Paticakes Posted April 28, 2005 #1 Share Posted April 28, 2005 :) We are back from the Zaandam 4/16. What a wonderful Ship. No one does it like HAL. This was my fifth cruise and second on HAL. We drove down on Friday and stayed at the Radisson at the Port. Very nice hotel and very convenient. We parked our car in the cruise parking at the hotel and took the shuttle on Saturday at noon. At the port there was a small wait but was quick and easy process. Having the immigration forms done online is a definite bonus. We went to the Lido for lunch and they announced cabins were ready at 1:00. Our cabin was an inside on the Navigation Deck (6). Fairly nice size with lots of closets and drawer space. Just a shower, no tub, but that was fine for us. The beds were comfortable but not as comfy as the Zuiderdam. The TV needed a better setup for the remote but still worked ok. The Zaandam is a beautiful ship. It is definitely rich in tradition. The SOE improvements were a bonus. The Explorers Lounge and Café are really nicely done. What a wonderful place to relax. Coffee prices were relatively cheap and sweets were free. The Culinary Art program seems like a huge success. Every seating was packed. It was quite entertaining to watch. We had the early seating in the dining room. Our service was top of the line. I think we had the best waiter and assistant in the dinning room. Even the wine steward was great. Food was excellent and there was quite a variety. Steaks were good and so was the lobster. The baked Alaska Parade was very entertaining and the last night all the waiters sang a song and said goodbye. The food in the Lido was good although the hours of could have been better. No snacks after dinner until 11:30. The lines tended to be long and I like the Zuiderdam setup better. The entertainment was pretty good. There was a ventriloquist, Mike Robinson and he was quite enjoyable. The singer Paul Tanner was an impressionist and did a good job. Music was always good in the Lounges and especially in the Piano Bar. We skipped the Vegas style entertainment. The Casino was small but a lot of fun. There were a variety of machines and was pretty packed most of the time. We went to Tortola for the first time and did the See and Sea Tour. The scenery is very picturesque and very unspoiled. It is definitely a place to see. St Thomas is a typical tourist place. We took the land tour and then shopped for a bit. Both tours were through Holland and very nicely done. Half Moon Cay is still as spectacular as always. The water was a little cold but we still managed to enjoy. The island is really a tropical paradise. We meet some great new friends and really did have a wonderful time. We are definitely sold on HAL and I think the Zaandam is my new favorite. I could go back tomorrow!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerfootballmom Posted April 28, 2005 #2 Share Posted April 28, 2005 I was on the Zaandam March 19-26 for my first cruise...I think I'm spoiled now for life!! Can't imagine a different ship to be on. I can't believe the beds are even more comfortable on the Zuiderdam...my bed was heavenly on the Zaandam:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlEngr Posted April 28, 2005 #3 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Glad you had such a nice trip ... We were on the boat with you and also enjoyed ourselves ... although no quite as sold on HAL as you are. But I thought the following was great .... Loved a casual Taco or Ice Cream in the afternoon The Captain and C.D. were very visible. The Pinacle Grill was great Disembarkation was a dream ... love staying in the room 'til Color was called. Unfortunately I thought the dining room food was good but not excellent. We ate in the dining mainly ... but tried the Lido once for both lunch and dinner. The Lido is among the best casual dining I have seen. We tended to think our wait staff in the dining room had too many tables ... they did a decent job ... But didn't really make that personal contact I have had with the dining staff on other ships ... Wine Steward did a good job. We loved Tortula ... St Thomas was too commercialized w/ 7 large cruise ships in dock that day ... but went to St Johns and found that delightful. HMC was very nice ... and the steaks @ lunch were much better than the burnt hamburgers I have had elsewhere. Many more good things than bad and would give the trip a B+ ... Just thought (as I was warned) that this caters to an older crowd ... Meet many people on board that loved the ship ... so once again its personal preference ... wish I was there now! Sorry I didn't make it to the Crow's Nest .. lost track of time sunbathing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaniceB Posted April 28, 2005 #4 Share Posted April 28, 2005 I agree with you on the Lido hours and the lines. When we were on the Zaandam in March sometimes I found the lines to be very long and I encountered alot of people who were cutting in line or appeared to be. I guess if you know what you want you should be able to go to that station and get it, but it slows down the line. The Zaandam is a very nice ship. I would cruise on her again, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanson5 Posted April 29, 2005 #5 Share Posted April 29, 2005 OrlEngr, I have to agree with most of what you said as well. I wonder if the dining room experience is different since we had the late seating. I really was not the least bit impressed with the food. Sorry we missed everybody, we had planned on coming up the Crow's nest and completely forgot about it. I don't think a B+, I would have to go with a C+, maybe a B-. I was expecting a lot older crowd as well, but thought there was quite a diverse group. Just out of curiosity, what age group do you fall into? