Zaandam-Ship Review June 23-July 7

[ellbelle]

A few days ago I read another post from someone who had a long review of their cruise and wanted to know if he/she should post it here as well. Most said they wanted to read it since they do not often go the review section of CC. If you are interested here is ours....

[ellbelle]

This was our 4th time on this class of ship and each time I fall in love all over again. The ship is small enough that you can navigate well, elevators go to most floors (forward ones go higher) and basically three floors is where everything is located. My review will be formatted a bit different but I wanted to touch on some things that do not seem to be addressed in other reviews.

Collector's Voyage: There are perks to this such as invites to lunches and cocktail parties and even a Pinnacle dinner. Two seven day segments were combined to make this a collector’s cruise so we were able to enjoy these extra perks. The first day we were given a list of the entertainment and movies so we could plan accordingly.

My opinion of ships condition: VERY GOOD! The ship’s hull was being repainted on our voyage although it did not appear it needed it. The lower promenade was constantly being worked on with grinding, repainting and such. They will occasionally block the area so you cannot walk by, but that would be for just a short period. Please note if your cabin is on the lower promenade you may be subject to some noise during the day due to ongoing maintenance. The carpeting on the stairs and around the elevators appeared to be new.

Our Cabin: We opted for a main deck quad cabin aft. Even with four of us (two teens) there was plenty of space to unpack all our stuff and there is more than one closet (we each had one). HAL hangers take up a lot of room in the closet, so you may want to bring some plastic or wire hangers from home. Not a ton of drawer space but the closets are dual purpose with shelves for folded clothes and can be lowered to create more hanging space. There is only one electrical outlet in the room so you may want to bring an extender, with one we were able to charge two things at a time. I found collapsible boxes at Walgreens and they were great for storing phones, cords, cameras and such. We were even able to put one in the window sill since it is deep. The beds have deep storage underneath and we were able to store three large suitcases and a large duffle bag.

Cabin Steward: You will get in a “groove” with your stewards so they know the best time to clean the room in the morning and for turn down service at night. The kids slept later, so our room was not cleaned until 12-1, when we left the room we would always put the “Service Please” card in the door when we left the room. We kept the room very tidy with nothing laying around that had to be cleaned around or picked up, these folks work hard enough and the least we can do is pick up after ourselves (which we do at home anyway).

Cabin layout: If you are in a quad with four, have the main bed separated for the duration of your cruise. The fourth bed lowers from the ceiling and will be directly above one of the lower beds. If you keep the beds together, it will be difficult for the person on that side to get out of bed easily without bumping your head. Also having the beds separated, you can easily get to the window to view wildlife outside.

TV: Lots of stations, scroll with the remote and you can find the station guide. The day after the movie in shown in the theater it will play on the TV. There is also a DVD player in the room. Select from the booklet and go to the front desk to check out(have some alternatives, just in case).

Bathroom: Okay the ship is older and they do their best to keep it in top condition but the tile is pink (as someone else pointed out) and may be a bit outdated. If having a totally updated cabin/bathroom you will need to do your research and most likely sail a newer vessel. They do their best to keep the caulk looking good, but with so much moisture in the bathroom it may not be perfect. There is one corner medicine cabinet that two could easily share and there is a shelf below the sink. We also used more collapsible drawers to contain the toiletries. There is a body wash, shampoo and conditioner dispenser in the shower. The hair dryer in the bathroom is useless, so don't even try! I think these must have been standard in the design at the time. You will find a dryer in the top drawer of the desk. It is a 1600 watt dryer with a 220 plug. This was convenient since there is one 220 outlet and do not have to unplug the charging phone to use the dryer! We did note a sewer smell on occasion in the bathroom, I just plugged the drain in the bathtub and sink and that took care of it.

Laundry: Great value for 4 at $49.00 for each leg of the voyage. Laundry by the bag is $20.00 and would have been fine for just two of us. There are coin operated laundries on the ship at $2.00 per load but the time I peeked in, it was a party! I've noticed the same on other HAL and Princess ships, there are always a lot of people wanting to use the machines. We choose not to try and compete for the machines and just pay. Bring a stain pre-treater if you are going to be in a wet climate or have kids! The mud stains DD's boyfriends sweatshirt did not come out in the laundry. The whites were not great (dingy) and we rewashed all the whites when we got home.

