Holland America Zuiderdam Cruise Review - Caribbean Cruise on the Zuiderdam
Cruise Line: Holland America Line
Cruise Ship: M/S Zuiderdam II
Cruise Date: April 30, 2005
Cruise Destination: Caribbean
Guest Contributor: Calgon
Calgon1@yahoo.com
The Zuiderdam Itinerary
Day 1 -- Fort Lauderdale, FL -- Embark at 5:00 pm
Day 2 -- Half Moon Cay (HAL private island) -- Arrive at 8:00 am and Depart at 4:00 pm
Day 3 -- At Sea
Day 4 -- Tortola, British Virgin Islands -- Arrive at 8:00 am and Depart at 5:00 pm
Day 5 -- St Thomas, US Virgin Islands -- Arrive at 7:00 am and Depart at 6:00 pm
Day 6 -- At Sea
Day 7 -- Nassau, Bahamas -- Arrive at 12:00 noon and Depart at 8:00 pm
Day 8 -- Fort Lauderdale, FL -- Arrive at 8:00 am
The Booking
We booked through Vacations To Go (http://www.vacationstogo.com). Although the Zuiderdam has 788 outside cabins (623 with balconies), our preference is for an inside because I tend to be a cheapskate in some areas and just can?t see paying so much more for an outside cabin, or even a suite; when I end up sitting at the same table, eating the same wonderful meals, watching the same great shows, and visiting the same exciting ports-of-call as the folks in the higher priced cabins. Besides, this leaves us more money for $hore excur$ion$, $hopping, the ca$ino, $ouvenir$ etc. Brochure price for an inside guarantee (category NN) was $1,297.88 per person. Our price, through Vacations To Go, was $1,217.32 for both! That, in and of itself, was pretty darn hard to pass up. We ended up booked into cabin # 8118 (category J). That?s a six category upgrade! So, total savings for the cruise was $1,938.44. WOW!!!
The Zuiderdam Cabin
8118 is about 10?x16?, with three closets (one with a programmable safe), a vanity with a large mirror and a mobile make-up mirror that SunFlower wanted to buy, a bath with shower, two night stands, table and chair, and a color TV with remote.
There were 12 channels available, ranging from HAL TV, to CNN International, to movies; as well as the regular forward and aft CCTV views, the Shore Excursion and the Port & Shopping channels. The refrigerator will be locked, but ask your steward to unlock it if you want to use it. We never did. There were two 110v single outlets at the dressing table, and one in the bathroom. The power strip and an extension cord will come in handy.
We had the twin beds converted to a queen and that mattress was the next best thing to our SleepNumber ® bed (soft, fluffy, comfy and snuggly). The A/C was controlled by a thermostat in the cabin and was very quiet. There was a bit of steam fogging the bathroom mirror, but putting the desk fan on the counter eliminated that, real quick. We were on Verandah Deck, aft, port side, and just about under the pool. I was concerned about the potential for noise, but my fears were unjustified. There was one evening that a country line-dance contest was held above us, but that wasn?t too loud and it ended about 10:00 pm, so sleep was never interrupted.
Our Cabin Steward was Abdu Rahman, and he did a fantastic job of keeping up with us. The cabin was kept spotless and the linens were changed daily. He was always present but never obvious and could usually be found with his buddy ?Henry? (the vacuum). We did follow Julie Barr?s suggestion and made sure we folded the lead end of the toilet tissue back into a point before we left the cabin. I think it worked as Abdu did keep giving us the strangest looks. Poor fellow probably thinks we never used it!
Embarkation on the Zuiderdam
We took the motel?s 12:00 am shuttle to the cruise terminal, arriving at the HAL terminal 25 minutes later. We had all our paperwork in order and were directed to the check-in counter. Maybe 5 minutes in line, then it was ID, ID, passport, passport, credit card, sign here, photo, photo, boarding number (group 9), through the security check-point and ? up the escalator. By 12:45, we had our gangway photo taken and were aboard. One of the most painless and efficient embarkations I have gone through. Kudos to the terminal staff.
Since the cabins weren?t ready, we headed to Lido Deck. Well, I headed to Lido. SunFlower went straight to the Greenhouse Spa to book her hair and nail appointments for the formal nights. Long ago we learned the hard way that available time slots on formal nights go quickly. I, of course, began grazing, as the Lido Buffet, poolside grill and sail-away parties were in full swing.
The Zuiderdam Cruise Ship
Master ? Captain John Scott
Cruise Director ? Dane Butcher
Executive Chef ? Raymond Southern
Godmother ? Joan Lunden
The M/S Zuiderdam II (?zuider? rhymes with "cider") was built at the Fincantieri Shipyards in 2002. She is 951 feet long. 105 feet abeam, and weighs in at approximately 85,000 tons. Her power is from five Sulzer diesels (three-16 cylinder and two-12 cylinder) and one GE 2500 gas turbine engine (15.4 megawatts). She has twin Azipod propulsion, which give her amazing maneuverability. Capable of speeds in excess of 24 knots, water-skiing is a possibility!
