Canada and New England Fall colors
Zaandam Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 59
Review summary
This was a repositioning cruise from Montreal to Ft Lauderdale. This was a great cruise for us. I enjoyed the 3 days at sea sailing down to Florida, it provides some relaxing time to unwind and enjoy the trip. I highly recommend Holland America, however, be aware that it is definitely an older crowd. There were only 3 children under the age of 13 and then the next youngest was probably in their late 20s traveling with family. I would guess the average age of all passengers was probably in their late 70s.Embarkation
Went extremely smooth (we were the last ones on board because I made a mistake on the time to be onboard)
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
This was our 9th cruise, I think the food in the Lido Market and the Dining room was a little better than any other cruise.
Onboard Activities
I utilized the fitness center and the men's sauna - these were nice except the men's changing room was very compact. I also attended some of the Microsoft training sessions and learn about features that are already available on my computer.
Entertainment
The Zaandam dancers and singers were amazing! All the other entertainers were great except for the guitar player/comedian.
Service and Staff
Very attentive and friendly. It always helps to have a staff/crew that has a good attitude and is friendly.
Ship Quality
The ship is due for dry-dock in about 6 months so I am sure they will be addressing some of the minor issues at that time. All the public areas were clean and well maintained. Our original stateroom needed to have the bathroom redone. We had to be moved to a different stateroom on the second night because of some other issues.
Cabin / Stateroom
This is an accessible cabin with an extended balcony at the back of the ship. Very nice!
Ship tip
Do not reserve a stateroom on deck 1 at the back of the ship, ours was extremely noisy because the engines, propeller, A/C unit.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
I thought we would be sailing close enough to shore to enjoy the Fall colors but we were too far away from the shore.
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Went to the musical, Anne and Gilbert -- very well done, really enjoyed the production. It included a walking tour with an very informative guide.
Nothing to do except the Space Center, which we have already done in the past. We did go to the Exploration Center, it is a very informative center, enjoyed it.
Disembarkation
Very smooth and quick.