Dining: We had open dining the first segment and fixed the second. Something happened on HAL's side as we should have had fixed the entire time, but we made it work. We were able to make reservations for each night at the same table (not the first night… crazy!!!) all in all it worked out. They switched us to fixed seating for the second leg which we did not know about ahead of time but received a card in our mail slot. We found the dining room food to be very good, no complaints from any of us. If someone does not like something just order another dish. You will never go hungry on a cruise ship.

Lido-With the exception of the first 48 hours you are able to self- serve certain sections of the Lido. All the main dishes are served to you just tell the staff what you would like and they will hand a plate to you.

Terrace Grill- You can get burgers, hotdogs and fries at the window. Full Mexican spread is in hot trays as well as pizza.

Pinnacle Grill- We ate there once which was very enjoyable and a nice change from the dining room, both in food quality and service. The portions are large, so bring your appetite!

Canaletto: We also ate here once, food was okay. We had reservations and they did not have a table for us. A group of the HAL dancers/singers were dining in there at the time and they all got up at once and left and voila, there was our table. They must have a problem with no-shows here and allowed the HAL staff to dine earlier and would be allowed to stay longer for dessert (they were done with dinner) if the next group did not show up. I felt bad for them they were asked to leave.

Explorations Café- A pay for coffee bar but you can also get soft drinks there. I did notice that they will deliver to your room between certain hours. Snacks displayed in case free of charge.

Room Service: We only used room service twice for Bar Service; we did bring dollar bills to tip.

Library: Plenty of hardback books to check out but also has a lending library for paperbacks. You do not have to check out the paperbacks with the librarian.

Entertainment: We normally do not go the production shows since they seem to be "cheesy" but we did enjoy the HAL singers and dancers production of Rockin Roadhouse and Northern Lights. Quite a bit of thought and creativity has been put into the sets and costumes and made for a better show. We lucked out with Joel Mason's tribute to Elton John on the second leg, we've seen him twice before and enjoyed his show very much. I wish he had been able to perform his Eagles tribute, maybe next time...The comedian and magician were good as well.

Stores: Small stores but has a little bit of everything and the normal “sidewalk sales”.

Shore Excursions: We pre-booked online prior to embarking. Scroll through HAL’s shore excursions (through your booking #) to see what is available for your sailing. I personally would not want to wait to hear what the shore excursion department offers, it’s the same as what’s online. Book air excursions early!

Smoking: We are not smokers and there were very few smokers on each sailing. After walking through the Casino I stopped at the Casino Bar (where a no smoking sign is displayed) and asked if the Casino was non- smoking. The bartender told me there is a small section in the Casino for smoking but I never saw an ashtray or anyone smoking for that matter. I know one side of the aft pool area is smoking and signs are displayed.

Nickel & Diming: I never felt pushed or even asked more than once (water) to buy anything. I knew about the water being sold in the dining room (pretty container) but the dining room water is good. Hot chocolate in the Lido is free of charge but not when you get it in the pretty cup on the Lower Promenade deck in Glacier Bay. We bought the water in the room and then refilled the bottles from the bathroom sink. THE WATER IS GOOD!

Embarkation/Debarkation: We arrived at Canada Place at 11:00am walked right to check in (no wait) and were seated for a short-time but we were on the ship by 12:30pm. No complaints here. When we left the ship, our color was called right on time and we were off the ship, luggage in hand and waiting for our HAL sponsored transfer within 30 minutes. There were two ships in that morning (as well when we left) but all of it is organized chaos. There is plenty of staff for direction if you get confused.

Once again we are happy cruisers and cannot wait until our next HAL voyage!

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks so much for this great review. We were on the Zaandam about a month before so it is welcome to read your thoughts.

 

Our bathroom was spotless, with new caulking. This was the best-kept bathroom on a HAL ships for a long time. I guess they are updating them on a cabin by cabin basis.

For our Collector's we had an Indonesian Lunch in the DR, so I think your Collector's had fewer pax and thus the Pinnacle Dinner. The Zaandam goes all out for the Collector's pax.

