Cruise: GREAT...Zuiderdam: not so much

[startwin]

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.

 

You betcha! I ran into Dustin, the Guest Relations Manager, while on my Alaska cruise and he remembered me well from last April:rolleyes:

 

I have to say, too, that the front desk on the Zuiderdam is the worst I have ever had to deal with. It's always the customer's fault. And nothing ever gets resolved unless you threaten to scream and holler for everyone to hear. So don't ask me why I still love this ship with all the hassles we've had.:eek:

Edited October 30, 2013 by startwin

[iancal]

We just booked an almost last minute 14 day Christmas cruise. This was good timing. It came down to Crown Princess, Zuiderdam, and Eclipse, with Eclipse and Zuiderdam being tied.

 

Zuiderdam was more money than Eclipse but went through to New Years which I liked. The tie breaker for DW was smoking policy and a preference for Solstice. Tie breaker for me was AC issue etc. on Zuiderdam. Not willing to take a chance for a 14 day jaunt.

Edited October 30, 2013 by iancal

[stlouistravelers]

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

 

Sounds like something I would hear in 7th grade. Joanie's point was valid based on her experiences.

[startwin]

Sounds like something I would hear in 7th grade. Joanie's point was valid based on her experiences.

 

Tut tut, you forgot to quote the others who took exception to that fact. Guess you were just looking for my name, eh?:rolleyes:

[cruz chic]

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.

Don't get me started on the spa. They are terrible reps for the ship. When I was having my pedicure done there was another lady having one done. She was completely mad because they had screwed up her appt time and then they blamed her. She was going to have her hair colored on the ship. I talked her out of it. There is no reason for these people to be so rude.

[startwin]

Don't get me started on the spa. They are terrible reps for the ship. When I was having my pedicure done there was another lady having one done. She was completely mad because they had screwed up her appt time and then they blamed her. She was going to have her hair colored on the ship. I talked her out of it. There is no reason for these people to be so rude.

 

 

And ignorant. When I was on the Zuiderdam in September, I went to the spa to ask if they sold the Elemis lotion. The girl said she'd never heard of it. Huh??? So I took her to the display case across the lobby and showed her the Elemis stuff in there. She then said they don't sell that kind of lotion anymore. I gave up.

[kazu]

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.

 

 

 

The bolding is mine. Only because I had the pleasure to cruise with sapper and she is a dignified elegant lady. I doubt she would have 'quite the discussion' but I'm sure she would get her point across quickly, politely and then do what must be done. I can't envision her having a 'discussion':D

[startwin]

The bolding is mine. Only because I had the pleasure to cruise with sapper and she is a dignified elegant lady. I doubt she would have 'quite the discussion' but I'm sure she would get her point across quickly, politely and then do what must be done. I can't envision her having a 'discussion':D

 

Whereas I, on the other hand.......!! We can play good guy bad guy.

[cruz chic]

And ignorant. When I was on the Zuiderdam in September, I went to the spa to ask if they sold the Elemis lotion. The girl said she'd never heard of it. Huh??? So I took her to the display case across the lobby and showed her the Elemis stuff in there. She then said they don't sell that kind of lotion anymore. I gave up.

 

That is a special kind of dumb. Wow.

[niceguyneastbay]

I just sailed on the Zuiderdam Sept 30-Oct 1. Pinnacle grill was great, Porterhouse steak was done perfect and I couldn't complain.

 

I did see a leak happen in the Explorer Lounge. The crew was quick to remove the ceiling and fix the leak. Never saw other leaks in the area.

 

Overall I think the Zuiderdam is a good ship. I would take another cruise again on the Zuiderdam .

T

[djhsolara]

Where were there issues?

 

3 - Pinnacle Grill

 

FACT: When we arrived on the ship we made a reservation for 5 of us to dine in the Pinnacle Grill on the first formal night and again for 2 of us to experience LeCirque.

 

Being in a suite, we had the opportunity to have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. On the first morning that this was available we decided to take advantage of it. We were seated, ordered our food and sat and sat and sat and sat...for 40 minutes. We didn't receive anything for 40 minutes and that was only after my partner went to the manager and asked where our breakfast was.

