Any recent Zaandam cruisers?

[blythe]

Thanks for the replies. I would like to know about the tendering process at Bar Harbor. Is it easy to be off the ship early enough to make a 10a.m. private excursion?

Also, where does the Zaandam dock at Quebec City? Is it right near the Old Town and easy to do one's own walking tour?

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, blythe said:

I would like to know about the tendering process at Bar Harbor. Is it easy to be off the ship early enough to make a 10a.m. private excursion?

I found it very easy to make a 10:00 AM private excursion; I was almost a full hour ahead of time.

If heading south, you will be called by deck, lowest deck to highest, to clear Immigration since you are arriving from Canada. Then you are clear to leave the ship.

If heading north, the timing might be a little trickier, but still quite doable. You will need to go to a central area to pick up a tender ticket, then wait until your number is called before you head to the tender dock. The earlier you get in line for your ticket, the earlier you will be sent ashore.

Have fun! Hope you have a lovely day.

[mskitty1]

We were on the Zaandam the end of April through early May through the Panama Canal from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco.  It is a smaller ship that does not have all the "bells & whistles" but the crew, food, entertainment, etc. are WONDERFUL.  So many of the ships are adding more music venues which is great, but not the room on the smaller ships. Bigger ones have the BBKing group, Billboard on Board (2 pianos), 5 piece Lincoln Center Stage, and Rocking Room (only on the Koningsdam & Nieuw Statendam).  Some ships are doing away with the Production Shows with the HAL singers and dancers which we really do miss.  The Zaandam did still have them!  And the tv system has been upgraded with larger tvs and interactive channels with Movies on Demand.  BUT I WOULD NOT SAIL ON THE ZAANDAM just because of that.  We are 5 Star Mariners with over 700 days and each ship has its own features that we like.  But more importantly, WE GET TO SEE THE WORLD WITH HAL!!!

 

[crystalspin]

We were a group of 9, ages from 36 to 80, in August of 2018. This was the 14-day Seattle R/T to Anchorage. Everyone had a GREAT time! At one port (Victoria I think), I pointed out a Oceania or Seabourne ship and said -- they are a Luxury Line.

 

The reaction across the group was, What could be any more luxurious than what we are experiencing?!! (We had Partially Obstructed OVs on the Lower Promenade, too, so it wasn't like we had Suites.)

 

There were still production shows and Mike the Piano Man then; can't say for this summer, so if you only wanted VERY recent reviews, sorry.

[MJSailors]

We are considering a cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Montreal for April of 2020 or 2021.

I realize the Zaandam is an older ship that has undergone a refurbishment.

But, I am wondering if any recent passengers on the ship noticed any mustiness/ moldiness in any areas of the ship. As an asthmatic, I need to be careful to stay away from such irritants.

Also, does our loyalty level on Princess (Platinum) carry over to HAL as both lines are under the CarnivalCorporation umbrella?

Thank you in advance for any information.

[crystalspin]

I did not notice any mustiness, but I do not have the keenest sense of smell. Probably due to allergies! 

 

Your loyalty LEVEL does not transfer to HAL, but you are considered a "One-Star Mariner", as if you had completed one HAL cruise... but with no cruise-day points! Pretty meaningless distinction, it gets you into Mariner Brunch and not much else. The Brunch is nice (the dining stewards wear special tunics, all different, was what I noticed most!), but the line to get into it was so appalling -- because so many repeaters on HAL! -- that we've only gone once. And we're one cruise away from being 4*...

[JimnKaren]

We were on Zaandam beginning in March of this year, boarding in Buenos Aires. 34 days around South America to end in Ft. Lauderdale.

I read at home and I read on cruise ships. Fortunately, this ship still has a well-stocked library. Karen knits and her group met on sea-day mornings in the Exploration Lounge and enjoyed themselves.

There was a music trio plus a female vocalist in the Ocean Bar most evenings after the solo piano player who started just before dinner. The piano bar portion of The Mix featured an entertainer most evenings for the crowd who enjoyed that kind of thing. The Crow's Nest was well-populated for the evening's entertainment, too.

We enjoy this size ship (along with Veendam, the old Ryndam, the old Statendam, Maasdam, etc.). We don't have any desire to be on a ship, new or older, that carried more than 2100 passengers.

Jim

[blythe]

Thanks to all who responded. I am delighted to hear that Zaandam has a fine library. Although we do plan to have some sort of activity to experience all the ports, we still want to leave some time to relax and enjoy the ship.  We thought we'd do a short tour of Acadia NP via one of the independent tour companies; maybe just walk around the port at Sydney; do our own walking tour of Quebec City. The group we are with has already scheduled Peggy's Cove for Halifax, plus a tour in Montreal. We are undecided about Charlottetown. Everyone's input is very helpful and I appreciate it.

[NavArch64]

We also were aboard from 7/6 to 7/13 Boston to Montreal. We thought that the ship was in good condition and that the staff were excellent. Capt. Chris Norman is very professional as well.

[mcmarya]

We were on the Zaandam twice in the last year.  On the first cruise in 9/18 we were on the lowest deck near the front of the ship.  There was a slight odor of mustiness I sometimes caught on our way to the cabin--not in the cabin itself but passing through the hallway.  It might have been a temporary situation due to a leak that had been repaired.  If mustiness is a concern, a cabin on a higher deck is a safer choice.

[AryMay]

On 7/19/2019 at 5:29 PM, MJSailors said:

 

I realize the Zaandam is an older ship that has undergone a refurbishment.

But, I am wondering if any recent passengers on the ship noticed any mustiness/ moldiness in any areas of the ship. As an asthmatic, I need to be careful to stay away from such irritants.

 

 

We have done 45 days on the Zaandam in the last 14 months...a Panama Canal cruise plus the South America/Antarctica itinerary.

 

We had cabin #1824 for the SA cruise and twice our room smelled heavily of what seemed to be cigarette smoke. Both times it was when we returned to the ship at a tender port. 

 

The second time it was so bad we had guest services come to our room and the staff member admitted that other cabins in our area had the same problem. The tender platform was right below our cabin so somehow the smell must have been sucked in through the ventilation system. They had our bedding changed and sprayed the cabin with something that seemed to take care of the problem.

 

The previous cruise we were in cabin #3339 and sometimes had a loud banging sound in the ceiling when we were in rough seas. We reported it and had it checked, but they never did figure out the problem.

[MJSailors]

Thank you,mcmarya and AryMay for your responses.

I always look at deck plans to choose a cabin I think would suit us- midship,middle decks where there are cabins above and below a cabin of our choice.

I think a Vista Suite on HAL is equivalent  to a minisuite on Princess.

If so, that is the cabin category we would likely select.

Lately,we have sailed a few times on the Regal Princess,a relatively new ship,so no mildew or mold problems on that ship.

We also sailed on the Celebrity Summit- about the same age as the Zaandam- and we had no difficulty with the m/m problem on that ship either.

 

[blythe]

Thanks, AryMay, for your comment about the smoky smell in your cabin (#1824) experienced at tender ports. I was able to look up the location on the deck plan and am glad that our cabin is located more mid-ship, starboard. I'm hoping we don't have any problems. I'm very much looking forward to sailing on the Zaandam.

[CruiseMGM]

We sailed the Zaandam last January and had a marvelous time. We had one of the favored aft OV cabins and never really noticed any noise (although there were few people using the aft pool above us during an Antarctic cruise!). Loved the Pinnacle Grill dinners a few times during the cruise! Have a marvelous time, really liked this ship. Best wishes!