Panama Canal cruise

Item: Zuiderdam
Rating: 4
Author: LarryH10

Zuiderdam Cruise Review to Caribbean

LarryH10

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 41

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

10 Night Panama Canal Sunfarer (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 04, 2011

Ship: Zuiderdam

Cabin type: Oceanview

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 13 years ago

Review summary

We cruised on the Zuiderdam in November 2004 when the ship was much newer. It is still nice and I enjoyed the in-depth optional tour very much, but newer ships are nicer.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

We enjoyed the Vista Dining Room, Deck 2 every evening; loved the food and service. Lido did not seem as good of selection or service as we remembered from earlier cruise.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

We enjoyed entertainment every night in the Vista Lounge very much. Informational/instructional presentations such as on the Panama Canal were the Best!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship's staff was excellent, but did not seem quite as friendly or helpful as we remembered from 2004.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Ship size of 2000 passengers is fine, but we found ourselves waiting in line more on this cruise than any other. The condition of the ship considering it is 9-10 years old is still quite good.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Stateroom size was OK, but layout was not as good as we are used to. In 2004 we had an inside room which was much more convenient and if we did it over, would get another inside room. The closets were to small and narrow and was very unhandy next to bathroom. We like ships with walk-in closets much better.

Ports of call

Colon, Panama

1 out of 5

Our Panama Canal ferry boat and bus ride returned us to Colon before the ship arrived. We did not particularly like the shopping at the pier and the delay was a big negative. Don't want to go to Colon again....

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Stay away!

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

5 out of 5

The younger people in our group went on the 11 zip line tour of the rain forest and we enjoyed very much. The shopping locally was OK.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Zip line through rain forest for younger cruisers

Oranjestad, Aruba

5 out of 5

Seeing the resorts was interesting; some of the group enjoyed snorkeling.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Resort hotels