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ERsecurity Posted April 29, 2005 #6 Share Posted April 29, 2005 I was also on the cruise. Sorry I missed the crows nest meeting. Just plain forgot... I did meet and talk with Father Andrew. Real nice chap. He said the meeting was enjoyable. I agree on the lack of personal contact with the wait staff. This has been my experience on every HAL ship I have been on. On the other lines they try to know your name and add greatly to the dining experience. This is the one place HAL should improve. The ship was great and all the rest of my experiences were great. The crew could not have been more helpful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOYNSEA Posted April 29, 2005 #7 Share Posted April 29, 2005 I agree with Paticakes, the ship is beautiful and decorated in good taste. The online immigration is a great help and does hurry things along. Unfortunately, we were unaware that a special line had been set up for those who had registered online until we had waited too long in the line to move. I wish the sign was a bit more visible. We were on Dolphin deck (one of our group called it steerage) but it was very comfortable, roomy and quiet. We did have a bathtub which was handy for shaving the legs at least. Explorers Lounge was a great plus to the changes. I have never seen a library used to this extent. The coffee shop/internet/library was always busy and yet a comfortable, quiet place to read, do jigsaw puzzle, crosswords or play scrabble. We had early seating first floor and lucked out with a table for six by the window at the back of the ship (stern?). The only problem was the first two nights the sun shone in our eyes until about mid meal and the shade was not working so they could not correct the problem. We had great service and although our waiter was very focused on his job, he was very personable. His assistant was very friendly and attentive. Both were quite concerned about my sons diet as he only ate pasta and french fries all week. We enjoyed our meals especially the lobster, the cold berry soups, the desserts. There were a couple of nights that the menu was not really exciting but nevertheless the meals were good. We did see the HAL entertainers and thought the singers were very good as well as the dancers. The ventriloquist, Michael was fabulous and had us all laughing and amazed at his talent. The other comedian Bruce Block was pretty good especially since a passenger tried to steal the show while on stage. Bruce handled him very well under the circumstances. We felt the singer/impressionist,Paul Tanner was too full of himself. He had a good voice on his own but was not all that great as impressionist. His push for an extra song as though the audience requested it was a bit obnoxious. In Tortola we took a cab to the ferry for a smaller island, Jost Van Dyke and enjoyed a lovely day at the beach. The beach was pretty empty except for some people who water taxied in and we had a few "painkillers", a very tasty rum concoction invented on the island. It was a great outing but would recommend everyone take a cab from the ferry on the island to the beach. I read online that you just had to walk over a hill to the beach. We were exhausted from the walk up a couple of very steep hills. Of course, we cabbed it back. It was well worth the trip on a local ferry to a spot immortalized in a Kenny Chesney song. On St Thomas we just did the shopping thing as we had enough sun on Jost Van Dyke. My favorite beach of any in the Caribbean is Half Moon Cay. Although, I am disappointed by all the "toys" the cruise line feels obligated to supply. I am sure it is a result of people polled but it is a shame that people can not just enjoy the beauty of the sand and gorgeous water. In the past we have walked the beach and picked up sand dollars. Now you have to watch out for horse manure because of the shore excursions.The snorkeling along the edge of the beach was very good and easy for those who are first timers. The stop there was too short. We arrived at 7 AM and had to leave on the last tender at 1:30. Much too short. Many on the beach agreed that we could use two days at this beautiful spot. There were six of us in our group, five adults and one 12 year old. We all had a great time and would go again tomorrow. The cruise director staff were fun and very visable. Holland America does seem to be a favorite of seniors but there was still a pretty good mix. My 12 year old met a few friends in the HAL club and enjoyed playing playstation and a few of the organized games. There were so many things to do each scheduled day that there were some tough decisions some times. Oh yeah, love the chocolates in the Explorer Lounge each evening. Yeah, I gained about 5 pounds. Enjoyed meeting cruise critic friends. We did make the meeting and it was nice to meet Paticakes