Live from Zuiderdam 01/03 to Panama

[JPCruising]

DAY ONE - 01/03/14

 

Living in FL we drove to Port Everglade and parked around the corner at Park & Go. Pulled in under a covered area, unloaded the luggage and they loaded it on their shuttle and less than 5 minutes later we were dropped off at the terminal. With no line at security check-in we breezed through and proceeded to Suite check in. Had one couple in front of us and then we were checked in and headed to the ship, stopped at Lido for some food and were in our room by 12:00, could not have been easier. Our Neptune suite was in good order and the AC & plumbing are working fine. Visited the Neptune Lounge to make a few reservations and set off to explore the ship. Had an enjoyable dinner in the Vista dining room and retired to my room for the evening. Photos coming at: http://jprimages.com/travel/hal/zuiderdam/panama/ :)

Edited January 4, 2014 by JPCruising

[Scrapnana]

We watched you sail out. The ocean looked rather choppy. Has it smoothed out any? Glad your suite is not having any issues.

[RJ2002]

Thanks for your report. Looking forward to more.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Vict0riann]

The sea really did look rough, hope the fact that you didn't mention it means you didn't even realize it! Enjoy!:D

[JPCruising]

Room before we settled in.

 

 

Windy day and the ship is gently rocking, causing some unsteady walking. Have 58 images from today posted at: http://jprimages.com/travel/hal/zuiderdam/panama

Signing off for today.

Edited January 4, 2014 by JPCruising

[startwin]

Great photos! Hope the seas smoothed out for you, it sure looked rough when you left.

 

I'm sure you don't want to give out your cabin number but can you say which level and which side you are on?

Edited January 4, 2014 by startwin

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your report and your great photo's. It really looked quite rough going out today, hope you faired ok. Maasdam look like she was having more problems then the Zuiderdam but she was traveling to drydock with only crew and workmen on board.

[erewhon]

Thank you for taking time to do a "Live from" thread during your cruise.

 

Great photos.

Thank you.

[AlohaPride]

love love love your pictures! Thank you!

[canadianbear]

Glad your a/c is working for now. Please let us know when you get further on in the trip if it still is doing its job or if you hear any issues from others. (And maybe when you get home let us know your cabin #).

 

Hope all goes well for you-enjoy the "suite" life!:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for checking in.

Several of us watched as you sailed out into the choppy waters. Hope your seas have settled down by now.

Loved your pictures.

[RJ2002]

Great pictures, thanks very much for taking the time to share them with us.

 

Looks like everyone was having a good time at sailaway! :D

[jbhcw]

Wonderful pictures:) thanks so much for sharing…I always have a warm feeling for the Zuiderdam…as it was one of the friendliest Hal ships we've ever sailed:):)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Great photos..

[KirkNC]

Look forward to your updates!

[catl331]

Hope you have a great trip. We did the full transit and really loved the canal. At the moment I wish we were looking forward to that nice warm weather you will probably have down there. Mon and Tues looks like we will have lows of 28 to 30's on the coast. That is a br-r-r-!

[solocanadian]

Great photos. Thanks for posting. Look forward to more.

[kazu]

Very nice pics. Looking forward to your reports :) Thanks for doing this :D

[Typhoon1]

Looking forward to hearing more.

[JPCruising]

DAY TWO - Jan. 04, 2014

 

Woke early to see us sailing into Half Moon Cay under overcast skies. Seas were calmer here and went to breakfast in MDR. Food was very good but service was a little slow, took multiple request from several of us at the table for refills on the coffee. Living on the east coast of FL the beach is not a big deal for me but did go ashore to check things out and of course to take photos. Must say HAL has a beautiful set up here well thought out and executed. Got off the tender to be greeted by a light rain which did not last too long. Enjoyed walking around taking in the sights and wife & I enjoyed some food before heading back to the ship at noon. A quick shower and some photo processing, now it is nap time. Oh, few little things I have noted. The shower is extremely small compared to other premium rooms I have stayed in. Had to ask for a second bar of soap, had a capped bottle of water but no way to open it. They sent some one to the room to uncap it. Also AC is working extremely well and so is the plumbing. Photos from Half Moon Cay are being slowly uploaded at: http://jprimages.com/travel/hal/zuiderdam/panama/

Edited January 4, 2014 by JPCruising

[idiebabe]

Enjoying your review and the pics! Look forward to hearing more! :)

 

We'll be on her on the 13th so also interested to know if there are any problems with A/C & plumbing!

[ger_77]

Bon Voyage - I'm really enjoying your photos; the Zuiderdam was our first HAL experience in 2003 and we couldn't have been happier. I am surprised to see they still have those weird chairs in the Pinnacle Grill - we didn't find them terribly comfortable.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[JPCruising]

Ok up from a nice nap, room AC is almost working too good - I am cold. Looking forward to this evening activities. As to the weird chairs in the Pinnacle Grill I hope to find out how comfortable they are starting tomorrow morning :)

[frankc98376]

Are you on Explore 4? If so, any problems with the Signature Beverage card?

[kaylasnana]

Loving your live review and looking forward to more. We plan to take this cruise in October.