The NEW Zuiderdam-Anyone back yet?

[crabcruiser]

Can't wait to hear a review of the Inaugural New Zuiderdam Cruise!
Please let me know how you enjoyed your cruise.
I am also anxious to hear about the cabin upgrades...flat screen TV's? DVD's? etc.
Did you have AYW dining? Was there a shuttle from the port in Venice? Would you recommend this ship??:)

[chicubfan]

I would like to know too seeing as I will be aboard this boat for my very first cruise.

[crabcruiser]

I have sailed on most of HAL ships as well on the other 2 Vista class ships (Westerdam and Noordam) and loved them all.
I read some previous posts about the Zuidedam looking "tired and worn" so I am anxious to hear how she looks after dry dock. I must admit I am very finicky and like everything new and sparkling.

[neil5054]

I am going on the Zuiderdam in August. I heard that they were renovating as of April, when was the inaugural cruise?

[RuthC]

I am going on the Zuiderdam in August. I heard that they were renovating as of April, when was the inaugural cruise?
IIRC, it was in 2002.

[kdowneymd]

The lack of responses from anyone, save one review, is dis-heartening for those of us who log on daily hoping to hear some new tidbit (I know it is sad but a great escape from work and children) We are on July 7 twelve day from venice/venice and are hoping to hear new information

[PS23435]

My wife and I just returned from the Zuiderdam's 12 day cruise from Venice. As this was out first time on a HAL ship it is difficult for us to compare the "new" Zuiderdam to the old or to other Vista class HAL ships. However, I will try to provide some of our perspectives... first, the ship was in great shape, front all outward appearances the work was completed. Our cabin (8145 on the stern) was nicely furnished and did have a flat screen TV with DVD player. We were in a verandah room (VA category) on the Navigation deck on the stern of the ship (I booked a VF GUAR on the Verandah deck). About 1/3 of the crew were new, whic is probably not that unusual for any cruise. We used the "as you wish dining" option which worked out very well for flexibility and not so well as to service quality (I posted a more complete review of that experience on the AYWD board). I would be happy to respond to specific questions that anyone may have...just post!

[off2ctheworld]

Welcome home! Thanks for posting about the Zuiderdam. Will read your AYWD post, hoping the dining experience can only get better with time-or at least before our cruise!

[calcruz]

Just got back last night after an extra few days in Venice. Major jet lag! The public areas of the ship look beautiful after the facelift. I like having the Exploration's Cafe, the library and part of the Crow's nest all being in the same area. And it was special to be the first to get my hands on the brand new books. The bathrooms are bright and shiny and the flowers and artwork are gorgeous as usual. Our cabin, however, was still a bit tired. VA 6085. The rug was stained and worn. The leather chair had a badly mended tear. The toilet had brown stains inside from drydock (the cabin steward cleaned it the day after we came on board.) The drapes couldn't completely close because they were missing a couple of hooks. Nothing really awful - just showing wear from years in the party happy Carribean. But the worst problem was our verandah deck - absolutely filthy from sitting two months. We took our shoes off before coming back into the room because they were gummy and covered with grime. We told our steward but finally the next morning we just wet down all our towels and cleaned it ourselves. The plexiglass was finally cleaned 12 days later when we departed the ship. The first day we boarded we had to track down one particular cabin steward who had a master key to open our door whenever we left our cabin because they had not rekeyed all of the locks. That was fixed by 6pm. Others we talked to had a totally redone room. Probably HAL just didn't have time to completely finish the redo. And yes, there are new flat screen TVs and DVDs. We didn't have time for either because the trip was so port intensive (wonderful ports.) The bedding is great. We didn't have Anytime Dining but will probably try it next time because we would have appreciated the flexibility - at least on this itinerary. Dining room service was great and everything was served in a timely manner. Food was good but nothing outstanding, but I'm not too fussy when I think that they are feeding over 1900 people and doing a pretty darn good job. We didn't go to any shows but the people we talked to that had gone said they were very good. Overall, I think they did a great job on the ship - it just wasn't finished. And the best part of HAL is still the staff; their courtesy and willingness to please with a smile; their cheerfulness day after day; their pride in a job well done. That said, it appears that HAL is stretching them a bit thin. There could be more wait staff and more cabin stewards. We cruise HAL about once a year and the staff seems to dwindle a bit more each year. But go and enjoy your trip on Zuiderdam. It's a lovely ship and you'll be well cared for. Hope I answered any questions about the new-and-improved Zuiderdam.

