Cruise: GREAT...Zuiderdam: not so much

[sapper1]

Oh dear. It sounds like the a/c issues have continued and not been fixed at all. And the dripping from the Lido ceiling was happening in April, 2012. Since that time I have sailed on the Zuiderdam to Alaska, but of course a/c would not be an issue in that climate.

 

I remember the bucket in the Lido to catch the drip. It took one table out of service. Hard to believe it is still an issue.

If AC is still an issue when we cruise in April and we both decide we want to try the Panama repo for a third time in April, 2015 maybe we should consider the Westerdam. Whadaya think?

[kazu]

I remember the bucket in the Lido to catch the drip. It took one table out of service. Hard to believe it is still an issue.

If AC is still an issue when we cruise in April and we both decide we want to try the Panama repo for a third time in April, 2015 maybe we should consider the Westerdam. Whadaya think?

 

sapper, for what it's worth, we were on the Westerdam late last year and I was quite impressed. She has a very high repeat passenger ratio and I totally understand why:) :)

[cruz chic]

I remember the bucket in the Lido to catch the drip. It took one table out of service. Hard to believe it is still an issue.

If AC is still an issue when we cruise in April and we both decide we want to try the Panama repo for a third time in April, 2015 maybe we should consider the Westerdam. Whadaya think?

 

Good idea :D;). You should switch the 2014 cruise to the Westerdam too.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We, too, were on the cruise. We were in Cabin 4178. We had very intermittent air conditioning in the cabin. Reported it 3 times to front desk. When I went the 3rd time, said they didn't record the first 2 times. Hot water....hot water and more hot water. NO cold water. Showers were hot or hotter. Teeith brushing hot water. They finally addressed the issue on night 7. It worked for one night and went right back to the original problems. Front desk rude. However, they sent a bottle of wine on the last night apologizing for all the problems. Too little, too late.

I know we were not the only ones with problems. That's all you heard on the ship. In fact, Deck 6 had multiple air conditioning problems. We sailed with relatives. They came back one evening and toliet wouldn't flush. They had to use the public restroom all night in jammies. Smell disgusting. Took 24 hours to resolve. They, too, received a bottle of wine on last night. Does HAL really think that makes up for the issues?

 

Pinnacle Grill a total disappointment. Spent $50 for nothing more than the main dining room. Steak tough as nails. Desserts not much better than main dining room.

 

This was our 39th cruise and our 5th cruise with HAL. After this cruise, will not be sailing HAL anytime soon.

 

 

I, too, will do a complete review.

 

 

So sorry that you had so many problems. A bottle of wine on the last night is not a solution to the problems.

[Krazy Kruizers]

This is very sad to read that the problems on the Zuiderdam have not been resolved.

We were planning on doing the 2015 repositioning cruise -- not any more.

[sapper1]

Good idea :D;). You should switch the 2014 cruise to the Westerdam too.

 

Air already booked on that one, tied in with continuing on to Alaska. We will give the Zuiderdam one more chance.

[The Wizards of Waz]

I've sat with many people in the MDR and I can't tell you how many people say they prop their door open. All of them have been from the USA

 

I'm on her right now and it is an awesome ship! I am having some AC problems in my cabin but the rest of the ship is fine, if anything too cold. They r sending a guy over soon to look at my AC

 

I've mostly cruised Princess before but will only cruise HAL from now on

[peaches from georgia]

Is there a sign on the balcony doors or any notification in cabins not to keep verandah doors open and why??? Unless a pax was a CC regular who knows leaving the door open can cause AC problems for others, I don't know how anyone would know not to do this. The ordinary cruiser, especially those without a history of cruising or exceptional engineering knowledge of ships operating systems, would not have a clue not to prop their verandah door open if they wished. Constantly blaming unknowing pax for the ships' AC problems is not the answer. Blaming pax from select countries is even worse. :eek:

[sapper1]

Is there a sign on the balcony doors or any notification in cabins not to keep verandah doors open and why??? Unless a pax was a CC regular who knows leaving the door open can cause AC problems for others, I don't know how anyone would know not to do this. The ordinary cruiser, especially those without a history of cruising or exceptional engineering knowledge of ships operating systems, would not have a clue not to prop their verandah door open if they wished. Constantly blaming unknowing pax for the ships' AC problems is not the answer. Blaming pax from select countries is even worse. :eek:

 

Every door has a message on it saying that the door is to be kept closed.

