Finally my review our Zuiderdam July 11- Aug. 2 cruise

Forgive me for not posting this review sooner. However, my husband’s ugly hernia problem from Rome last year resurfaced just before we left Italy and he required surgery again when we returned home. We were aware that he had a 40% chance of recurrence and I guess he was in that 40%. Anyway, all’s well that ends well. We are in Jacksonville and he was discharged from the hospital yesterday after surgery on Friday and doing well.

Now for my review of our twenty-two days on the Zuiderdam and a week in Rome:

We began our trip from Savannah on July 9 on US Air fortunate enough to have frequent flier miles to travel in Business Class. Nice trip! We flew from Savannah to Charlotte and then on to Rome non-stop. It was a pleasant flight and I even managed to sleep a bit. This is a first for me.

We stayed in Civitavecchia at the Hotel San Giorgio for the night before the cruise. We opted for their platinum package. This included a pickup at Fiumicino Airport in a Limo, a Junior Suite, dinner in the restaurant, a bottle of champagne, and dinner with wine and shuttle to the port on the following day. It was a bit expensive, but it provided peace of mind and we were happy with every aspect of the pre-cruise arrangements. Dinner was especially good in their Piccadilly Restaurant.

We boarded the Zuiderdam on July 11 in Civitavecchia. We were originally booked in a SS category, but opted for an SB when the Explore 4 ended and the prices dropped. We were in cabin 6095. It was spacious and in good condition. Our stewards kept the cabin in good condition and aside from one plumbing problem, which was repaired immediately (sink pipe broke), we had no other maintenance problems.

The two concierges in the Neptune Lounge, Michael and Mitchie, were probably the best we have ever encountered. They could handle anything and nothing flustered them. We had a few account problems in the beginning and they straightened them out in jig time. No request was too difficult and they did it with a smile. We really enjoyed them.

The dining room service left a lot to be desired. While the food on this cruise was the best I have had on a HAL cruise in a long time, trying to get it was a challenge. For the first part of the cruise we were with friends and had Table No. 1 in the corner, trying to squeeze in and being trapped once in there. After our friends disembarked in Venice, we asked for a table for two and our troubles escalated, with poor service, both from the dining and wine stewards. When we brought it to the attention of senior management we were offered a glass of sparkling wine with our dessert after three days.

The dress code in the dining room was not enforced at all. It was not unusual for guests to arrive in shorts (I even saw Daisy Dukes one evening) and no one was ever turned away. Gala night was a joke. The DR manager tried to enforce it and I saw him give a jacket to a man in a T shirt. Go figure! The Pinnacle Grill was okay. I have had better. I am usually a big fan of the Pinnacle Grill, but did not enjoy our two dinners there. We did, however, try Le Cirque for the first time and enjoyed that. It was interesting that we went to Le Cirque on the first half and spoke to a couple who did it on both segments. They said that the first segment was very good (the one we went to), but the second one was terrible. Now this is hearsay because we were not there, but that is the report.

We did not go to shows. This being a port-intensive cruise, we tried to get as much rest as we could so that we would be able to be out and about each day. We did go to the casino a few times.. It was almost empty. Not a big attraction on this cruise and not very smoky. I broke even and Jim actually came out $70 ahead. We consider that a big win!

The dining room has new chairs that are bigger than the old ones. This makes the dining room look very crowded. It is also very difficult to get by tables. I did notice the new carpets in the hallways. The furnishings in the cabins have not changed. This is my third cruise on the Zuiderdam.

We rented a family cabana for one sea day we our friends. We enjoyed it, but I don’t think it was worth the money when in the Mediterranean and having a Neptune Suite. I think it is a bigger attraction when in the Caribbean. We did it mostly because our friends wanted to rent it. It was fine. The service was good and the day was lovely.

