Your thoughts re Holland America Zuiderdam?

Wondering if anyone has sailed on the Zuiderdam after the 2015 refurbishment and if you have any thoughts in general regarding the ship with respect to cabins, dining options, spa hydro pool area, LGBT meet ups, etc. My husband and I are booked in a verandah cabin on the July 16, 2017 two week cruise to Norway, Iceland and Scotland. Our only other cruise together was a gay group cruise on the Celebrity Millennium, which we really enjoyed, and we are wondering how the Holland America experience compares to Celebrity.

My partner and I were on a 24 night Baltic and Highlands trip in June. It was our first time on the Zuiderdam. We had some issues. We had a suite and after long days of sightseeing, all we wanted was a quick nap before dinner. They were constantly working on the ship - grinding rust off stantions and davits right below us. We complained. What could they do? They offered to move us to another suite on the other side of the ship after the first 12 days or the voyage (it was two back to backs) but we were all settled.

That said, the ship was fine. The interiors are very nice. The Dining Room was lovely. The staff were terrific. We can nap when we're dead, right? We had a good cruise, saw loads of stuff and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Thanks for your input Toronto461. Glad to hear that despite the issues with the noise you still enjoyed the cruise.

My wife and I have cruised twice on the Westerdam, which is the sister ship of the Z-dam. There was a lively LGBT group which started out small and ended up being about a dozen of us gathering for drinks each night. There should be a LGBT meetup time & place posted in the printed day's schedule.

On the Westerdam, we paid for the spa package (access to the "Thermal Suite") both times and loved it. The large hydro pool is nice and bubbly (not scalding hot but very warm) and the thermal loungers are fantastic. The public hot tubs are always chock full of children and I personally would not go in them.

As far as the Z-dam, we are booked for an 10-day Panama Canal cruise leaving Nov 20th. I read some terrible reviews from people about construction on the ship, but those were all from Spring of this year. Hoping for our cruise the ship is in good shape with no fumes, noises, or dust!

Have a great time! :-)