Zuiderdam's bad reviews

[maxout]

I'll be jumping on her on Tuesday with no concerns.

 

A very recent thread about her here...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1711170

[Himself]

Dh (67) and I (56) were thinking of a December sailing on the Zuiderdam. Prices look good, date is perfect, and we were excited. But, the bad reviews have scared me off. Is it really that bad? I know there has to be truth to the reviews, right? Some reviews called it a rust bucket! I've read that it is showing its age, maintenance is not keeping up, smells moldy, is more like a cheap motel than a premium cruise, toilets don't work, bad food, etc., etc. Is this a case of you get what you pay for?

 

I'm thinking to take the hint and run the other way! Maybe we should look at sailing with another HAL ship (Eurodam) or Princess?

 

I have not heard any negatives on this ship in weeks. I usually take most complaints with a grain of salt. There were complaints about her during he Panama Canal Trainsit and up to Vancouver. However since then most of the reviews have been positive. I would not hesitate to take this ship

[metairiegal]

I stepped off of the Zuiderdam September 1st and would not hesitate for a moment to get back on her. We had a wonderful cruise in every aspect. I thought the ship was lovely.

 

We were also on the Aug 25 - Sept 1 voyage.

Great holiday - a fine ship. One of our four cabins reported low water pressure in the shower - no other concerns.

It was announced that after a surprise inspection while docked at Juneau, the Zuiderdam scored 100 %.

 

Good to hear!

[metairiegal]

I think she's on a plane by now - but she will be sending me some updates - if she misses this post - I'll let you know what I hear:) she might be too busy having fun:)

 

OP here. Let us know if you hear any updates. It would be much appreciated it.

 

I'll be jumping on her on Tuesday with no concerns.

 

A very recent thread about her here...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1711170

 

Have a great time. Please report back about your trip.

[hypercafe]

We took the Panama trip last April. Unlike Alaska it was very hot and the ship had AC issues, very hot in places and in the cabin at times. Also problems with the plumbing around the ship. I felt most of the ship looked worn out, some say the ship looking that way doesn't bother them, it bothers me. The iternary was nice and we saw a lot. If I go again I will choose Princess.

[MS7777]

To the OP, my spouse and I have found every age bracket imaginable on HAL ships. There are however quite a few walkers and you can get run over by some in their mobile chairs! That said, I wouldn't call it a floating nursing home. We're booked on the Z in Nov. for the sunfarer S. Carib & Canal 10 day trip. It depends on what you want and the age of any children you might be taking. For my money RCL is the best for kids. We have 11 grandchildren and frankly we're kind of happy to NOT see so many children for a few days :) (I will deny having said that.) We spend our days in a VERY public way in front of hundreds of people constantly and when we take a break all we want is to chill. We read, we sun, we sleep late and take as much pampering as we can get for the price. HAL fills that bill for us. You won't find us dancing the night away (we used to) and we wil eat at a table for two so we can spend some quality time alone and recharge. HAL fills that bill for us. For the price we get good food, good service, good rest and good times. The room size is larger than other lines and the balconies are too. We love it! Been on some other lines and they each have their place. I wouldn't hesitate to book the Z. No company is going to let their product suffer very much or they won't stay in business very long. But I must say HAL is low key when it comes to merchandising and pushing drinks. Yes, costs are up and prices for cruises are down so there is a profit squeeze, so perhaps the perks or quality also is down from previous years. But I should also warn you that some of the posters on this Board (esp THIS one) are whiners and nit pickers. There is no way the Z is a cheap motel. If this sounds like what you are looking for, you will enjoy yourself on ANY (maybe not the Ryndam) HAL ship.

Be Blessed

PS We are very young early 60's

[stumped]

To the op, we were on the Inside Passage Cruise from 1st to 8th September and had absolutely no issues at all. No plumbing problems,

food fabulous, cabin excellent. Our travelling buddies and ourselves thoroughly enjoyed the ship and made use of numerous facilities. I would not hesitate to sail with Zuiderdam again. It was our first time with HAL after a few cruises with Princess and actually found HAL to be a much better product. We do not go around looking for issues so perhaps that is why we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We are in the late 50's, early 60's age bracket. Go for it.

