Just off the Zuiderdam

[Activated95b]

Just finished a 7 day Alaska cruise

 

The good:

 

Well, the first thing that happened was that we were informed that the upgrade fairy had visited and we had been upgraded from a VE to an SY.

(Nothing like starting out with an unexpected upgrade!)

 

When our luggage had not arrived our stewards dropped what they were doing, went out and found it. (And I made sure that they got an extra tip at the end of the cruise for this)

 

The food was excellent and most of the time I had a tough time deciding because the menus would have two of my favorite dishes at the same time.

 

No tendering meant that we could walk on and off the ship whenever we felt like it.

 

The Bad:

Not HAL's fault but it was extremely annoying to get off the plane in Vancouver; go through Canadian customs; board the bus and get taken directly to the cruise terminal; - then have to go through US customs without even having set foot outside the airport and cruise ship terminals.

 

In addition the customs delays at the terminal created huge lines. It took us over an hour just to make it through customs.

 

After the cruise the entire process was reversed. We had to clear Canadian customs at the cruise ship terminal; got on the bus to the airport - then had to immediately deal with US customs.

 

Crowding at the ports was another issue. It seemed like there were the same ships (Amsterdam, Golden Princess, Sapphire Princess, and an NCL ship I can't remember the name of) stopping at the same ports on the same days as us.

 

The Ugly:

I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but the decor of the Zuiderdam was (to me at least) eye-searing. I particularly hated the benches in the elevator lobbies and the carpeting in the 8th floor aft elevator lobby.

[Joy2theWorld]

Thanks for the post. We'll be on this same cruise in August. Any recommendations for future travelers on this ship as to activities, shore excursions, etc...?

[jmps]

Thanks for posting. We will be on the Zuiderdam on June 13th. It is good to hear about the level of food quaility. We you disembarked how long did it take to get thru US customs and out to the taxi/limo area? Our flight isn't until 2PM and we need to schedule a limo pickup.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Just finished a 7 day Alaska cruise

 

The good:

 

Well, the first thing that happened was that we were informed that the upgrade fairy had visited and we had been upgraded from a VE to an SY.

(Nothing like starting out with an unexpected upgrade!)

 

When our luggage had not arrived our stewards dropped what they were doing, went out and found it. (And I made sure that they got an extra tip at the end of the cruise for this)

 

The food was excellent and most of the time I had a tough time deciding because the menus would have two of my favorite dishes at the same time.

 

No tendering meant that we could walk on and off the ship whenever we felt like it.

 

The Bad:

Not HAL's fault but it was extremely annoying to get off the plane in Vancouver; go through Canadian customs; board the bus and get taken directly to the cruise terminal; - then have to go through US customs without even having set foot outside the airport and cruise ship terminals.

 

In addition the customs delays at the terminal created huge lines. It took us over an hour just to make it through customs.

 

After the cruise the entire process was reversed. We had to clear Canadian customs at the cruise ship terminal; got on the bus to the airport - then had to immediately deal with US customs.

 

Crowding at the ports was another issue. It seemed like there were the same ships (Amsterdam, Golden Princess, Sapphire Princess, and an NCL ship I can't remember the name of) stopping at the same ports on the same days as us.

 

The Ugly:

I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but the decor of the Zuiderdam was (to me at least) eye-searing. I particularly hated the benches in the elevator lobbies and the carpeting in the 8th floor aft elevator lobby.

 

I was on this same cruise and would like to add a different perspective to the "bad" and "ugly" parts of your post.

 

The Bad: I'm sorry you found the Canadian / U.S. customs process so annoying that it tainted your cruise experience enough to mention it here as part of your review. We all stood in long lines; however, I was fortunate enough to be sandwiched among happy folks who were either excited to be boarding at the beginning or wanted to chat about their fabulous cruise at the end. For me, lots of laughter and merriment were to be had both embarking and disembarking. A smile and good attitude can do wonders for making a seemingly nasty situation a fun one. I was amused that I got to go through customs twice (disembarking) within an hour -- once at Canada Place (entering Canada) then again at the airport (entering the U.S.). I think it's great that you can clear U.S. customs in YVR so you don't have to mess with it when you land back in the U.S.

