LIVE from the Zuiderdam 7-Day Eastern Caribbean New Years Cruise

Soon we will be leaving our hotel (and fabulous, fast wi-fi) to head to the Zuiderdam for a 7-Day Eastern Caribbean cruise to ring in the new year.

We haven't sailed on the Zuiderdam since 2004, so we are looking forward to experiencing the ship again.

We enjoy ringing in the New Year at sea, and are especially excited to be joined on this sailing by another couple (long-time friends) and their 12 and 14 year old sons.

We are looking forward to sharing updates and answering questions as best we can during this cruise.

Have an awesome time! I'm fighting a cold, but my air horn is congestion free and l'll do my best to salute you as you pass our condo. :)

Have an awesome time! I'm fighting a cold, but my air horn is congestion free and l'll do my best to salute you as you pass our condo. :)

Yeah! We will raise a toast to you POA1! (Yes, we have the Explore4 beverage package for this cruise.)

Looking forward to your "Live" report.

Have a Happy new Year!!

Ohoh, as POA1 is back, it might rain, but maybe he's too sick to do his rain dance!:D

Hope you have a great cruise. The gang will be waving as you pass by the webcams. Happy New Year!:D

I looking forward to your live from thread. Have a wonderful cruise.

Enjoy the Zuiderdam, she's a very nice New Year's treat.

Have a wonderful cruise & I look forward to your posts.

Notes on our cruise (from the Corsica cabana on a windy deck 11 Cabana Retreat.)

We enjoyed a leisurely morning at sea filled with reading, coffee and a returning few emails. About a week and a half before our departure, we got the great idea that it would be fun to have a Cabana for this cruise, and luckily for us, there was one last one available through Ship Services.

The Cabana Retreat is a retrofit, so it’s a little different than the Cabana Club on the Eurodam and the Nieuw Amsterdam — but it’s very spacious and the stewards Mel and Alpo are terrific. Our cabana is on the side (which blocks the wind) and is in a quiet corner.

Thinking back to yesterday…

Getting to the port - we stayed at the Renaissance Cruise Port hotel, which is a stone’s throw from the port. About 1:15 pm, we ordered up an LUX vehicle from UBER. (UBER, which we use during many of our travels, has had some regulatory challenges in Ft. Lauderdale in the past, but now drivers with proper permits can pick-up and drop off passengers both in the airport and in the cruise port.) In this case, our driver had a terrific vehicle but took the long route to the port. Still, it was limo service for $21.

Arriving around 1:35 pm, there was zero line at check-in and we were in our room on the ship before 2 pm.

The only downside of waiting until past the morning crush to board is that we missed the Mariner party, which occurred from 1-2pm.

As with most Caribbean holiday cruises, the Zuiderdam is packed with guests of all ages — probably 200 + kids and teens, and a wide mix of people of all ages.

We always eat late, but we decided to try early dining for this cruise so that we could dine with our friends. 5:30pm dinner interferes with our nap time, exercise time and cocktail hour, but we are having fun being at a table for six with a with our friends and their hilarious 12 and 14 year old boys. Our waiter and assistant waiter are terrific, showering the boys with with napkins tricks and multiple extra desserts.

We checked out the Crow’s Nest, the BB Kings Blues Club which is fabulous as usual, and the sports bar where Mr Jones enjoyed watching the Denver and Cincinnati OT game with a plethora of football fans. This cruise is packed with partiers of all ages, all seeming to have the Explore 4 Beverage package promotion. All of the bars were busy throughout the night, some with folks crowded two deep wanting to order drinks. At 12:30 am, the casino was packed, the sports bar was packed and the Northern Lights was in high gear. Not your usual first night on a HAL ship.

There are a number of people who were on board last cruise. The Pinnacle Grill had 1100 advance reservations including Explore 4 so there was no changing your assigned time and no other openings for other bookings except for LeCirque, which we booked. (We had also booked one extra night in advance, so we will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the Pinnacle.

NOTE: if you want to ensure a Pinnacle dinner on an upcoming cruise, book it in advance.

LOVE that retreat cabanas. I hope you enjoy yours too. Thanks for the update.

Thanks for the good advice on booking the PG in advance. I have already booked LeCirque and one reservation at the PG but will be looking over our itinerary and getting things set up.

Enjoy your cruise it sounds like a lively group...Happy New Year

 

The Cabana Retreat is a retrofit, so it’s a little different than the Cabana Club on the Eurodam and the Nieuw Amsterdam — but it’s very spacious and the stewards Mel and Alpo are terrific. Our cabana is on the side (which blocks the wind) and is in a quiet corner.

 

CORRECTION - it's "Alpe" not my typo "Alpo" providing fantastic service in the Cabana Retreat.

Thank you for reporting "live" from your cruise.

Have a fabulous New Year cruise.

I was excited to find this thread since I have just booked the same cruise for this years New Years sailing! But disappointed you never finished the postings.

My specific question is how NYE fits into the Gala night schedule?

Is it considered a gala night at all? If so does it mean there are 3 or is one rescheduled? (Which?)

I'm hoping night 2, the first sea day stays a gala because I'm celebrating my birthday that night! This year we'll be in port at San Juan on 12/31. (Definitely the stop I'm least excited about on the itinerary, so no worries being back in time to freshen up.. After a nap!)

I know there are ways around not getting dressy but I like to do it .. Mom, not so much. ;-)