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Review of Zuiderdam 8/31 Alaska Sailing

Charlie'sPet

By Charlie'sPet,
in Holland America Line

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Charlie'sPet

Charlie'sPet

Posted
Posted

Hello everyone! I just wanted to do a quick review of my recent cruise. This is my first cruise ever so it is going to be mostly positive. Just to note that I went with my mom who is in her mid-sixties and I'm 37.

 

The Ship:

Beautiful! It has some of that dazzling Vegas feel to it with the vibrant colors and brass and elegance but also a little classic looks. The floral arrangements were definitely a nice touch. I thought the ship was easy to navigate and although we were told the ship was full it never felt crowded. There were times when I would be walking from place to place and saw very few people. Where was everyone? Okay, I take that back. I did feel some congestion at the Lido Buffet but I only went twice so that wasn't a particularly big deal. :) I found the ship to be clean and the only sign of wear was the bathroom mirror which really was no big deal.

 

Stateroom:

Wow, what a small room! But very efficient. There was plenty of storage and a place for everything. The balcony was nice to bring in that extra light and have that bit of extra room. I rarely sat out there as it was just too cold for me and only stepped out to take pictures. The best part though was in Glacier Bay and I was able to stand out there and see Marjorie Glacier without fighting the rail-hogs on the open decks. The added expense for the balcony was definitely worth it.

 

Food:

Lido Buffet - Nope. Not for me. Let me start off by saying that I am visually impaired. I have no sight in one eye and then restricted peripheral and depth perception in the other eye. This place was sort of a nightmare for me. With the low-ceiling, lines of people and searching for an open table it just brought on too much anxiety. Unfortunately my mother liked the buffet and would often coax me into going. We did go for lunch on embarkation day and we did a breakfast on another day but overall I avoided it. I found the food to be very average.

MDR - Very nice! I just loved the atmosphere so much better here and even though the menu is not as extensive as the buffet I just didn't care. I liked taking my time and being served and of course I enjoyed very much meeting new people at our table. We did anytime seating and we were always sat right away. I have to note that it was so nice to be served small portions. I was able to have four courses without feeling stuffed afterwards. It was the right amount of food. :)

There was definitely some hits and misses with the quality of the meals but I ate everything that was placed in front of me with only a couple of exceptions.

Pinnacle Grill - We ate here twice. The service was great and the ambiance classy but I was a little disappointed in the food. It wasn't bad by any means but perhaps I expected more? I am glad we had the chance to eat here but in the future I would probably not pay the added cost.

 

Shows:

I will confess that I knew that the shows or at least the music would cater more to my mom's generation and that was certainly true. I don't think there was a song played from the last 2 decades. But overall the singers/dancers put on a great show. I was also able to see a stand-up comedian and a juggler/comedian who were both entertaining. I did miss the magician as I was ill that night :( but my mom liked him very much especially since he had little dogs with him and she loves dogs. :)

We also saw the Indonesian Crew show. So much fun! I love how they don't take themselves too seriously.

 

Service: Outstanding! Our stewards were wonderful. On the night I was not feeling well one of our stewards came to to do turn-down service. He seemed genuinely concerned and offered to get me anything I needed. Very sweet. From the moment we checked-in at the terminal to waving goodbye to the staff on the gangway it was just awesome.

 

Ports:

Tracy Arm Fjord - We signed up for the added excursion. Worth every penny. Amazing beauty and glaciers.

Juneau - Not my favorite port. We decided to stay in town and shop which was a bad decision. The jewelry stores were crazy! It was crowded and the same touristy stuff in every store. I regretted not booking another excursion here to get us out of the city. :(

Skagway - We booked through an independent tour that shuttled us from Skagway to Carcross making several stops along the way and then taking the train down. Loved it! Our tour driver was amazing and the train down was equally beautiful.

Ketchikan - This little town surprised me. We didn't plan to do much other than walk around town but we did an impromptu city tour which was nice. But it really was the absolute beauty and the uniqueness of Ketchikan that I loved. It had the same touristy shops but seeing those rows of houses and buildings along the sides of the mountains was very picturesque.

