Zaandam refurb in 2018

Hi,

We've just completed the Alaska trip on the Zaandam (loved it), and have booked her on the South America+Antarctica trip for Jan 2019. We were told by the cruise consultant that the Zaandam would probably go through a full refurbishment in 2018.

Anyone has any details on this? Not sure if this is a dry dock event, a technical/engineering upgrade or just a cosmetic touch-up.

Thanks.

A.

The Zaandam has a 12 day gap in her schedule from April 2nd to the 14th in Ft Lauderdale, which would be the appropriate length for her to go into drydock at the Grand Bahamas shipyard in Freeport.

The only thing that has been semi-officially "announced" is that a scaled down version of EXC will be onboard post refurb. They have not released any detail whether it will be in the space currently occupied by the Explorations Cafe on deck 5 or in the Crows Nest like on the Vista/Signature class vessels.

Beyond that it will be general marine/mechanical maintenance and possibly replacement of soft goods/furnishings/carpets etc. I will be interested to see if any bathrooms get the refurb like the Volendam has had (partially) or if any lower promenade deck rooms will be converted to Lanai cabins.

These days the cynical side of me is dreading the word "refurbishment" because seemingly too often all they do is to squeeze in more rooms and ruin a beautiful ship. Hopefully this won't be the case as 12 days are not very long so let's hope the dry dock is just maintainence, upgrades and touch ups.

Loved Zaandam. Lovely little ship.

scaled down version of EXC

Could you please explain what is EXC? Thanks

The Zaandam has a 12 day gap in her schedule from April 2nd to the 14th in Ft Lauderdale, which would be the appropriate length for her to go into drydock at the Grand Bahamas shipyard in Freeport.

 

The only thing that has been semi-officially "announced" is that a scaled down version of EXC will be onboard post refurb. They have not released any detail whether it will be in the space currently occupied by the Explorations Cafe on deck 5 or in the Crows Nest like on the Vista/Signature class vessels.

 

Beyond that it will be general marine/mechanical maintenance and possibly replacement of soft goods/furnishings/carpets etc. I will be interested to see if any bathrooms get the refurb like the Volendam has had (partially) or if any lower promenade deck rooms will be converted to Lanai cabins.

Good news, thanks! We are booked for May.

This is probably bad news for some Canadians. Zaandam typically sails Antarctica in January-March and normally returns all the way up the West coast of the Americas to Vancouver. I sailed Buenos Aires to San Diego this spring and probably close to half the ship was continuing up to Vancouver, a VERY NICE 36 day adventure. It will not happen next year (or any drydock year) as the Zaandam will go through the Panama Canal to Ft. Lauderdale and then to drydock before continuing to Vancouver to the Alaska season.

Either way, it was a great trip.

Roy

Very likely will put in the suite upgrades- they said R ships would get them.

This is probably bad news for some Canadians. Zaandam typically sails Antarctica in January-March and normally returns all the way up the West coast of the Americas to Vancouver. I sailed Buenos Aires to San Diego this spring and probably close to half the ship was continuing up to Vancouver, a VERY NICE 36 day adventure. It will not happen next year (or any drydock year) as the Zaandam will go through the Panama Canal to Ft. Lauderdale and then to drydock before continuing to Vancouver to the Alaska season.

 

Either way, it was a great trip.

 

Roy

Zaandam is sailing from Seattle.

Zaandam is sailing from Seattle.

Generally, there's likely to be a 1-day between Seattle and Vancouver.

Roy

Zaandam, in 2018, will be sailing the exact same 2-week itinerary from Seattle, WA that Amsterdam is doing this year, as we speak. That adds Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, Icy Strait Point and Tracy Arm (or Endicott Arm) to the more routine 1-week S/E Alaska with Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Victoria, BC and Hubbard

AMDM is/ZADM will be, doing:

SEATTLE, WA Scenic cruising Vancouver Island Ketchikan, AK Scenic cruising Tracy Arm Juneau, AK Icy Strait Point, AK At Sea Anchorage, AK Homer, AK Kodiak, Kodiak Island, AK Scenic cruising Hubbard Glacier Sitka, AK At Sea Victoria, British Columbia SEATTLE, WA

Generally, there's likely to be a 1-day between Seattle and Vancouver.

 

Roy

You're correct Roy:

5/3/2018 Thu SAN FRANCISCO, CA 5/4/2018 Fri At Sea (Pacific Ocean) 5/5/2018 Sat At Sea 5/6/2018 Sun VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA 5/7/2018 Mon SEATTLE, WA

Could you please explain what is EXC? Thanks

EXC= Explorations Central. You can find information about it on Holland America's website. Some of the programming/shorex componants should be fleet-wide by the end of the year. Other aspects that use technology and hardware in some form or another will be installed during the various ships' dry-dockings over the next couple of years.

Thanks.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/pageByName/Resp.action?requestPage=EXC_Announcement

Generally, there's likely to be a 1-day between Seattle and Vancouver.

 

Roy

Our itinerary cruises Vancouver Island, but it looks like it does not dock.

Our itinerary cruises Vancouver Island, but it looks like it does not dock.

Zaandam only docks in Vancouver on 06 May 2018 as part of her repo from Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle. Once she starts her Alaskan itinerary from Seattle, she calls at Victoria, BC but not at Vancouver

Zaandam only docks in Vancouver on 06 May 2018 as part of her repo from Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle. Once she starts her Alaskan itinerary from Seattle, she calls at Victoria, BC but not at Vancouver

We have only done south bound ending in Vanvouver.

We will be on the 14-day Explorer (10 of us, I hope, if all of the family can swing it) in August '18. Did not know the Zaandam might be spruced up before then, last dry-dock was only 2015 so didn't expect anything new.

Three of us sailed So.America on Zaandam in late 2014, shortly before dry dock. The itinerary did not include Antarctica but was a great two weeks anyway!

We will be on the 14-day Explorer (10 of us, I hope, if all of the family can swing it) in August '18. Did not know the Zaandam might be spruced up before then, last dry-dock was only 2015 so didn't expect anything new.

 

Three of us sailed So.America on Zaandam in late 2014, shortly before dry dock. The itinerary did not include Antarctica but was a great two weeks anyway!

They average once every three years in dry-dock