Zuiderdam -just back

[DachshundJ]

Any questions ?

We did the 12 day Highlands and Fjords. Had a great time. We didn't look at this as a cruising type experience so much as room and board while we were touring. We didn't do much in the way of activities on the ship.

Food was fine. Ship was clean. Crew was amazing. Cruising the Fjords was the best. Truly breathtaking.

Happy to discuss what excursions we did -etc... if anyone is interested

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Please do tell us about the excursions you did, etc., in the various ports.

[DachshundJ]

Oslo - Sculpture Park and walking around on our own. We got really tired here -maybe we should have done a cab or hop on hop off bus.

 

Kristiansand -White water rafting -awesome. Not for the inactive person. Lots of splashing and some serious rapids. We wore wetsuits. Afterwords we walked around town for a few minutes.

 

 

Stavanger. We were supposed to hike Pulpit Rock -but it was canceled because of the weather. So we did hop on hop off bus. Looked at a few historic houses and a small art museum

 

Flam -my favorite. We did Kayaking at Gudvangen.(booked through the ship) It was amazing. Breathtaking views. A few in the group struggled with getting in and out of the kayak. If you cannot bend your knees then this may not be activity for you. We had time before to do a little shopping and walk around

 

Bergen- Hop on Hop off, Funicular and the Rib boat ride. We could have skipped the hop on bus here.

We mostly hung around the fish market. The Rib boat we booked on our own. So much fun and lasted about an hour.

 

More to come later -I will tell you about Scotland after I get a little work done. As you can imagine lots laundry to do:)

[DeeniEncinitas]

Welcome home!!!!!

Looking forward to reading about your trip!!

This might be a cruise in my future.

Denise:)

[DachshundJ]

Scotland -

 

Lerwick -we did a nice walk that included Clickimin Broch. There was a Tesco (grocery chain) close by -so we got some candy and a few other things to take home. The walk wasn't exactly strenuous -but it wasn't a stroll either. We also walked around town a bit.

Portree -again we did a walk. This time it was more of a hike. With amazing views. After that we went into town and had lunch and did a little shopping

Invergorden (I think it says Inverness in the cruise description -but you are actually over 30 minutes from Inverness) We did the ships excursion to Dunrobin Castle. It was very nice. Bring a candy bar or something in your bag here. There are super long lines at the tea rooms at the Castle. There are lots of stairs.

After the ships excursion we wanted to find a bit to eat in Invergorden -but there wasn't much selection that we could find.

Edinburg -we did the National Gallery and the Castle. The castle was nuts with tourists.

Not our best day. It was a weekend and you had to wait in line to walk down the street. If I had this to do over I would find some quieter less touristy type things to do on the Edinburgh day.

Newcastle. Again -I am think it is a bit of a misnomer to say Newcastle. We were actually in Tynemouth. We did the ships excursion to the Alnwick Gardens. They were fabulous. However the Gardens people made us wait around a bit after we got there -getting a guide arranged and our group tickets. It was a bit frustrating. When it was time to return there were a couple of latecomers to the bus by about 20 minutes. Grr

Afterwords we went to a street market in the train station in Tynemouth

Then we had one sea day before returning to Copenhagen. It was a great trip.

I did want to comment on one thing. For both the Kayaking and the rafting excursions we wore wet suits. HA did not do a good job of letting you know ahead of time what you need to wear under them.

You need a swimsuit. If it is cold then maybe a Rashguard with long sleeves or a technical shirt with long sleeves and some exercise tights. Afterwords something dry to put on including dry underwear. You do not want to wear jeans underneath a wetsuit.

They provided water shoes for both excursions. Everything smelled kind of mildew-ish -so all of our things needed washing after.

My favorite ports were Kristiansand, Flam, Lerwick and Portree.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[kftw]

Thank you for your review of your cruise & excursions.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info.

