Review: Zuiderdam Inside Passage, July 14-21, 2012 (with photos)

[spacepotatoes]

It's been almost a month, but hopefully not too late to review this wonderful cruise! When I was doing my research, it was hard to find detailed reviews so my goal is to provide one for those of you who are like me and want all the info you can get

One very helpful, detailed Zuiderdam review that I referenced a lot in my planning was this one from last year:
http://forums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1434426

Unlike the linked review, I won't be doing a day-by-day format. Takes way too long! Instead, I'll breaking it up into categories like pre-cruise, stateroom, entertainment, etc. I'm hoping to get it all posted by the weekend. I'll be including pictures as well, but we took way more than I can share here! If you want to see the complete collection, you can find them all here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adomoko...7630992976714/

Feel free to ask questions and share your own experiences along the way!

[spacepotatoes]

Background

Sailing was my husband (36) and me (29). This was our fourth cruise but our first on HAL. We’ve previously done two on NCL and one with Carnival. When deciding on an Alaskan cruise, it came down to a choice between Zuiderdam and Volendam, which we felt offered the most scenic roundtrip itinerary. In the end, Zuiderdam won out as it was the best fit for DH’s work schedule and I’ll be honest, I was a bit afraid that the Volendam would be a bit too small after our previous experiences.

We did have some concerns about the ship given recent reviews mentioning plumbing problems, air conditioning problems, and general shabbiness. However, we were both very much looking forward to trying HAL and seeing how it compared to NCL and Carnival. Going into this cruise, NCL was our favourite.


Pre-cruise

We spent three days in Vancouver prior to the cruise. It’s one of my favourite cities and the DH had never been, so it became a must-do. We had a direct flight from Toronto on WestJet on the Wednesday before sailing.

From the airport, the Canada Line of the SkyTrain runs through downtown and all the way to Waterfront station, which is (almost) next to Canada Place. Our hotel was a block away from here so we decided to take the train. If you can manage your luggage on your own and do not have mobility issues, I’d highly recommend this. It only cost us about $18, total, and $10 of that was the “Add Fare” that gets added on when you take the train from the airport. The return trip only cost us $5. Easy peasy. And I promise, you won’t look like a fool walking around Vancouver dragging luggage behind you! Lots of people were doing the exact the same thing.

We stayed at the Delta Vancouver Suites. I bid on it on Priceline and they accepted $127/nt. The week before the trip, I called and got the Signature Club upgrade for an additional $30/nt. This entitled to a club level floor (20th- 23rd floors), free wi-fi, and access to the Signature Club lounge. It was the lounge access that we really wanted because the lounge served continental breakfast each morning and hot hors d’ouvres each afternoon. The lounge was totally worth it, and not just for the food – the Toronto Blue Jays were running a baseball in town this same week and we had breakfast with (and by “with,” I mean “in the same room as, but he still doesn’t know we exist”) Roberto Alomar and other Jays in the mornings. Call me a dork, but that was pretty cool! We really liked the hotel. If you want more specifics and hotel photos, my Trip Advisor review is here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Columbia.html

We spent our time in Vancouver doing A LOT of walking! It is a very walkable city, but the public transportation system is also great. Our first stop was Canada Place, where the Volendam was in port. I have to say, in person, the Volendam didn’t look so small! The Regent Seven Seas Navigator was also in port. Canada Place is neat – it’s a cruise terminal, hotel (Pan Pacific is here), and convention centre all in one. You can walk around outside and there are exhibits about Canada’s history around the walkway. There’s also places to sit if you want to watch the action on the water or the ships.


Canada Place



The Volendam

We did a walking tour of downtown (from my Lonely Planet city guide) on that first day. The highlight of this was the Vancouver Public Library. The architect was inspired by the Roman Coliseum and it is a beautiful building. We had a great dinner at the Steamworks Brewing Company. The BC halibut and chips were excellent, as was the locally brewed beer.


Vancouver Public Library


The Steamworks Brewery & Pub

On Thursday, we spent the day in Stanley Park. We hadn’t intended to walk the entire sea wall but I sort of misread the guide book, and 8.8 km later...there was much limping and whining that evening! We visited the Vancouver Aquarium, which turned out to be very underwhelming after all of the hype I’d read about it. We were glad we used our Air Miles to get tickets because if we’d spent money it, we’d have been really disappointed. It was small, crowded, and many of the exhibits were empty. Lunch on this day was at Cardero’s in Coal Harbour (between Canada Place and Stanley Park, on the waterfront). It was very good, another place I’d recommend.


