Zuiderdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We have been cruising on Holland America now for a number of years and have been on a number of ships cruising North America and all over Europe. This particular cruise departing Copenhagen and visiting Norway, Iceland, Lerwick UK and the Faroe Islands was overall good but with some negatives as all cruises have. We sailed on the second half of the 24 day cruise called the ""Northern Isles Enchantment Cruise”. which already had some passengers onboard from the Baltic Sea part. The transfer from Copenhagen airport was fine with a 1 ½ hour tour of the city prior to arriving at the cruise terminal where the embarkation was a little chaotic which seems to be the norm lately. The PA system at the terminal was not functioning properly and it was difficult to understand the boarding instructions. Once onboard we noticed that the Zuiderdam was recently renovated and all of the public areas were updated to include our Signature Verandah Suite which was both spacious and comfortable. Our cabin steward quickly appeared to introduce himself and offer any assistance that he could. He did a very good job of locating and delivering our luggage which took some time as apparently it was misdirected. The encountered staff members were very friendly and professional with the exception of 2 or 3 members at the gangway entrance who seemed to be a little frazzled with the new passenger arrivals and were a little snippy with directions. After settling in to our cabin we went to the main dining room to make our “Open Dining” reservation and quickly found out that the dining room scheduling desk on Deck 2 was preferable to making reservations than the reservation telephone number as the representatives weren’t all that accommodating or informed. The overall food in the dining room was fair with some hits and some misses as should be expected. We did notice a slight decline in food quality from previous years. One point to make is to order any breakfast eggs “well done” as other Cruise Critic reviewers have noted that the eggs are served watery and undone both in the dining room and with room service as well. The Pinnacle Grill was fabulous and the Canaletto Restaurant not so much as the food quality decline was very evident. Over the two week cruise we met a number of very nice and interesting people while dining in the main dining room or having a glass of wine in one of the lounges. The Lido at lunch was extremely crowded with the seating limited. On the last sea day before leaving we just handed our full plates to a steward to throw away as there wasn’t even any shared seating available to include in the adjacent pool areas. We ended up waiting a half hour and picked up two chicken sandwiches from the Dine In Grill and sat at the outdoor pool lip/bench area with the food in our laps. The overall entertainment was not of any interest to us as we only enjoyed 3 of the 14 nights in the Main Stage and ended up leaving after a few minutes for the 11 performances that we didn’t care for. The “Billboard Onboard” piano/singers were fantastic but the BB King Band was not as they were way too loud for the small room and not up to the standard of other BB King Bands that we enjoyed on previous cruises. The America’s Test Kitchen activities were very entertaining and fun to attend. We purchased 3 excursions and were disappointed a bit with all of them as there were many glitches obviously with the contractors and a lack of communication with the ship. A point to make is that when trying to review the excursions on the Holland America web site the review option seems to have disappeared. Maybe I am doing something wrong and looking in the wrong place. Guest Services appeared to be “Out of the Loop” on many occasions with inaccurate information being distributed to us often with a later correction. On the plus side our final invoice was correct and billed to our credit card. The Captain was always visible around ship and gangways and was seen interacting both with the staff and passengers. There were many passengers that were coughing and sneezing all over and for the most part the personal hygiene/health habits left a bit to be desired to say the least.Bring along some cold medication. All in all a “fair” cruise experience with some pluses and some minuses.

It was an amazing adventure. this was out first time on Holland America and we would do it again. The ship is the perfect size, not too big or too small. The crew was amazing. Very friendly and not pushy like on our cruises. Our room was a great size and very comfortable.

We had been wanting to "do the Baltics" and think it may be a cruise we will repeat in a few years.....when it's warmer there.

My husband (36) and myself (32) have just returned from a cruise on-board the Zuiderdam to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Norway (Copenhagen round-trip). This is our second holiday with HAL. The Crow's Nest was recently renovated and now has some interactive screens, great lounge chairs and more modern furnishings. The staterooms need some love but are clean. The passenger flow was great. We didn't have to wait for anything on-board. The staff were always friendly and professional.

Great overall cruise. The Bridge lessons and play were the best on a cruise. Saul and Sam did a great job.

Going on the Panama Canal cruise on the 11th April with my parents and sister cannot wait.Cannot find any pictures of room 10009 hoping that the room is big enough for 4 grown adults.

All in all a nice cruise and ship. Geared for an older crowd even though I'm 70. Will try Holland America Cruise Line again. Service was the most impressive thing. All crew were so happy and helpful and hard working.

Great trip. Holland is very low key and relaxing cruise line. So glad we took this trip.

The cruise was great. Excursions at most ports of call make the experience memorable.

Will cruise with Holland America again but this time in a larger room. Will stick with the main dining room and Lido areas because the up-scale restaurants are not worth it. Glad I did it and will cruise with Holland America again. All in all I would give my total experience aboard the ship an 8 out of 10.

Neptune Suite perks were not delivered. Priority boarding was being placed in a holding room for two hours with nothing to drink or eat, restroom a mile away and no embarkation photos. No priority disembarkation. No priority dining room reservations; we asked for a table for two and got seated with another couple. They lost or never printed our photos from one of the ports of call. Stingy with coffee creamer in our cabin. Concierge was there if needed. He printed our boarding passes for the return trip home and made dining room reservations for us. That is it. Enjoyed most of the food. Last night in the dining room was accompanied by the fresh smell of paint/varnish. Waited over an hour after appetizers to get entree. Another long wait for dessert, finally gave up and left without getting it. Our room stewards were great. This boat is tailored for senior citizens. We are in our upper 50s and were the “kids” on the boat. This was our first cruise with HAL and likely our last.

This was our first cruise on Holland America, and our 16th cruise overall. Really enjoyed the ship as it had everything we could want. Would gladly go on another HA ship if the itinerary was suitable as the port location.

The weather was great with smooth sailing. The food was awesome and the service top notch. We enjoyed the entertainment as well. The ship's captain, Bart Vaartjes, was very friendly and approachable. The friendliest captain ever. The ship was very clean and well maintained.

Best Ever. The Crew, Food and Ship where all great. HAL did a great job refurbishing the Zuiderdam. Pananama Canal is a great destination.

HAL has always been great. This Cruise no exception. The Zuiderdam crew is fantastic. Eager to please and attentive. Food outstanding in all venues. Their attention to detail and presentation of meals is 2nd to none. Strongly recommend Panama Canal in and out cruise.

My first cruise on Holland America & it will be my last.

Overall, a nice trip, but, will not let them make arrangements for me again. They don't consider what's best for the customer.

Not a ship I would recommend. Big issue with nautical dept coming on to Lido deck on second formal night power washing at 7 pm Water spraying throwing suds and puddle not cleaned up. TERRIBLE

We had a wonderful time . The food , service, and entertainment were wonderful . Looking forward to cruising on Holland America again. Next time we will know what questions to ask when booking excursions.

Nice, relaxing cruise. Super suite refurb. Partially offset by the now defunct Crows Neat area.