[off2ctheworld]

Welcome back Calcruz! Thanks for your informative report. Happy to hear you enjoyed your cruise and the public rooms sound wonderful.

[EastCoast]

Welcome back and thanks for taking the time to post. We appreciate your time

[Deckhandoug]

Calcruz, did you purchase an airport transfer for venice at the end of your cruise or?
I have an 11.34am flight out, do you anticipate any problems for me?
Thanks Doug

[Softball20]

This might sound odd, but I am curious about the blow dryers in the cabins. I am really trying to cut down on what I take, and it would be great if I didn't have to schlep my blow dryer. If the ship has the real little, attach-to-the-wall kind of dryer, I'll be schlepping. If it has a decent one, I might take the chance. [Not trying to be picky, but I have long thick hair and need a decent dryer.]

[Williebill]

Welcome back Calcruz. It does seem each time a ship leaves drydock, there are a lot of things left unfinished.

[MamaTene]

Finally getting news on the newly refurbed Z!

[RuthC]

If the ship has the real little, attach-to-the-wall kind of dryer, I'll be schlepping. If it has a decent one, I might take the chance. [Not trying to be picky, but I have long thick hair and need a decent dryer.]
All cabins on all ships have a fairly powerful hair dryer. Some people with long, think hair think they're not strong enough, but they are a lot stronger than the old bathroom ones.

The S- and R-class ships still have the wall-mounted dryers as well. They're great for cleaning off the bathroom mirror! ;)

[westville]

For PC23435 and calcruz.
Welcome back and thanks for the quick responses and info on the zuiderdam.
We are on 7/07 sailing and have a few concerns
Please advise on the following:
i. what time was the earliest that you could disembark. We are happy to do express disembarkation as our flight out of venice to frankfurt is at 10.40 am.Arrnaged for private transfer at 7.15. will this work for us.We were originally booked at 2.00pm and the airline cancelled that flight so moved us up to this time.
ii.Laundry on the zuiderdam- is the laundry per bag an option. are there any specials
iii. AYWD- We are booked on early dining. we are contemplating changing to AYWD for flexibility. A little concerned that service maybe compromised or the wait maybe too long in AYWD,
iv. Are the cabins in the aft upper verandah section renovated-i ask this as the deck plans in this area changed after the drydocking.
v. any info on shore excursions will be welcoming.
Thank you or your assistance in advance.
:p

[calcruz]

Westville, I think you might be cutting it a little short on your flight. When you get your documents it will show docking at 7am. We docked a little earlier. I don't remember the earliest debarkation time but I think it was between 7:30 and 8:00. Maybe someone else can clarify this. I had the info sheet but I think I tossed it. The airport is about 1/2 hour away from the port. As to laundry, Zuiderdam has no self- laundry facilities. A laundry bag costs $12 and holds quite a bit. Everything comes back either on hangers or folded nicely. Wish I could find this in the states! Can't tell you about anytime dining - we had late fixed. As to shore excursions - Split is a tiny, walkable town but if you want to know anything about it probably a shore excursion would help. We didn't take any ship's excursions. We did take a dinner excursion in Istanbul through Ekol and didn't enjoy it. However, we used Ekol in Kusadasi for Ephesus and it was the most memorable part of the trip. Our guide was Ali and he was exceptional. Mykonos and Santorini are just for walking and enjoying. Katakolon is a pleasant three or four streets with Shopping and ocean front cafes. We didn't take a tour to Olympia. Didn't take a tour in Athens because my husband has been there several times and said once was enough.

[crabcruiser]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions. The $12 laundry bag will be a big help for those of us who need to pack light.
I was wondering what you thought of the general level of service? I am hearing so many negatives and complaints about HAL lately. We were on the Noordam 2 years ago and it was wonderful!
We will be 3 couples sailing on the Zuiderdam Aug 12. Since I recommended the Zuiderdam I feel responible for the whole group.

