Zaandam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The ship is attractive and kept very clean; however, it is time for refurbishment, especially furniture in public rooms and statemrooms.

Very nice ship: Perfect size, number of passengers, and crew complement. The ship was clean and in very good repair.

We sailed the week before Christmas and had booked 2 cabins. One was acceptable but ours was the inside handicapped and it was in unacceptable condition. We decided to stay where we were because of the facilities otherwise we would have complained and asked to be moved. The ship does not appear as though it was built in 2000 but rather as though it was refurbished in 2000 and not since. Decor looked like it was from the 1950's and most inside places were very dark and uninviting. My husband and his mother got stuck in an elevator for 20 minutes while the crew tried to find someone to rectify the problem. The childrens program must have been non-existant since we constantly saw children (10-15) in groups of 4 or more going up and down the stairs and running in the halls. The best part of the trip were the 5 days in Hawaii. Had it not been for the fact that one of us had difficulty flying we would have flown to Hawaii and booked a cruise from there.

Lovely decor, great food and welcoming staff.

The ship was very nice. Although it's a smaller ship compared to some, it was very accomodating. The staff was wonderful especially those in dining. To be honest, we chose this ship because Holland offers the movie theater and ice cream bar which we took advantage of daily. We just feel that we spent a little more for the trip than we should have.

Average ship great wait and steward staff.

everything was fantastic

This was our third cruise to Alaska on board a Holland America ship, and our first cruise on the Zaandam. We found the food very good, most of the time, and the service was great a usual. Our state room was so small that we could not walk around the bed without turning sideways. We had booked an inside room, but got one with two porthole windows, but it was very very small! On the as sea days my husband slept, but I found that there was very little to do and was bored.

The ship was very clean and well laid out. It was easy to navigate and there was rarely any crowding or crush of people. Elevators were quite easy to get. Leaving the ship at port calls and on the last day was the only time we encountered lines at all. The naturalists on board were excellant and we loved seeing the whales and bald eagles, as well as the breathtaking glaciers. The Captain spent a long time at the Marjerie Glacier when the calving was occuring at a particularly impressive rate.

On the whole the ship was clean, easy to navigate and the staff was exceedingly welcoming. It was a great way to have the whole family together for the last time before they go there own ways as adults.

This was our 1st cruise. The stewards were so friendly and professional. They remembered our preferences to a tee.

Top notch--musical theme. Everything kept immaculate and minor problems corrected immediately. Sometimes hard to keep track of all the activities, but daily schedules and port-of-call summaries outstanding. Will keep for scrapbook of experiences.

No complaints about the ship although the oceanview rooms seemed small. Cuisine good and staff friendly. However, HAL had difficulty locating our names upon arrival despite assurances from Alaska boarding documents would be at the pier. After finally getting on board, we were told whenever we tried to charge something "you aren't in the computer." Despite having filled out a credit card application upon boarding, the front desk call twice the morning of disembarcation (first call 7:00 AM) advising they didn't have the credit card authorization and to report to front desk to fill out another one. So ship good, administration terrible.

The ship was nice, the smaller ship was easier to find our way around than a larger one we'd been on

14 cruises to date. 11 on Holland America. Never had a bad word to say about this cruise on on the other 10 Holland America ships. Booked on the Veerdam in Nov/2006 and booking on the Zuiderdam in Jan/2007. Need I say more, HAL ships are the best.

clean and well stocked

Always a good time on holland america

This was our first cruise with Holland America and it was a very enjoyable experience.The food was VERY good and we were especially impressed with the Marco Polo Restaurant. The service in the dining room was rather slow, so we ate onthe Lido Deck many times. The food there was very good. The ship was beautiful and the choice of music was very pleasant. Crew members and the ship's staff was very friendly. Embarkation was a breese, just as debarkation was. Can't wait to travel with Holland America again.

Took Western Caribbean cruise on Zaandam, August 19-26, 2000! It was wonderful! Had a mini-suite on Navigation deck which is the perfect location, just one floor up to Lido (pool, dining) and 2 down to everything else. The cabin was lovely, the crew wonderful and the food great! My daughter (nine years) had a wonderful time in Hal's Pal's. The entertainment was great and so was the Cruise Director who kept us well-informed of everything happening, including a detour due to Tropical Storm Debby! Thanks, Holland America!

The Holland experience aboad the Zaandam greatly exceeded our expectations.The embarkation went very smoothly. We drove to the pier and found ample parking very close to the dock terminal.Our cabin was very roomy and had more than ample storage of closets and drawers to place our personal belongings.The staff were absoulute fanatics about keeping the public areas prestine. In fact, the entire ship was always clean and spotless.The food in the main dining room was great and we made reservations for the alternate dining in the Marco Polo dining room, where the food and serice were excellent.Enjoyed the entertainment. A couple of nights were super. However, overall, I felt that the entertainment was was somewhat disappointing.We really enjoyed Holland's own island, Half Moon Cay -- wish we had a longer stay there on the white sand beach and with the crystal clear water.A wonderful voyage from start to finish.If you want impeccable service and superb trip on the high seas, I highly recommend you choose HAL.Richard of Tennessee