 

When we received the reservation card for dinner, it was listed for 6 people. I called and they said they knew it was only for 5, however when we were seated it was at a table set for 6 and nothing was ever removed for that additional place setting (while at the table for 5 beside us the place setting as well as the additional chair were removed). Upon being seated we were greated by the wine steward "would you like any wine?" and our answer was "no thank you, not tonight"...to which he replied "ok" and walked away. No offer of a cocktail or additional beverage. A server came to our table without a greating and said "what do you want?" and proceeded to take the orders. Throughout the evening dirty dishes were continually placed on the end-top beside our table and even plates full of fresh food from the kitchen were placed there as they attempted to find out where they belonged. At one point during the dinner, the manager came to our table and asked how our dinner was, to which my partner said "ok" (in a not so happy tone) and the manager replied "fabulous" and walked away. Dinner was completed and we decided it was time to talk to someone, so we asked for a meeting with the F&B Manager, who is now referred to as the Culinary Operations Manager.

 

OPINION: This was the worst Pinnacle service that we have ever received. The first time at breakfast was just the beginning (but because of it we didn't go back for breakfast...so a perk that we paid for that didn't use because of the service). The food was fine at our dinner, but not the wonderful meals that I remember in the past. The au gratin potatoes are now apparently made in a muffin tin and were not very appealing in the presentation. My steak was very good, but when did it stop being Sterling beef? Maybe I just missed the memo on that, but I didn't remember that from the last few meals there. We were not served the three types of butter, but I said that perhaps they don't do that anymore (more on that later). They really seemed like no one really knew what they were doing and everyone was just picking up whatever needed to be done. In the end, we had one server that took our order and an additional server that took our dessert order, and in the meantime no less than 4 or 5 additional servers had been to our table but yet none of them could seem to fill our water glasses (since that was the only beverage we had).

 

Meeting with the Culinary Operations Manager (Ron) and his assistant (Christian) allowed us a bit of time to vent about the experience. They were both very appreciative of our feedback and said that they don't get time to spend a lot of time in there because of all of the other areas they cover. Ron said that what we told him was absolutely unacceptable and that is not the experience that they are supposed to provide in there. We were questioning whether we wanted to spend again to go to LeCirque but Ron assured us that we would have a good experience there.

 

At this point we felt that there were large photos of us in the Pinnacle kitchen that said "whatever you do, don't mess up the meals for these guys". We returned for LeCirque and had a good meal. We had a wonderful server named Rocky (who explained to us that they only serve one type of butter at LeCirque but they normally serve three types on a normal night). In all honesty, it was a good meal, but given that it is $35pp we thought that perhaps it would be a little bit better.

 

We had such a good experience with Rocky that we decided to go again for lunch (so that my nephew could enjoy). They put us in the side "private" dining room and I'm sure they were all still instructed to treat us with "kid gloves" because they didn't miss a beat again.

 

In the end, they did redeem themselves, but it shouldn't have been such a painful experience to get there...this should be the norm there. We did comment that this was the first time that we've ever been in a Pinnacle that staffed by the Indonesian staff...every other Pinnacle that we've been in was staffed by European staff. I'm not saying this made any difference...just an observation.

[alwaysfrantic]

Our service in the Pinnacle was always very good. That mural on the upper wall by the window seating area has got to go though. It looks like it's left from a 1970 tear down.

 

But staff, furnishings....both great.

 

The spa is a little sketchy. I read of the toilet problems onboard but in the locker room the mechanics of it were pulled out. No cloth or paper towels. Just seemed gross.

[cruz chic]

I don't know why Hal has to struggle so much when it comes to the food side. I get tired of hearing it's not the service they want to provide yet it happens over and over on pretty much every cruise I go on. There seems to be a lot of servers but they are so disorganized. There is something fundamentally wrong with the way they run the business. I know posters are going to disagree but Hal needs to stop apologizing and start fixing.

[Lovely other]

And ignorant. When I was on the Zuiderdam in September, I went to the spa to ask if they sold the Elemis lotion. The girl said she'd never heard of it. Huh??? So I took her to the display case across the lobby and showed her the Elemis stuff in there. She then said they don't sell that kind of lotion anymore. I gave up.

 

We too found the spa staff to be next to useless and quite rude. They had an offer on of buy two treatment for $ dollars ...my hubby really wanted a massage and after it took 5 minutes for them to acknowledge him he explained to them that he had ezcema and asked them if he could have 2 massages rather than one massage and either a facial or body exfoliation (he'd loved to try the other ones but his skin won't take it) he wasn't told no, she just shrugged, looked us up and down and handed him the normal price list. very odd staff in there ... they also tried to hard sell me a massage while i was in the gym, i repeatedly told her i don't like massages, to the point of explaining that the idea actually makes my flesh crawl and still she went on and on.