At the Aquarium


The Lion's Gate Bridge from the Sea Wall

[aliaschief]

Great pics. Thanks for sharing your cruise. Looking forward to your comments.

[spacepotatoes]

Pre-cruise, Continued

We also went up the Vancouver Lookout on Thursday. It’s your typical tall tower with an observation deck and revolving restaurant. It’s $15 pp to ride the elevators up and the ticket is good for as many times as you want to go up all day. We went first thing in the morning and then came back for sunset, which was really nice. It was across the street from our hotel so it was convenient.


The Vancouver Lookout, on top of the Harbour Centre building


Looking down on Canada Place


Sunset from the Lookout

Friday was a lazy day. We’d planned to go up to Grouse Mountain but since we were still sore from Thursday’s adventure, we just took it easy. We walked around Gastown, also underwhelming after all the hype. The area has a nice look to it but it’s very small and crowded (are you noticing a pattern?) with all of the tourists being dropped off. Lunch was at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Some of the guide books recommended it...I wouldn’t. If you’re on a budget, it’s ok. You get a three-course meal for under $20, so it’s a good value but if it’s quality you want, you’ll need to go elsewhere. Pretty mediocre.

To cap off the Vancouver leg of the trip, we watched the Celebrity Millenium sail away from Canada Place on Friday afternoon and started to get really excited – the next day, it would be our turn!


The steam clock in Gastown


Celebrity Millenium heading out

[kazu]

Very nice indeed - looking forward to more

[spacepotatoes]

Embarkation/Disembarkation

On Embarkation day, if you want to see the ship come in, it’s usually pulling up to the dock between 6:30 and 6:45 AM. I got up early on Saturday morning and headed to Canada Place with the camera. You can’t beat a front row seat to your ship coming in! The Sapphire Princess also came in that morning.


Here she comes!

Embarkation itself was a breeze, with one exception. We got to Canada Place shortly after 11 AM. You follow the signs down the ramp, below ground level. There aren’t really porters here, you just drop off your luggage in a designated spot. From there, we went through security. I thought the water bottles in my backpack would be checked, but they didn’t say a word.

After security, we were funnelled into the US CBP pre-clearance line and this is where everything stopped for a good 45 minutes. That’s how long it took us to get through that line. For a while, there were only two agents on duty, which I’m sure contributed to the problem. Once another two showed up, the pace picked up. I don’t know why they can’t have that area fully staffed during those early hours when the majority of passengers are arriving?

(A funny story here - while we were in the CBP line-up, a man a few rows over from us looked at us and noticing that we were among the younger passengers in the crowd, jokingly said "so, are you two disappointed that you're the only ones here who didn't get the AARP discount?" We had a good laugh. We knew at that point that we were going to have a good cruise )

So, here's my tip: either get to Canada Place around 10 or 10:30 AM to beat the line or get there well after the lunch hour rush, when there are more officers and fewer people.

The check-in itself was very quick and in no time, we were having our embarkation photo taken and walking onboard. Because we had sailed previously on Carnival, we had 1 Star Mariner status and were invited to lunch in the MDR. On NCL, one MDR is always open for lunch on embarkation day and we find that it’s such a relaxing way to start a cruise. It was nice to be able to do that here, too. We shared a table with a lovely couple from Calgary. We saw them around the ship throughout the week but didn’t have a chance to speak to them again. Tom and Bev, if you’re out there, we really enjoyed meeting you!

---------

Disembarkation didn’t take quite as long, but was much less exciting. Our flight was at 1:15 PM and we were taking the SkyTrain back so we didn’t have to disembark until 9:30 AM. We were able to have one last breakfast in the MDR and then we waited in one of the lounges for our group to be called. You are allowed to wait in your room if you like but we already had everything ready to go and we figured our stewards would appreciate being able to get in there ASAP. The line for Canada Customs was long but moved well. Fully staffed here! Our luggage was waiting for us in the terminal and we were on our way.

If you are taking the SkyTrain to the airport, follow the signs for “City Exit” or “Exit to City” and it should lead you out to the same ramp you came down on back on embarkation day. Head left once you get to street level and follow the sidewalk. You’ll come to escalators that you can take down to the Waterfront station. If you can’t manage the escalators with your luggage, keep walking up to the intersection and turn left. This street (West Cordova) will take you to the Waterfront Station building, where there are elevators. It’s a big, red brick building, you can’t miss it.