 

Glad to hear you can't wait for your next HAL cruise. We are in that state, too, within a week of returning home!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

It has been awhile -- but loved doing those cruises that left Vancouver to Seward and then back to Vancouver -- they were wonderful.

Glad you had a great Alaskan cruise.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your review.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the review of your Zaandam cruise. We were on her a few months ago and really enjoyed her too. Glad you had a good time.:)

[Webecruzen]

Thank you for the review. We were with you on June 23rd through June 30th then we did the 7 day land package. We are Diamond on Carnival and were not sure what to expect with HAL. We loved the smaller ship, the staff was great, the food was great, and we had an experience of a life time. We were a group of 4 on the main deck. DM and DS in one cabin and DH and me in the other next door. We will not hesitate to sail with HAL again.

 

Pat

[kazu]

What a nice detailed review - thank you so much:)

 

and yes we do enjoy having them posted here:)

 

Great review - well done - thank you.

 

And welcome home:D

 

I won't ask where you you are dining tomorrow - LOL:)

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[madera1]

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a good collector's cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing, DW and I will be on a collector's cruise this Fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dwe wi

[erewhon]

Thank you for taking time to write this review of your Alaskan cruise on the Zaandam.

[Loreto]

Good to hear positive things about the Zaandam! We have sailed on her twice, and will be on board again for our December South America/Antarctica cruise.

 

Karen

[Himself]

Thanks for a good review!

[WeRockChalkKU]

Thank you - we sail on her on Sunday!

 

What did you do when you were in Haines?

[SilvertoGold]

Good to hear positive things about the Zaandam! We have sailed on her twice, and will be on board again for our December South America/Antarctica cruise.

 

Karen

 

You could not pick a better ship or itinerary! Fabulous cruise on a great ship. Hope you have the best time!!

[rsmdude]

Thanks so much for this great review. We were on the Zaandam about a month before so it is welcome to read your thoughts.

 

Our bathroom was spotless, with new caulking. This was the best-kept bathroom on a HAL ships for a long time. I guess they are updating them on a cabin by cabin basis.

For our Collector's we had an Indonesian Lunch in the DR, so I think your Collector's had fewer pax and thus the Pinnacle Dinner. The Zaandam goes all out for the Collector's pax.

 

Glad to hear you can't wait for your next HAL cruise. We are in that state, too, within a week of returning home!

 

 

I was on the Zaandam with a friend who was a first-time cruiser back in December for the Mexican Riviera cruise. That was my first time on HAL and we had a wonderful time. It was then the smallest cruise ship I had ever sailed on but it felt roomy and most areas were never crowded. The amenities aren't up there with Royal Caribbean's big ships but I found the service to be friendly and was very happy with the entertainment. The cruise director (Michael) at the time was excellent and sounds like you saw the same musical show (Elton John tribute) that we had which was a rip-roaring good time :)

 

I just got back from a week on the Maasdam sailing from Boston to Montreal and had an equally wonderful experience. The Maasdam is even smaller than the Zaandam but again was roomy and actually has been updated a bit more than the Zaandam in the central bar (Mix) area and the Crow's Nest. The pace and attentiveness of MDR servers on the Maasdam was a big disappointment which I heard from many others onboard but the food taste and selection was excellent and the desserts were actually amazingly good...much better than on the Zaandam or any other ships I have recently sailed.

 

I certainly plan to return to HAL in the future if they continue to have interesting itineraries and competitive pricing and ships but I still do really enjoy the Royal Caribbean experience as well and hope to try Princess and NCL at some point too.

[ellbelle]

Thank you - we sail on her on Sunday!

 

What did you do when you were in Haines?

 

We originally had plans with Fly with Drake. The sky had been dark and it had been windy the day before so I thought that our flight may not work of the next day. I asked the shore excursion office if they still has room for the four of us on the glacier fjord bike excursion ( which they had cancelled) but said they would open it if all four of us would go. After talking with Drake the morning of the flight it would not be the best experience with the wind and limited visibility, so we (mutually agreed) cancelled the flight. Long story, sorry, shout out to Drake! Back to shore excursions the morning of and we were on the bike ride. We did the same ride last year and it was great once again. Not many options for Haines but walking around just to get off the ship would be enjoyable. Check out the fish and chips "restaurant" that HAL mentions in its food places for Haines. Really a food truck, but very good!

