My Z'erdam Review

[Destin Mom]

We are recently off the Zuiderdam 12 day Venice-Venice itinerary. We booked this as part of an extended family vacation and were very nervous about it. My husband and I are traveling for the summer with our two children (5 and 6). We are not 'cruise people' and after our last cruise a few years back, we swore we would never make the dreaded cruise mistake again. This is our review...

- we read repeatedly that we should not cruise on HAL with children, we are in our mid 30s and too young, etc. Not true at all. Our children loved the kid's program and wanted to spend as much time as possible in it. There were not tons of kids but enough for a critical mass which suited us perfectly. There were plenty of other younger couples on board. We were far from the youngsters on the ship. Also, we found the older passengers to be extremely friendly and welcoming of the children. We enjoyed the ambiance and the crowd, had plenty of great conversations, and were never at a loss for company or nightlife if we wanted it.

- kids program- lots of reservations here as we read HAL is not geared towards children. While the program may not be as great as other lines (I don't really know since I have no basis for comparison- this was our first cruise with our kids), our kids cried when we had to leave, and the program director was wonderful. I think she single handedly saved the little egos of both of our children during the kid's talent show (my daughter when she tripped skipping a jump rope and my son who wanted to chase her on the stage).

- the service- WOW! It was truly amazing. We had AYWD and our waiter and assistant made our dinners memorable in a good way. Our waiters did magic tricks, made napkin puppets and animals, and did science experiments with the kids. They knew exactly what they wanted to drink, how quickly to bring it, and kept them entertained the whole time. The food was surprisingly great. They catered to the adults as well and we were able to enjoy our family dinners and the food.

- room service- WOW! We had the same waiter bring our food up along with a white tablecloth every time we ordered. He would set the table and put out the dishes and drinks according to who ordered what. We also took advantage of in room high tea service. Our daughter hosted two tea parties with friends from Club HAL on the balcony.

- cabin steward and Neptune Lounge- wonderful!

- we took advantage of a last minute upgrade offer and transferred to an SA cabin. It was fantastic. The space for 4, Neptune Lounge, ability to have high tea in the room, etc...well worth it.

- Pinnacle Grill- not that great IMHO. From reading the boards, I was expecting Ruth's Chris, Chops, Peter Lugers, etc. - in essence, looking for a high end steak house. My disappointment could be due to the quality of the food in the main dining room. While the filet cuts were thicker in the PG, the quality of the meats overall was the same in our experience. We didn't use our last free PG dinner. The kids wanted to see their favorite waiters in the dining room instead. Also, PG was fairly kid friendly as were the patrons contrary to other postings. We did not notice any crazy children in the PG, and there were plenty of children under age 12 in there.

- I had posted somewhere before that no parents were ignorant enough to let their little darlings run around with no supervision, presumably because they would have a clue as to proper protocal if they could afford to be on a cruise such as this. I stand corrected. Those parents do exist and say/ do nothing even when their kids hit others in the head with plastic balls, trip over others, splash, use pools that are clearly labeled as adult only, etc. (Note, all of this observed at the swimming pools). We noticed several older passengers leave the pool areas in disgust, and I can't say that I blame them. A HAL employee approached us at one point to try to ascertain where the parents were or if they existed. He did his best to calm down the circus, but I concede it is/ was annoying.

 

Was our cruise perfect? Of course not. The ship is not brand new. There are some places where you think they would have replaced things but didn't (our rather worn toilet seat a prime example); however, we did not notice the dreaded 'pot holes' in the carpeting or anything substantial that detracted from our enjoyment of the ship. In short, we thought it was the bomb (bomb in a good way). If HAL is after a younger demographic, they will get it in my opinion.

 

Post cruise, our family sat in Florence angered by the fact that out there somewhere, another family or couple was enjoying our room and our cabin steward, eating at our dinner table with our waiters. I think HAL has succeeded well in creating the vacation 'experience'. For us, that experience is the reason we return to our favorite hotels, cities, etc. From a 'DO NOT like to cruise couple', we will be back on another HAL cruise, and our children will be counting down the days.

[Destin Mom]

The info we gathered on Cruise Critic was invaluable to us on our trip. In short, it saved us big time. From excursions to embarkation/ debarkation, train strikes, ship navigation, etc., we would have been at a loss were in not for all of the helpful advice we received. Also, we were fortunate to meet several wonderful families from CC onboard which added to our experience. Thank you again for all of the help offered to a cruising novice!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write about your Zuiderdam cruise.

 

Pinnacle Grill is way above Ruth Chris Steak House -- JMO.

[Roz]

I'm so happy you and your family had a good experience on your first cruise, and that HAL's children's program met your needs. Where are you going on your next cruise?

 

Roz

[aliaschief]

Thank you for this wonderful review. Though listening to how your cruise went saddens us that we have to wait until October for our next one on the MS Noordam.

[Travalerie]

This is good to read for a 30 something couple traveling with 2 kids soon! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[Destin Mom]

Hi Roz. We are booked on the Eurodam for 10 days next summer and are tinkering with extending it to 20 based on our 12 days on Zuiderdam. Our kids would be thrilled and after two weeks of post cruise land based travel, so would the adults! We have been on two trains without a/c (or windows that open even in first class!) and lost lights and a/c on another regional train...traveling at night on board a ship seems like a nice idea even if we lose some of the cultural experiences that we are quick to cite as reasons for land based travel. JMHO though...we've been on the road for two months now and the cruise was (by far) the easiest part of our journey.

