared to be new. Only at the end of the cruise did we learn that the Zaandam will get new carpeting this week at drydock in Vancouver. Hats off to HAL.

[akeka]

Cirpi, so sorry you had slow service. We thought the dinner service was just right in terms of the serving time taking about 1 1/2 hours each evening at our table.

I think this is unrelated to line as much as luck of the draw with the stewards. We had extremely slow dinner service in November on our last (and I mean last) Carnival cruise.

[cirpi]

Cirpi, so sorry you had slow service. We thought the dinner service was just right in terms of the serving time taking about 1 1/2 hours each evening at our table.

I think this is unrelated to line as much as luck of the draw with the stewards. We had extremely slow dinner service in November on our last (and I mean last) Carnival cruise.

I hope no one thinks my post about slow dining-room service on our short Zaandam cruise is bashing HAL. We most certainly will sail HAL again and if service is not quite so brisk as we hope, so be it.

[Copper10-8]

We, too, were on this ``cruisette'' from San Diego to Vancouver, our first sailing with HAL. We did not eat at the buffet, but we found the food uneven and service slow in the dining rooms compared with our experiences with Celebrity. Much to HAL's credit, the ship was spotlessly clean. When we boarded, we thought the carpeting had been installed withing the past month or so because it appeared to be new. Only at the end of the cruise did we learn that the Zaandam will get new carpeting this week at drydock in Vancouver. Hats off to HAL.

Hi Cirpi, my elevator does not always reach the top floor, can you explain what "we found the food uneven" means? Much obliged!:)

[akeka]

I hope no one thinks my post about slow dining-room service on our short Zaandam cruise is bashing HAL. We most certainly will sail HAL again and if service is not quite so brisk as we hope, so be it.

Oh no, I didn't think that. I was just adding that we were on the same sailing and didn't have slow service so it wasn't an overall problem.

[cirpi]

Hi Cirpi, my elevator does not always reach the top floor, can you explain what "we found the food uneven" means? Much obliged!:)


Glad to oblige! Broiled chicken breast at lunch on the 7th was nicely seasoned, but overcooked and dry. The accompanying rice with black beans had not been seasoned and was beyond bland. Wife's nicoise salad arrived without the required vinaigrette and the crust on a lemon tart at dinner was so tough that it could not be cut with a knife. Salmon in another salad was mushy, indicating it could have been thawed and refrozen more than once. However, we enjoyed some amazingly good grub at other times, including halibut, escargot, lamb chops and shanks, duck breast and an Eggs Benedict that my bride said was the best she'd ever eaten.

[1011]

I was also on your cruise. I went with my brother and parents. We all had a great time. It was nice to go back to a smaller ship. I have been on Princess for the last 4 cruises the big giants ships. The smaller ships are so much better. Better food, service and passengers.

I loved the nice beds and dvds in the room. I had an inside room L2506 it so big. I have been on Holland America 4 times, but this time seemed better.

It was not that rough, it's not fun until the waves starts hitting the decks. This cruise was a nice gentle roll that always put me to sleep.

The Zaandam is a nice ship and has great crew.