We had a great trip on the Zuiderdam to Panama Canal. The various ports were very interesting, and Holland America does a wonderful job ensuring that customers have a pleasant experience.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy to embark, lines moved very quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room was excellent. Great choices of soup, salads, appetizers, always multiple dinner choices and of course excellent desserts. Buffet was also excellent, Holland America serves the food so you don't have to worry about contamination.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We greatly enjoyed the various music venues, including the piano players, The BB King band, and also the evening shows where there was dancing, lights, music, and more. One night they had a steel drum band that was amazing, they sounded like a full orchestra. I enjoyed the Test Kitchen presentations, fun, recipes provided, and great ideas for cooking.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Excellent, see above.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room stewards were very polite and helpful. They would bring whatever we asked for, such as ice, fruit, etc. Everyone on staff is there to make sure the cruisers feel comfortable and enjoy themselves. Holland America is top notch.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Good design, everything was always clean and well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Nice size cabin, had a large bed, a lot of closet space, good sized bathroom. Was always kept clean by the staff.
Ship tip
Try the various on shore activities, they are fun. Afternoon tea was great, I went 3 times.
The history is very interesting, we took a walking tour of the old city that has a blockade around it. Also a trolley tour of other sites. We were only there about 4 hours. Peddlers are constantly coming up to tourists trying to cell their wares, which got quite annoying.
The Panama Canal was fascinating. We enjoyed the movies ahead of time that told of the history. Amazing to see the engineering and architecture. We did a bus/train excursion of Panama which was quite interesting.
There appears to be a lot of poverty in Colon, not safe to walk around. There is an area for tourists, we visited one store there, but then headed back to the ship.
Loved Costa Rica, did a bus/train/boat tour. Beautiful landscape, fun to see the various animals. Had a great stop where they served fresh pineapple, bananas and beverages.
My wife and I were on this Cruise and I totally agree with what Nancy 121212 said. We absolutely loved this cruise and have no complaints at all. I am depressed that it is over.
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