[iancal]

Just imagine how hot it must be on those cruises that depart from Australia with all those Ozzies and the few Brits keeping the balcony doors open.

[startwin]

I remember the bucket in the Lido to catch the drip. It took one table out of service. Hard to believe it is still an issue.

If AC is still an issue when we cruise in April and we both decide we want to try the Panama repo for a third time in April, 2015 maybe we should consider the Westerdam. Whadaya think?

 

Sounds like a plan to me! The only negative I've heard about the W'dam is the lack of snacks in the Neptune Lounge - but that won't affect me.:D Love that cruise, would happily do it every year.

[peaches from georgia]

Every door has a message on it saying that the door is to be kept closed.

Thanks. Wasn't sure, but felt you can't expect pax to know the problem if there is not notification. It really should also explain why to keep the door closed and what happens in other cabins if it is open, and maybe it does. If it is not explained some may think it is just to save the cruise line money on AC costs and probably could less about that.

Edited October 30, 2013 by peaches from georgia

[OVgirl]

Thanks. Wasn't sure, but felt you can't expect pax to know the problem if there is not notification. It really should also explain why to keep the door closed and what happens in other cabins if it is open, and maybe it does. If it is not explained some may think it is just to save the cruise line money on AC costs and probably could less about that.

 

I hate being a negative ninny here, but posting rules and reasons doesn't stop people from breaking rules. Just look at posts regarding attire, chair hogging, bringing wine from cabins. People that break rules, break rules. The rest of us just shake our heads.:confused:

[peaches from georgia]

I hate being a negative ninny here, but posting rules and reasons doesn't stop people from breaking rules. Just look at posts regarding attire, chair hogging, bringing wine from cabins. People that break rules, break rules. The rest of us just shake our heads.:confused:

Completely agree. I was only saying that you can't blame pax that they are breaking a rule if they keep their verandah door open if they are not notified not to do it and the reason why. With notification of course they would be breaking a known rule and should be blamed if they still do it, which many will.

[RJ2002]

Completely agree. I was only saying that you can't blame pax that they are breaking a rule if they keep their verandah door open if they are not notified not to do it and the reason why. With notification of course they would be breaking a known rule and should be blamed if they still do it, which many will.

 

I wonder, in cases of a widespread AC problem, if the ship will post reminders in the daily bulletin, or even have the cruise director mention it during one of the announcements? Thinking back on all my cruises, I seem to remember hearing an announcement once about keeping the balcony doors closed. I can't recall which cruise line that was...

[cruz chic]

Thanks. Wasn't sure, but felt you can't expect pax to know the problem if there is not notification. It really should also explain why to keep the door closed and what happens in other cabins if it is open, and maybe it does. If it is not explained some may think it is just to save the cruise line money on AC costs and probably could less about that.

Yes, there is a note on every door. Plain and simple people don't care. When I've mentioned it to people they come up with every excuse in the book. One moron said he paid for his mini suite (Princess) and he was going to do what he wanted. I said "didn't the other folks pay for theirs too". At this point he decided to be very rude and shut me down. It's a me, me world.

[sapper1]

Sounds like a plan to me! The only negative I've heard about the W'dam is the lack of snacks in the Neptune Lounge - but that won't affect me.:D Love that cruise, would happily do it every year.

 

I already mentioned to my husband that we should book it while on the Z in April. He didn't say no. That's practically a fait accompli. ;)

[iancal]

Really?

 

We have cruised on RCI, Princess, NCL, Carnival, HAL, Celebrity, Crystal.

