Antarctica and South America are a must see, but not on Holland America

Item: Zaandam
Rating: 3.5
Author: Battman204

Zaandam Cruise Review to South America

Battman204

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 50

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

Verified Review

22 Night South America & Antarctica (Santiago To Buenos Aires)

Sail date: January 30, 2019

Ship: Zaandam

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

I've said it. Great itinerary. Old, boring ship with very little interesting to do on board. But if you are 80 or above, it is probably your speed

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Easy enough. We were a little early, but the ship was ready for us

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

While we have enjoyed the food on HAL on previous cruises--this time it just felt tired. The beef, even at the upscale restaurants was tasteless. The Lido was downright inedible a couple nights and the dining room was only fair. Overall, the food was boring.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

The Zaandam, and HAL in general are just boring ships. The entertainment has not changed in years--we've seen the same shows at least 4 times. Even the America's Test kitchen were all repeats. We are in late 60's but this ship was way too old for us.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

The talent that they hire give it 100%. But the shows, music etc. are a real snore. We won't travel on HAL again until we are sure they have at least changed the shows. We saw the very same acts over a year ago. The movies are old. The in room TV"s are old. The library books are old. Enough said

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

The people on HAL always give it their best. Everyone tries hard. And while new passengers come and go, the staff tries to make everyone feel like they are special

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

This is an old ship,built in 2000. It does not have much to offer in amenities. It is clean and while electric went out occasionally, it feels maintained. However, too little attention is paid to communicable diseases. No hand sanitizers were available. And the hand washers were not used. A bad cold/flu circulated around the ship and at the end of 22 days, almost everyone had gotten it. I really am concerned about traveling with HAL again for this issue alone

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

If you go to Antarctica, pick a room on the port side. It usually doesn't matter on most itineraries, but the travel guides position themselves on the port side and everything they point out (whales, seals, ice bergs etc. ) is on the port side of the ship. It's a real bummer after a couple days. A balcony was very useful, especially on really cold days--we could sit inside and watch the scenery go by