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Holland American Panama Canal Cruise

Zuiderdam Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5
Verified Review
Zuiderdam

14 Night Panama Canal Westbound (Ft. Lauderdale To San Diego)

Sail date: January 16, 2022

Ship: Zuiderdam

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 5161

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Over all the cruise was okay considering it was done with covid restriction in place.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Embarkation was the smoothest ever, that was because we checked in at 2:00 pm, like we were supposed to. Holland America said “this is your check in time if you come early you will be asked to leave and return at the proper time”. It became apparent that no one else paid any attention to Holland Americas request and as far as I know no one was asked to return later. But it did make it easier for us to fly right through upon arrival and get on board with no lines what so ever.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Average buffet and drinks, nothing really special.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Fitness center is nice, ping pong tables located near the pool.

Entertainment

2 out of 5
Need better talent for both the main stage and the BB King room.

Children's Programs

No children on this trip.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
Bar waiters were great, Lido dinning area needs improvement with newly hired personnel.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Holland America went through great efforts in keeping the ship well maintained and clean.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
We changed our cabin to 1089, mostly because the interior cabin, 5161, was very, very tinny, but cabin 1089 was an ocean view and comfortable for us. (Two people)

Ship tip

It is a ship for older adults, but if you are an active adult it is a good ship to be on.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

3 out of 5
Unfortunately due to COVID we were unable to visit 3 ports. But the ports we did visit were okay. Panama City, Cost Rica and Mexico.
Thumbs Up

Cartagena, Colombia Did not visit port

Holland America could not dock at this port due to restriction by Columbia.
Thumbs Up

Panama Canal Transit

5 out of 5
The high light of the cruise going through the canal.
Thumbs Up

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

4 out of 5
Did an excursion, the walk in the clouds. It was nice but no time to do anything else like visit the town at port.
Thumbs Up

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala Did not visit port

Unable to dock due to some restrictions that Holland American did not advise us about.
Thumbs Up

Huatulco, Mexico

4 out of 5
Like this port, had time to visit the town and enjoy a very good lunch on the beach.
Thumbs Up

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

4 out of 5
An old favorite of ours, had enough time to visit the old town and enjoy a pleasant day walking around.
Thumbs Up

San Diego, California

4 out of 5
Home port for us, this is where we disemarked. Easy access from the port to the car rental facility near by.
Thumbs Up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Very easy and plenty of information as to how to embark, everything went very smooth.
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6 Comments

AuntPinkie    2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Sorry that neither the entertainment nor some ports met your expectations.
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Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.
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willwork4cruz    2 years ago

So what were the restrictions that Holland didn't advise you about for Guatemala? Maybe the rest of us can avoid the problem.
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izrgreen    2 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.
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javawoody    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your experience
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cruising2004    2 years ago

Thank you for sharing your experience.
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