Zuiderdam

THIS WAS A BEAUTIFUL CRUISE WITH A COUPLE OF TWISTS THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE. GREAT SHIP, STAFF AND ITINERARY. NEED TO SET A PRICE AND FORGET ALL THE SURCHARGING.

Missed ports of call because of bad weather and a 'search and rescue" operation for another ship. Did not dock in Manhattan as planned because of damage to the dock there and wound up in Brooklyn. Too many boring ports of call. Cruise could have been 3 days shorter. Food and service were excellent. Lincoln Center Stage was great. Prefer smaller ships than the Zuiderdam.

The one thing that was a problem was that in many ports there are huge distances to cover. For those with limited mobility having a couple of go-carts to transport would be ideal. The ship did offer wheelchair assistance, but the booking of this was cumbersome. Often when one returns to the ship, there was no one to meet us with a wheelchair.

The itinerary of the cruise was excellent. The ship was well maintained, our cabin (with veranda) was immaculate and the stewards were friendly and accommodating. The food, whether in the dining room or the self-service area was very good to excellent. The food service was uniformly excellent. We attended the classical music performances in the evening, and these were very good. Otherwise, we did not make much use of the activities on the boat, other than to relax in some of the common lounges or the lido deck during cruising days.

Ship is older. Staff was great. Ports were interesting. Entertainment was totally subpar.