[jgpdx]

Many wonderful lines, ships at your doorstop. When see I consistent negative reviews whether ship, restaurant or hotel I take heed. 48 cruises, tried HAL once. Floating nursing home with food to match. Princess or Celebrity much better and usually cost less too. A lot of HAL reviewers never tried another line.

I think that we all have a right to travel, whether senoirs, families, couples, etc. As to the OP question regarding the Z, the panama canal reviews have been more positive on average, than the Alaska cruises. Whether this is due to climate, demographics (ie, more unsupervised kids stuffing up the pipes), or some unique event, I don't know but would be curious to hear from others. I also think staffing is more important than equipment newness in a cruise experience. I am booked on the Z for the April 8, 2013 cruise and can report then ( it will be the 5th cruise we have had)

[gigianne]

Between Maxout and I we will let everyone know about the Zuiderdam .

[maxout]

Between Maxout and I we will let everyone know about the Zuiderdam .

 

Indeed! :D

[Copper10-8]

Indeed! :D

 

Hey Max; have a great cruise!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We had a cruise booked on the Zuiderdam, but it has been cancelled -- for other reasons.

 

I would not hesitate to book the ship.

[Dibles]

I was on the Zuiderdam from 8 - 15 September. I had a superb cruise and would love to sail on her again.

 

They did maintenance of the balconies while we were docked in Ketchikan and I'm sure they will do maintenance outside of drydocking should any area require it.

[bobpell]

Paid in full for partial Panama Nov. 19,2012 on the Z just prior to before dry-dock.

We will post a review addressing many of the issues raised above.

This will be our fourth cruise on HA having floated around the Caribbean on the Maasdam and the Noordam for the last 3 years

Looking forward already

Bobpell

[spacepotatoes]

My DH and I were on Zuiderdam in July for the Inside Passage itinerary. We had a great time and my review (linked in my signature) was a positive one. We didn't experience any of the recurring issues though we did get the impression that they were still cropping up here and there. She is heading into dry dock soon, which will hopefully rectify those issues. Only time will tell but we'd sail her again.

[Viesczy]

Dh (67) and I (56) were thinking of a December sailing on the Zuiderdam. Prices look good, date is perfect, and we were excited. But, the bad reviews have scared me off. Is it really that bad? I know there has to be truth to the reviews, right? Some reviews called it a rust bucket! I've read that it is showing its age, maintenance is not keeping up, smells moldy, is more like a cheap motel than a premium cruise, toilets don't work, bad food, etc., etc. Is this a case of you get what you pay for?

 

I'm thinking to take the hint and run the other way! Maybe we should look at sailing with another HAL ship (Eurodam) or Princess?

 

Honestly, the completely negative reviews for almost every ship on here read like a hack comedy series on a 3rd rate cable channel. The balanced reviews listing the highs, mids and lows are the only ones to consider.

 

The complete OH MY GOD THIS WAS THE WORST CRUISE EVER thread/review is typically penned by someone who is emotionally unable to experience happiness and joy who seek to control everything. Their entire existence is made up of finding reasons to be miserable and speaking at great lengths about the misery. The closest thing that they feel to joy/happiness comes from speaking about the perceived misery as that attention allows them the control that they secretly desire.

 

This isn't a professional, just personal opinion/observation. My couple years of psychiatry courses don't make me a doc, they've just given me the ability to see people for who/what they are, how to avoid them, or how to use them against themselves to not bring me down if they're unavoidable.

 

As for the Z, reading the balanced reviews she is a fine ship! Can she be improved upon? Everything can be improved upon! She is a floating roach motel? Only to the folks whose existence is permeated by misery.

 

Derek

[maxout]

Hey Max; have a great cruise!

 

Thanks John :D We are soooooo ready to go.

[Typhoon1]

Any ship will have series of bad reviews. Some people at CC have nothing better to do than complain.

 

Take these comments with a grain of salt. You mentioned Eurodam. You won't have to look far to find someone complaining about that ship.

[startwin]

Any ship will have series of bad reviews. Some people at CC have nothing better to do than complain.

 

Take these comments with a grain of salt. You mentioned Eurodam. You won't have to look far to find someone complaining about that ship.

 

Don't brush all the negative reviews off like that. I am amongst several who posted honest, factual information from the ship when it was having major problems. Just because a review is negative does not mean that we have "nothing better to do than complain."