 

The Ugly: The eye candy, for me at least, was Alaska. The ship was merely a vessel that brought me to view the spectacular majesty that is Alaska. I was not offput by the decor as I passed quickly through to enjoy my destination. If I were to describe the interior of the Zuiderdam, the word "whimsical" comes to mind. It's a lively and fun design but certainly not one I would choose for my own house. But, I wasn't in my own house....I was on vacation and having a fabulous time.

 

Crowding at the Ports: Happens all the time. Have you ever been to St. Thomas during primetime? I didn't find the cities to be overrun with people nor the shops. Also, I don't remember seeing an NCL ship once in any of our ports and I took lots of pictures of the ships we were docked with...not an NCL ship in any of them. Princess, RCCL and HAL were our buddies in port.

 

Once again, I'm sorry that the cruise wasn't all you wanted it to be. I was blown away with the beauty and size of Alaska (it was my first trip) and the crew on the Zuiderdam was fabulous! I guess it all boils down to what one is seeking when one takes a vacation and what makes or breaks it for them. I can't think of one single thing that was negative about my cruise on the Zuiderdam except I wish I had done a b2b so I was still on her instead of doing laundry and dreading returning to work tomorrow morning.

 

Diane

[DizzyDallasDi]

Thanks for posting. We will be on the Zuiderdam on June 13th. It is good to hear about the level of food quaility. We you disembarked how long did it take to get thru US customs and out to the taxi/limo area? Our flight isn't until 2PM and we need to schedule a limo pickup.

 

I was on this cuise (also had a 2:00 flight) and here is my experience disembarking. I left my room at 10:00 and encountered a pretty long line for Canadian customs and also at the taxi queue in the terminal. I was amazed that I arrived at the airport by 12:15 -- plenty of time for the 2:00 flight. You'll be fine. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

Diane

[Activated95b]

I was on this same cruise and would like to add a different perspective to the "bad" and "ugly" parts of your post.

 

 

Once again, I'm sorry that the cruise wasn't all you wanted it to be. I was blown away with the beauty and size of Alaska (it was my first trip) and the crew on the Zuiderdam was fabulous! I guess it all boils down to what one is seeking when one takes a vacation and what makes or breaks it for them. I can't think of one single thing that was negative about my cruise on the Zuiderdam except I wish I had done a b2b so I was still on her instead of doing laundry and dreading returning to work tomorrow morning.

 

Diane

 

I guess that I overstated the 'bad' parts. I had a wonderful time and only regretted that I did not have time for a longer cruise.

 

I had been told that Vancouver had a 'US direct' program where passengers on cruise ships were able to go directly from the airport to the ship without having to deal with customs. In addition I felt that it was more than a little bit silly to have to clear customs twice when I never really stepped foot on Canadian soil.

[pipedreams62]

I was on this same cruise and would like to add a different perspective to the "bad" and "ugly" parts of your post.

 

The Bad: I'm sorry you found the Canadian / U.S. customs process so annoying that it tainted your cruise experience enough to mention it here as part of your review. We all stood in long lines; however, I was fortunate enough to be sandwiched among happy folks who were either excited to be boarding at the beginning or wanted to chat about their fabulous cruise at the end. For me, lots of laughter and merriment were to be had both embarking and disembarking. A smile and good attitude can do wonders for making a seemingly nasty situation a fun one. I was amused that I got to go through customs twice (disembarking) within an hour -- once at Canada Place (entering Canada) then again at the airport (entering the U.S.). I think it's great that you can clear U.S. customs in YVR so you don't have to mess with it when you land back in the U.S.

 

The Ugly: The eye candy, for me at least, was Alaska. The ship was merely a vessel that brought me to view the spectacular majesty that is Alaska. I was not offput by the decor as I passed quickly through to enjoy my destination. If I were to describe the interior of the Zuiderdam, the word "whimsical" comes to mind. It's a lively and fun design but certainly not one I would choose for my own house. But, I wasn't in my own house....I was on vacation and having a fabulous time.

 

Crowding at the Ports: Happens all the time. Have you ever been to St. Thomas during primetime? I didn't find the cities to be overrun with people nor the shops. Also, I don't remember seeing an NCL ship once in any of our ports and I took lots of pictures of the ships we were docked with...not an NCL ship in any of them. Princess, RCCL and HAL were our buddies in port.

 

Once again, I'm sorry that the cruise wasn't all you wanted it to be. I was blown away with the beauty and size of Alaska (it was my first trip) and the crew on the Zuiderdam was fabulous! I guess it all boils down to what one is seeking when one takes a vacation and what makes or breaks it for them. I can't think of one single thing that was negative about my cruise on the Zuiderdam except I wish I had done a b2b so I was still on her instead of doing laundry and dreading returning to work tomorrow morning.