[off2ctheworld]

Thank you for your review. Your family sounds delightful and would be a welcome addition to any HAL cruise! We've wondered about train trips but will stick to cruising for now, especially since HAL has spoiled us!

 

Have a wonderful Eurodam cruise next summer!

[O2B@C]

... - we read repeatedly that we should not cruise on HAL with children, we are in our mid 30s and too young, etc. Not true at all. .... we found the older passengers to be extremely friendly and welcoming of the children. ....

- I had posted somewhere before that no parents were ignorant enough to let their little darlings run around with no supervision, presumably because they would have a clue as to proper protocal if they could afford to be on a cruise such as this. I stand corrected. Those parents do exist and say/ do nothing even when their kids hit others in the head with plastic balls, trip over others, splash, use pools that are clearly labeled as adult only, etc. (Note, all of this observed at the swimming pools). We noticed several older passengers leave the pool areas in disgust, and I can't say that I blame them. A HAL employee approached us at one point to try to ascertain where the parents were or if they existed. He did his best to calm down the circus, but I concede it is/ was annoying. ....

 

I am delighted to hear that your family had such a great time. Your children will have wonderful memories of the trip, I'm sure, and no doubt learned a lot without even necessarily realizing it.

 

Meanwhile, I personally thank you for squelching the idea (which has occasionally been voiced elsewhere on these boards) that anyone who complains about misbehavior by children must be one of those elderly child-hating grouches who comprise the majority of HAL passengers. You obviously love your children, and have no problem with other people's children either, as long as they are well-behaved. Yet you too were bothered by the out-of-control behavior exhibited by a few children whose parents were not supervising them adequately. (Glad to hear that a crew member at least tried to do something about it, but I agree that there's a limit to what they can do if the parents won't step up to their responsibility.)

 

Moreover, you report that the older people on board reacted warmly to your own children, who were supervised and well-behaved, and that their negative reaction to the out-of-control children was justifiable. As a HAL passenger who is old enough to be a grandparent, I thank you on all counts: your good parenting; your reaction to others' lack of it; and your balanced account of the attitudes of older people toward children on HAL.

 

Happy future cruising! Best wishes to you and your family.

[CruiseTee]

Thanks for posting your great review on the Zuiderdam! We are boarding her in March for a Panama Canal/Southern Caribbean Cruise. One question, could you please tell me about the High Tea that was delivered to your suite? What time was it delivered and what did it consist of? We have booked an SB Suite and I was thinking of having tea delivered each day. My young daughter loves this kind of thing & it would be a great treat for her!

 

I'm glad you and your family had an excellent vacation!

[Destin Mom]

Hi CruiseTee. You order through the Neptune Lounge. It consisted of a variety of teas, sweeteners, cream, lemons, finger sandwiches and desserts. We requested a white tablecloth as well. It was very nicely done and was a highlight for our daughter. She doesn't really enjoy the tea itself but more the 'party'. You can have it delivered whenever you want it. Also, we ordered a couple of cheese plates and an ice cream sundae from room service for us/ our son to be delivered at the same time as the tea service. It was a unique experience for the kids, and they were thrilled. I'm smiling with nostalgia just typing this. Have a great trip.

[PathfinderEss]

We're thrilled that you and your children had such a great cruise. Thanks for taking the time to post such a nice review.

[Roz]

10-20 days on the Eurodam - wow! That will be great. Just reinforces your review. People don't book another cruise or even consider another one unless they had a good time.

 

Even though I don't have children of my own, I've recommended cruising to friends with children, because it appears to be an easy way for families to travel.

 

Roz

[norcal2]

This is a GREAT review and it shows clearly how each of us impact our own cruise experience. This will be of particular interest to parents of young children thinking about cruising. I have often been distressed when reading the labeling of this line as it becomes self-fulfilling in the end. I think for HAL to be viablely in business this mix of people of all ages is a must. Younger cruisers are not all party animals they are more often young families like yourself looking for quality and a restful vacation in an upscale environment. And that is where HAL excels from all accounts I have read before actually booking for the first time with HAL. You have done much of value here I suspect. Kudos. Welcome home.

 

I really can't wait to cruise HAL! I think I made the right choice this round.

[Cruising Ham]

- Pinnacle Grill- not that great IMHO. From reading the boards, I was expecting Ruth's Chris, Chops, Peter Lugers, etc. - in essence, looking for a high end steak house. My disappointment could be due to the quality of the food in the main dining room. While the filet cuts were thicker in the PG, the quality of the meats overall was the same in our experience. We didn't use our last free PG dinner. The kids wanted to see their favorite waiters in the dining room instead. Also, PG was fairly kid friendly as were the patrons contrary to other postings. We did not notice any crazy children in the PG, and there were plenty of children under age 12 in there.

Great review and I'm glad things went well with your kids. We had one crazy kid in the PG on our visit. Could not understand why the parents would allow that behavior. As to the food, I thought the bone-in ribeye was the best I'd had in years. I wasn't quite so impressed with my wife's porterhouse, though we were both surprised by it's size (very large). And the chocolate volcano cake......I came "this" close to just putting my face in the little bowl. Outstanding!