One of the things that has bothered me lately about HAL cruises is the short port times. I will give you an example. Last year we were supposed to take this exact cruise. Now the distance from one place to the next has not changed but it is taking longer and longer to get from one place to another. For instance, last year the ship left Split, Croatia at 5 pm and arrived in Venice at 8 am. This year the sail took four hours longer arriving in Venice at 12 noon. I made it a point to mention this in my survey at the end of the cruise. We like our time in port and find that HAL continues to shorted the port times to save port fees and fuel costs by going slower.

On this cruise the captains changed mid cruise. We did not meet either Captain. Gone are the VIP parties and the Suite parties no longer have officers in attendance. We did not go to the Mariners reception of lunch because they were on Gala evenings and just too much food. So on both segments the officers were very much not visible.

The Ports:

We loved this itinerary and I will give a brief summery of what we did in each port. I am having some trouble with my right leg. Back in January I tore the gluteus medius tendon and have had difficulty walking. That being said, we tended to do private tours so that we could better control how much walking I would have to do. Some days Jim went off by himself because I just needed to rest.

Messina: I organized a tour on the Roll Call with Share a Shore Excursion in Italy to Castelmola, Riviera dei Ciclopi and Taormina. We were eight people sharing the van and it was an enjoyable day. Since it was a Sunday, our driver suggested that we skip Riviera dei Ciclopi due to the traffic congestion and he had some other surprises, which filled the day. Everyone was quite happy with the tour and at the end there was time left over for a short tour of Messina and the Cathedral. We have used this company in the past and have always been happy with their service.

Malta: We used Touring Malta and there were only four of us. We started at St. John’s Co-cathedral, saw the palace of the grand masters and the changing of the guard, went to Mdina and Marsaxloxx, a fishing village where we had lunch.

Argostoli: This is usually a tender port, which drops you off right in town. However today we docked and appeared to be a long walk into town. Since we had been here once before, I opted to stay on board and Jim went ashore alone and walked around. He was back soon enough because of the unbearable heat. Tonight we had dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. It was okay.

Corfu: We rented a car today from Royal Car Rental in the Port Terminal for 80 Euros. Today seemed to be a comedy of errors. We seemed to get to everywhere we wanted to go at the wrong time. Our first stop was the little chapel of Our Lady of Vlacherna, it should not have been. We then headed to the Achilleon Palace, where the crowds were so thick that we decided to forego the visit. We had to park so far away and the ticket line was so long that my leg could not withstand the walking. So we left. Our next stop was Mount Laconis. This was beautiful We had lunch at the Bella Vista Restaurant and enjoyed the beautiful views. However, we lingered too long. Our next and last stop prior to returning to the ship was the St. Theodokis Monastery. Situated on a hill, it is beautiful and also has great views. You can also buy olive oil there made by the monks. Well, to our disappointment, we arrived at an off time and the monastery was closed, only to open again at 3 pm. All aboard was 4 pm, so we couldn’t wait. Remember what I said about shortened port times?

So we drove back to the port, returned the car and headed back to the ship. A bit of a disappointing day.

Dubrovnik: We took a taxi to the Cable Car. Again we were subject to temperatures near 100 degrees. We are still trying to figure out what possessed us to do this trip in July! Are we nuts? After the cable car we went down to the old town. Our plan was to walk around and have dinner in port. The ship was there until midnight. Because of the heat we just had an ice cream and went back to the ship. We did not walk the walls on this trip. The best laid plans…..

Kotor, Montenegro: Today we had a tour with Milo Popovich. —Actually his brother. We really enjoyed this day going through the countryside. This was a new port for us and we were glad to take this six-hour tour. We went to a small chapel in the middle of the bay called Our Lady of the Rocks. It was built by sailors after finding a picture of the Virgin in the sea. They brought rocks to the site and eventually built a chapel there. One has to take a short boat ride to reach it. We went to the former capital of Centije, and to the village of Njeugusi where we sampled ham cheese and wine of the local area. Very good. We bought a bottle of wine to bring back to the ship. Total cost for the lunch and bottle of wine 14.10 Euros. A bargain!

