Zuiderdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Great value cruise. Food quality need some improvement. Overall experience is positive.

Overall a very nice cruise catering to an older crowd. We are early 60's and felt young. Food was overall good to excellent. Staff very good.

We did not expected to have such a small room and for handicapped with a bed that could not get on from the sides and a shower that could not get setup on the top.

We took this cruise with two other couples. We are all retired. We had a great time. Many days in port I had over 10,000 steps, yet I still gained 5 pounds!

It was a good itinerary. We had not been to this area before and plan to go back, especially to Stockholm. The cruise staff was great. Daniel, the cruise director, was funny and engaging. The ship needs some maintenance but it didn't affect our enjoyment.

Please make sure the staff is given as high a rating as possible. If we were allowed to give higher than a ten, the staff definitely deserved at least an 11. I simply can't think of anything that could have made our first cruise experience any more perfect. Thank you Holland America Lines! Good job of hiring such great staff!

Great itinerary with great stops. Too bad the Hamas thing prevented us from getting to Petra. But still totally a great experience. We didn't bother with the Atlantic crossings.

It was very educational for us to learn about slave trade history by visiting several West African countries. Our ship was the last one to go through Suez Canal before the interruption by Yemen. We were blessed with great weather and smooth sailing for the entire duration. Although we couldn’t visit Aqaba and Sharm El Sheikh ports due to Israel and Hamas war, it was a great trip overall.

This cruise is not relaxing like a Caribbean cruise. The weather can be (and was) brutally hot at times. But it is worth it from the perspectives of history (ancient) on the East Coast, and history (recent) on the West Coast. You get a real education and appreciation for what you have in the US as well as why many people from Africa risk it all to get to Europe and the US. In many ports, you have to look beyond the litter, rundown conditions, and poor economics to see the friendlieness of the people. Holland America did a very good job of mixing the ports up so that you see (I think) the full spectrum of Africa. One trip won't show you everything but the sheer variety of people, cultures, languages, food, and history is overwhelming.

Overall great cruise. Boat is old with many leaks but we had not issues and it was very pleasant experience. Staff could not have been better. Even the Captain was very friendly and informative. Africa is a very difficult place to maneuver even the Cruiseline had a lot of problems with ports, government staff and shuttles. Africa is what I call an appreciation cruise. You learn to appreciate where you live compared to this continent that seems to be so engrossed in corruption and poverty that seems unable to escape it. It can be a very sad experience.

We were so excited to see this part of the world that we never experienced before. It was eye opening with beauty and also poor conditions compared to what we have. Amazing views, animals, people and cultures. The ship and staff were also excellent. A most memorable trip.

Had a great time overall. I enjoyed the cruise but the last two at-sea days were a little on the boring side as we had already heard all the music ad nauseum. Overall, I would travel Holland America again as I was very impressed with food, service and cleanliness.

Loved the itinerary. Great food, service, and comfort.

Relaxing. Did not participate in any excursions so as not to be committed to any schedule. Older crowd that kept the boat quiet and peaceful. No water slide!!!! No children.

Quebec City was a surprise! I felt like I was in Paris again. We'll definitely go back. Charlotte Town and Cape Breton felt like home. We loved the wilderness of Nova Scotia, and the beauty of Acadia National Park. I can imagine the beauty of the fall colors in a few weeks.

Really enjoyed the cruise. Was originally promised a $200 credit from sponsored cruiseline.com that I have yet to receive.

The HAL itineraries, the excellent food and service are the reasons we sail with them. We expect the low quality entertainment but appreciate the Educational talks, which allows us to understand better our tour experiences.

We loved the ports but will never again travel with 1900 passengers.

Iceland has been on my visit for years and it did not disappointment. The country has such a diverse landscape due to its geology. We saw hot springs, geysers, lava fields, a lava labyrinth, the tectonic plates, volcanoes and more. Every day was different. So glad I took the shore excursions, its the only way to really experience this country. Some highlights, the whale watching by RIB boat in Isafjordur, the sailing in Prince Christian Sound to see the icebergs, visiting Anne of Green Gables site and the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. Unfortunately, you never really get enough time to see all that these museums have to offer. Took advantage of the pre-cruise stay in Rotterdam and stayed on the old SS Rotterdam ship, enjoyed both High Tea and High Wine while there. Did the Golden Circle Tour while in Reykjavik, a must! The second day we were there, I took the tour at the Harpa Concert Hall. Very worthwhile. At some point I fully intend on taking this cruise again. Read the HAL recommendations on attire and footwear for each shore excursion. It meant packing a few more things but I wasn't cold and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Holland America could do much better reminding passengers to be considerate of other passengers. Passengers constantly coughing, sneezing and blowing nose in crowded venues should have been told to avoid crowded venues, especially confined bus tours. This would have helped limit huge numbers of sick passengers on the ship. The problem was so obvious that Holland America should have done something to address it. It really had a negative impact on the last seven days of the cruise, as healthy passengers had to avoid crowds and bus excursions. Too bad it was ignored by Holland America, which is supposed to have a responsibility for the health and safety of all passengers.