Zaandam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Definitely doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a newer ship but we had a great time. Lots to do. The food was excellent. I would do this cruise again. Bring layers!!! It was cold almost every day and I wore my jacket and coat every day!! Hats and gloves even helped. Be prepared for any weather.

Enjoyed the ship size. Easy to get from one end of ship to the other. Excellent entertainment options. We saw 4 movies at comfortable indoor theaters. The comedian and the magician were both excellent.

Held a baby sloth…enough said!!!!!! Best experience

This is our first Holland American cruise. We loved our ship. It was smaller than most. We have to stop at a port of call almost every day and we loved how it broke up the trip. Everyone on board was helpful. We will do this cruise again. Maybe next time Montreal to Boston. We just loved it.

Overall, we enjoyed the trip. It was a nice, slowed down pace from our busy lives. The people we sailed with were an older crowd and the activities and music section onboard reflected that. There was no kareoke or late night discos. The excursions offered were not strenuous activity (except for Bar Harbor biking). But we liked the tour guides who explained things to us & would recommend it to others.

Very easy to leave a day early as we were cleared in Bar Harbor. Walked off with luggage and in my car 6 minutes later. Home in 35 minutes. Best embarkation ever.

Just got back from a 22 day cruise from San Antonio, Chile to Antarctica and on to Buenos Aires. It was our first time with Holland America, We have sailed with Princess 16 times and loved every one. When we booked they did not go to Antarctica but they do now. The cruise was great. The 4 and a half days in Antarctica were fabulous. I would love to go back someday. The Captain was great and I loved the hour he spent answering questions from the audience. The Steward (Ram) and the Assistant (Buddy) were exceptional. The waiters at table 156 Anaka and Gete were wonderful. The supervisor Johanas was extremely helpful and treated us like royalty. The two extra free days in Buenos Aires were a very nice touch for those who had suites. The free excursions for the suite guests were also very good. The ship itself was fine, no complaints. The retractable roof allowed for swimming even in Antarctica. The theater was small and the upper deck felt isolated from the floor activity, especially for New Year’s Eve. The woman naturalist Tamara was poor. Had no clue how to give clock directions for viewing. Also made up sightings, 15 whales off the stern. Numerous times like they were trying to reach a quota. Having the guy from Argentina give a lecture on the Falkland war was a severe error in judgement. “We would have to get rid of all the people currently living there.” No wonder the British people hate the invading Argentinas. Most lectures were good but the political comments have no place in the talks, we are not paying for their political opinions. The food selection is limited and after reading the menu online there were several nights we avoided the dining room. The Lido was poor as well, although they did have good salads in large bowls. Overall the food did not compare to Princess. The entertainment was also not as good as Princess. It was usually only 35 to 40 minutes. Excursions varied. Some were very good. Some were overpriced for what you received. The staff that helped people into tender boats and back on board were not friendly. Room Service was very good and although the food was always the same it was usually good, and on time. Important for early excursions. They seemed to be constantly pushing alcohol. There photo department was the worst of any ship we have sailed. No video offered for sail of the cruise. No cameras for sail, no batteries or accessories, No ship camera. The stores were the worst as well. They could have sold 1,000 Antarctica shirts and hats. No hats period and shirts only in small and medium, and that was charging 160.00 for a t-shirt. Constant comment was Holland does not run their own shops. I was surprised by the number of children, teenagers, young adults, and people under 50. I think they were the majority. It was the Antarctica not Holland or the ship that caused this. We only missed one port because of the wind. That was Christmas Day, the stores would not have been open anyway. I really liked the fact they provided very nice binoculars in every suite cabin, better than what we brought, great for spotting penguins on icebergs. All in all it was a wonderful trip. Holland was not bad, some things were really good, but I would go with Princess if both were going to the Antarctica. They have been the only main cruise line going to Antarctica so the itinerary is good. We saw a Silver Seas ship while there doing Antarctica but they want 36,600 per person for 18 days. You are looking at well over $80,000 for two people counting flights and excursions. Almost 4 times what we paid. You get a lot better value with Holland.

Fun, exciting cruise to Antarctica. Even in summer, south america can have rain, snow, sun all in a few hours. Mostly good weather though. Some disappointments in the ship with crew, food, drinks, a mixed international crowd, but I guess a bargain overall with the number of days on board plus the chance to see Antarctica and the Wildlife.

Highly recommend the Dine In! The burgers and fries were exceptional! We absolutely enjoyed every dining option on this ship! In fact, we enjoyed and treasured every single minute! Can't wait to sail again!