[Kelmont]

This was our 4th time on this class of ship and each time I fall in love all over again. The ship is small enough that you can navigate well, elevators go to most floors (forward ones go higher) and basically three floors is where everything is located. My review will be formatted a bit different but I wanted to touch on some things that do not seem to be addressed in other reviews.

Collector's Voyage: There are perks to this such as invites to lunches and cocktail parties and even a Pinnacle dinner. Two seven day segments were combined to make this a collector’s cruise so we were able to enjoy these extra perks. The first day we were given a list of the entertainment and movies so we could plan accordingly.

My opinion of ships condition: VERY GOOD! The ship’s hull was being repainted on our voyage although it did not appear it needed it. The lower promenade was constantly being worked on with grinding, repainting and such. They will occasionally block the area so you cannot walk by, but that would be for just a short period. Please note if your cabin is on the lower promenade you may be subject to some noise during the day due to ongoing maintenance. The carpeting on the stairs and around the elevators appeared to be new.

Our Cabin: We opted for a main deck quad cabin aft. Even with four of us (two teens) there was plenty of space to unpack all our stuff and there is more than one closet (we each had one). HAL hangers take up a lot of room in the closet, so you may want to bring some plastic or wire hangers from home. Not a ton of drawer space but the closets are dual purpose with shelves for folded clothes and can be lowered to create more hanging space. There is only one electrical outlet in the room so you may want to bring an extender, with one we were able to charge two things at a time. I found collapsible boxes at Walgreens and they were great for storing phones, cords, cameras and such. We were even able to put one in the window sill since it is deep. The beds have deep storage underneath and we were able to store three large suitcases and a large duffle bag.

Cabin Steward: You will get in a “groove” with your stewards so they know the best time to clean the room in the morning and for turn down service at night. The kids slept later, so our room was not cleaned until 12-1, when we left the room we would always put the “Service Please” card in the door when we left the room. We kept the room very tidy with nothing laying around that had to be cleaned around or picked up, these folks work hard enough and the least we can do is pick up after ourselves (which we do at home anyway).

Cabin layout: If you are in a quad with four, have the main bed separated for the duration of your cruise. The fourth bed lowers from the ceiling and will be directly above one of the lower beds. If you keep the beds together, it will be difficult for the person on that side to get out of bed easily without bumping your head. Also having the beds separated, you can easily get to the window to view wildlife outside.

TV: Lots of stations, scroll with the remote and you can find the station guide. The day after the movie in shown in the theater it will play on the TV. There is also a DVD player in the room. Select from the booklet and go to the front desk to check out(have some alternatives, just in case).

Bathroom: Okay the ship is older and they do their best to keep it in top condition but the tile is pink (as someone else pointed out) and may be a bit outdated. If having a totally updated cabin/bathroom you will need to do your research and most likely sail a newer vessel. They do their best to keep the caulk looking good, but with so much moisture in the bathroom it may not be perfect. There is one corner medicine cabinet that two could easily share and there is a shelf below the sink. We also used more collapsible drawers to contain the toiletries. There is a body wash, shampoo and conditioner dispenser in the shower. The hair dryer in the bathroom is useless, so don't even try! I think these must have been standard in the design at the time. You will find a dryer in the top drawer of the desk. It is a 1600 watt dryer with a 220 plug. This was convenient since there is one 220 outlet and do not have to unplug the charging phone to use the dryer! We did note a sewer smell on occasion in the bathroom, I just plugged the drain in the bathtub and sink and that took care of it.

Laundry: Great value for 4 at $49.00 for each leg of the voyage. Laundry by the bag is $20.00 and would have been fine for just two of us. There are coin operated laundries on the ship at $2.00 per load but the time I peeked in, it was a party! I've noticed the same on other HAL and Princess ships, there are always a lot of people wanting to use the machines. We choose not to try and compete for the machines and just pay. Bring a stain pre-treater if you are going to be in a wet climate or have kids! The mud stains DD's boyfriends sweatshirt did not come out in the laundry. The whites were not great (dingy) and we rewashed all the whites when we got home.