[westville]

Thank You calcruz for the info.
I had no other option with the flight - I am concerned but hope it works for us.
The laundry info is great-thanks
I am still undecided about AYWD vs our early dining- I may switch to AYWD.
Shore excursions- we are booked with ekol for kusadasi and istanbul, athens and katakalon a private tour, santorini, split and mykonos on our own- this seems OK.
Thanks

[ezagdish]

We just returned from the 4/26 trip on the Zuiderdam. This is our fourth cruise with HAL and all have been in Europe and Vista Class ships. My husband and I have always only considered HAL when booking a trip. We figured the ship would be pristine having just come out of dry dock. We were terrbily mistaken. If we did not have prior HAL ships to compare, we would not have been any wiser to the "differences". First, our room did not have any airconditioning. Apparently, it was a serious issue on the ship and it took us 3 days to convince them that despite their three attempts, our A/C continued not to work. The last temperature reading in the room was 82 degrees! They moved us to a room that was a fully obstructed view (downgraded) but we didnt' care, we just wanted A/C. AFter 12 hours, that A/C went too! 5 days into the cruise, we finally had a room that wasn't 80+ degrees.

My personal opinion is the entire staff wasn't on the ship. It was terribly understaffed. I believe I only saw 5 Wine Stewards for the entire upper dining room. So, getting wine service during dinner was few and far between. Not their fault, she was running so much, she was literally sweating.

Petty comment but all of the windows on all decks were disgusting. It really showed that they just simply didn't have enough time to pay attention to the details before sailing. The public rooms, especially the Exploration and new shops were beautiful but I really paid to see the scenery.

TIP: Book Ekol travel for Istanbul and Kusadasi, they were excellent!!! They opened the bow for cruising the dardenelles and Santorini, take advatage of it - great picture taking. Also, when you are leaving Venice you'll have great pic opportunities. Go to the Lido Deck forward through the spa and go out on the deck. We were the only ones there and it was PERFECT! No need to push and shove to get a great pic....

Have a great time - ports are excellent.

[crabcruiser]

Sorry to hear service was not up top to par for your trip. I read somewhere that ships never return from dry dock as ready as they should be.
Did you have AYWD? If so, do you think that was part of the problem?

[ezagdish]

We did not have AYWD. We did become very friendly with the Dining Room Steward and we pointed out some of our observations to him and he agreed.

1. It makes it difficult for good service b/c there is no consistency with the tables.

2. By the second day, when we arrived, they knew my husband wanted an iced tea and I wanted a diet coke for a beverage. When they have AYWDiners, they can't get those minor details out of the way.

3. I don't know if it has anything to do with AYWD and I feel like a real jerk even saying it but it was very noticeable on this cruise. The dress was deplorable. Let me give you an example. Formal night we saw the following (commonly too) jeans, flip flops, sneakers, sweatshirt and shorts.

Let me know if you have any questions about the ports. Despite some of the minor details, the cruise was fantastic.

[crabcruiser]

Thank you. I can't imagine how AYWD could be better than early or late seating times. Unfortunatly it is not an option for us because only AYWD is available on our sailing.
Is there much to see in Split? Should we take a tour or wander on our own?
I plan to book Ekol for Turkey.:p

[ezagdish]

There wasn't too much to Split and it was easily "do-able" on your own. The only challenge was that you had to tender in Split. On our cruise, they only used 3 tenders and people had been waiting hours in the morning to get off in a tender. Honestly, our attitude in this port was to "go with the flow" so we weren't upset about waiting for the tenders but people were really upset.

We strolled through the Diocletian palace, which was remarkably fun and relaxing. It was beautiful and not what we had expected. There was a lot of shopping with restaurants with patios to lounge. The only challenge was that Croatia was not on the Euro. Make sure you find out the exchange rate before you go or look it up on the internet on the ship. HAL doesn't tell you exchange rate information so it was a challenge figuring out how much everything really cost in $$$.

[Harry1954]

We have been on the Zuiderdam now since drydocking. I am looking out at the port of Livorno as I type. The ship is in excellent shape as I mentioned in a thread on 2 May. There had been some problems with people's cabins, but they seem to have gotten rectified fairly quickly.
The shows have been very good and the crew for the most part has been accommodating and friendly.
The 2d executive chef, Tony, seems to be everywhere and is very helpful if one has a special problem.
Someone asked if Randall was playing in the piano bar - no he is not - but Tony Payne is there now and is not only very good, but funny as well – works the crowd.
The Pinnacle Grill is very, very nice - surprisingly bright considering the Pinnacle on other HAL ships. The furniture is quite unusual but the overall statement is elegant. The only detraction is one of the murals seems a bit out of character with the rest of the motif.
The food has been outstanding for all 22 days so far. However, early fixed dining was a bit of a challenge when there were long excursions and the staff was not very accommodating, leaving some of us to eat in our rooms when this occurred. AYL dining looks as though it is performing much better than the fixed dinning - we have tried both versions.