I. Would definitely recommend this cruise to others. There was a great mixture of interesting ports plus an equal number of relaxing sea days. Our Vista suite was a first class accommodation; having our own small private balcony was a luxury we will never again forego. We purchased 15 Holland America shore excursions and feel 14 of them were worth every penny. (Not "Scenes of LaSerena and Elqui Valley.")

The staff, without exception, was excellent. The food was great; we preferred eating in the dining room as opposed to the more informal buffet line.

the majority of the ports where wonderful to see and to get a local flavor of the country. Our favorites were Falkland Islands, the days at sea cruising the Chilean fjords- magnificent glaciers!. The penguin colony at Bluff Cove was great. Iguazu Falls day trip was fantasias - not to be missed!! Puerto Chacabuco was a beautiful scenic ride and very good tour guide as was the stop for lunch at a lodge with the mountains and waterfall as a backdrop.

Well worth the time and experience. The cruise was relaxed and the staff were wonderful.

Overall a very successful cruise experience with absolutely stunning scenic cruising in great weather conditions. We enjoy HAL.  Ship very comfortable and manageable size.  Staff very efficient and friendly, exception being Main dining room experiences (open dining). Entertainment of a high quality in our opinion.

The Zaandam and crew was fine but entree choices in the main dinning room where limited and became boring toward the end of the cruise (14 days). Sea conditions where very good considering how difficult this area can be but the weather in the fjords was limiting which is the luck of the draw. Ports visited where just average but seeing Cape Horn in sunlight was worth the trip.I wouldn't recommend this trip for a new cruiser since what you see is very limited. The Norwegian fjords are much more spectacular with Alaskan glaciers far better than what we saw. If you want to see glaciers at their best try and visit Tracy Arm in Alaska.

Fellow passengers help make the trip and we really had a good group on board. Many countries where represented and we had many good dinner conversations.

Holland America needs to pay attention to the embarkation process which can only be described as FUBAR. No organization with local staff that was very poorly trained and lines that never moved. It was so bad that my luggage made it to our cabin before we did which can only be described as a new low. The whole process was a mess considering most of the information was provided with online checkin. Printing out your own paper luggage tags I think could lead to miss directed bags.

The life boat drill was a complete waste since the noise of the port made it impossible to hear anything said. When this in conducted in an active port like Buenos Aries a written statement with the information covered should be handed out as you checkin.

Beautiful destinations, great on board ship life, a Captain that made seeing Antarctica enjoyable, well informed lecturers all combined for a "perfect union" to make this one of my better cruise experiences.  While the object of my attention had been Antarctica, I came away overwhelmed by the Chilean sights  Just awesome. 

This trip was an assault on all the senses - eyes, ears, nose, taste, feel - especially nose with the penguins but that was part of the appeal. 

The quality of the naturalists/lecturers aided immeasurably in my appreciation and enjoyment.

We did the 14 Day Asian Explorer on the Zaandam out of Hong Kong in February 2012.  To date we have sailed Holland America Lines (HAL) seven times and will sail the Zaandam again at the end of this month. 

We are looking forward to sailing the Zaandam again, to see how well they have refurbished it since we sailed in 2012.  To be honest, one of our few complaints was the Zaandam was showing it's age.  We were advised that it was going to dry dock soon for refurbishment. 

Once again, we were fortunate to be staying in the Penthouse Suite (now known as the Pinnacle Suite), which not only has a very nice cabin, but, gives you access to the Neptune Lounge, with their own concierge service, and priority to restaurant seating, embankment, disembarkation, and other perks.

As we sailed HAL over the last eleven years we felt they have had great service and food, but, in the last few years, it appears to us that their parent company, Carnival, has been making some cutbacks on Holland America ... maybe too many. 

The other concern we have with the Zaandam and HAL in general is that need more restaurants.   The Zaandam only has four restaurants.  That gets old really fast on longer voyages or if you travel HAL often.  We will be trying NCL for the first time on their mega ship, the Epic, as they have 21 restaurants.  Regardless, we do think HAL is a class act.

The Rotterdam Dining Room (Main Dining Room) offers good service and food.  The menu does vary from day to day yet offers some constant mainstays for people who do not want to try anything new.  

The Pinnacle Grill, their specialty steak and seafood restaurant, offers fine food with excellent service.  There is a fee, but, it is well worth it and I highly recommend eating there.  You need to make your reservations as soon as you get on board as it does book up fast.

I also recommend the Canaletto restaurant that offers Italian food.  There is also a fee for this restaurant, but, once again, well worth the price.  This is located within the greater Lido restaurant area, but, has it’s own section.

The Lido restaurant offers buffet style food.  It changes it’s menu daily and actually serves some of the dishes offered in the main dinning room.  During peak times it can get very crowded, but, overall does move quickly.  Window seats do go quickly.  Most evenings they do offer a late night (around midnight) snacks and light meals.