Dining: We had open dining the first segment and fixed the second. Something happened on HAL's side as we should have had fixed the entire time, but we made it work. We were able to make reservations for each night at the same table (not the first night… crazy!!!) all in all it worked out. They switched us to fixed seating for the second leg which we did not know about ahead of time but received a card in our mail slot. We found the dining room food to be very good, no complaints from any of us. If someone does not like something just order another dish. You will never go hungry on a cruise ship.

Lido-With the exception of the first 48 hours you are able to self- serve certain sections of the Lido. All the main dishes are served to you just tell the staff what you would like and they will hand a plate to you.

Terrace Grill- You can get burgers, hotdogs and fries at the window. Full Mexican spread is in hot trays as well as pizza.

Pinnacle Grill- We ate there once which was very enjoyable and a nice change from the dining room, both in food quality and service. The portions are large, so bring your appetite!

Canaletto: We also ate here once, food was okay. We had reservations and they did not have a table for us. A group of the HAL dancers/singers were dining in there at the time and they all got up at once and left and voila, there was our table. They must have a problem with no-shows here and allowed the HAL staff to dine earlier and would be allowed to stay longer for dessert (they were done with dinner) if the next group did not show up. I felt bad for them they were asked to leave.

Explorations Café- A pay for coffee bar but you can also get soft drinks there. I did notice that they will deliver to your room between certain hours. Snacks displayed in case free of charge.

Room Service: We only used room service twice for Bar Service; we did bring dollar bills to tip.

Library: Plenty of hardback books to check out but also has a lending library for paperbacks. You do not have to check out the paperbacks with the librarian.

Entertainment: We normally do not go the production shows since they seem to be "cheesy" but we did enjoy the HAL singers and dancers production of Rockin Roadhouse and Northern Lights. Quite a bit of thought and creativity has been put into the sets and costumes and made for a better show. We lucked out with Joel Mason's tribute to Elton John on the second leg, we've seen him twice before and enjoyed his show very much. I wish he had been able to perform his Eagles tribute, maybe next time...The comedian and magician were good as well.

Stores: Small stores but has a little bit of everything and the normal “sidewalk sales”.

Shore Excursions: We pre-booked online prior to embarking. Scroll through HAL’s shore excursions (through your booking #) to see what is available for your sailing. I personally would not want to wait to hear what the shore excursion department offers, it’s the same as what’s online. Book air excursions early!

Smoking: We are not smokers and there were very few smokers on each sailing. After walking through the Casino I stopped at the Casino Bar (where a no smoking sign is displayed) and asked if the Casino was non- smoking. The bartender told me there is a small section in the Casino for smoking but I never saw an ashtray or anyone smoking for that matter. I know one side of the aft pool area is smoking and signs are displayed.

Nickel & Diming: I never felt pushed or even asked more than once (water) to buy anything. I knew about the water being sold in the dining room (pretty container) but the dining room water is good. Hot chocolate in the Lido is free of charge but not when you get it in the pretty cup on the Lower Promenade deck in Glacier Bay. We bought the water in the room and then refilled the bottles from the bathroom sink. THE WATER IS GOOD!

Embarkation/Debarkation: We arrived at Canada Place at 11:00am walked right to check in (no wait) and were seated for a short-time but we were on the ship by 12:30pm. No complaints here. When we left the ship, our color was called right on time and we were off the ship, luggage in hand and waiting for our HAL sponsored transfer within 30 minutes. There were two ships in that morning (as well when we left) but all of it is organized chaos. There is plenty of staff for direction if you get confused.

Once again we are happy cruisers and cannot wait until our next HAL voyage!

We were on the same back to back cruise as you and agree with you entirely. Had a wonderful time. Thank you for such a thorough and well done review.

[MrsMuir]

Thank you for bringing back memories of our Alaska and Circle Hawaii cruises on the lovely Zaandam.

 

Mrs M

[nutapisica]

very nice review!

I will sail on Oct 18 on this ship from Ft. Lauderdale to Valparaiso.

How is the exercise program? What about the saunas, are there any, and do you have to pay extra to use them?