NEW 2 CRUISIN

Wow! Not one person offered to share a link???

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Some restaurants serve food that is so hot that you need to allow time for it to cool before consuming.

Haha!

Those are our favorites!

Just goes to show.....when it comes to food...there’s no pleasing everyone!

Well....it IS nearly impossible to get a bowl of HOT soup served on any ship so far.....but we know that going in....and appreciate the occasional exception!! [emoji846]

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SCAM ALERT:

Always check your UBER charges after your ride to make sure the driver didn’t “accidentally” add on a fake “$20 Cleaning Fee” charge.

I caught a driver trying to do that after taking us from the cruise port to the airport.

Wrote to UBER and had the charges reversed.

In many years of great UBER service, last month in the Fort Lauderdale area, there was a noticeable decline in driver quality and experience!!

THERE'S ALWAYS THIS TO CONSIDER, TOO....

"Please note: Enrollment in Offers may be limited. Offers may not be available after enrollment limits are met. Unless otherwise disclosed in individual Offer Terms, enrollment will be available until applicable enrollment limits are met..."

Do you recall what times the dinner dining service started? We are currently booked on this cruise in February for early seating, but depending on how early it is, may want to change.

1st Seating is 5:30-5:45 - 3rd Floor

2nd Seating 8:00-8:15 - 3rd Floor

Just wanted to add....

We did “open seating” on the 2nd Floor, which the Zuiderdam does great!

We like to dine early like we do at home, so we were down there when the doors opened at 5:15.

We were offered the same table/time/servers for the length of the cruise when we dined the first night, which we took! With these “reservations” we did not have to wait in line....but go right to our table each night at 5:15.

This gave us time for a leisurely dinner and plenty of time to get ready for the evening festivities!

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We are looking at the “Panama Canal Experience”. The last time we were there we took the train trip and really enjoyed it, but wanted something different. Cruising the whole length of the canal really sounds interesting. Was the excursion very crowded? Were you able to get to the side of the boat easily for pics, ect..?

I thought it was a fun day!

Our excursion boat was nearly full, but not crowded. I think there were 4-5 busses from our ship that did the tour, so about 200 people maybe? There was lots of room to walk around on two decks - inside and out.

They served lunch by calling one section at a time and there was plenty of food, and it moved orderly. Water and soda was available all day in coolers around the boat. We always had room to get great pictures from all around the boat.

We even got some fun pics of each of us touching the wall of the canal!

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We are on the Zuiderdam in Dec. for the Panama Canal Cruise. I'm curious as to what shore excersions that you enjoyed.

 

Thanks

Hi Larry!

We had previously been to Bonaire and Curaçao, so we made our way around those ports on our own this time.

Bonaire is known for their great snorkeling, though!

We really like just walking around the downtown and fort areas of Curaçao, which are just an easy walk from the ship (with a Casino along the route! [emoji6])

We did the “Panama Canal Experience” tour that goes the rest of the way to the Pacific Ocean. A LONG (12 hour) Day, but great experience. That’s why we chose this trip to begin with - to see and travel the Canal!

In Costa Rica, we walked to the park and beach areas not far into town for some pics, then walked through the “street market” to the Cathedral. We saw some sloths in the trees along the way, which was fun!

All in all, only one real excursion (Panama) through the ship this time.

In all ports there were plenty of vendors right at the Pier looking to fill their tour vans for a very good price! Lots of folks took advantage of those from what we observed.

You’ll have a GREAT relaxing vacation on the Zuiderdam! ENJOY!

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Thanks all! We were all very pleasantly surprised with everything! Best balconies we’ve ever had helped make this one of the most relaxing vacations too! Looking for another HAL trip in the future!

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What a GREAT first cruise with HAL on the Zuiderdam Panama Canal cruise!!

Great ship...Great staff...Great itinerary...Great food...Great entertainment!

I wont have time to write up a big trip report this week, but if anyone has any questions about the Zuiderdam or this itinerary, I will make it a point to check back and provide the best answers I can!

Looking forward to sailing with HAL again in the future!

:D

Hey All!

 

The title says it all....

 

Can any recent Zuiderdam cruisers recall which movies were currently being shown in the

screening room on-board?

 

THANK YOU!

ANYONE???

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I couldn't agree more. Unless you're traveling with friends who don't have it, then you have to cool your jets outside waiting for them to get through the line.:)

Yep! This time we will be traveling with others who do not have it.

We'll be experiencing flashbacks as we wait in line again! HAHA! :o

Hey All!

The title says it all....

Can any recent Zuiderdam cruisers recall which movies were currently being shown in the

screening room on-board?

THANK YOU!

thank you everyone for your input. I did call ncl and express my concerns about how easy it is for this to happen. I did a mock booking for myself to see, and no where does it alert or verify the type of room this is. I would think there should be some sort of filter (do you need an accessible room yes or no) that bring up rooms accordingly on the “recommended” stateroom selections page. Also, i think that accessible rooms need to be marked with the standard accessible symbol on the key/legend and deck plans instead of the square. The rep at ncl says this scenario happens often, especially for those looking for a specific room category or location. She even told me that after calling, guests chose to keep the room with the understanding that they may be moved. I did end up changing cabins because there were still aft balconies open. We will be sailing on bliss within her first year, so i’m sure these sailings will be highly desirable. Hopefully we will see some sort of change with this process.

 

 

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Awesome!

Enjoy your cruise!!

:)

When the Breakaway comes back to New York from Copenhagen after the Baltic Season in October, we were originally scheduled for Amsterdam....which was then changed to Gothenberg.

