Just Back From Zuiderdam -amazing!!!

[californiacruiseluvrs]

Last year when I decided to take my family to Europe for the Summer of 2008 people thought I was crazy! Why would I want to do that when the dollar was so weak? At the time of our booking the conversion was$1.40 Euro to the USD. Well, by the time of our trip in July 2008 arrived the conversion was almost $1.70 Euto to the USD. However, I was protected – kind of. My cruise was paid for in advance at a guaranteed rate in USD.

When planning to take the big journey from Los Angeles to Europe with our 11 and 8 year old children my wife and I decided that a cruise would not only be the best way to travel between the ports we wanted to visit from a convenience standpoint, but it would also be the most economical. We were right!

Enter Holland America’s m/s Zuiderdam. A wonderful 90,000 ton vessel that was built in 2002 in Italy’s Fincantierri shipyard. At twice the size of the Titanic the Zuiderdam is first in a series of 4 identical ships deployed by Holland America, but only carries 1900 passengers – many less than other cruise ships that often pack 2,500 or more passengers on a ship this size. This ship is special to my family as we were on the maiden voyage in 2002 and were present when Joan Lunden cut the ribbon to release the huge bottle of Tattinger champagne that crashed down and broke on Zuiderdam’s hull – a tradition dating back over 100 years!

Trying to decide on a ship and an itinerary for our European cruise was overwhelming. However, when I learned that the Zuiderdam was due for a 1 month refit in Italy in April, 2008 it made the decision to choose this ship easier as several months later in July when we planned to travel the Zuiderdam would practically be a new lady. Plus the 12-night Venice to Barcelona itinerary was very appealing.

Flying from Los Angeles to Venice required a change of planes in both New York’s JFK airport and Paris’s Charles DeGaulle. The flights and connections went flawlessly. Upon arriving in Venice we took advantage of Holland America’s transfer program to the ship. We were met by Holland America representatives in the baggage claim area who quickly directed us to a waiting motorcoach after we identified our bags. The next time we saw our bags was several hours later in our stateroom.

The ride from the small, but quaint Venice airport to the ship was approximately 20 minutes. We wished we had taken a cab as we would have saved over $200 Euro. However, being unfamiliar with Venice I was more comfortable using the Holland America transfer for $320 Euro!

The cruise terminal in Venice is quite interesting. All of our carry-on bags had to be walked from the bus to the terminal for check-in. After the swift and painless check-in process we had another 0.25 mile walk to the ship along the pier.

Boarding Zuiderdam was like coming home. Upon arrivial at the gangway we were greeted with cold towels and water. Once on board we were escorted to the Neptune Lounge reserved exclusively for suite passengers on deck 7 as our stateroom was not yet ready. There we met our concierges Celine and Kim who would be at our service for the next 12 days. The Neptune Lounge features several food and beverages presentations daily. My favorite nicety is the cappucciono/espresso machine that brews freshly ground java drinks on command.

When our suite was ready at around 1pm we were escorted there by the concierge. At just over 500 square feet this suite is larger than some European hotel rooms. A wonderful balcony was adorned with 2 lounge chairs with ottomans and a small table for dining with 2 additional chairs. The décor was strange as is the rest of the ship sporting enough colors to give even the most eccentric personality an instant headache. A flat screen television, sound system, and DVD player were neatly arranged to be enjoyed from either the very large king sized bed or the large sitting area where the sofa seconds as a queen bed for the children in the evening. We had the use of frette bathrobes – even in kid’s sizes – and slippers as well as an umbrella and high power binoculars for figuring out what was in the distance on the horizon. The bathroom was a bit disappointing for a suite as the double sinks were constructed of a coral colored formica type material. A nice bonus was the bathtub which doubled as a shower and there was also a separate stall shower. The suite was immaculate and looked brand new.

Each night proved to be a treat in Zzzzzz’s as Holland America has equipped all of its staterooms – regardless of category – with amazing pillow top mattresses, a selection of down pillows ranging from soft to firm and terrific high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and down comforters. Bathroom towels were oversized of fine Egyptian pile. Elemis products were replenished daily and were quite luxurious. The Steiner run Greenhouse Spa on board features the full Elemis line for purchase.

The first 2 nights on board were spent in Venice where the ship served as our floating hotel. Being totally exhausted and suffering from jet lag we somehow mustered the energy to walk into Venice and find a great trattoria to enjoy some local favorites – pizza and pasta for dinner before retiring. However, we could not possibly fall asleep without enjoying what felt like our own private fireworks show off of our balcony. We arrived during Rendetore – a huge celebration in Venice akin to our 4th of July. We decided to enjoy this extravaganza from the privacy of our balcony as attempting to brave the crowds in St. Mark’s Square was not appealing.

We are not big fans of organized ship tours for the masses so we toured Venice on our own. A short walk from the ship’s berth was Piazza Roma where we were able to purchase Vaparetto tickets the following morning when we were more well rested. The Vaparetto is Venice’s water taxi. An all day pass allowed us to jump on and off of the Vaparettos with the locals. These water taxis run like clockwork according to schedule and were an easy and convenient way to navigate Venice. Our stops included the Jewish Ghetto, the island of Murano where we were treated to some hand blown glass demonstrations, St. Mark’s Square, and eventually back to Piazza Roma at the end of the day. Exhausting!