[spacepotatoes]

Thanks for nice feedback so far I have to do some supper prep but will be back in a bit to continue!

[IRL_Joanie]

Originally Posted by spacepotatoes

Thanks for nice feedback so far I have to do some supper prep but will be back in a bit to continue!

So hurry up already and get the supper ready so you can get back and tell us more!!!

I'm avidly held by your review!!

Joanie

[spacepotatoes]

Stateroom

We went through a few changes before ending up with our obstructed ocean view cabin, but it was well worth it. We loved this room! We were in cabin 4065 (category H). It was spacious and well laid out, and we got plenty of light despite the lifeboat outside our window. There was also plenty of storage space.

























To address some of the common issues that have cropped up in previous reviews:

• Yes, there was evidence of wear and tear in the room. There were some stains on the carpet, a few loose threads on the couch, and some cracks in bathroom floor. Not one of these things bothered us and I’m not sure how much I would have noticed them if I hadn’t been actively looking for them thanks to the comments I’ve read here. They were very minor things.

• We didn’t have any plumbing or a/c issues in our cabin at all during the week. We didn’t hear about anyone else having them either, though I believe Umbarger, who was on this same cruise, did post that she had some issues in her cabin. The hotel manager joked about it during the celebrity cook-off so it seems like it is still cropping up here and there.

Our cabin stewards, Adi and Sugi, were great. We didn’t have to ask for a thing, they took good care of us. They were also very friendly and always had a smile when we saw them in the hallway.

The location worked well for us. It was close to the midship stairs and elevators so it was easy to get around. We just had to get used to going down to the MDR and theatre instead of up, like we normally do. It was also fairly quiet, not too much traffic.

My one disappointment about the cabin was the bedding. I had been expecting so much better than what we had. It was all clean, that wasn’t an issue, but after having really nice and cozy bedding on our Carnival cruise (including a duvet), the sheet + blanket + sheet combo here was a let down.

In the end, this was our favourite of all cabins that we’ve had so far. In general, NCL has very small cabins (this room is the equivalent of a mini suite on some NCL ships, minus the balcony) but has great storage. Carnival tends to be more roomy. So, on HAL, we found the best of both worlds.

[spacepotatoes]

We did still have a view, even with the life boat, though you may have to stand on tippy toe to see it.


Sailing past Vancouver Island on the last day.


The Ship

The Zuiderdam is the biggest ship we’ve been on so far but, suprisingly, it didn’t feel like that. From some of the photos I'd seen online leading up the cruise, I was skeptical of the decor but once onboard, we found it to be very nicely decorated. Although, after the 90's neon extravaganza of our Carnival cruise, that's not hard! Some spaces were a bit darker and smaller than we expected. The atrium, in particular, is very small. We missed the more open, grand style that we've seen in the past.



The Vista Lounge



Waterford crystal sea horse (in the atrium)



Part of the Northern Lights night club


The layout was good and the ship was very easy to nagivate. Having the retractable roof over the lido pool was nice. That made it a good area to spend time in, even in Alaska. The Crow’s Nest and Exploration Cafe were my favourite places. They are large, bright, and warm. And there's a lovely gentleman up there who'll give you cookies, so what's not to like?



Explorations Cafe

[spacepotatoes]

My spot


The lido pool. The roof was open in Vancouver but closed for the duration of the cruise.


Aft sea view pool

We loved the promenade deck where you could walk all the way around. The last couple of ships we've sailed didn't have that option. Since it was too windy on the upper decks, this was more sheltered. We also loved the sea view elevators.


Along the promenade

Some one asked recently about "secret places" on HAL ships. I don't know about that but here's my recommendation, that seemed to be a secret on the Zuiderdam: take the art tour! You can download it in mp3 format from HAL's website (there's one for every ship) or you can borrow an iPod from the library that has it preloaded. The narration is very cheesy but it was a great way to explore the ship and see it from a different perspective. We gained a new appreciation for the design of some of the spaces onboard and noticed nooks and crannies that we never would have otherwise. There are some very interesting works on this ship. For instance, we learned that the Waterford crystal sea horse in the atrium is six feet tall and weighs three tons (not just the horse but the whole assembly). The art tours are here: http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise...ivities.action (click on "Art Tours" from the menu on the left)

As for wear and tear around the ship, we didn't really notice any other than the fact that hull could use a new coat of paint. We did notice crew constantly cleaning, polishing, painting, etc. throughout the week. This ship is well taken care of. And plumbing: there were one or two out of order public washroom stalls that I encountered during the week. One morning, there was a sewage smell outside the casino. That was it.