[OlsSalt]

Great report and nice to hear about all the very active excursions that are available. Can you please tell me more about PORTREE - and the hike you too. Was it a shore excursion or something you found on your own?

 

Sorry you missed Pulpit Rock - we did this on our last Zuiderdam to these same ports - it was a killer for me (70+ years) and I did not make it all the way to the top, which was fogged in anyway. But it is a can't miss hike when you get the chance.

[DachshundJ]

The hike was one we found online

 

https://www.isleofskye.com/skye-guide/top-ten-skye-walks/scorrybreac

 

It also had a memorial on the trail to a family who partially lives in Atlanta. We are from GA so appreciated the connection. There were a few steep parts where we were huffing a bit.

 

We saw sheep! and rock walls and streams. Lots of people out with their dogs. Several locals said hello.

It took us about an hour and had great views. Afterwords we walked around Portree and also went into a restaurant called "The Granary" and had tea and cake.

Then did some shopping.

My daughters (19 and 22) enjoy shopping. :) We also went into a couple of charity shops. My oldest enjoyed looking at old local cookbooks.

[OlsSalt]

The hike was one we found online

 

https://www.isleofskye.com/skye-guide/top-ten-skye-walks/scorrybreac

 

It also had a memorial on the trail to a family who partially lives in Atlanta. We are from GA so appreciated the connection. There were a few steep parts where we were huffing a bit.

 

We saw sheep! and rock walls and streams. Lots of people out with their dogs. Several locals said hello.

It took us about an hour and had great views. Afterwords we walked around Portree and also went into a restaurant called "The Granary" and had tea and cake.

Then did some shopping.

My daughters (19 and 22) enjoy shopping. :) We also went into a couple of charity shops. My oldest enjoyed looking at old local cookbooks.

 

Thanks for the tips and link. And the reminder what a treat it can be to visit "thrift shops" which I assume you are calling "charity shops". (used -second hand sales for a local non-profit).

 

Great places to pick up some extra wardrobe items too if the weather was not as planned when originally packing. I still get compliments on a jumper I got in New Zealand for a few dollars in such a shop, when the weather turned colder than expected. Hope your daughters found some fun cook books, and for the rest of us from the US also a place to pick up a set of metric measuring spoons and cups so we can translate the recipes.

[Conestoga Charlie]

Welcome back! We'll board Zuiderdam in 10 days. I've noticed a bit of critical comment about the condition of staterooms, common areas, etc. Of course, she's going into dry dock in the fall. What was your experience?

[Cruizer Bill]

Thanks for your review. Sounds like you had a lot of fun.

[easyboy]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

[DachshundJ]

Welcome back! We'll board Zuiderdam in 10 days. I've noticed a bit of critical comment about the condition of staterooms, common areas, etc. Of course, she's going into dry dock in the fall. What was your experience?

 

 

Our stateroom had a few dings on the wall. Everything worked fine and looked good overall. No issues with climate control (it was cool though -so not using AC) No issues with plumbing except one day I had to wait a few minutes for hot water.

 

One day we had some pretty serious rain and the retractable roof over the pool was leaking. They had a few buckets out for that. As you probably know the decor is a bit all over the place- but we kind of liked it. It has a funky disco meets 1980s public transport vibe.

Public bathrooms were spotless.

 

We were so tired from our touring that in the late afternoons/evenings we would usually find a spot by the pool or at a bar and have a drink and read. They were all clean. Crows nest was always full during sail away. I was impressed with all the people that could manage to tour and still do things in the evenings. We were just beat every night.

[DachshundJ]

Thanks for the tips and link. And the reminder what a treat it can be to visit "thrift shops" which I assume you are calling "charity shops". (used -second hand sales for a local non-profit).

 

Great places to pick up some extra wardrobe items too if the weather was not as planned when originally packing. I still get compliments on a jumper I got in New Zealand for a few dollars in such a shop, when the weather turned colder than expected. Hope your daughters found some fun cook books, and for the rest of us from the US also a place to pick up a set of metric measuring spoons and cups so we can translate the recipes.