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Cruise Ship: M/S Zuiderdam II
Cruise Date: April 30, 2005
Cruise Destination: Caribbean
Guest Contributor: Calgon
Calgon1@yahoo.com
The Zuiderdam Itinerary
Day 1 -- Fort Lauderdale, FL -- Embark at 5:00 pm
Day 2 -- Half Moon Cay (HAL private island) -- Arrive at 8:00 am and Depart at 4:00 pm
Day 3 -- At Sea
Day 4 -- Tortola, British Virgin Islands -- Arrive at 8:00 am and Depart at 5:00 pm
Day 5 -- St Thomas, US Virgin Islands -- Arrive at 7:00 am and Depart at 6:00 pm
Day 6 -- At Sea
Day 7 -- Nassau, Bahamas -- Arrive at 12:00 noon and Depart at 8:00 pm
Day 8 -- Fort Lauderdale, FL -- Arrive at 8:00 am
The Booking
We booked through Vacations To Go (http://www.vacationstogo.com). Although the Zuiderdam has 788 outside cabins (623 with balconies), our preference is for an inside because I tend to be a cheapskate in some areas and just can?t see paying so much more for an outside cabin, or even a suite; when I end up sitting at the same table, eating the same wonderful meals, watching the same great shows, and visiting the same exciting ports-of-call as the folks in the higher priced cabins. Besides, this leaves us more money for $hore excur$ion$, $hopping, the ca$ino, $ouvenir$ etc. Brochure price for an inside guarantee (category NN) was $1,297.88 per person. Our price, through Vacations To Go, was $1,217.32 for both! That, in and of itself, was pretty darn hard to pass up. We ended up booked into cabin # 8118 (category J). That?s a six category upgrade! So, total savings for the cruise was $1,938.44. WOW!!!
The Zuiderdam Cabin
8118 is about 10?x16?, with three closets (one with a programmable safe), a vanity with a large mirror and a mobile make-up mirror that SunFlower wanted to buy, a bath with shower, two night stands, table and chair, and a color TV with remote.
There were 12 channels available, ranging from HAL TV, to CNN International, to movies; as well as the regular forward and aft CCTV views, the Shore Excursion and the Port & Shopping channels. The refrigerator will be locked, but ask your steward to unlock it if you want to use it. We never did. There were two 110v single outlets at the dressing table, and one in the bathroom. The power strip and an extension cord will come in handy.
We had the twin beds converted to a queen and that mattress was the next best thing to our SleepNumber ® bed (soft, fluffy, comfy and snuggly). The A/C was controlled by a thermostat in the cabin and was very quiet. There was a bit of steam fogging the bathroom mirror, but putting the desk fan on the counter eliminated that, real quick. We were on Verandah Deck, aft, port side, and just about under the pool. I was concerned about the potential for noise, but my fears were unjustified. There was one evening that a country line-dance contest was held above us, but that wasn?t too loud and it ended about 10:00 pm, so sleep was never interrupted.
Our Cabin Steward was Abdu Rahman, and he did a fantastic job of keeping up with us. The cabin was kept spotless and the linens were changed daily. He was always present but never obvious and could usually be found with his buddy ?Henry? (the vacuum). We did follow Julie Barr?s suggestion and made sure we folded the lead end of the toilet tissue back into a point before we left the cabin. I think it worked as Abdu did keep giving us the strangest looks. Poor fellow probably thinks we never used it!
Embarkation on the Zuiderdam
We took the motel?s 12:00 am shuttle to the cruise terminal, arriving at the HAL terminal 25 minutes later. We had all our paperwork in order and were directed to the check-in counter. Maybe 5 minutes in line, then it was ID, ID, passport, passport, credit card, sign here, photo, photo, boarding number (group 9), through the security check-point and ? up the escalator. By 12:45, we had our gangway photo taken and were aboard. One of the most painless and efficient embarkations I have gone through. Kudos to the terminal staff.
Since the cabins weren?t ready, we headed to Lido Deck. Well, I headed to Lido. SunFlower went straight to the Greenhouse Spa to book her hair and nail appointments for the formal nights. Long ago we learned the hard way that available time slots on formal nights go quickly. I, of course, began grazing, as the Lido Buffet, poolside grill and sail-away parties were in full swing.
The Zuiderdam Cruise Ship
Master ? Captain John Scott
Cruise Director ? Dane Butcher
Executive Chef ? Raymond Southern
Godmother ? Joan Lunden
The M/S Zuiderdam II (?zuider? rhymes with "cider") was built at the Fincantieri Shipyards in 2002. She is 951 feet long. 105 feet abeam, and weighs in at approximately 85,000 tons. Her power is from five Sulzer diesels (three-16 cylinder and two-12 cylinder) and one GE 2500 gas turbine engine (15.4 megawatts). She has twin Azipod propulsion, which give her amazing maneuverability. Capable of speeds in excess of 24 knots, water-skiing is a possibility!
Page 2 > > More on the HAL Zuiderdam Cruise > >
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