and Probison and Fr Andrew and chat awhile. It also makes it nice to see them during the week just to give a wave or chat. This was the second HAL cruise for 5 of us. Loved the Zaandam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOYNSEA Posted April 29, 2005 #8 Share Posted April 29, 2005 The internet/library is in the Explorer's Cafe not the Lounge. The Explorer's Lounge is a lovely spot with Sonata strings each night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanson5 Posted April 29, 2005 #9 Share Posted April 29, 2005 It's funny how people's opinions are so different. We actually thought that Paul Tanner did an excellent job. His impressions of Louie Armstrong and Niel Diamond were excellent. He even got a standing ovation at our seating. "Full of himself", he's an entertainer, aren't they all full of themselves;) . Anyway, I'm just glad it was a fun cruise. Sounds like no one was too disappointed, and some even loved it, and that's what it's all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himself Posted April 30, 2005 #10 Share Posted April 30, 2005 I have not been on the Zaandam but you make me wish I was on the ship! Himself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy Sue Posted April 30, 2005 #11 Share Posted April 30, 2005 Thanks everyone for the trip reports .. sounds like you all had an enjoyable time.. We board he Zaandam 5/28 in Vancouver .. we were on the Volendam last November, the sister ship to the Zaandam. She hadn't gone through the SOE updates yet, so we're looking forward to checking out the differences on the Zaandam. Thanks, Peggy Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlm Posted April 30, 2005 #12 Share Posted April 30, 2005 :) We are back from the Zaandam 4/16. What a wonderful Ship. No one does it like HAL. This was my fifth cruise and second on HAL. We drove down on Friday and stayed at the Radisson at the Port. Very nice hotel and very convenient. We parked our car in the cruise parking at the hotel and took the shuttle on Saturday at noon. Paticakes You mentioned the Radisson offers cruise parking. Could you tell me what they charge? I also can't seem to find this hotel on the Radisson website. Do you recall the street it's on? Thanks Toni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paticakes Posted May 1, 2005 Author #13 Share Posted May 1, 2005 You mentioned the Radisson offers cruise parking. Could you tell me what they charge? I also can't seem to find this hotel on the Radisson website. Do you recall the street it's on? Toni, The hotel is lthe Radisson at the Port in Cape Canaveral, FL. That is how it is listed on the website. The rate is $139 for the room special that includes cruise parking. We had the whirlpool suite at $169 and was a great room. The hotel is very nice and tropical and offered free breakfast buffet too. If you book a room there make sure you reserve your shuttle in advance for leaving. The early times go quick. Have a great cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlm Posted May 1, 2005 #14 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Toni, The hotel is lthe Radisson at the Port in Cape Canaveral, FL. That is how it is listed on the website. The rate is $139 for the room special that includes cruise parking. We had the whirlpool suite at $169 and was a great room. The hotel is very nice and tropical and offered free breakfast buffet too. If you book a room there make sure you reserve your shuttle in advance for leaving. The early times go quick. Have a great cruise. Boy am I ever brain dead! We're going out of Ft Lauderdale! No wonder I couldn't find it. Thanks any ways for the information and I shall file it away in case we ever leave from that port. Toni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probison Posted May 2, 2005 #15 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Hey, glad to find this post - been looking for it - thought I'd find a review by Father Andrew - if someone has seen it I'd be interested in knowing where it is - he said he was going to do one and I'd love to see his take on the cruise. He's one enjoyable person. Mostly wanted to say hi to Paticakes and Boynsea and tell you I enjoyed meeting all of you and I pretty much share all the positives mentioned about this trip. It was sort of a whole different experience for me in that it was the most relaxing of all the cruises I've been on - just seemed peaceful and pleasureable - no hassel, no hurry, no problems - would like to do it on a full - time basis (maybe if I win the lottery) A fun moment - at the bar in Tortola (can't remember the name) famous for thier "Painkiller" T.v. is showing the anouncement of the popes selection - as Father Andrew comes out of the restroom, "hey Andy, you've got a new boss!!" Later, Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paticakes Posted May 3, 2005 Author #16 Share Posted May 3, 2005 PROBINSON......Glad you enjoyed the cruise Pat. We enjoyed meeting everyone also and found the cruise to be very relaxing. We are both ready for full time cruising and are also depending on the big lottery win!! Haven't seen a review from Fr. Andrew yet but I imagine he will be adding his thoughts. He is a great guy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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