A cut above Princess

Zuiderdam Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 55

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5
Verified Review
Zuiderdam

29 Night Baltic Adventure & Viking Passage (Copenhagen To New York)

Sail date: August 09, 2016

Ship: Zuiderdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7136

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was our first cruise on Holland America after two cruises on Princess.  All the jokes we heard about the "elderly crowd" on Holland America, compared to Princess, were just plain untrue.  There were plenty of seniors, but also lots of younger folks.  Overall, I would say that the Princess cruises had a higher overall age, not that it really matters.  But I would say that despite the Zuiderdam being an older ship, it was quite elegant and nicely maintained.  The service was impeccable and overall I felt that it had a certain degree of "class" that Princess lacked.  I would definitely cruise with Holland American again, in general, and on the Zuiderdam again, in specific, if the right opportunity and itinerary came along.  Compared to Princess, I would say that Holland America is a bit more expensive, but worth the small premium.  I was particularly impressed with the asian and pasta bar stations in the Lido buffet and the availability of multiple flavors of hand scooped ice cream at lunch and dinner.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Reasonable size cabin, good value for the price. Comparable to similar class on other cruise lines. Excellent location (aft facing) that I would choose again for the great views.

Ship tip

Aft cabins are well situated for easy access to dining options but a bit of a walk for entertainment and excursions. Pinnacle Grill for lunch is a good option at a good price. Adagio is a great entertainment option. Unlimited laundry is a great deal and you can get a better price if you pre-buy.

Ports of call

Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany

5 out of 5

Tallinn, Estonia

5 out of 5

St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

5 out of 5

Stockholm, Sweden

5 out of 5

Kiel, Germany

5 out of 5

Goteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden

5 out of 5

Helsingborg, Sweden

5 out of 5

Copenhagen, Denmark

5 out of 5

Bergen, Norway

5 out of 5

Akureyri, Iceland

5 out of 5

Cruise Eyjafjordur, Iceland

5 out of 5

Isafjordur, Iceland

5 out of 5

Cruise Isafjardardjup

5 out of 5

Reykjavik, Iceland

5 out of 5

Cruise Prins Christian Sund, Greenland

5 out of 5
Highlight of the trip, great views from aft facing balcony.

Qaqortoq, Greenland

5 out of 5

Nanortalik, Greenland

5 out of 5

St. John's, Newfoundland

5 out of 5
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1 Comment

jbbrick    8 years ago

We just came back from that cruise, I did like the ship and we had very few younger folks. One complaint was the Lido pool was not heated enough for seniors that might have arthritis issues. My wife expected to swim every day but never went in at all. We loved Bar Harbor, Saguenay , and PEI.

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