Awesome relaxing cruise
Zaandam Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 42
Review summary
This cruise was perfect for a family or couple who enjoys exploring new places, walking and for relaxing. Service was efficient, polite and food was tasty and plentiful. Excellent for people who don’t like crowded ships- as this was not!Embarkation
Would’ve been better had some of the required apps properly worked to upload the required information. So there was a number of people - including myself and partner who had to wait in a line to show documents we thought we had successfully uploaded, but hadn’t.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
All good was fresh, properly cooked and offered a variety of options, everywhere we ate. Of course the food was particularly amazing in the Pinnacle Grill (which costs more).
Onboard Activities
Pools were warm and not overcrowded- we really enjoyed them. As for entertainment, we didn’t go to any of the specialty talks or go to any song and dance shows, as it’s not our thing. This isn’t the cruise to go on for entertainment. We saw one show, a comedian, who we enjoyed.
Entertainment
Just average music, live performers. Nothing earth shattering
Children's Programs
We did not travel with kids.
Service and Staff
Friendly and attentive staff. It was rare to wait for someone to come over to us- no matter where we sat, and offer us drinks. Pleasant and hard working staff. The best ever we have experienced on a cruise ship.
Ship Quality
The ship and decks were spotless and kept clutter free. Smaller than average ship, which made it easy to know your way around. Well-designed, spotless, well-maintained. It was always easy to find a quiet and private place, even with the smaller size of the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
Comfortable room, with a double sized shower(not the telephone booth size). Comfortable twin beds made into king size bed. Room size was standard, but offered good closet and drawer space. The ‘obstructed view’ was a part of the metal on the promenade rail- but we could clearly see the ocean at all times. Our only complaint was the number of electrical outlets to plug into was dismal-1 in the cabin and 1 in the bathroom. Cabin was kept spotless daily.
Ship tip
Visit the explorers cafe for the best (specialty) coffee on board!
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
We boarded in Boston but explored the city on our own pre-boarding. We Went to the ship early morning and gave them our luggage first- and then we explored the city until it was time to get on board! Awesome!
We took the bus excursion up to Acadia National Park- which was primarily on the bus. The bus driver was knowledgeable and spoke as we toured Bar Harbour on the way up to Cadillac Mountain. We were given approximately 20 minutes at the summit to get out and enjoy the spectacular view. It was awesome. Then we walked around the beautiful seaside town of Bar Harbour, which is not ‘flat’, but very small. Shops repeatedly had the same items and relatively high prices. Seafood lunch in town was costly- nearly 100$ but a necessity as this was the only town we tendered at- which made it more challenging to go back and forth to the ship. Once you get on land in Bar Harbour, plan to stay there for the day. What a beautiful little seaside town.
We did the ‘Hop on Hop off ‘ bus here-which was good, because some of the things we wanted to see would’ve been to far to walk to. However a good part of the attractions are a short walk from the cruise ship- or a short taxi ride (maybe 2-3 kilometres
Walk). We went to the Titanic cemetery (free, but far from the ship) and the Maritime museum (closer to the ship, on the waterfront, approx 10$ per person). Well worth the price of admission. A must see!
This is a beautiful little Canadian town along the water that we walked through easily without booking any excursions. There are many hand made crafts and artisans right off the ship and in the town, making this a good place to shop- but there isn’t much else to do. Well, shop or go to the Casino- right in the middle of town next to the hockey arena. You can’t miss it. A really lovely waterfront too.
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
We walked around Charlottetown and it’s waterfront without taking any excursions. We didn’t feel it was necessary, as this city is safe, compact and flat for easy walking. Shopping for local artisanal items is the thing to do here too!
Cruising the gulf and its calm waters and beautiful waters edge was a lovely experience. The mouth of the St Lawerence starts out with wide with expansive views of the shore line and as time goes on, the shoreline on both sides narrows, offering beautiful views of both sides of the Quebec shore. Fantastic !
No excursion necessary here unless you have trouble walking. Part of the city is up on a hill, but is accessible via steps (!) or. 4$ ride in the ‘Funicular’ -which is well worth the money and the awesome view through the glass-sided ‘elevator.’ While French is the primary language here, you merely need to smile and respond, ‘Bonjour-Hello’ to anyone who greets you in French, and they will flip into English 95% of the time. You can’t leave Quebec City without a gift of a can of Maple syrup for everyone back home!!!! Yum!
I live here- so it’s my favourite port. If I didn’t though, I would have walked around old Montreal- just steps from where the ship is docked. Go see Notre Dame Basilica ! The metro is easy and safe to use, and I recommend you see any of the following -St Joseph’s Oratory, the Botanical Gardens, or walk in Ste Catherine street (which looks like any US Downtown ) or take a taxi up to the top of Mount Royal for a spectacular view of the city! While French is still the primary language here, you’ll find many more English speaking merchants/people here.
Disembarkation
A little slow, and thank goodness we didn’t have to wait for a taxi in the line up. Getting off the ship/ finding luggage was easy.
Traveler Photos
