Surprised reviews for the Zuiderdam

[Italian Nancy]

When we booked our first cruise on the Zuiderdam, it blew me away..

 

My DH tried and tried and tried to get me away from the all inclusive resorts to a cruse.

 

Lucky for me and him.we tried it..I am so sold on cruising now that it would take alot for me to go back to the all inclusive's

 

Prior to our honeymoon cruise of Sept 2003, there has been so much negative posts about the Z, makes me want to rethink our b2b for this Sept.. our 2nd wedding anniversary..

Nice to hear from many folks, including Doone that they loved Z.. we did too

 

love to hear from anyone else sailing in the next few months

[Ziggy7]

We loved the Zuiderdam !!! I'm sure you will as well!

Enyoy your b2b on her, we sure did! And Happy Anniversary! :)

[Sierrachik]

We sailed on the Zui last October and had a great time! We're booked again this October and are going with friends. The Zui is a lovely ship, I'm sorry she's had to take such a bashing from many who've never sailed on her. This seems to be changing as many experienced cruisers give her a try and find themselves enjoying their cruise.

 

The Zuiderdam had many problems in the beginning and some of the reviews were very justified from all that I've read. I think all new ships (particularly a whole new class of ship for a line) experience some issues and those can take time to resolve. She is very unlike most other HAL ships from what I understand and was not meeting peoples expectations for a HAL ship. In my line of work most complaints/problems stem from the customer's expectations at the time of the sale not being met with the final product. I think perhaps something similar occurred here and now that people know what to expect from the Zui, we're seeing more postive reviews put forth.

 

Just my two cents worth, others will disagree with my thoughts, I'm sure :)

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruise and Happy Anniversary!

[Krazy Kruizers]

It won't be long and we will be on the Zuiderdam.

 

[Adk~Cruiser]

We are sailing in less than two weeks and looking forward to it! Our enthusiasm is not dampened one iota. You know how it is on any board. You read bad reviews before and enjoyed your cruise. And, now you see more bad reviews - and guess what - you'll enjoy your cruise.

 

I'm very active on another board and before we went on the Magic, I read everything - that the food was horrible, that 'smokers' sat out on the balconies and ruined the experience for 'non-smokers', that people didn't follow the dress code and no one enforced it, that chairs were hogged by the pool and that no one helped keep kids out of the adult pool, that wild kids kept people up until 3 AM and staff wouldn't help control them, that the stewards didn't do a good job, that the deck party stunk, etc. etc... on a different board - on a different ship... but it sounds amazingly familiar, doesn't it? :)

 

We had a great cruise - was it perfect? No. Did we like every tiny little aspect? No...in fact, embarkation was SO bad - I doubt any other ship can top it and I had never read a thing about THAT! :)

 

To me - a vacation is what you make it... and I plan on having a GREAT one on the Zui in 13 days and counting!

[Oceanwench]

We first sailed on the Zuiderdam in November 2003.

Although I'd heard all sorts of complaints about vibrations in the dining room and bad smells in other areas, we had no compliants!

We had a wonderful time and decided to make a fall cruise on HAL a tradition with our family.

Last fall we sailed on the Oosterdam and were equally impressed.

This fall we are taking a cruise on the Westerdam.

[And sailing her again in Oct. 2006!]

 

But, having been captivated by all these "dam" ships, we managed to book a May cruise for us, our 2 daughters and their boyfriends, on the Zuiderdam in May.

Looking forward to another great cruise!!!

[sugnessie]

We are booked on the Z for the May 21st cruise and can't wait! We received our documents this past week. I have been reading all the pro and con reviews, however, a cruise is what you make of it. This will be our eighth HAL cruise and although I have noticed many changes since our first one with HAL in 1995, all in all I still love HAL the best.

We have already booked two more cruises with HAL for next year. A 14 day in April on the Ryndam, and in December of 2006 a 16 day on the Prinsendam. The one on the Prinsendam will be Orinoco River and I am beside myself with anticipation!

Getting back to the Z, has anyone gone on the tour swimming at Stingray City? Who is the Cruise Director? Was there horseracing? Thanks, T

[cruznon]

We really are looking forward to our trip on the Zuiderdam in July. We loved the Oosterdam . I've heard comment about the decore being too bright. From the pictures I've seen, I think the interiors look fabulous! Vibrant, bold colors can be rich and inviting! (Of course, I'm an art teacher and LOVE color!)

 

When we were on the Oosterdam in Feb. We heard that James Deering (the O'dam's hotel manager) was going to the Zuiderdam. Anyone else hear this?

[thulewx]

Zuiderdam seems to be a lightning rod for very good or very bad reviews. I spent 3 weeks on it a couple years ago and loved it...

[Ziggy7]

Dane Butcher is the CD on the Zuiderdam :)

[apr68]

We( me, my DH, My DD's ages 8 and 5, my parents, my sister, her DH and her DS age 6) will be on the Z for the 4/23 cruise. It is our first time on Holland and I have to say that I too have been mortified by the bad reviews of the Z. I have been trying to keep and open mind and know that a vacation is what you make of it. Some people, it seems, can never be pleased. The only true concern I have feeling the motion of the ship but then again, we did choose to cruise and the motion has little to do with the ship itself and more about the water, no? Keep positive everyone!!! 20 Days to go!!

[Himself]

I was on btb's two years ago (almost) on the Zuiderdam and enjoyed the cruise. This was at a time when the Zuiderdam was getting a lot of negative reports. A new ship always have to have bugs worked out and this was the first of a series and so entirely than the "S" class or "R" class. I think there was the usual reaction to some thing new by veteran HAL cruisers. It is a nice ship.

 

Himself

[Italian Nancy]

We loved our first cruise with HAL - Zuiderdam, but having nothing else to compare, what could I say.. My DH had sailed with his previous wife on RC.

 

Since our honeymoon cruise, we have sailed with Costa (big time YUK!!!, never again) and Celebrity Summit.. Loved the Summit. very similiar to our HAL experience, each had their own pluses and minuses..

 

thank you all for your input. we can't wait for our B2B cruises in Sept.

 

does anyone know if we need to go through the Muster drill twice ??

[Carribeancoconuts]

The zuiderdam is truly a great ship and my family and I found it to be a wonderful cruise. we were worried since all of the reviews were very controversial but we took our chances. we felt a few vibrations but the food was great everywhere and the service was impeccable. we never smelled any sewage and where ever we went, the crew was always cleaning and the ship was spotless. it was a much better experience then expected but compared to some of the reviews, i felt like i was on a different ship. We didnt even have a suite or anything. we just had 1 big window and the room was bigger than expected, well, it was enough room for 1 parent and 2 teenagers anyway.our room steward was respectful and polite but still fun and very nice. The whole crew was very accomadating. The entertainment was very professional and very good. Especially Joel Mason, the elton John impersonator and Mr.cielen, the illusionist. they were also very funny. the singers and dancers were very talented too. We had a great cruise and hope future zuiderdam cruisers feel the same.

[sail7seas]

We've enjoyed five wonderful cruises on Zuiderdam. Perfect? No, of course not. But they sure were pretty wonderful. We totally enjoyed each day aboard.