 

Final Thoughts:

I can't wait to go again! I definitely loved sailing with HA. The ship was perfect size and easy for me to get around. Even though most of the passengers were a bit older than me, I didn't mind as I'd prefer the low-key atmosphere than the huge party boat. I did not get to see much wildlife on this cruise so I'm seriously thinking about doing the Westerdam out of Seattle next year and do the excursions that focus more on the wildlife.

 

Overall...amazing time and definitely a fan of cruising. :)

 

Thank you to everyone that gave me suggestions/advice so I could prepare!

 

Veronica (Charlie'sPet)

 

***Okay, I do have one question...we were given an invitation to join the captain for brunch on our last sea day. But when we got there, everyone else at our table had cruised HA numerous times and explained to us that the brunch was for past-cruisers only. I don't know if they thought we "crashed" their brunch but we were honestly given an invitation. We took a picture with the captain and received the tile which was very nice but we don't drink so the free champagne was not a big deal for us. Anyway, I was just wondering if this was a normal thing or were we invited by mistake?

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canadianbear

canadianbear

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Posted

Thanks so much for the review. My husband and I are getting on the Zuiderdam this Saturday for Alaska!

 

I agree-I'm not a fan of the Lido but my husband is. Of course he is 6'4" so no one pushes at him but I am just not comfortable there and then trying to find a table after getting food. Love the MDR and have always had great meals there.

 

I think the crew is fantastic and don't know how they remember our names all the time-so impressive.

 

Am getting excited that it's almost our turn now to explore the Zuiderdam and Alaska. Thanks again for your thoughts on your cruise. Glad you will sail again on a HAL ship.

 

Not sure why you got the invitation but it wasn't your error and I am hoping those at your table did not make you feel uncomfortable about it.

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themerle

themerle

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Loved your review! Thanks for sharing. We have sailed to Alaska 4 times and loved each cruise and land tour. We have sailed on the Zuiderdam and thought that the crew and the service were great. Definitely go back and take the tours that focus on the wildlife. We have seen lots of wildlife in Alaska and never tire of witnessing wildlife in their surroundings.

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startwin

startwin

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I was on the same cruise - and your review is better than mine:D We had a great time, too.

 

Re the Mariners Brunch on the last day..... there were quite a few first-time cruisers invited, I think it's HALs way of trying to keep the newbies. We also had two new people at our table (was it you???? Mom and daughter). You were invited so you were entitled to be there.

 

Just to add - I totally agree with you about the Lido buffet... I avoid it whenever possible. And the Pinnacle Grill - yes I must admit I was not overly impressed.

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

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Loved your review - great to hear about cruising from someone who is going for the first time.

 

Not a fan of the Lido either. so, you are not alone.

 

Glad you went to the brunch :D

 

and of course Welcome Home:D (who's cooking tomorrow?:p)

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Charlie'sPet

Charlie'sPet

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Re the Mariners Brunch on the last day..... there were quite a few first-time cruisers invited, I think it's HALs way of trying to keep the newbies. We also had two new people at our table (was it you???? Mom and daughter). You were invited so you were entitled to be there.

quote]

 

Yes, it could have been us! I do want to make it clear that I didn't feel that anyone acted as though we shouldn't be there, I was just hoping they didn't think we were not invited. ;)

I had a very enjoyable lunch.

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startwin

startwin

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Re the Mariners Brunch on the last day..... there were quite a few first-time cruisers invited' date=' I think it's HALs way of trying to keep the newbies. We also had two new people at our table (was it you???? Mom and daughter). You were invited so you were entitled to be there.

quote']

 

Yes, it could have been us! I do want to make it clear that I didn't feel that anyone acted as though we shouldn't be there, I was just hoping they didn't think we were not invited. ;)

I had a very enjoyable lunch.

 

I thought it was you! It was lovely to meet you and glad I could answer some questions for you. And by the way - those two ladies who were eyeing up your glasses of champagne did grab them after you left, LOL:D

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Charlie'sPet

Charlie'sPet

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I thought it was you! It was lovely to meet you and glad I could answer some questions for you. And by the way - those two ladies who were eyeing up your glasses of champagne did grab them after you left' date=' LOL:D[/quote']

 

That is so funny! I have to tell my mom.We should have just offered them. ;)

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