Well, it is time to put on the tux and imbibe a bit more before we return to the world.

Best to all,

Harry

[EastCoast]

Thanks for the positve comments Harry-may I ask what type of accomodation you have on the Z? Wishing you happy travels:)

[crabcruiser]

We have been on the Zuiderdam now since drydocking. I am looking out at the port of Livorno as I type. The ship is in excellent shape as I mentioned in a thread on 2 May. There had been some problems with people's cabins, but they seem to have gotten rectified fairly quickly.
The shows have been very good and the crew for the most part has been accommodating and friendly.
The 2d executive chef, Tony, seems to be everywhere and is very helpful if one has a special problem.
Someone asked if Randall was playing in the piano bar - no he is not - but Tony Payne is there now and is not only very good, but funny as well – works the crowd.
The Pinnacle Grill is very, very nice - surprisingly bright considering the Pinnacle on other HAL ships. The furniture is quite unusual but the overall statement is elegant. The only detraction is one of the murals seems a bit out of character with the rest of the motif.
The food has been outstanding for all 22 days so far. However, early fixed dining was a bit of a challenge when there were long excursions and the staff was not very accommodating, leaving some of us to eat in our rooms when this occurred. AYL dining looks as though it is performing much better than the fixed dinning - we have tried both versions.

Well, it is time to put on the tux and imbibe a bit more before we return to the world.

Best to all,

Harry

Thanks Harry.
How was formal night? Did most of the cruisers wear a tux? After reading some of these posts m we were thinking of leaving the tux home and just bringing a sport jacket instead. What do you think?

[westville]

Ezagdish and Harry 1954 -thanks for the info.
Can you remember what time the ship arrived in Venice on departure day and what is the earliest itme that you can leave. Express departure -was it avaialble..We have an early flight out of Venice to Frankfurt. (airline changed it reccently) so I am somewhat concerned.
Also we have early dining- we are thinking of changing to AYWD. What do you think? Is early dining too early.
Ezagdish-I have booked Ekol. Good to hear that you enjoyed both Istanbul and Kusadasi.
Finally how many formal nights are on this cruise.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks.

[jtl513]

Does the new Z have a 36-seat "screening room" where the Internet Center used to be (as some have reported there would be), or shops as the current deck plans on-line show?

If there is a screening room, is that the only place movies are shown, or do they still use the Queen's Lounge/Cul Arts Ctr part of the time? It doesn't seem to me that 36 seats would be sufficient. That is what is reported to be on the Eurodam as well.

[luxurysailer]

I just returned from the Mediterranean Empires cruise on the Zuiderdam ending in Venice on 8 May. So that others may know from what perspective I am speaking, this was my seventh cruise on HAL and first time on the Zuiderdam. Previous HAL cruises were on the Ryndam, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam. I have also cruised three times in the past two years with Princess and once about ten years ago with Royal Caribbean.

Let me begin by saying that with the possible exception of Split, all the ports of call were great. Local busses were good to excellent, guides were great, and where applicable tender service was good. Prior to going into Istanbul, I was a little concerned that there might be some resentment toward westerners, but this proved not to be the case. I've never been in a port with friendlier people.

We chose the early dining option as we enjoy developing a relationship with the wait staff, and this also allows the remainder of the evening to be free. Dining room stewards seemed to be quite harried, as if they were responsible for too many tables. Nevertheless, service was cheerful and generally excellent. Food was good, but quite bland. The best food was the cold soups. Insofar as anytime dining was concerned, we heard of real problems getting reservations and the dining room keeping track of reservations during the first few days of the cruise. I think this improved as the cruise progressed.

Cabin steward service was, as usual, impeccable.