 

Diane

 

Diane- Your positive cheerful attitude is liable to spread and sink these boards. I'm glad you enjoyed your first Alaskan cruise. Thanks for checking in.

[Cruise Junky]

The Ugly:

I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but the decor of the Zuiderdam was (to me at least) eye-searing. I particularly hated the benches in the elevator lobbies and the carpeting in the 8th floor aft elevator lobby.

 

We were on her the week before, and oh boy are those benches ugly!! Eye-Searing is pretty much how we felt too. Glad your food was better than ours.

[Himself]

It is all in the eye of the beholder. Thanks for giving a "different" version.

[MarilouR]

We were also on this cruise. I have to say it was wonderful. We had the awesome pleasure of being upgraded to an SA 3 days before the trip and are now spoiled for life!!!!

 

For me the highlights were Glacier Bay and the whale watching in Juneau. The one thing I really wanted to see on this trip was a Humpback whale (I've seen all kinds of Orcas) and not only did we see them in spades on the Whale watching tour, we had the incredible pleasure of watching a large group of them from our balcony as we cruised through Icy Straights! My husband also got to see the thing he went Alaska for - Puffins :) :) - so we're both happy. The majesty of the area has to be seen to truly grasp (It was our 1st time as well) And not even the weather on a couple of days could dampen what was truly an awesome experience.

 

As far as the ship herself goes, I actually liked her. She was very different than our 1st HAL ship - the Veendam. I like the word "whimsical" to describe her. And as far as the line ups go, I was kind of expecting worse - so was pleasantly surprised when things didn't take as long as I thought they would.

 

I know I definitley have the "cruise bug" now. All day long I have been researching our probable next trip - Spring 2010 - the Western Caribbean. My husband wants to see the Mayan ruins.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Diane- Your positive cheerful attitude is liable to spread and sink these boards. I'm glad you enjoyed your first Alaskan cruise. Thanks for checking in.

 

Can you guess how I see the glass with some water in it? :D

 

Smile, laugh and enjoy life....it's infective.

 

Diane

[Anomia]

We just got off the Veendam, and as a young 40-ish 1st time cruiser I found the decor kind of hilariously staid (musch of the art was so odd on a cruise ship) and the shows were so cheesey and bad that we could barely stay for a single song. That said, I knew that there would be things that were not to our personal taste, but I was on vacation, and chose to be amused or ignore the stuff that could have made me unhappy. The Margerie Glacier, however, was neither tacky nor cheesey. How can ANY cruise line/hotel/ cruise etc meet all of ones needs? It is unrealistic. We loved HAL, felt very well cared for, and met the most marvelous people. I will not let the "art" in the hallways or the sparkly diamond jewelry hawkers ruin my vacation!

[Ya Ya Cruiser]

In addition I felt that it was more than a little bit silly to have to clear customs twice when I never really stepped foot on Canadian soil.

 

Not to put too fine a point on it, but how did you get to the port if you didn't step on Canadian soil - until you actually step foot on the ship - you're in Canada, my friend.:D

[pipedreams62]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but how did you get to the port if you didn't step on Canadian soil - until you actually step foot on the ship - you're in Canada, my friend.:D

 

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your report.

I can remember back in the 80's when there were only a couple of ships -- small ones -- in the various ports in Alaska (and the Caribbean and Med and Baltic as well).

But times have changed -- the ships are getting bigger -- holding more passengers. Thus all the ports everywhere are getting more crowded. Just a couple of years ago one of our Alaskan ports had 8 ships in -- some had to tender!!

Alaska has gotten to be a very popular destination.

[SnorkelFool]

I was on the 5/23 Zuiderdam sailing as well. We found the food to be below average with only a few exceptions. We did not enjoy the food at all and pretty much dreaded meals, especially the Lido (not just the food there but also navigating the place). We found the staff to be great.

[Susie51]

Thanks everone for posting. I enjoy reading all of the different points of view.

 

I was on Zuiderdam Nov. 2007. I don't remember the benches at all, but I did like the way the lido was arranged with all of the different stations to choose various kinds of food.

 

I haven't been to Alaska since 2002. This year I'll be on Westerdam Sept. 6. Seven years ago there were only 3 or 4 ships in port.