While Amsterdam would have been AWESOME.....We WISH we were going to Stockholm instead of Gothenberg!

The funny thing is....I can't even find our ship on any of those 3 port schedules.

Can anyone point us to the correct site??

Thanks!

The "goo" is real eggs. The difference in the taste is due to the stabilizers they add. If you order enough "stuff" in your omelet, you shouldn't be able to taste much difference.

THIS! (y)

My wife and I just got back from a cruise on the Zuiderdam. We just want to give a shot out to the excellent entertainment that was on board. Extra special shot out to the steel drum band Island Magic (do not miss both their shows), and the piano duet of Danny and Ion in the billboard lounge. Danny and Ion's show was the place to hang out in the evening. standing room only crowds. IMHO, Hal should extend their contracts and put them on their newest ship coming out. Sit down, laugh, and sing along with them!

Thanks for the info!

We'll be boarding the Zuiderdam for the first time in a couple week!

Looking forward to it more with every good thing I hear! :D

Wow.....this was a post from 2014....and it’s still going!!.....[emoji15]

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Changes in the works for the retail side of things.

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/18676-holland-america-announces-retail-revamp.html

Thanks for the article!

I had seen or heard rumors about this, and found it curious that the words "Oprah" or "Zuiderdam" were not mentioned in the article?? :confused:

I keep seeing this day in and day out... Why can't people answer a question when asked? With this day and age with Google and Social Media people are wanting answers as quick as possible, because most times they are only a click away! We know that questions are being repeated all the time! If they would simply answer the question as in our "mission of Cruise Critic is stated in our guidelines" "If you post questions, please try to take the time to answer other members' questions as well...." People aren't answering the question but telling others to search and look for a previous answer on a previous thread when you know they know the answer! Sorry for the long rant, but l keep coming back to CC for new info on HAL and what has changed, and when I see the same members who have been here a long time and have helped countless new members and they seem to be inpatient with the "newer" crowd. Bottom Line: If you know the answer please answer it, if not leave it be until someone does answer. If a thread is repeated then it is repeated... JMO Soap Box Over Host Walt please delete if not okayed!

Good Points!

We're taking our first cruise on HAL in a few weeks, and this cruise has been more difficult to get answers/info/discussion than the previous 20+ cruises we've taken on other lines.

It's not a big issue for us, but an interesting realization. We've just had to work harder and make some "educated guesses" while planning.

It doesn't help that the Roll Calls are also the slowest I've ever experienced, so there is no way to get answers among your own "personal" group and, instead, have to turn to the "main" boards for questions that I'm sure have been answered many times before -- but for others.

Also...regarding the "Search" replies.....many times I'll search first, but the posts/answers are so old that I figure they are probably not useful for a current cruise.

The fill-a-bag option is available every day (see my post above).

You can even send a bag out the day you board, if you want to. Just leave it on the bed when you head to dinner that first night, and the steward will take it when he comes for turn-down service. You should have it back the next day, since it seems not too many people send a bag the first night.

THANKS SO MUCH, RUTH!

That will make some folks in my party VERY happy! HAHA!

Appreciate the quick reply!!

:)

Rather than start a new thread on the subject....

Can anyone clarify if the "$20 Bag" of laundry can be done at ANY time....or is it only offered on a specific day as on other lines we've sailed with??

Asking, as we will be on a land vacation for a week BEFORE the cruise....it would be a good option to fill a bag on day 2-3 and not having to wait until its offered toward the end of the cruise.

Knowing this would help cut down on packing...and determine if we need to wash a load at the hotel before we board.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!! :)

I thought I remembered reading somewhere that they are replacing Moderno on the Breakaway during refurb? Of course, I could be imagining that, but I'm not all that creative...

HAHA!

That would be a BUMMER, as I'm sure we would have selected Moderno as one of our "Free" Dining choices!

We liked Moderno in the past.....but then again, we're always up for something new and exciting if it's replaced!

With so many other choices, we may never even miss it! HAHA!

LOL! He's not much of a swimmer unless it's in the ocean so I'm sure he won't be wearing swimwear much on the ship itself (he's more of a sip a drink and wander around person). I make fun of him all the time for the amount of stuff that he considers necessary to don every day (multitool, flashlight, handkerchief, wallet, lip balm, pen, etc) it's funny to watch him take all his stuff out of his pockets at the end of the day. But he says he uses them multiple times a day, no matter what he's doing...

 

It's just one of his quirks. But it does make him handy to be around if I have a tag that needs cut off, or dropped something into a dark corner, or...

This made me laugh today! :D

I took my parents on a cruise last year, and my 75 year old Father never got his luggage.

Shortly after we inquired about it, ship security delivered a note to their cabin, inviting them down to the "naughty room"!!!

We all went down to the security office and they asked my Dad to identify his bag.

He did....they opened it....and there it was.....

Unbeknownst to the rest of us, my dad had packed a full blown TOOL KIT!! :eek:

Why?

No one knows.....but I suppose it is His natural inclination to be prepared for anything at all times! HAHA!

We all still laugh about it til this day.....and now we know He is not alone out there!!

THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR STORY!! :')

OP: this sounds like a wonderful, three-generation trip that will produce very happy memories. The key thing to keep in mind re cruises in the Med is that they are typically port intensive (as you no doubt know), and can be quite tiring, even for non-seniors. :D Many ports will require a good bit of walking to see the things of greatest interest, and some ports are pretty far from those places of interest. If you book private excursions, you'll have greater control of what you do, when, and at what pace. Cruising the Med is nothing like being in the Caribbean.

Oh my!

We were posting similar thoughts as exactly the same time!

Great Minds! HAHA!