Now to get to the areas of disappointment. First of all, I was quite disappointed in the Zuiderdam as compared to the other HAL ships I've been on. (I can't speak as to its condition prior to refurbishing, but it seemed to still need a good bit of spiffing up.) I would consider all of the ships that I have been on before to be much more elegant. The atrium appeared to be an afterthought and may as well have been omitted insofar as adding any degree of elegance to the ship. Atria on the other "dam" ships as well as on Princess and RC were beautiful, provided a focal area around which everything seemed to revolve, and certainly provided a dramatic backdrop for formal photos, which are so dear to the ladies. The area referred to as the atrium seemed closed in and was less than inviting. The quantity of original artwork throughout the ship also appears greatly diminished. In my opinion the name of this ship could easily be changed to "Uglydam."

The most disappointing thing about this cruise was the evening enterainment. An explanation might prove somewhat lengthy, so I will address this under a new thread, if I can figure out how to start one. I'm a newbie and certainly not proficient in use of this forum.

[Harry1954]

Thanks for the positve comments Harry-may I ask what type of accomodation you have on the Z? Wishing you happy travels:)
we were in deluxe suite and loved it.
harry

[Harry1954]

Thanks Harry.
How was formal night? Did most of the cruisers wear a tux? After reading some of these posts m we were thinking of leaving the tux home and just bringing a sport jacket instead. What do you think?
Formal night was a major disappointment. We saw men in t-shirts eating dinner. I was really pissed. We made a point of eating in Pinnacle later in the second cruise just to avoid this as most of the tux-wearers were there as well.
The point that drives home the thought to leave the tux at home (which I won't do as I am old-school) is that the last formal night on the second cruise (Venice-Barcelona) was listed in the daily program as OPTIONAL. This implies to me that the Ziddy staff is not really supporting formal nights.
conclusion: unless from old school, leave tux at home.
harry

[Harry1954]

Ezagdish and Harry 1954 -thanks for the info.
Can you remember what time the ship arrived in Venice on departure day and what is the earliest itme that you can leave. Express departure -was it avaialble..We have an early flight out of Venice to Frankfurt. (airline changed it reccently) so I am somewhat concerned.
Also we have early dining- we are thinking of changing to AYWD. What do you think? Is early dining too early.
Ezagdish-I have booked Ekol. Good to hear that you enjoyed both Istanbul and Kusadasi.
Finally how many formal nights are on this cruise.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks.
We arrived in both ports (Venice and subsequently Barcelona) early; however, there is no guarantee that this will occur in future. Express departure was available once the docking was completed. I would be concerned about early flights.

We had early dining for all of the first cruise and most of second. It was very poorly administered. No one ever greeted us, our stewards never really got to know us well, and the worst part was these two cruises were excursion-intensive and we were in a pickle several times when the excursions got back later than they were expected to and we missed the cutoff for early dinner which was 6:00 ... they would not let us eat in AWYL dining as they claimed it was 'fully booked'. So we ate in Lido, our room, or Pinnacle in each case - and there were several.
We finally switched to AWYL toward the end of second cruise and it seemed to accomodate the late excursions much better - and the staff was more gregarious each time we entered the dining facility.
Conclusion: early dining at 5:45 is TOO early!!!
harry

[crabcruiser]

Thanks for the tip...I think we'll leave the tux at home.
It is too bad that HAL does not enforce the dress code. To me.....it should be mandatory on formal nights for gentelman to wear at the very least a jacket. IMO any gentelman not wearing a jacket should be turned away and sent to the Lido.

I was wondering if one can walk to Plaza San Marco from the ship or does HAL have a shuttle bus?

[rebeccalouise]

Most of the cruise ships offer a shuttle from the ship to San Marco. It costs about 20 Euros per passenger but is on the dock where one disembarks the ship.

Otherwise, one would have to walk about 1 mile to the vaporettos at Piazzle Roma and pay 6 Euros each way round trip to St. Mark's.

So you are paying an extra 8 Euros not to have to walk 1 mile to and from the vaporetto stand.

I guess it depends if you want the ease or the 8 Euros.

[ONSEAS]

We just returned from the Zuiderdam as well. Have been on four prior HAL cruises. We loved this ship! It was very clean, every time we looked up a crew member was cleaning something. We had no problems with our cabin it was very nice and kept very clean.
We had fixed early dining and yes we missed a few dinners due to shore excursions but that was not a major problem for us.
We did not notice any lack of service by crew, as usual for HAL they were just wonderful.