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying the review and your awesome photo's. Looking forward to the rest of it, thanks for taking the time to post it. Sounds like you had a good time on your Honeymoon cruise.

[spacepotatoes]

Dining

Here are the DH's thoughts on this subject: "It was good!"

He's right, it was VERY good. With the exception of our meal at Canaletto, everything we ate was delicious and of good quality. The service, with one exception at breakfast in the MDR, was also very good.

Lido buffet - we didn't spend a lot of time there. The first two days were full service and the crowds were ridiculous. We preferred to avoid it. We did have dinner there after Juneau and breakfast on Skagway day. It never was completely self-serve, which was unusual for us, but it worked well. Other than that, we just had the occasional snack from the buffet. It was nothing special.

Terrace Grill - we had lunch here a couple of times. Once my DH discovered the taco/nacho bar, he was in love! I enjoyed a plate of nachos and some Alaskan Amber on the last day. It was a great option. The burgers made while you wait were good, too.

Vista Dining Room - most of our meals were in the MDR. We had open seating for dinner. When we first got on board, we were directed to a person who was taking reservations and they said it was highly recommended to do this every night. We didn't really like this since the whole point of open seating is not to have to worry about a set time. We did make a reservation the first night and it worked out fine. After that first dinner, we tried to make reservations for the next night but there were no tables for two available at any of the times we wanted. We were told that they only allow 50% of the tables to be reserved so we should just show up at the time we want and we'd most likely be able to get in, as long as it's not the peak time (6:30 - 7:30). After that, we didn't bother with reservations and never had a problem getting a table for two. There were some long lineups at the door but they moved quickly.

We never had an issue with service, at least not during lunch or dinner. We were usually in and out in about an hour. Breakfast was usually quick too, but the quality/accuracy of the service seemed to depend on which side of the dining room we were on. The waiters on the right side, from the entrance, was more polished.

One thing we noticed was that there was a lot of seafood on the menu for both lunch and dinner. This is great if you love seafood but as DH and I don't, that meant options were somewhat limited. We did enjoy everything that we chose, though. No complaints about the meals themselves.

A note about formal nights: they were enforcing the tie or jacket requirement. You had to have one or the other. They were giving out jackets for people who didn't have one and were not wearing a tie.

Canaletto - we had dinner here on Skagway day. It was still free during our sailing but recent posts suggest that there is now a $10 charge. In the future, we wouldn't pay for it. DH enjoyed his penne vodka. I enjoyed the pasta that came with my chicken marsala but the chicken itself was undercooked. I did mention it to the waiter and instead of an apology, I got an explanation about how cooking it too long makes the chicken too tough The tiramisu dessert was underwhelming as well, more whipped cream than anything else. I think the cotton candy was the highlight of the whole meal.

Pinnacle Grill - the International menu on the last night didn't appeal to us so we had reservations at the PG that night. What a lovely meal, start to finish! The service was great, attentive but not intrusive. Our waiter, Yoga, was interesting to speak with. He took the time to chat with all of his tables for a bit. The food was also great. DH had the caesar salad, prepared tableside, and the filet mignon. I had the crab cakes and steak Diane. I normally order my steak well done (horrible, I know. Sorry, foodies!) and this was probably the most tender well done steak I've had. Dessert was the Pinnacle creme brulee (greatest idea ever) and DH also had the volcano cake. This meal was definitely worth its surcharge.

Coming up: food porn!

[spacepotatoes]

Red Velvet Cake


Watermelon Pie - made with ice cream


Salmon on the first formal night


Might have been a molten chocolate cake


Pineapple Boat


Cupcake tea

[spacepotatoes]

Yoga preparing the Caesar salad at the Pinnacle Grill


The steak Diane getting flambeed


The finished product


Pinnacle Creme Brulee

I forgot to mention in the Dining post that we went to the Dessert Extravaganza on Thursday night. It was held around the Lido pool. You could get there early to take pictures and they opened it up for eating at 10:30. The amount of work that must go into putting this on each week is incredible. It was amazing, some true works of art that these chefs create.