[startwin]

When we were on the Zuiderdam in the first week of September, several of the Pinnacle Grill staff were at the end of their contract, and heading elsewhere. Sam was the manager then, and I'm sure he was about to leave when we got back to Vancouver (he lives there), and one of the girl servers - she was excellent - was leaving. Was Mario still there? (head server I think, and not that good IMO. Attitude problem).

[Tarpeian Rock]

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.

 

 

 

Your report is a carbon copy of what friends we sailed with experienced on Zuiderdam in a November 2012 Canal cruise -- too hot aft cabin, many days of complaints, finally given a sleeping cabin, unresponsive front desk. (We had a midships cabin and were OK.) When the same behaviors are repeated a year apart, it's hard not to believe that HAL has ceased caring.

[Linda&Vern]

When we were on the Zuiderdam in the first week of September, several of the Pinnacle Grill staff were at the end of their contract, and heading elsewhere. Sam was the manager then, and I'm sure he was about to leave when we got back to Vancouver (he lives there), and one of the girl servers - she was excellent - was leaving. Was Mario still there? (head server I think, and not that good IMO. Attitude problem).

Hands down, the worst MDR experience we had was on our May 2011 Alaska 14-day journey on the Amsterdam (r/t Seattle). We finally did find out that the Amsterdam had just came back from the World Cruise where a large number of the staff got off the ship in FLL or San Diego and were replaced. By week #2 things improved some, a little, kind of. Breakfast was taking 90 minutes on a good day. Dinner was strained. Our dinner waiter was pretty good, but very hindered because his assistant could not do anything. I felt sorry for the waiter because he looked so stressed with no help. In the future we have hesitated to book any cruise where we think the majority of staff will be new. We are pretty laid back, but I know the MDR manager and assistants were getting called to many unhappy tables.

Edited October 31, 2013 by Linda&Vern

[canadianbear]

The bolding is mine. Only because I had the pleasure to cruise with sapper and she is a dignified elegant lady. I doubt she would have 'quite the discussion' but I'm sure she would get her point across quickly, politely and then do what must be done. I can't envision her having a 'discussion':D

 

I've also cruised with both Startwin & Sapper and would back them both up 100% at the front desk. Maybe I should re-consider this upcoming cruise and come too!

[startwin]

I've also cruised with both Startwin & Sapper and would back them both up 100% at the front desk. Maybe I should re-consider this upcoming cruise and come too!

 

Yes!! Just do it:D

[sapper1]

Yes!! Just do it:D

 

Why not? And Jacqui, you'll be in FLL anyway---just stay there for a few extra days and hop aboard. :D

[kazu]

Why not? And Jacqui, you'll be in FLL anyway---just stay there for a few extra days and hop aboard. :D

 

ha! ha! I wish. I don't think I can talk DH into it. I would be fun to cruise with you, Startwin and Canadian Bear. I'd actually be nervous to do it with the reports. A cruise like that would be enough to make DH say 'no more cruises for a long time'. He has a low tolerance for no A/C or plumbing:rolleyes: I'd hate to see him hesitant about our September cruise:eek:

[sapper1]

ha! ha! I wish. I don't think I can talk DH into it. I would be fun to cruise with you, Startwin and Canadian Bear. I'd actually be nervous to do it with the reports. A cruise like that would be enough to make DH say 'no more cruises for a long time'. He has a low tolerance for no A/C or plumbing:rolleyes: I'd hate to see him hesitant about our September cruise:eek:

 

As if he would be hesitant about the Prinsendam eh?;)

[kazu]

As if he would be hesitant about the Prinsendam eh?;)

 

Well, even though our cruises on her have been free of any maintenance worries major issues on another ship could get him re-thinking. It's kind of ironic that the oldest ship in the fleet has been the most maintenance free for us;) It was the one ship I worried there would be issues and the complete opposite was true:D

[cruz chic]

Well, even though our cruises on her have been free of any maintenance worries major issues on another ship could get him re-thinking. It's kind of ironic that the oldest ship in the fleet has been the most maintenance free for us;) It was the one ship I worried there would be issues and the complete opposite was true:D

 

I think it's because they care about that ship and they know they can charge top dollar for it. I'm really losing faith in Hal lately. They need to fix issues instead of putting band aids on them.

[startwin]

I think it's because they care about that ship and they know they can charge top dollar for it. I'm really losing faith in Hal lately. They need to fix issues instead of putting band aids on them.

 

Careful, Lorene - I mentioned band aid fixes awhile ago on a Zuiderdam thread and got severely flamed for daring to suggest that HAL was not keeping up with maintenance. Apparently I was making it all up, LOL.:D