Zuiderdam
Sail date:
This was our 18th cruise, travelling with a group of 8 between the ages of 35-45. The ship itself was lovely but subdued - it felt like you had to whisper all the time so that you would not disturb the other passengers. The average age of the other passengers was 70+, and many activities was suited to that age group.We booked a deluxe veranda suite, and although smaller than expected, the amenities were great. Champagne, priority boarding, tender tickets, etc.was nice. The room steward was excellent - maybethe best that we have ever had.The dining room was a disaster. Our meals were constantly wrong, we waited up to 20 minutes to get any kind of drink, and half of party would be done with their main course before the other half would even get theirs. We finally registered a complaint and things got better the final two nights of the trip. But it was unacceptable.The shore excursions desk needs help. Most of the time it was chaos getting the group together and getting off the ship. Other people I spoke to had there excursions cut short because it was so disorganized getting to the destination.We took the ATV tour in St. Kitts and it wasWILD. Definitely not for the faint of heart.However, the other group that took the tourhad a guide that only took them to half ofwhat we saw, so I guess it was just luck.The St. John Trunk Bay tour was nice, but weran late due to disorganization getting intothe tenders, which then went to St. Thomas where we had to board the ferry to St. John. We had a 9 am tour and finally got to the beach at 11:15.The Lido restaurant was great - best varietyof food that I ever seen on a ship.Don't miss the Thai band that plays in theCrows' Nest each evening. Their rendition ofQueen's Bohemian Rhapsody is a scream.They force you out of your room by 7am on thelast day - ridiculous - and we finally justgot off the ship at 9:30 before our number was even called. It was very slow.I expected more from this cruise - I think myparents would have enjoyed it more than we did.I understand that it is a new ship and we didexpect some kinks in the service, but not asmuch as we endured.Having cruised NCL, RCI, Celebrity, etc., Iwould stick to them if you are under 55 yearsold. We will probably not do HAL again until we are retired.