 

Yes - I think that the store used the words charity shop -so I did too. She did get a few fun cookbooks. Metric spoons are a great idea -wish I had thought of that.

[Heartgrove]

Welcome back! We'll board Zuiderdam in 10 days. I've noticed a bit of critical comment about the condition of staterooms, common areas, etc. Of course, she's going into dry dock in the fall. What was your experience?

 

We were on the preceding Baltic Sea Adventure cruise in an SS. Everything was fine with no issues at all with our cabin. Our weather through the whole 12-day cruise was impeccable with smooth/calm seas and no rain. We really enjoyed eating breakfast on our verandah the second morning in Stockholm while overlooking Gröna Lund Tivoli. I would term it a "happy ship" with regards to the crew, and senior officers were always on the pier at the gangway while in the ports. Captain Wouter Van Hoogdalem was very present, more so than other ship's masters.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Heartgrove

[gigianne]

Heartgrove - totally agree with your comments about "Happy Ship" - it most certainly is - and it comes from the top - Captain! :)

[Queen of DaNile]

Timely post. We are thinking about the river rafting in Kristiansand in a few weeks and though the HAL description does say you'll get wet, I would not have thought to bring a rash guard and complete change of clothes. Thanks! Also we're going to be Edinburgh for the Tattoo so we'll know to expect the madness.

Glad to hear the ship was in good shape. Last August we had numerous "issues" with the plumbing.:eek:

[DachshundJ]

So sorry about the plumbing -that would be a big deal for me.

 

So the white water rafting was loads of fun. You go into a little lake type area and learn the rules. Then you all pick up the raft and move it to the rapids part. You do a short but intense section twice.

There is lots of splashing and a bit of horse play. This might not be everyones cup of tea. You have to kneel quickly and then spring back up again. We really enjoyed it though. It was a little rough on my hands -you grab the rope that runs around the edge of raft. If you have some kind of sports gloves laying around I would think about bringing them.

If you haven't been there -look at the Trollaktiv website -you can see pictures.

[OlsSalt]

...... Last August we had numerous "issues" with the plumbing.:eek:

 

We have been learning from ships engineers that the issues are more with passengers putting things down the plumbing than the ship's plumbing itself.

 

Always a good reminder - follow the clear instructions and don't put anything down the plumbing if it does not belong there - they find everything from bathing suits to towels to unflushable commercial wet-wipes. All of which create "issues" for everyone else on that plumbing circuit.

[Queen of DaNile]

We have been learning from ships engineers that the issues are more with passengers putting things down the plumbing than the ship's plumbing itself.

 

Always a good reminder - follow the clear instructions and don't put anything down the plumbing if it does not belong there - they find everything from bathing suits to towels to unflushable commercial wet-wipes. All of which create "issues" for everyone else on that plumbing circuit.

Well, whoever put whatever in the circut before we occupied the cabin caused our toilet to overflow before dinner the first evening and multiple times during the night!!!:eek::eek::eek:

[OlsSalt]

Well, whoever put whatever in the circut before we occupied the cabin caused our toilet to overflow before dinner the first evening and multiple times during the night!!!:eek::eek::eek:

 

Awful experience and we had that happen once too on our very first day in even a Neptune Suite - no one is happy and they try to locate the problem and get it resolved as quickly as possible.

 

Could be some departing passengers just might unload a bunch of junk down the commode, instead of packing it or dumping in this proper waste cans. The engineer had an incredible list of items that have been recovered from various ships - if you search prior posts it will help you better understand what is going on when this happens.

 

And from all reports no ship if free from this unfortunate event happening, since they are elaborate closed and integrated systems. Nor do these appear to happen because of any "lack of maintenance" on HAL's part - no cruise line would ever wish this to be a routine part of the passenger's experience. Sounds like 99% of the time, someone put something down the system that did not belong.