 

Only once have we had an AC issue in the last 15 or so cruises. That was a thermostat issue on an NCL trip last December....and we got tired of officers knocking on our door to see if the issue was resolved. Amazing customer service.

 

So is it only on certain HAL ships that cruisers leave balcony doors open, thus causing a AC issues???

Edited October 30, 2013 by iancal

[chrispb]

So only Australians and Brits leave the balcony door open. Good to know.

 

We blame the EU (for everything):D

[cruz chic]

Really?

 

We have cruised on RCI, Princess, NCL, Carnival, HAL, Celebrity, Crystal.

 

Only once have we had an AC issue in the last 15 or so cruises. That was a thermostat issue on an NCL trip last December....and we got tired of officers knocking on our door to see if the issue was resolved. Amazing customer service.

 

So is it only on certain HAL ships that cruisers leave balcony doors open, thus causing a AC issues???

Pretty much every room I've had on Princess has been on the warm side and I've met a lot of people that like to leave their door open. If people like it so much why not sleep on the balcony?

[Kateandi]

My daughter and I were also on the Panama Canal cruise on the Zuiderdam last week. We did not have AC in our aft-facing cabin for the entire 10 day cruise (7145). After several calls and visits to the front desk for the first two days, I finally resorted to a handwritten letter explaining my problems on day 3. We were given a category HH “sleeping cabin” located 3 decks and half a ship away.

The front desk personnel were the MOST unhelpful group I’ve ever encountered on a cruise. I do not go on vacation to spend my time arguing and complaining about the accommodations. The final day of the cruise I met with a supervisor and I was told they were having difficulty adjusting the system on the aft facing cabins on decks 6, 7 & 8 after moving from the Alaska summer cruises. I believe they were aware of the problems before we ever boarded.

I cruise once or twice a year and have tried most of the traditional cruise lines. This is my first and last cruise with Holland America.

I feel it’s important to post my specific displeasure regarding the AC issue with the aft facing cabins so those of you planning your cruises can plan accordingly. I happen to travel with a thermometer; our cabin temp never went below 78 and was as high as 88 degrees. This was in spite of our diligence in keeping the veranda door closed at all times, placing clothes pins to hold the drapes together to keep the sun out, and only showering after dark.

[djhsolara]

Where were there issues?

 

2 - Spa

 

FACT: We, as always, booked the cruiselong package for the Thermal Suite. This was offered for $249 per couple on this cruise...so we got two packages, one for us and one for my SIL and Mother. On the first evening we attempted to use the hydro pool and the temperature was HOT. Hot to the fact that if you walked in and then got out your skin was red. It was hotter than the hot tubs by the pools. We made the spa desk aware of this and they said that they were working on it.

 

The second day, none of the jets in the "bed" area of the hydro pool were working. Once again, they were working on it. The temperature of the water was correct at this time.

 

The third day, the temperature of the water was again HOT...so much so that you couldn't even get in...and they were working on it.

 

From the fourth day through the ninth day everything worked just fine.

 

On the last sea day when I go into the hydro pool, it was once again too HOT...so now we have 4 days that the service that we paid for was not working for us.

 

We had talked to the Spa Manager named Jalina. Each time that we brought something to her attention, she always over-talked us to say that it was being worked on. We asked if there would be any compensation back to us because we were not able to use the service that we paid for for the length of the cruise. Her response was that we already received it at a discount because we bought it for the length of the cruise.

 

Additionally...my Mother always gets her hair done in the salon on formal nights. On the first night she returned to the stateroom with a bag containing a bottle of lotion that was sold to her. I know that it is her responsibility to read a receipt before she signed it, but she didn't realize that the lotion was a cream that cost $125. In her defense, I will say that the printing on the spa receipts was very hard to read (the toner needed to be changed in their printer), but $125 for a cream that she really didn't want? I went directly back to the salon, returned the cream (via a void of the original transaction) and cancelled her appointments for the other 2 formal nights. Mother had placed an additional tip on the original receipt (in addition to the 15% that they already charge), but when I went back I was so angry that I did not include any additional tip. When we got our statement we saw that the amount of the tip was still being charged. I returned to the spa desk to inquire about this and they said that my Mother had originally put a tip on the transaction, but I told them that that transaction that included that tip was voided. They said that isn't normally their policy but they would do it for me. In all reality, they did not have a valid slip that included any tip.

