Zuiderdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We have never been more disappointed in a cruise experience. We have cruised less expensive lines with less venerable reputations than Holland America and have always been delighted and pleasantly surprised by the value of the experiences we have had with food, entertainment, and service. In contrast, our experience on the Zuiderdam was a rip-off. Different passengers we spoke to with experience on Holland America ships told us this cruise was unrecognizable as an HAL experience. One even refered to her experience as feeling like she was in the Twilight Zone. There are plenty of cruise lines out there. No need to take a chance on Holland America and risk a similar experience to ours.

Great value for the money. The crew was very friendly and the on board entertainment was good. The food was also very good. Lots of variety and venues. Would definitely cruise with Holland America again.

A chance to see parts of the world not normally available on a single cruise. The food was excellent and the staff was eager to provide their service to you. A great way to meet new friends.

It was very nice cruise. Food and entertainment exceed our expectations. A lot of activities during days at see. And of cause the promenade on the deck 5 is very helpful for people like us. It is in the middle of the ship, not on the upper deck like in other cruise lines. Excursions from the Holland America are overpriced.

The itinerary was the draw for me. I had high expectations and the ports exceeded them. The ship experience was nice. The cabin was comfortable and the staff were friendly and helpful.

We really like this line and the service, attention to detail and opportunities available. We often would rather just explore the port cities than do 'tours' as we find it intriguing to talk to the town folk in port ciities and find out all kinds of unique things about the region.

the ports were good,  the service was good, only one good entertainment BBKing.  The staff listened to concerns but did little about them.  The ship was clean the food was not, everything is served cant pick out which and how much counter staff just did not seem to understand what you wanted.  No sugar or stirrers with coffee service.

This was a relaxing trip.  The ports of call were interesting and easy to navigate.  Our Neptune Suite service was gracious.  The Zuiderdam is a lovely ship with nice amenities and a very helpful staff.

Wife trip in a doorway and broke her hip the first night. Off loaded in Kiel Germany by ambulance the next day. Surgery and a week of recuperation in order to fly back to US. Worst vacation of our lives.

As seniors, we stay very involved at our retirement community having fun and

volunteering.  We were ready to unwind on our cruise.  We got a cabin with a veranda and  really  enjoyed our evenings looking at the sea and having a glass of wine.  The first 3 mornings I had breakfast in bed! 

The Zuiderdam was a nice mid size ship and offered excellent food and drinks in the dining room.  We had a table for 6 and enjoyed our dinner partners very much.

The entertainment was first class and we enjoyed the Crows Nest for reading

and drinks.  (If I could improve the ship, it would be to make repairs like rusty balcony and noisy partitions making flapping sounds and fix flooring in cabin bathroom.  I realize the ship is an older one but noted repairs could have made

my Rating 5 stars instead of 4.

The start of our cruise was nice and relaxing during the trans-Atlantic portion of this trip. The stops in France and in St. Petersburg were ill time because they stopped on major European holidays, May 1st (May Day) and May 9th (Victory Day in Russia).  Major museums and tourist attractions were closed.

The second leg or the Baltic cruise portion was hectic but fun because the places that we visited were all new to us.  We booked tours through Holland American and through a private tour company. We liked the private tour company better because they organized the tours into smaller groups. Eleven people as compared to forty. Holland American did have well organized tours going to Berlin. Much better than the tours they had going to St. Petersburg.

Transfers to the airport and our flight on SAS airline were exceptional.

Long cruise.  Good guest speakers and culinary exhibitions.  Missed docking at one port (Horta) because of rough seas.  Had a few problems with structural noise at night and moisture (leaking) in passageways.  Food was very good and had a wide variety.  Pinnacle restaurant was good, but not outstanding.

Overall cruise was very good, food was excellent,, embarking and disembarking was smooth and very efficient. entertainment was very good especially the steel drum band , Island Magic.

Cruise could have been great but every port we visited the captain docked the ship with the port side of the ship facing toward the towns leaving the starboard side facing water.  

The only thing we found that was NOT very good ,was the T.V. it was TOO small  also the thermostat, ,it was in Celsius and we do not know Celsius. Other than that, ALL was very good

My favorite part of the cruise when we enter the Panama Canal and we took a shore excursion where we are on the observatory room and see how a ship pass thru the canal.

I love the daily mass held on board

I love the direct luggage program they have from cabin and we saw our luggage again at final destination. We don't have to check in our luggage and we got our boarding pass and luggage tag from the ship. 

Using the sanitizer is not a mandatory when entering the dinning room which is a mandatory in all the cruises I have taken so far.

We enjoyed the length of the cruse. Staff was friendly & accommodating. Entertament was great. Especially enjoyed the Piano Bar & the casino. Our room was very adaquite. The food was excellent. 

One problem was finding a seat athe the Lido Cafe. Would like to see the dining room stay open longer for lunch. 

Have recomended the cruise to friends already. 

ports visited were all very well planned, love the trip! great staff and great entertainment, the shore excursion desk was not opened often enough, good food though instead of served each time, I prefer to take the portion that I would like

We enjoyed the length of the cruse. Staff was friendly & accommodating. Entertament was great. Especially enjoyed the Piano Bar & the casino. Our room was very adaquite. The food was excellent. 

One problem was finding a seat athe the Lido Cafe. Would like to see the dining room stay open longer for lunch. 

Have recomended the cruise to friends already. 

We savored excellent customer service, they even called and left flowers in our room as a follow up to an issue we had which was resolved within the day.

The staff, from room service to dining areas were always positive, upbeat and helpful.

The food was excellent and we were quite pleased that each menu offered vegetarian choices. There was even a vegan menu. The dishes were artistically presented.

The muster drill was extremely clear, easy to follow, took appropriate time and left no room for any misinterpretations - far superior to a competitor's which we went on prior.

The nightly entertainment was magnificent, and we were especially thrilled with the "BB King Musicians" who played awesome dance music.

We very much enjoyed our excursions as well.

My wife and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary as well as my birthday during the cruise. They did an awesome job celebrating with us in the dining room.