[Harry1954]

I was wondering if one can walk to Plaza San Marco from the ship or does HAL have a shuttle bus?

a) free shuttle bus to Piazza Romano(sp?) and then you can walk from there
b) purchase a ticket (i recall 6 euro one way or 11 roundrip) for direct boat to San Marco, which is what we always did.
harry

[salty cat]

This is my first every post. My sister and I took the Holland America cruise from Venice to Barcelona on the Zuiderdam. We just arrived back in the states on Tuesday, May 20th. This was my first cruise with HAL, my parenta and another couple asked us to join them on this cruise - they have sailed HAL many times before and loved it.

The artwork throughtout the ship was beautiful. And it looked like new carpet and paint throughout. We had an inside room, small but lots of storage. We did not watch TV much but we did enjoy the "ship cam" station that allowed you to see the bow and stern of the ship while in port or at sea. My parents booked a room with a veranda, very nice I must admit for when you are coming into or just leaving a port. We had a bottle of wine on the veranda will cruising down Grand Canal when leaving Venice. I am a little spoiled now I think.

We had the fixed sitting for dinner. Overall service was good but there were a few nights when we appeared to be the last ones to be served desert. We ate at the Pinnalce Grill twice. The food there was excellent, 5 star. The shrimp scampi was divine.

We booked our transfers to and from the port through Holland, $130 USD. There were several other HAL cruisers on our flight into Venice and the trip from the airport to the ship was maybe 30 minutes. No problems there.

The ships entertainment is comparable to what you get with most crusie lines. A comedian, magaican, pianist, broadway show tunes, etc. One night there was a harpist which was interesting.

Hope this information is helpful.

Happy travels.

[crabcruiser]

Have the cabins been refurbished? I read somewhere that flat screen TV's and DVD's have been installed. I was wondering about carpets and furniture.;)

[jtl513]

Once again: is there a small movie theater on Deck 3 forward, or a Mirabella Luxury shop?

[rich_cathybrock]

Great to read the updates on the Zuiderdam!

Has anyone gotten any photos of her since the refurbish?

I am dying to see what those aft cabins look like...thanks all in advance!

[Softball20]

We had an aft cabin on deck 6 - we had an SC deluxe suite. It was an awesome cabin! We did not know this when we got it, but it was one of the cabins that was recently redone. This was a handicapped cabin, so I don't know how it compares to the non-hc cabins. We didn't have the double sink in the bathroom, but the bathroom was really big (for a cruise ship). I tried to attach a couple pics, but for some reason they wouldn't upload. I'm not sure they do the cabin justice, anyway. The balcony was awesome, too.

[colerosebud]

We just got off the Zuiderdam last Sunday. We did not purchase the transfer in Venice to the airport. We purchased the $15 transfer from the terminal to Pizallo Roma (not sure of the spelling) and from there took a bus (3 Euros) to the airport. Everything was fine. The ship had us departing the ship between 8:30 and 9:15 which made me a little nervous so we left the ship around 7:30 got over to the terminal and waited for our bus. The day before we were informed that there is a free shuttle between the terminal and Pizallo Roma. We found that bus and ended up at the airport before 9:00 for our 11:30 flight. Unfortunatey we had already paid our $30 to HAL but it was worth my peace of mind to get to the airport a little early.

[colerosebud]

Yes to both

[rich_cathybrock]

You made my day - we are two couples in the two corner aft SC's on the 6th deck. You can email me at rich_cathybrock@msn.com and with your permission, I will attempt to upload. I'm dying to see the cabin!

Welcome back, and thank you again!

[macaroni]

We are going to be on deck 6 aft but in a VA cabin. How did they seem to you? Was the balcony only half covered? We like the sun. I know the deck won't be as big, but what kind of furniture was there, if you saw?

[Softball20]

We were in 6164, which was next to the corner on one side and next to the VA cabins on the other side. I didn't see the size of the balcony on the VA next door to us, but we did have some sun. We like the sun, too, so it was great. It was not full sun, but you could definitely get some. On our balcony we had two chaise lounges, and two chairs with ottomans. It was great. Our friends were in a VA on deck 7, but they were not on an end. It seemed like a decent size, but they didn't like the entry way area -- thought is was kind of crammed.

I didn't see in the corner cabins, but they do have the wrap around kind of balcony.

