Loved it despite the few things

Zuiderdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

jiyaep

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 64

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean Holiday (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 21, 2015

Ship: Zuiderdam

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 1081

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The cruise in general was a lot of fun. By the time it had ended, my mom and I had wished we had signed up for a longer cruise. We didn't think we would enjoy being on a boat together for 7 days. It flew by all too quickly.

The crew members are very friendly and always happy to help. The food was amazing. The service was awesome.

The only few things that I didn't enjoy too much was how pricey some of the services were...like the spa. I would have loved to indulge but those prices were on the line of too much/ridiculous in my opinion.

Some of the days, the activities on board were a little bland. But we always found something to do whether it was go tan outside or just walk around.

Also, This cruise was a majority of very old people. Everyone was friendly but it would have been nice to see more people around my age group (age 27) and be able to hang out with them.

However, these things did not take away from any fun that we had and would have loved to stay on the cruise to do one more week.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Sometimes it was a little boring. If i hadn't enjoyed tanning, I might have just stayed in the room and watched a movie.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

I just don't care for children in general.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

It was in one of the most convenient locations on the ship. The only thing was I did get pretty infuriated because our key card kept not working. I had to go to the front office about 4-5 times a day. Sometimes I even went 3-4 times IN A ROW. It was especially annoying because there was almost always a line at the front desk. So it would take us an hour or more to just even get into our room. I just have to say I'm glad we were never on a time crunch when that happened. I even kept telling them that maybe something is wrong with the door and it took them about 3-4 days to check the battery life on the card reader which later when tested, had very low battery. It would have been nice to have avoided this hiccup early on. The last 2 days or so, we finally were able to get into our door with no problem. otherwise, our steward kept our room very clean and always provided us with fun towel folded animals.

Ship tip

You can go much earlier than the suggested boarding time and its recommended. People start lining up to check-in VERY early and it gives you a nice opportunity to explore whats on the boat before everyone gets on. Bring nice gala clothes - a lot of people dress up.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

3 out of 5

It's a bit of a hassle to get into the everglades because of security. I would honestly suggest taking a cab to the everglades from FLL because the transfer service provided is double the price of a cab.

Thumbs Up 1

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5

Falmouth, Jamaica

5 out of 5

I would honestly skip any excursions the boat provides because taking a tour from a local guide is almost half the price and they take you to more locations

Thumbs Up 1

George Town, Grand Cayman

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

2 Comments

gmacruzer 8 years ago

Yes, HAL is known for its older crowd. We too are in our 60's and love life on HAL. Not so loud and hectic and not as many kids. Just a nice cruise. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of crazy fun and good music to be had. Every time there have been younger folks on our cruises, they have had a blast.

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Deejay43 8 years ago

Holland America is a favourite among older cruisers because it has been around for a long time and is the only reasonably priced line with smaller ships. We must be two of what you refer to as "very old" as we are in our late 60's. We just don't care for the hustle and bustle of the ships whose target market is family oriented.

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