 

And, my reports were very much balanced, yet still drew vitriolic responses from some on here.

[kazu]

Don't brush all the negative reviews off like that. I am amongst several who posted honest, factual information from the ship when it was having major problems. Just because a review is negative does not mean that we have "nothing better to do than complain."

 

And, my reports were very much balanced, yet still drew vitriolic responses from some on here.

 

ah yes, but here's the difference you have said that you would sail on her again:D I didn't look at your reports as complaining - I honestly felt they were well balanced. You had issues and reported them. You also pointed out the high points. I don't think that reply was aimed at your reporting - but you're right - some seem ready to jump the guns - oh c'est la vie;)

[EagleRocker]

ah yes, but here's the difference you have said that you would sail on her again:D I didn't look at your reports as complaining - I honestly felt they were well balanced. You had issues and reported them. You also pointed out the high points. I don't think that reply was aimed at your reporting - but you're right - some seem ready to jump the guns - oh c'est la vie;)

 

Startwin, let me second what kazu said. While the misfortunes you reported on your Z'dam cruise concerned me (given my cruise next year on her), I felt you provided this information in a balanced and informative manner (i.e., without an axe to grind), and I never once doubted that what you said happened, in fact, happened. I'd rather be informed of problems than not, so that I can make my own informed decision, so I appreciated your posts.

[cruisin crazy in Michigan]

We were on the Zuiderdam last December - it was a great ship - and I would not hesitate to go on it again someday.

 

We had trouble with the treadmills not working - most of them did not work for all of the 11 day cruise. So, we walked around the ship for our workout.

 

I would book the Zuiderdam for our next cruise, but we fell in love with the Maasdam. We were on her last sail before drydock, so we're excited to see the changes made to Maasdam - maybe in November!

[HatRez]

Dh (67) and I (56) were thinking of a December sailing on the Zuiderdam. Prices look good, date is perfect, and we were excited. But, the bad reviews have scared me off. Is it really that bad? I know there has to be truth to the reviews, right? Some reviews called it a rust bucket! I've read that it is showing its age, maintenance is not keeping up, smells moldy, is more like a cheap motel than a premium cruise, toilets don't work, bad food, etc., etc. Is this a case of you get what you pay for?

 

I'm thinking to take the hint and run the other way! Maybe we should look at sailing with another HAL ship (Eurodam) or Princess?

 

We got of Zuidy today after a week in Alaska and enjoyed everything about our cruise. In fact three days after we got off the Zuiderdam last December after cruising the Panama, we booked this Alaskan cruise specifically on this ship.

 

The food was excellent! Our balcony suite was the perfect choice for an Alaskan cruise. The staff was incredible as always. They have done some upgrades even since December. We were the first cruise to use the new deck chairs and loungers, and they were loading on new gym equipment as we were disembarking today. They are drydocking in November so there should be a few more improvements afterward.

 

The only thing I didn't enjoy was all the dancing shows (four in seven nights) so we skipped it and listened to the solo guitarist in the Crows Nest or the HAL Cats. The female singer they had this time around was AWESOME! They have a couple fun new game shows that were hysterical.

 

To be honest with you, we have cruised with a few lines, including Carnival and Princess, and we will rebook with HAL and even on Zuidy again. In fact, we purchased a future cruise deposit while on board this week to use in February.

 

I would not be concerned if I were you about the condition of the ship. You can be on any ship in the world and experience problems with the AC or plumbing in a cabin. It's the staff, itinerary and food that make a cruise for us.

[sapper1]

Don't brush all the negative reviews off like that. I am amongst several who posted honest, factual information from the ship when it was having major problems. Just because a review is negative does not mean that we have "nothing better to do than complain."

 

And, my reports were very much balanced, yet still drew vitriolic responses from some on here.

 

And--- after a few drinks in the Ocean Bar we could always see the funny side of it all, couldn't we? :D ----although we may have been a tad unbalanced by the end of the evening. I blamed it on the ship moving too much. :p

[popcan]

I also just came off the Z sept 22 from Alaska.

We had a great cruise, and the ship was fine. Food was wonderful, staff was excellent, even the good weather followed the Z around the whole trip!

 

So now, the OP has lots of good reviews as well as bad. Which ones are the truth? Which do you want to believe? :)