Just back from the Zaandam- any ??'s

[SailorMom37]

We just got back from two weeks on the Zaandam to Hawaii. I plan on typing up a nice long review/report, but it may take a few days.

If anyone has specific questions, though, I'd be more than happy to answer any I can; i.e., dress code, meals, laundry, shows, ports, etc.

[solocanadian]

We just got back from two weeks on the Zaandam to Hawaii. I plan on typing up a nice long review/report, but it may take a few days.

If anyone has specific questions, though, I'd be more than happy to answer any I can; i.e., dress code, meals, laundry, shows, ports, etc.

Welcome Home. :D Sailed on Zaandam for 2 weeks last year. I have a question about the jewellry shop. Did you happen to look at the Swarovski collection & if so did they offer a lapel pin with the HAL logo like the one in LaffnVegas avatar? Also were bar tenders Gerry & Nestor still onboard? From recent photos looks like some cabin got new drapes & sheers. Did yours?:)

[maysdot]

We just got back from two weeks on the Zaandam to Hawaii. I plan on typing up a nice long review/report, but it may take a few days.

If anyone has specific questions, though, I'd be more than happy to answer any I can; i.e., dress code, meals, laundry, shows, ports, etc.

 

Thanks for asking if we have any questions before you have time to write your report. I am travelling with a group of 67 sailing Jan 26, so I do have a few questions for you. My main concern is tendering in Lahaina....we have a shore excursion for the group (not a HAL tour) that we have to be on shore by 8:30 am. I hope that 1 1/2 hours will be enough time as I have heard on these boards that they only allow one tender at a time into Lahaina, and of course HAL only allows their tour groups to leave first. How did you find the tendering process there?

 

Also, did you take an internet package? Was the service really slow...cost, etc.

 

Did they have Happy Hour and if so can you remember the hours? I know that they don't have 2 for 1 anymore....it is now pay for 1 and second is $1.

 

Another question.....do they charge for water and capacciuno in the MDR and is there a charge for the Canelleto?

 

Thanks for any tips you can give.....

Jane:):)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home

Looking forward to your review.

[KirkNC]

Welcome home, hope you had a good time!

[PathfinderEss]

Welcome home, looking forward to your review. How was the ocean motion coming and going?:D

[woodworker&knitter]

Looking forward to your review. We will be sailing on the Zaandam in March.

[bobmagg]

We just got back from two weeks on the Zaandam to Hawaii. I plan on typing up a nice long review/report, but it may take a few days.

If anyone has specific questions, though, I'd be more than happy to answer any I can; i.e., dress code, meals, laundry, shows, ports, etc.

 

Did you experience (or hear of) any plumbing problems? Some past cruises have reported water leaks etc.

 

Bob

[SailorMom37]

Yay! Happy to have some ?'s to answer :)

 

Bob - no serious plumbing issues. We met people from all decks, and no one complained. There was one morning on the way back that rusty colored water came out of the tub faucet for about 30 seconds, but it went away, no smell, and I believe it was from them working on pipes over night.

 

Melodie - Oh boy - lots of motion. I am very prone to sea-sickness, and without a "patch" (scolpolomine sp?) I would have been miserable. There was a family that disembarked in Maui with all of their luggage to take a flight back rather than stay on board.

The motion was really rough the first two days at sea, lot's of green people, and the two days after Hawaii. But - really - it was rough the WHOLE trip, with the exception of the last sea day in to Ensenada which was smooth as glass. The day before that wasn't bad at all, but still rockin' a bit.

Most people seemed to get sea legs, or take the meclezine from downstairs and were ok. I recommend really looking into what works for you before you take this trip if you have any motion sickness issues.

 

Gail - I didn't see any HAL merchandise in ANY of the jewelry shops. I think we looked a few times at everything, but I didn't look for any jewelry in the regular merchandise shops - so there may be some HAL logo Swarovski mixed in there??

Pretty sure my curtains were new, as was the carpet all over the ship. One day on the way back there were guys installing carpeting on some short stairs, but it was very non-obtrusive.

Not sure about the bar tenders, but I do believe Nestor was there.

 

Jane - Caneletto was $10 for both lunch an dinner. We never ate there but our trivia partners did and all four of the raved about it, and even went back.

I know the happy hour in the Crow's Nest was from 4pm to 5pm, and then I think from 11pm to 12am. It was buy one drink and get a second of the same for $1.