Korcula, Croatia: Another new port for us. However, I needed to rest and Jim went ashore alone again. Korcula is the supposed birthplace of Marco Polo and there is a museum dedicated to him. It was Sunday and everything was closed.

Split, Croatia: This is usually a tender port, but we were docked. We were lucky enough to get a taxi to the town because I was unable to walk that far. We didn’t do much. The heat was unbearable. Went to Diocletian’s Palace, and then sat at a café and had a cold drink. Took a taxi back to the ship. Short port day.

Venice: We arrived at Noon. Jim and I headed for the People Mover as did the rest of the ship. There were a few other ships in port and Venice was very crowded. Piazza San Marco was packed and the line to get into the Basilica extended to the water. Having been here before, we decided to skip the cathedral and walked to the Rialto Bridge, buying some wine and cookies like my aunt used to make. We made our way back to the ship. For some reason, I was not doing well with the heat and really needed to stay out of the blazing sun for a while. We did not opt to go into Venice the next day. This made me sad since it is one of my favorite places in the world. The next day was a sea day and that would give us an added opportunity to rest.

Katakalon: today our driver and friend, George Letsios, met us. This was a surprise to us, as we had been told that George has been ill and not driving anymore. It was nice to see him. George has been our driver on previous visits to Katakalon and he told his partner that he “had to see his people today.” We opted not to go to Olympia as we had been there before and were not interested in seeing those rocks again. Instead we went to Chlemousti Casle, Ancient Elis and Kourouta Beach. At the beach we went to a seaside restaurant and had the best Greek salad and Pastitsio in the world. It was also about 15 degrees cooler. So the three of us sat and enjoyed the afternoon until it was time to return to the ship. A great day.

Nafplion and Athens: As I reported earlier, we visited Epidaurus, Mycenae and Corinth from Nafplion. Our driver was Fotis Kolliris. As we pre-arranged, we did not return to the ship. Instead we headed to Athens where we spent the night at the Golden Age Hotel. We had dinner in a lovely restaurant.

The next morning we were picked up by Fotis and headed straight to the Acropolis. Jim got to the top, I made it halfway. We saw the changing of the guard at the Parliament Building, went to Mt Lycabettus for a view of the city, had lunch at a local tavern and visited the Archaelogical Museum. We were glad we spent the night off the ship as it gave us plenty of time to see all the places we wanted to see without rushing. When we returned to our cabin, the concierges had put up a sign welcoming us back and had balloons in the room. It was a lovely gesture and made us smile. We were tired but had a lovely time.

Kusadasi: We did a private tour of Ephesus with Magical Steps today. We also went to the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Village of Sirince. We skipped lunch and the carpet making demonstration.

Mykonos: After four full days, I opted to stay on board today. Mykonos is another favorite of mine. I was just too tired and my leg hurt too much. Again, instead of tendering, we were docked. Jim went ashore and took the shuttle bus and said that even after getting off the bus it was a good walk to town. I guess I made the right decision.

Rhodes: Today we had a private tour booked with Nicholas Rhodes Taxi. Our driver was Dominic. He should really be a certified guide. He was very good and informative. We drove through the old city, seeing the palace of the grand masters and the harbor. Then we headed for Lindos. However we did not climb the Acropolis of Lindos. Instead we went to a fishing village for a nice lunch of Greek Salad and Calamari. It was a lovely day

Santorini: As usual, Santorini was crowded. We did not have a tour booked but walked around for a while. I bought a new pair of leather sandals. We visited both the Greek and Catholic Cathedrals and had lunch at Archepelagos Restaurant. Nice day.

Naples: We took the ferry to Capri on our own today. We went to Anacapri and visited the Church of San Michele with it s mosaic floor. Looked at the pretty shops. We did not take the chair lift. We returned to Capri and had lunch. Then toured the Gardens of Cesar Augustus and had a gelato. Took the 3:45 ferry back to Naples.