 

OPINION: I know that the spa is run by an outside agency, but HAL really needs to have more of a control over these employees. They are not a good representation of HAL. We ran into issues with the spa on our last cruise on Eurodam but that was because we were in Code Red for much of the cruise (which I find absolutely acceptable). It shouldn't be such an issue to keep the temperature of the hydro pool consistent. Perhaps it was partially due to the demographics on this particular cruise, but there were hardly ever many people at all in the hydro pool...usually no more than 4-6 people...and MANY times it sat empty. I feel that people tried to use it and ended up not being able to because of the temperature issues.

 

If you do not have a service available that was paid for then you need to give back. The manager of this spa took no responsibility for the fact that half of the service that we paid for (because I know that it also includes the tiled loungers, etc) was not working for 4 of the 10 days of our cruise. For her to state that we received it at a discount already is a line of bull...it may be discounted but it is discounted to those who purchase it for the length of the cruise on EVERY cruise, so that is what it is.

 

Regarding the selling of product to my Mother, I believe I stated my opinion above. I feel that she was taken advantage of (even though, as I stated that it was her responsibility to properly read the receipt before signing) because of her age and also that the receipt was very hard to read.

 

In the end, we dealt with the front office on this issue as well and ended up getting $100 OBC back because of this...but I know that there were many others that probably received nothing back because they didn't go further than the spa desk.

[sapper1]

So only Australians and Brits leave the balcony door open. Good to know.

 

By George, I'll bet that's the reason HAL charges the Brits and Aussies more for their cruises. Mystery solved!!:D

[canadianbear]

My daughter and I were also on the Panama Canal cruise on the Zuiderdam last week. We did not have AC in our aft-facing cabin for the entire 10 day cruise (7145). After several calls and visits to the front desk for the first two days, I finally resorted to a handwritten letter explaining my problems on day 3. We were given a category HH “sleeping cabin” located 3 decks and half a ship away.

The front desk personnel were the MOST unhelpful group I’ve ever encountered on a cruise. I do not go on vacation to spend my time arguing and complaining about the accommodations. The final day of the cruise I met with a supervisor and I was told they were having difficulty adjusting the system on the aft facing cabins on decks 6, 7 & 8 after moving from the Alaska summer cruises. I believe they were aware of the problems before we ever boarded.

I cruise once or twice a year and have tried most of the traditional cruise lines. This is my first and last cruise with Holland America.

I feel it’s important to post my specific displeasure regarding the AC issue with the aft facing cabins so those of you planning your cruises can plan accordingly. I happen to travel with a thermometer; our cabin temp never went below 78 and was as high as 88 degrees. This was in spite of our diligence in keeping the veranda door closed at all times, placing clothes pins to hold the drapes together to keep the sun out, and only showering after dark.

 

This is so disturbing to hear-I think I'd pass out if I didn't have A/C in my room especially during the Panama Cruise. That issue and the toilet issue from last year have certainly discouraged us from booking this ship for a Panama cruise. Such a shame as we enjoyed being on her in Alaska in September.

 

I'm sorry you had to go through this and then the not so helpful front desk staff. It sounds like similar issues from last April and maybe only band aid fixes.

 

If these issues don't get fixed by April I can just see Startwin and Sapper at the front desk having quite a discussion with them after what they went through last year.

[startwin]

Every door has a message on it saying that the door is to be kept closed.

 

I think the sign should be more prominent. The only time I've ever actually noticed it is the last cruise I was on, and it was behind the drapes on the wall adjacent to the door. Maybe there should be red lettering on a big sign right on the glass door.