Several days later at 10am when the Zuiderdam sailed from Venice everybody on board was overwhelmed by the beautiful tour our departure afforded us which was narrated by the amazing on board port lecturer named Tom. Several strategic areas on board the ship were set up with stations featuring classic Italian Bellinis and cannoli pastries – all complimentary!

The next port of call Dubrovnik, Croatia was an exciting day to climb the mile long wall of the old city and enjoy local Croatian culture. Our next ports included Argostoli and Santorini, Greece. Argostoli is a beautiful little Greek island where we enjoyed a rental car and visits to some special caves and touring the island and enjoying its local culture and flavor. In Santorini we also rented a car and drove to Oia where we enjoyed a fantastic Greek lunch overlooking the Mediterranean. Getting to the top of Santorini from the dock where the tender lets passengers off there was approximately a 45 minute wait for the quick gondola ride up the mountain. My daughter and I decided to descend the hill later that day by donkey! This is one of the highlights of the trip for my daughter. Watch out for donkey dung if you walk the path!

After a relaxing day at sea – ahhh mamamia! Ciao bella we arrived in Catana, Sicily where true Southern Italian flavor could be smelled from the ship. A day trip to Taoromina proved exciting and beautiful. I must admit I broke my rule of not doing organized ship tours and took a shore excursion from the ship as getting to Taoromina on your own via trains and taxis could prove stressful and time consuming given the short amount of hours spent in this port.

On to Napoli! Just like the old movies portray Napoli this old city is a hustling and bustling metropolitan close to Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and the Amalfi Coast. Having been to all but Napoli itself we decided to brave the streets of this wild and dirty town. Despite the abundant trash due to the trash strike and the graffiti which seemed to be the art of the streets the flavor of Napoli was created by the people who all seemed to be engaged in going somewhere or doing something. Napoli has the feeling of a small New York. A place to watch for pick pockets, but also to find a little unknown street and local trattoria to enjoy the world famous Neopolitan Pizza – particularly one called the Magherita named after Queen Margarita during her visit to Naples. Several pizzas were presented to her by local chefs and the queen chose the one with the red tomato sauce, white mozzarella, and green basil as she felt it was patriotic to Italy in color. Hence, the birth of the Margahrita pizza. However, this is not just any pizza! In order to be considered true Neopolitan the pizza it must be tossed and not rolled. It also must be cooked in special wood burning ovens and not be perfectly round. There should be air bubbles that rise and areas of the crust that are actually burnt and other areas that have a powdery consistency due to the flour. The crust must not be doughy. Anything less is not Neopolitan Pizza.

Rome and Florence are interesting ports and there is a lot to cover during a short day visit – especially given that the port cities where the ship docks is about an hour away from city center. Knowing this we arranged private drivers in advance with a company called Rome in Limo. Our amazing drivers met us at the ship dockside at 8am and we spent until 5pm in each city enjoying the sights on our custom pre-arranged itinerary. Magically, our tickets to major attractions such as the Coliseum, Vatican, and Academia were purchased in advance and we were wisped to the front of the lines for immediate entrance. In Rome we enjoyed a private guided tour of the Vatican by an English speaking guide named Julia who made our experience spectacular! It was quite pricy at $150 Euro, but worth the expense. In Florence, our private car had a special sticker which allowed us to navigate the tiny streets usually only reserved for pedestrians. Busses let passengers off around 2 miles from the city center in Florence!

Being exhausted from our back to back tours in Rome and Florence we enjoyed a half day at sea on the Mediterranean while cruising to Barcelona, Spain. Upon arrival in Barcelona at 5 in the afternoon the ship was quickly cleared by customs and we were able to explore La Rambla – a famed area of the city packed with shops, street performers, restaurants, and a charming atmosphere. Don’t miss the Spanish tapas! The cruise line provided a shuttle for this 10 minute ride from the port for $3 Euro round-trip per person.

The next morning in Barcelona we disembarked the ship and took a taxi to the Hotel Arts Barcelona – a Ritz Carlton property – where we spent 2 nights. We enjoyed amazing accommodations on the 28th floor in a corner suite overlooking the Mediterranean and the port. Upgrading to accommodations that allow club access is well worth it as there are several food and beverage presentations daily that are a culinary delight!

Service on board the Zuiderdam was consistently excellent and crew appeared happy. Hotel Director Mark Pells and Captain Warner Timmers do a wonderful job at running a top notch ship that is well maintained and clearly strives for passenger satisfaction.