Tonight we had to pack.

Civitavecchia: Disembark for our week in Rome. We were met by Rome Cabs for our ride to Rome. We stayed at the Hotel Boscolo Exedra. It is a lovely hotel on the Piazza della Repubblica.

During our week in Rome we visited the Pantheon, Piazza Navonna, Trevi Fountain, the Vatican museum, Coliseum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s, had an audience with the Pope, went to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and took a day trip to Assisi.

It was a wonderful vacation. In retrospect we would have appreciated this trip more had we waited until the cooler fall weather and if I could have gotten my leg problems resolved.

Terri, I haven't read the full report yet, but I have to say you are remarkable in what you have had to deal with and come bouncing back. So glad your DH is on the road to recovery - again!:D

We had Michael as one of our concierges on the Zuiderdam last year - he was great. Do you recall who the PG manager was? There was a change during our cruise, and just wondering if the replacement kept the position.

Now back to finishing your ports report.:)

Terri, I haven't read the full report yet, but I have to say you are remarkable in what you have had to deal with and come bouncing back. So glad your DH is on the road to recovery - again!:D

 

We had Michael as one of our concierges on the Zuiderdam last year - he was great. Do you recall who the PG manager was? There was a change during our cruise, and just wondering if the replacement kept the position.

 

Now back to finishing your ports report.:)

The PG manager was Tim. He finished his contract on August 2. The day we disembarked.

Terri

Thank you for your review. Sorry for the problems.

Hi, Terri and Jim,

This is Connie from this same cruise last year that you missed due to Jim's surgery in Rome. I was so glad to see your review and know that you and Jim finally got to do this cruise. I only wish we could have met and done it together.

Thanks for writing such a lovely description of the ship and your ports. See you onboard somewhere, someday, I hope.

Thank you Terri for writing such a wonderful review.

Sorry to hear that your DH had his hernia problem flare up.

We have also noticed that HAL is cutting port times more and more. We prefer to be in ports longer.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

So happy you were able to get a lot out of your trip, in spite of your leg and the heat. I am going to make notes from your port descriptions, as we will be doing something similar next year with DH and our DD. she is here for a visit, and when I showed her our itinerary, she said she wanted to do it, too, plus an additional two weeks! Of course, I will join her.....

Thank you for your kind words.

I should mention a few other things. There were lots of children on this cruise. The pools were always crowded.

July is not a good month to go to the Mediterranean. This was a big mistake on our part and we only did it because our friends asked us to join them. However, given the circumstances of DH's hernia problem we probably would have had to cancel again if we hadn't gone when we did. At least this time (unlike last year) it was not an emergency and we were able to wait until we got home.

Finally, we have decided to spread our wings. We have decided to try some other cruise lines. In January we are going on a seven-day Sea Dream Yacht Club cruise from French St. Martin to Barbados and in August 2016 we are going on Oceania Marina to the Baltic for 19 days. This does not mean that we will not return to HAL, but both itineraries are very interesting and unique. So we are jumping ship for a while.

Terri

Thanks so much for your report Terri and I am so pleased your DH is well again.

We did the same cruise in April/May in SS Cabin 6103.

I have to agree with you about the PG. We had the worst meal of our cruise there. There was no atmosphere and the food was poor.

The PG manager was Tim. He finished his contract on August 2. The day we disembarked.

Terri

Bineesh (sp?) replaced Tim as Pinnacle Manager. He had most recently been on the Zaandam as I recall.

Hi Terri, I was just thinking of you and saw this review. I'm sorry to hear Jim required more surgery but at least you were back on US soil. I hope your leg problems improve, cannot imagine how hard it would be to hobble around on such a busy trip.

Your report was very well organized, comprehensive and interesting to read.

I'm going to look up the dates for your Marina cruise, we are going out on Sirena in September of next year. We have our second Marina trip booked for April 2016, Papeete to Lima via Easter Island. I don't think we have time to do Machu Pichu (we probably have to get home) but I referenced all my notes from your A and K trip just in case.