The displays on this table are made entirely of bread.



Overall, we had the best dining experience on this cruise, no contest. We didn't starve on NCL or Carnival, either, but HAL is several notches above them both.

[spacepotatoes]

Originally Posted by PathfinderEss

Enjoying the review and your awesome photo's. Looking forward to the rest of it, thanks for taking the time to post it. Sounds like you had a good time on your Honeymoon cruise.

Thank you! This actually wasn't our honeymoon, though. We've been married for three years now and this cruise was our last big adventure before settling down and starting a family. So maybe a babymoon

Incidentally, our first cruise was for our honeymoon! We did the Pride of America to Hawaii and have been hooked ever since.

[jmkennett]

Originally Posted by spacepotatoes

Dining

Here are the DH's thoughts on this subject: "It was good!"

He's right, it was VERY good. With the exception of our meal at Canaletto, everything we ate was delicious and of good quality. The service, with one exception at breakfast in the MDR, was also very good.

Lido buffet - we didn't spend a lot of time there. The first two days were full service and the crowds were ridiculous. We preferred to avoid it. We did have dinner there after Juneau and breakfast on Skagway day. It never was completely self-serve, which was unusual for us, but it worked well. Other than that, we just had the occasional snack from the buffet. It was nothing special.

Terrace Grill - we had lunch here a couple of times. Once my DH discovered the taco/nacho bar, he was in love! I enjoyed a plate of nachos and some Alaskan Amber on the last day. It was a great option. The burgers made while you wait were good, too.

Vista Dining Room - most of our meals were in the MDR. We had open seating for dinner. When we first got on board, we were directed to a person who was taking reservations and they said it was highly recommended to do this every night. We didn't really like this since the whole point of open seating is not to have to worry about a set time. We did make a reservation the first night and it worked out fine. After that first dinner, we tried to make reservations for the next night but there were no tables for two available at any of the times we wanted. We were told that they only allow 50% of the tables to be reserved so we should just show up at the time we want and we'd most likely be able to get in, as long as it's not the peak time (6:30 - 7:30). After that, we didn't bother with reservations and never had a problem getting a table for two. There were some long lineups at the door but they moved quickly.

We never had an issue with service, at least not during lunch or dinner. We were usually in and out in about an hour. Breakfast was usually quick too, but the quality/accuracy of the service seemed to depend on which side of the dining room we were on. The waiters on the right side, from the entrance, was more polished.

One thing we noticed was that there was a lot of seafood on the menu for both lunch and dinner. This is great if you love seafood but as DH and I don't, that meant options were somewhat limited. We did enjoy everything that we chose, though. No complaints about the meals themselves.

A note about formal nights: they were enforcing the tie or jacket requirement. You had to have one or the other. They were giving out jackets for people who didn't have one and were not wearing a tie.

Canaletto - we had dinner here on Skagway day. It was still free during our sailing but recent posts suggest that there is now a $10 charge. In the future, we wouldn't pay for it. DH enjoyed his penne vodka. I enjoyed the pasta that came with my chicken marsala but the chicken itself was undercooked. I did mention it to the waiter and instead of an apology, I got an explanation about how cooking it too long makes the chicken too tough The tiramisu dessert was underwhelming as well, more whipped cream than anything else. I think the cotton candy was the highlight of the whole meal.

Pinnacle Grill - the International menu on the last night didn't appeal to us so we had reservations at the PG that night. What a lovely meal, start to finish! The service was great, attentive but not intrusive. Our waiter, Yoga, was interesting to speak with. He took the time to chat with all of his tables for a bit. The food was also great. DH had the caesar salad, prepared tableside, and the filet mignon. I had the crab cakes and steak Diane. I normally order my steak well done (horrible, I know. Sorry, foodies!) and this was probably the most tender well done steak I've had. Dessert was the Pinnacle creme brulee (greatest idea ever) and DH also had the volcano cake. This meal was definitely worth its surcharge.

Coming up: food porn!

Great review and thank you for the pics. An FYI to everyone. Just off the NA and Canaletto was $10.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great review.

Loved your pictures.

[Cruizer Bill]

LOVE the review! Great pictures, well done! Thanks.

[solocanadian]

Love your review & pictures, especially of my City. Was your catamaran excursion to Tracy Arm a HAL tour or private tour - how much & how long was the tour? Thanks for your reply.