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Zuiderdam?


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First time going on Holland America. We have been on Princess, RCI, Carnival, NCL.

 

Can you tell me about this ship Zuiderdam? What are the cabins like, food, buffet, entertainment, pools.

 

We will be doing Alaska cruisetour starting in Anchorage and joining the ship in Skagway for 4 days cruising to Vancouver. We are looking at F - oceanview or VF - balcony. Can't decide if we should have balcony or oceanview cabin since we will only be on the ship 4 days.

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First time going on Holland America. We have been on Princess, RCI, Carnival, NCL.

 

Can you tell me about this ship Zuiderdam? What are the cabins like, food, buffet, entertainment, pools.

 

We will be doing Alaska cruisetour starting in Anchorage and joining the ship in Skagway for 4 days cruising to Vancouver. We are looking at F - oceanview or VF - balcony. Can't decide if we should have balcony or oceanview cabin since we will only be on the ship 4 days.

 

I have photos and descriptions from Fellow Cruise Critic Members here: http://joanjett2000.topcities.com/HAL/Zuiderdam/index.html

 

Welcome to HAL!!

 

Joanie

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Welcome Aboard! You will never regret choosing a balcony for Alaska viewing. (Or have you been there before?)

 

We have done 2 roundtrips to Alaska before with Princess and Carnival. This time, we plan on doing a 10 days landtour and then joining the Zuiderdam at Skagway for 4 days of cruising to Vancouver. That is why I am asking if it is worth a balcony for 4 days - Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, at sea, Vancouver. The difference between a E oceanview and a VF balcony is $400 for 2.

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That is why I am asking if it is worth a balcony for 4 days - Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, at sea, Vancouver. The difference between a E oceanview and a VF balcony is $400 for 2.

 

IMHO ... If you are thinking of it as just a ride home, then it's probably not worth the $400. But, for me, I loved having a balcony for Glacier Bay (and everywhere else).

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Thanks for the information.

 

Does anybody know if the balconies are fully covered or half covered. We want to be pretexted from the rain/sun.

 

All of the side balconies are fully covered. Only the aft balconies are partially covered, because of the "stepped" design of the ship.

 

Even though they are covered, bright sun can come into the balcony. Particularly at high latitudes like Alaska, the sunlight often is at a rather low angle. Rain is often accompanied by wind that may push it into the balcony. But, if you stand on the balcony and look straight up, you will see the steel floor of the balcony above you, not open sky.

 

You should be aware that some, not all, of the VF cabins have a solid steel wall, instead of a plexiglas railing. These are the forwardmost cabins on deck 4. They are marked as such in the deck plans on HAL's website. The steel wall means that, if you are sitting on your balcony, you won't be able to see out. When standing, there is no obstruction.

 

Otherwise, the balconies are the same as the VE balconies. I believe that some of the higher categories, such as VC - VA have slightly deeper balconies. We were in a VE cabin on deck 5. I believe our balcony was the same size as a VF, except we had the plexiglas. It was perfectly adequate for the two of us. Three adults standing on the balcony would be "cozy" and four or more would be downright crowded. We had two deck chairs and a small (2' x 2') table, which I believe is standard.

 

We've never sailed to Alaska, but given the fantastic scenery, I would opt for the balcony. Only you can decide if it is worth the extra $$$.

 

Paul

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First time going on Holland America. We have been on Princess, RCI, Carnival, NCL.

 

Can you tell me about this ship Zuiderdam? What are the cabins like, food, buffet, entertainment, pools.

 

We will be doing Alaska cruisetour starting in Anchorage and joining the ship in Skagway for 4 days cruising to Vancouver. We are looking at F - oceanview or VF - balcony. Can't decide if we should have balcony or oceanview cabin since we will only be on the ship 4 days.

 

The staterooms will be a bit larger than you're used to for apples to apples comparison. Food should be pretty good. Treat yourself to the Pinnacle Grill one evening. $20/ea but worth it! Entertainment is kind of hit & miss depending on who's onboard for your cruise.

 

Most balconies have 1 chair, 1 lounger and 1 table. The VF's (In the lifeboat areas) and a few others will have slightly smaller balconies and 2 chairs instead of 1 & a lounger.

 

We're doing HAL's Rotterdam for Alaska on September 4th. We sprang for a balcony as last time we did Alaska we REALLY wished we had had one.

 

Welcome to Holland America! :D

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Just back from the Zuiderdam in a SY suite cabin and it was wonderful. The ship is far lovelier than it appears in its photos and the biggest surprise was how good the food in the main dining room was.

 

We expect good food overall on HAL ships, but each night was particularly good from appetizer through dessert. However, we found our one night in the Zuiderdam Pinnacle to be woefully lacking so could not recommend that. It seemed like an alien place because it missed its mark so widely compared to the satisfaction we got so consistently in the main dining room.

 

If you can upgrade even a bit more to the S suite rooms, you will be well rewarded with a lovely, large space and a large more sweeping view balcony plus large room windows from which to also enjoy the passing views on this trip if/when it gets too cold or windy to stay outside.

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