The recent drydock in April was an opportunity for Holland America to complete its implementation of their Signature of Excellence program. The most major change was the addition of more aft staterooms, elimination of the Oak Room in lieu of an Explorations Café on Deck 10, eliminating the Windstar Café and replacing this space with the Pinnacle Bar, eliminating the bar in the Pinnacle Grill to make room for more seating, refitting the aft teakwood decking, new pool tiles, new deck furniture, addition of flat screen televisions in the staterooms, complete refurbishment of on board shops, and overall replacement of worn soft goods. Quite disappointing are the old plastic lounges by the aft lido pool that are a complete disconnect with the rest of the ship and quality of Holland America. These lounges are not only cheap looking and uncomfortable, but dirty and old. Perhaps real teakwood lounges with fluffy white cushions would be more fitting.

Food on the Zuiderdam was good to excellent depending on the meal with particular kudos going to the soups which were always served extra hot and tasty. However, we only ate in the dining room for dinner about half the time as we wanted to enjoy the local flavor of the cuisine in the ports. The reservations only specialty restaurant called the Pinnacle Grill was quite the disappointment with a virtually unchanged menu since the inception of this specialty dining venue and food that is not particularly outstanding. The service was marginal in the Pinnacle Grill. This was quite disappointing especially for a $20 service charge per person.

My children enjoyed Club HAL – the onboard kid’s program. There were approximately 300 passengers under 18 who were mostly teenagers. For the most part the children on board were extremely well behaved. The program ends at 10pm. For those wishing to keep their children longer babysitting is available from 10pm until 1am at a rate of $5 per child per hour.

Activities and entertainment on board were more subdued and relaxed than that which can be found on a one week Caribbean or Mexico itinerary. Much of this can be attributed to the exhausting itinerary and passengers early retirement in the evening to be well rested for the next day. The night club called Northern Lights was seldom busy and the casino remained busy for a few hours a night after major production shows. Of course, shops and the casino were always closed while in port.

Overall, the 12-night Venice to Barcelona itinerary on Holland America’s Zuiderdam proved to be a wonderful vacation experience that I would recommend without hesitation to even the most discriminating traveler. Booking suite accommodations on Holland America is still cheaper than booking standard accommodations on some of the “luxury” lines and provides for an experience that is truly a “cruise within a cruise”. A whole different level of service and luxury aside from the accommodations includes concierge club access, complimentary laundry and dry cleaning service (which was outstanding), priority tendering without lines, invitations to special parties including the suite brunch on the last day which is on par with any fine hotel Sunday brunch, a suite welcome party with cocktails and hors’deurves, breakfast privileges in the Pinnacle Grill, and many other small perks that make the experience that much more special.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the extraordinary expense of everything in Europe due to the devaluation of the US Dollar. There are not bargains in Europe and everything you find there can be purchased in the United States for much less. Euros become like Monopoly money. Examples of the cost of things in US Dollars include a can of beer and a small bottle of water for $16 USD near the Coliseum from a street vendor and $80 for 2 mojitos by the pool at the Hotel Arts Barcelona. Average dinners for 4 at tratorrias in Italy frequented by locals and not tourists was in excess of $200 not including liquor.

Holland America remains a great option for cruising the Mediterranean in addition to being a great value. The Zuiderdam was on par with that of a Sofitel or W Hotel if compared to a land based property. I would rank Holland America above a Hyatt, Hilton, or Marriott, but not on par with a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons – even in the suites.

[johnlcruise]

Great review.

Looks like you all had a super time.

Thanks for taking the time to report on your Excellent Adventure.

[Cruzin Terri]

Thanks for your great review. We sail on the Zuiderdam on Sept. 5 for 24 days beginning in Barcelona. We're looking forward to this and really can't wait.

I'm glad you had a great experience and we're hoping for the same.

Terri

[SueOverend]

Fantastic review - I was with you all the way, having sailed a very similar on the Millennium a few years ago. Sailing out of Venice is totally amazing and I urge everybody to try and do it - one of life's must dos. We've only sailed with HAL twice, both times in Suites and I must say that the experience has ruined us for life! I only wish we could run to one this year on the Eurodam in October, but they were just too expensive. Your description has brought home to me what we'll be missing! Barcelona too, is an incredible city and I hope you managed to take in all the Gaudi architecture.

[grannynurse]

Thank you for the great review. It's so nice to have such a positive picture of Zuiderdam as we have not yet sailed on her but saw her in Tortola last winter.

What a great trip!

Thanks again, BTW, will there be pictures forthcoming? I know, nag nag nag.....

GN

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review -- wonderful.

 

I never liked the colors on the Zuiderdam either.

[grandmabarb]

We will be taking a similar cruise on the same ship in October. This will be our 15th HAL cruise, love those suites and somehow my life is cheerier when I have a cruise coming up.

Wonderful info on the ports and the sail out of Venice.... you have whetted my appetite even more, definately raised the excitment level.

[californiacruiseluvrs]

Thanks for reading my review. I hope this review provides useful information for those who may have an upcoming HAL and/or Western Mediterranean cruise. This is really one of the best possible itineraries and HAL provides a terrific way to explore this part of Europe.

[californiacruiseluvrs]

Next Summer the Oosterdam will be in the Mediterranean following the same month long drydock in April 2009 that the Zuiderdam underwent in 2008.