ship better than expected and a pleasantly surprised

[traveling2]

About 2 weeks before leaving for our 12 day
cruise on the Zuiderdam I happened upon this cruise critic site. I
started reading about the ship and was horrified at what people were
saying. I was really worried that the cruise we had booked 6 months
ahead of time was going to be a nightmare. It was anything but that.
It was wonderful. I can't say enough about the Zuiderdam. What a
beautiful ship. I had read that the cabins were dirty and old and in
poor shape. Ours was perfect - clean, spacious, and very modern. All
the staff were very nice and helpful. The public rooms were very nice,
except the movie room was way too small for a ship of that size. The
food was outstanding, not only in the dining room, but also in the
lido buffet. This was our 5th cruise on Holland America, and my
husband thought this ship was the best of the bunch so far. We are
youthful seniors in our late 60's, and would certainly have been upset
if we had experienced any of these horror stories. Our traveling
partners agreed that all was great. I also did not hear any complaints
from any other passengers. I thought it was important to post this
because you can't always believe everything you read. Everyone has
different expectations and needs. So take your trip and enjoy it and
make your own opinions.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home.

We have sailed several times on the Zaandam and always loved her.

Sp glad that your enjoyed her as well.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!!

[Copper10-8]

Happy for ya and shows once again that ship reviews are subjective - Take 'em with a grain of salt and form you're own opinion! There's a guy here who shall remain nameless and who has never set foot on Eurodam but based on what he's read here by less than one percent of her pax who have cruised her so far, has already formed the opinion that the ship is a "disaster" and will never set foot on her. Other fine CCers here have mentioned cancelling their reservations based on those same reviews! Go figure! :cool:

[tbrein]

Welcome home.

We have sailed several times on the Zaandam and always loved her.

Sp glad that your enjoyed her as well.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!!
The OP was on the ZUIDERDAM

[Williebill]

As I have said on these threads before, I wait to form my own opinion about a ship no matter what I read. Since I will be boarding the Zuiderdam in a few days, I'm glad that you found the ship in good condition.

[Atomica]

The Zuiderdam is a lovely ship & really doesn't deserve all the crap that gets slung its way because of its 'brighter' decor!

Glad you enjoyed the ship & your cruise.

[off2ctheworld]

So pleased to read that you enjoyed the Zuiderdam. We too will soon be sailing her-this count down is taking too long! Looking forward to being onboard. Thanks for your post, traveling2.

[KAKcruiser]

The movie room that you mentioned was just added during the recent drydock. Before that, movies were shown in the Queen's Lounge which didn't work out that well. The older HAL ships all had wonderful movie theaters. Too bad they didn't design them into the newer ships.

[Love the beach]

Thank you for posting! We will be on her in January and were also concerned with all the negative reports. Most of the recent reports are much better!:)

[jtl513]

There's a guy here who shall remain nameless and who has never set foot on Eurodam but based on what he's read here by less than one percent of her pax who have cruised her so far, has already formed the opinion that the ship is a "disaster" and will never set foot on her. Other fine CCers here have mentioned cancelling their reservations based on those same reviews! Go figure! :cool: Before we went on the Eurodam (yes, I know I'm not the "nameless" guy of whom you speak) I was very apprehensive, and was somewhat expecting to not like it. Within 24 hours it had moved to the top of my "favorite" list! (Yes, there are several things that I would change if I were the boss.)

So, as you and the OP say, don't take the naysayer reports too much to heart!

[Roz]

As with most things, people are more likely to post when things don't go their way, as opposed to when things are good.

Glad you and your traveling companions had an excellent cruise.

Roz

[chefladd]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. My DH and I are sailing on the Zuiderdam in 3 weeks and are looking forward to sharing her experience. I agree with others that we need to make up our own minds and take others thoughts lightly. Personally, I wouldn't allow others to sway my cruise plans unless overwhelming evidence it put forth. No vacation is perfect and complainers always are the loudest. Hold on there Zuiderdam, we are on our way!