Fancy water was more in the MDR, but we said no on the first night and were never offered it again. I ordered coffee, but not cappuccino - however, it was listed with desert and no charge was listed with it.

We did not buy an internet package, but were told by a few people that it was VERY slow when they were using it on sea days.

Lahaina - We thought it would be a problem as well, but had no problem at all getting ashore by 7:45. We had a later whale watching tour, but were able to switch to the early one. We actually went with a private company - and I HIGHLY recommend them. It cost us $68 (for both of us), two hour tour, excellent guides, great boat, plenty of space. It was the Pacific Whale Foundation - a not-for-profit that does a lot of humpback research. I believe the boat loaded at 8:45, check in was bout 30 minutes before, but like I said - we were off the oat very quickly. We were some of the first people in the theater to get tender tickets that morning though....

[fusion927]

Lahaina - We thought it would be a problem as well, but had no problem at all getting ashore by 7:45. We had a later whale watching tour, but were able to switch to the early one. We actually went with a private company - and I HIGHLY recommend them. It cost us $68 (for both of us), two hour tour, excellent guides, great boat, plenty of space. It was the Pacific Whale Foundation - a not-for-profit that does a lot of humpback research. I believe the boat loaded at 8:45, check in was bout 30 minutes before, but like I said - we were off the oat very quickly. We were some of the first people in the theater to get tender tickets that morning though....

 

We went ashore about 8:30. No waiting to pick up the ticket and got right on the boat.

[solocanadian]

Thanks for your answers SailorMom. Looking forward to your review.:)

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks Sailormom, we have done this trip twice before but always in the Fall. Never felt the seas were that bad, some motion. It will be interesting to see if its rougher in the Spring.

Looking forward to your full review.

[SailorMom37]

Melodie - I think we hit the worst time of the year for rough seas. We got waves from winter storms way up north near Alaska. I would think (depending on when in the Spring) spring would be better :) And really - the last two sea days were fine - probably because the storms had passed :)

[maysdot]

Many thanks for answering our questions SailorMom37. The reason that our group has to be in Lahaina so early is because we are booked on the 9:00 am Pacific Whale Foundation's tour. We were booked for the 11:30, but have just been advised that another cruise line blocked off 100 seats so we were bumped. So glad to hear that we should be able to make it in time. Hopefully, we will have calmer seas than you had!! Again, many thanks for your input and I look forward to reading your review.

Jane

[nana51]

I'm going on the 23rd of March. I'm hoping some of the plumbing problems that people have complained about will be fixed by then.

 

Did you do the Mexican cruise part also? If so how were the seas on the way there?

[RoseM]

We just got back from two weeks on the Zaandam to Hawaii. I plan on typing up a nice long review/report, but it may take a few days.

If anyone has specific questions, though, I'd be more than happy to answer any I can; i.e., dress code, meals, laundry, shows, ports, etc.

 

I will be on the Zaandam April 6th to Mexico.......This will be the 3rd

time aboard her...other cruises were to Sea of Cortez.

Have qusetions about the Piinnacle Grill...did they have the evening at

the Le Cirque. Any comments from other people who went?

How where the shows?.....meals in DR and Lido?

My last trip on the Zaandam was 2007...I hope it will be as good.

 

This cruise is for 8 days...4 at sea, just what I wanted..I don't go

ashore anymore, just like being at sea.

 

Thanks for anything you can tell me. Rosemary

[Typhoon1]

Looking forward to your review.

[SailorMom37]

I will be on the Zaandam April 6th to Mexico.......This will be the 3rd

time aboard her...other cruises were to Sea of Cortez.

Have qusetions about the Piinnacle Grill...did they have the evening at

the Le Cirque. Any comments from other people who went?

How where the shows?.....meals in DR and Lido?

My last trip on the Zaandam was 2007...I hope it will be as good.

 

This cruise is for 8 days...4 at sea, just what I wanted..I don't go

ashore anymore, just like being at sea.

 

Thanks for anything you can tell me. Rosemary

 

They did have the "Le Cirque" evening, but I didn't talk to anyone who had gone. The people I talked to all went there on a regular night, and said the steak was great :)

Shows were so/so. The Zandaam singers and dancers weren't my cup of tea, but many of the individual performers were quite good. Don't miss Chipper Lowell if he's there :)

Meals in the MDR - the food was good, always hot/cold when it was supposed to be :) Lido - same food, so just as good. The selection in the Lido sometimes seemed a bit small, but I never had a problem finding something yummy!