[Traveling Kathy]

I am a first time Hal passenger having cruised on the Zuiderdam on April 26 from Venice. We had an 11am flight from Marco Polo airport. We disembarked at 8:30AM and walked (with our luggage) to the Piazza Roma Square and caught an ACTV bus at 9:20am for 6 Euros ($9) total. We arrived at the airport around 9:50am. In plenty of time to catch our flight to London and then onto San Jose, CA the next morning. The Hal's transfer fee to the Marco Polo airport was $85 each. Being the conservative person that I am, $9 for both of us was more to my liking!
We loved the ship, the crew, the food and the itinerary. We were thrilled to discover that the "upgrade fairy" moved us from a room with a view to a balcony! We used an online TA and will continue to use them in the future.
I might also mention with all the helpful hints and tips from CC, I was able to plan all of our excursions on our own (except for Ephseus) which has resulted in a trip of a lifetime for my husband and I. We are in our 60's and 70's and are anxiously looking forward to our next HAL cruise. We still haven't decided on a destination as of yet.
Happy and safe sailing to all.
Traveling Kathy

[rich_cathybrock]

We are all anxious to see her - in particular I wanted to see what her new "aft" looks like :D . Thanks for the reviews - keep 'em coming!

[GCurry]

Since the Crow's Nest has been altered, is there any late night disco bar scene 11 pm and later? People on our roll call want to know.

[Softball20]

There really wasn't too much going on late night. Our favorite spot was the piano bar -- Tony Payne is terrific. It was just a fun place to have a drink and hang out. Some nights in the Northern Lights Lounge they did stuff.

Despite the lack of a lot of late night stuff, it was great. We were exhausted by the end of the day anyway.

[gillianrose]

And the best part of HAL is still the staff; their courtesy and willingness to please with a smile; their cheerfulness day after day; their pride in a job well done. That said, it appears that HAL is stretching them a bit thin. There could be more wait staff and more cabin stewards. We cruise HAL about once a year and the staff seems to dwindle a bit more each year.

The staff on the Zuiderdam last year was the best HAL staff we ever had.

We won't be returning to HAL for awhile, but I do agree with you about their wonderful staff. And as cheerful and capable as our room steward was, he looked like he was running ragged. They really need more help.

[daisy0116]

We are going to be on deck 6 aft but in a VA cabin. How did they seem to you? Was the balcony only half covered? We like the sun. I know the deck won't be as big, but what kind of furniture was there, if you saw?
Rich & Cathy,

We just got back on June 13 from the Mediterranean Empires on the "Z". We had an aft cabin, VA 8134. It was one of the new cabins that didn't exist prior to the refurb. We were very pleased with it. The verandah was, from what I can tell, deeper than the ones on the sides, with room for a lounge chair, and 2 other chairs and an ottoman. There were times of the day that you could definitely get sun, with some creative rearrangement of the furniture. It would have been nice to have 2 lounge chairs, but the setup with the chair/ottoman worked fine, too. My only complaint about the verandah, that had nothing to do with the cruise itself, but rather other passengers--was people threw garbage over the railing which landed in our verandah.

Enjoy, and I'm happy to answer any specific questions you might have. I can be reached on email, too at debbie011669@mac.com (I'll be traveling this week and will be able to access email easier than the net)..

Debbie

[princes110@bellsouth.net]

Just returned from a 24 day Med Cruise on June 14. The ship is very nice. We were in a Deluxe Veranda Suite on the concierge level which was lovely. However, the service was unbelievably poor. Be prepared for laundry to take 2 or three days and wine service is atrociuos. But the ship is clean and pretty.

[princes110@bellsouth.net]

The hairdryers are good

[kdowneymd]

Do you think the service was so poor due to inadequate staffing. Previous posters have mentioned they felt the ship was understaffed.

[crabcruiser]

Just returned from a 24 day Med Cruise on June 14. The ship is very nice. We were in a Deluxe Veranda Suite on the concierge level which was lovely. However, the service was unbelievably poor. Be prepared for laundry to take 2 or three days and wine service is atrociuos. But the ship is clean and pretty.


Did you have AYW dining? I understand most of the complaints about understaffing are due to this dining preference.

[NHBob]

Once again: is there a small movie theater on Deck 3 forward, or a Mirabella Luxury shop?

I'm also interested in the answer to this. At the CC get-together on the Z's last cruise before dry docking, the Hotel Manager said that a Screening Room would be created and the Queen's Lounge no longer used for movies.

On the other hand, another poster, who was not on that cruise, was quite adamant in disputing this, so I'm interested in learning if I get to say "I told you so."

Bob