Zuiderdam 4/30/2005

[cruisefar]

Just back from a great cruise on the Zuiderdam. This was our first Holland America cruise and we will cruise with them again. There were virtually no lines the whole week. Holland America handled the flow of passengers very well. We arrived at the port at 11am and were sitting at the pool bar at 11:30am, unbelievable!! The food was very good. Our favorites were the filet mignon, king crab legs and the lobster tails. They came around and asked us if we wanted more lobster tails, that was a first. We booked a balcony guarantee VF and were upgraded to a VC. We were very happy with the cabin and the balcony. As was said before, the decorations and colors on this ship leave alot to be desired. They didn't bother me, but they were pretty comical. We were left a note in our cabin when we arrived that they had switched the days that we were stopping in St Thomas and Tortola. Luckily, we had not booked any shore excursions prior to sailing. Half Moon Cay is beautiful. The prettiest private island they we have been to so far. The facilities on the island are very well laid out. The beach is fantastic. In Tortola we did the Virgin Island Sailaway. I would highly recommend this shore excursion. We went in the afternoon and we knew the ship would wait for us if we had any problems. We sailed on a 70 ft Catamaran sailboat. I've seen better snorkeling but the ride was the best. After snorkeling, we went to a little beach bar that you can only get to by boat, very cool!! The illusionist was fantastic, a must see. The late night comedy show was R-rated and very funny. We have never had such great luck in the casino on any cruise ship. Typically they are a little to very tight on the payouts. Not on the Zuiderdam!! We actually came home with their money. Our biggest payout was $500 on a quarter slot machine. One of our tablemates won $1300 the first night on a quarter slot machine. We played so much longer than we had originally planned, we missed some of the shows!! We took the Ft. Lauderdale land and sea shore excursion when we got off the ship. This was a fun and informative tour. I would highly recommend this excursion as well. Getting off the ship was a breeze. We hired a porter, who got our luggage and were at the tour bus in less than 15 minutes. I do think that letting you stay in your cabin until your number is called makes that last morning much more enjoyable. No lugging your luggage to breakfast, no huge crowds in the public areas. Bravo, Holland America!! The whole week went very smoothly. If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

[sugnessie]

Thank you for your great review! Glad you had a good time, we will be on the ship next week!

[MessyJessy]

Cruisefar –

 

I enjoyed reading your review on the Zuiderdam especially the information on the catamaran sail. I was thinking about choosing that excursion while in Tortola. I found copies of menus for the Zuiderdam online; however, they were not in any particular order. I’m trying to figure out what order they go in so we will know when to make reservations in the Pinnacle Grill. Do you remember what you had for dinner each day? (I probably can figure out the order if you only remember one thing from each night.)

 

 

Thanks for your help!

[upsndowns]

Cruisefar,

 

Thanks for the review. We're on the June 4th sailing. The anticipation is killing me!!

 

Were the blackjack or craps tables crowded?

[cubfan49]

Great to see the good reviews for the Zuiderdam!!!

 

 

Leaving on the 28th!!!

[pklopp]

Nice review - not sure I like that switch of Tortola & St. Thomas because I plan to book my own excursions. I also have a balcony guarantee for 9/17 (have never done this, so not sure how it works) - did you have to pay extra for the upgrade? Did you know before the cruise left where your cabin was? Thanks, and glad to hear you had a great time.

Peggy

[mich2]

Messy Jessy......can you tell me where to find copies of the menus on line? We'll be on the Oosterdam in November, that would be fun to have....

thanx

[djludwig@prodigy.net]

Black Jack tables were not crowded early in the evening generally (9:00pm ) but that may have changed later. I was on 4/16 cruise on the Zui

[MessyJessy]

Mich2 -

 

 

I did a search and found them on webshots.com. They are actual copies of the original menus (not a typed list) that include the new “Comfort Food” selections. I (and the other folks in our group) like to check out the menu before we sail so we can pick a good night to eat in the alternative restaurant. I can email you copies if you are interested.

[CoppellCruiser]

I'd like a link to the menu's if they are for a western caribbean cruise on the Zuiderdam.

[DEL67]

We were also on the 4/30 Zuiderdam sailing. Like cruisefar we truly enjoyed ourselves. We had a HC veranda cabin, 5137, which was great. It was a little lacking in storage, but it had a good size large veranda which was well enough ramped to my husband could access it in his power chair.

 

Embarkation went smoothly for most people. Ours was delayed because they ushered us to the HC line. That line is usually faster, but both representatives were assisting a large family for well over 20 minutes after we arrived As a result there the HC line got backed up and it took over half an hour to get checked in, longer than the regular line. I thought that one rep should have continued to assist other passengers, especially after all the paper work was done and one was putting the id bracelets on the children while the other watched.

 

I thought that the food was good, but the menu choices were not always great. Yet once I ordered, I enjoyed almost every meal. Breakfasts in the Lido cafe were very good, especially the fresh oj. HAL offers a full room service breakfast, including on the last morning so we ate on our veranda twice. We also ate breakfast on our veranda a couple of times. My only real complaint about the food was the stir fry station in the Lido cafe. I thought it was awful.

 

We went horseback riding in Half Moon Cay which was great, especially the water part. Several of the morning rides were sold out so anyone wanting to ride should think about signing up ahead of time. We also did the snorkel by motor boat in Tortola. We enjoyed it and saw a good variety of fish including a sting ray, but there were not as many fish as in some other ports.

 

Actually, the port order had been switched for at least a month and was correct in the itinerary included with our cruise documents. I believe it was a one time switch so I do not think you future cruisers have to worry about it.

 

One more thing. For those of you expecting to see Hunky Dory, he is going on vacation early next months so he will not be there for most of the summer.

[khfadpi]

I would like to know the Western Z menus, too. Last year on the CP they had "available anytime" food on the dining room menus. New York Strips, Shrimp Cocktails, Cheeescake, Caesar Salads , Grilled Chicken Breast, etc. , which was good for the kids, because there was always something they could get. Is that what the comfort food list is?

[ha6124]

Can you tell me which day you were in port at St. Thomas and which day you were in port at Tortola and the times. They have been changed so many times that I am not sure what to plan or what tours to change anymore. Your help would really be appreciated. Thank you.:confused:

[peaches from georgia]

Can you tell me which day you were in port at St. Thomas and which day you were in port at Tortola and the times....

I would suggest looking at the HAL tours for your cruise. Not necessarily to book, but that would show you the days and times you will be in each port. HAL is not going to book shore excursions on the wrong day or at times you will not be there. ;)

[cruisefar]

The formal nights were Monday and Thursday which were the at-sea days. Monday was King Crab legs and Filet Mignon. Thursday was lobster tails and beef tenderloin. As far as the upgrade, I booked thru Cheap Tickets a category VF. I called Holland America to find out if a cabin had been assigned about 10 days before we sailed. They told me that I would have to call Cheap Tickets to find out if the cabin had been assigned. When I was editing my immigration information online, I noticed that my cabin number 5171 was on my immigration form. That's how I found out my cabin assignment. So, keep checking the immigration form to find out your cabin assignment. Regarding the food items that are available anytime, we ordered the shrimp coctail the first day while we were waiting for the lifeboat drill. The shrimp were very small (like salad shrimp). When you ordered shrimp coctail in the dining room they were pretty big.