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Zuiderdam ships's condition

EDLOS

By EDLOS,
in Holland America Line

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EDLOS

EDLOS

Posted
Posted

Just back from Panama Canal cruise.

Good News: Looked everywhere for stained/worn carpet in public areas and my oceanview cabin and could find none and overall ships condition considering her age was immaculate. Bulkheads and outside walls on promanade, Lido decks if not freshly painted, were also topnotch.

No problems with A/C or toilet flushing in my cabin nor did I hear of any from fellow travelers.

Dining: First night "any time dining" was a disaster in service, switched to "fixed dining" and had no further problems. Having sailed on Princess last Jan, Oceania in July, Norwegian in Nov, I can state the food was outstanding, far above those and surprisingly above Oceania which brags about their cuisine which fell way short of my expectations.

" Anytime Dining" is a problem as they were almost begging people to not show up between 6:30 and 7:30 via the PA system.

Entertainment was also very good and a Steel Drum ensemble that played classical and pop music to standing ovations and agreed to a special matinee perfomance to a standing room audience. WOW !

Bad News:

Zuidedam still has sewerage oder problems in the public elevator area midship. Seems like it could/should be solvable cosidering complaints that have been going on for months.

Nonetheless, I would sail again on the Zuiderdam without hesitation:)

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LAFFNVEGAS "Live from...." Rare

LAFFNVEGAS

Posted
Posted

Thanks for reporting in :) Glad to hear things are improving. I know that last year I felt the food was very good on the Zuiderdam so glad that it is staying consistent. Just 90 days till be get on board, not that I am counting :D But did just buy plane tickets for our cruise on the Zuiderdam to San Diego on SW with the lowest price I have seen there in over 2 years.

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Northshorecruisers

Northshorecruisers

Posted
Posted

When we sailed on Zuiderdam last July we had no problems at all with A/C or toilets. Food was great. Crews cleaning constantly.

 

Lisa - glad to hear the flights on SW are staying low. Hope they stay that way for awhile. Need to book to get to my youngest's graduation at Ft Leonard Wood, MO the end of June.

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Himself

Himself

Posted
Posted
Just back from Panama Canal cruise.

Good News: Looked everywhere for stained/worn carpet in public areas and my oceanview cabin and could find none and overall ships condition considering her age was immaculate. Bulkheads and outside walls on promanade, Lido decks if not freshly painted, were also topnotch.

No problems with A/C or toilet flushing in my cabin nor did I hear of any from fellow travelers.

Dining: First night "any time dining" was a disaster in service, switched to "fixed dining" and had no further problems. Having sailed on Princess last Jan, Oceania in July, Norwegian in Nov, I can state the food was outstanding, far above those and surprisingly above Oceania which brags about their cuisine which fell way short of my expectations.

" Anytime Dining" is a problem as they were almost begging people to not show up between 6:30 and 7:30 via the PA system.

Entertainment was also very good and a Steel Drum ensemble that played classical and pop music to standing ovations and agreed to a special matinee perfomance to a standing room audience. WOW !

Bad News:

Zuidedam still has sewerage oder problems in the public elevator area midship. Seems like it could/should be solvable cosidering complaints that have been going on for months.

Nonetheless, I would sail again on the Zuiderdam without hesitation:)

 

Thanks for the nice report. By the way the Zuiderdam went on line ten years ago so theZuiderdam is not that old!

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EagleRocker

EagleRocker

Posted
Posted

Thanks to OP and others for these positive reports. The May 11, 2013 Alaska sailing will be my first time on the Zuiderdam, and I had been somewhat concerned based on the many reports of toilet hell and so on (albeit not so concerned that I would have cancelled). I will take your positive reports as a sign that those types of problems have been resolved (fingers crossed) and that the upcoming trip for my 25th anniversary, my parents' 80th birthdays, and first cruise for various sisters and friends from England will be as fabulous as we all are anticipating it will be.:)

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pepsigirl64

pepsigirl64

Posted
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Thanks for reporting in Glad to hear things are improving. I know that last year I felt the food was very good on the Zuiderdam so glad that it is staying consistent. Just 90 days till be get on board, not that I am counting But did just buy plane tickets for our cruise on the Zuiderdam to San Diego on SW with the lowest price I have seen there in over 2 years.

 

:eek: Now stop counting the days until your cruise, because the day you Embark onto the big Z, I will be disembarking....and that makes me sad :(.

 

Can we agree to be excited about our upcoming cruises ?? :confused:

 

:D LOL.....:D

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Skoogs

Skoogs

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Posted

Thanks for the review! Glad to hear things have improved. I'm really looking forward to our 3rd trip on the "Z" to the Panama Canal, in as many years. It's an older ship, but not too old! I saw some photos on CC from russianmark and i could tell that they added more outdoor chairs and added new lounge chairs by the pool, that was always lacking, great improvement! I never noticed any sewer smells on the ship, and we never had any plumbing problems either.

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WNcruiser "Live from...." Rare

WNcruiser

Posted
Posted

Great to hear! Thanks for the review. Have been contemplating this cruise for a while but always hesitated with the negative reviews of the Z.

 

Sewage smells happen on many ships so as long as the A/C and plumbing are good I am happy:).

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jaguarstyper

jaguarstyper

Posted
Posted
Zuidedam still has sewerage oder problems in the public elevator area midship. Seems like it could/should be solvable cosidering complaints that have been going on for months.
Months!? I remembers smelling sewage in that area on Zuiderdam back in 2004 when she was only a couple years old. I seriously doubt they will ever resolve it and they've probably stopped trying by now.

 

I'm glad to hear the rest of the ship is in good nick, though. I always like the Zuiderdam.

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