The Marina is terrific.

Thank you for your thorough review.

Sorry you have problems walking.

Hope your DH is doing well after further surgery.

Hi Terri, I was just thinking of you and saw this review. I'm sorry to hear Jim required more surgery but at least you were back on US soil. I hope your leg problems improve, cannot imagine how hard it would be to hobble around on such a busy trip.

Your report was very well organized, comprehensive and interesting to read.

 

I'm going to look up the dates for your Marina cruise, we are going out on Sirena in September of next year. We have our second Marina trip booked for April 2016, Papeete to Lima via Easter Island. I don't think we have time to do Machu Pichu (we probably have to get home) but I referenced all my notes from your A and K trip just in case.

The Marina is terrific.

Just email me if you want the contact and itinerary for MP. That was a wonderful overland adventure.

Terri

Thank you for the review.

Excellent review.

Very well written and very thorough.

Keith

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.

Glad you made the best of things and enjoyed your cruise.

Think you for the well written review. I enjoyed it and it made me glad that we took our Med cruise in April/early May. Good to see you had a good time in spite of heat and some health issues.

Thanks for the review, Terri.

Terri,

I am so glad you got to do this cruise. We also have a tour with Milo's brother in Kotor. When you were through with the tour (6 hr) did you have time to go to the old town of Kotor or were you docked too far away. Were there any taxis at that time of day that could take us after the tour? Did he pick you up at 9? He has not told us what time he will meet us. We dock at 8.

Thanks so much for the review. We go in September and hope we will have beaten the heat.

Terri,

I am so glad you got to do this cruise. We also have a tour with Milo's brother in Kotor. When you were through with the tour (6 hr) did you have time to go to the old town of Kotor or were you docked too far away. Were there any taxis at that time of day that could take us after the tour? Did he pick you up at 9? He has not told us what time he will meet us. We dock at 8.

 

Thanks so much for the review. We go in September and hope we will have beaten the heat.

Milo's brother, Slovodan, was fine and speaks good English. He will give you a good tour. Make sure you ask him to take you to Our Lady of the Rocks.

You will have time to go to the Old Town if you wish. We did not because I was having trouble with my leg.

I don't remember the time he picked us up. We disembarked and he was there with a sign with our name on it. Why don't you send him an email and ask him the time. These people are always there early. They don't want to miss you.

You will have a wonderful time in Kotor. It is a beautiful place. We enjoyed that day very much.

Terri

Glad you finally got to make this trip… hope your DH is doing better and your leg is on the mend. We're doing the "Dream" segment of your cruise in just over a week, so your report was very timely. :)

Glad you finally got to make this trip… hope your DH is doing better and your leg is on the mend. We're doing the "Dream" segment of your cruise in just over a week, so your report was very timely. :)

Thank you. We are home in South Carolina, having driven the three hours to get here this afternoon. Jim is on the mend. it will take about a month. Fortunately, this time it was not a crisis like last year and we were able to wait until we got home.

I got a cortisone injection in my leg today and hopefully it will help me take care of Jim and his brother and the household chores.

I am glad my report helped.

Terri

Terri, thanks so much for your review and sharing with all of us.

So happy you finally got to do this problem and sorry to hear that you had issues.

Very thorough and very interesting.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share and welcome home :)

Terri, thanks so much for your review and sharing with all of us.

 

So happy you finally got to do this problem and sorry to hear that you had issues.

 

Very thorough and very interesting.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to share and welcome home :)

Well, the issues did not outweigh the good. We enjoyed the vacation. We wish it would have been the perfect cruise, but it wasn't. We did get a rest and Lord knows we needed one--especially with what we were facing when we got home.

We are looking forward to our different and exciting adventures in the winter and next summer. After that we will see what direction we will take.

Terri

Thank you so much for your review & all the information you shared.