This was the ship’s 7th sailing
Full ship - 1823 passengers onboard
We are Jim and Sue, in our lower 50's, all kids
grown and gone. Our cruising choices tend toward the ships that offer a more
elegant experience rather than a casual style. For Caribbean cruises, we book
for the ship and number of sea days, not for the ports. Our routine onboard any
ship is similar (others probably would find it boring) – a lazy relaxed
morning with coffee and sometimes breakfast delivered by room service. We spend
a lot of time in the cabin and on the verandah so for us a suite makes a lot of
sense. Since we only eat two meals a day, we usually skip lunch and have
appetizers late afternoon prior to dinner. We rarely attend the shows because we
enjoy having a nightcap on the balcony before going to bed.
Our vacation didn’t start very well when our
flight from Denver was delayed by over 6 hours but we finally made it to our
hotel in Fort Lauderdale about midnight. On the bright side, since the delay was
mechanical not weather, we were given free round trip tickets to be used within
the next year. Saturday morning we joined my Aunt Sherry and Uncle Tom for
breakfast and then we all taxied to the port.
We arrived at the terminal about 20 minutes
before the doors were opened and stood in a line of about 100 people. Once the
doors opened the line progressed through security quite quickly and then a
Holland America staff person checked to make sure you had all your documents. We
were missing one form and stopped to fill it out before going to the check-in
lines. We also had our pictures taken, which are used for identification each
time you reboard the ship. When your keycard is read, your picture comes up on
their computer. There were two counters for suites and all four of us were
checked in within ten minutes. I’m glad HAL is now imprinting your credit card
at check-in rather than having to make a trip to the purser’s office later in
the day.
We went upstairs to the waiting room and killed
about an hour “people-watching.” At about 2:15 the wheelchairs and other
disabled people were being assisted and “S” boarding was called. Since my
Uncle uses oxygen, we were shown to the front of the line, just following the
wheelchairs. We were escorted to our S suites 7047 and 7049; located just aft of
the Penthouse on starboard. We were escorted, but when we arrived at the suites
he just pointed at the doors and left.
Chilled champagne, flowers and fruit bowl
awaited us in the cabin. The suite itself is noticeably smaller than on previous
ships, but is well-decorated using bright colors. All the soft furniture was
upholstered in leather and was very comfortable. The dressing room which leads
into the bathroom is about half the size of previous ones, but still functional.
I really like having a dressing table that is not in the cabin itself. As we
explored the suite Evan, our steward came and introduced himself and asked if we
had any special requests. Then he opened the door in the divider so that our
verandahs were joined. I really like this feature when you are traveling with
others. The king-size bed was wonderful (of course, it was new!) and there were
feather pillows. The bathroom included a whirlpool tub with shower and a
separate shower. (The separate shower was broken but was fixed on day 4.) There
was also a long vanity area with two sinks and plenty of storage space. The two
fluffy robes were hanging in the closet.
We then checked in with Sherry and Tom to see
how they were getting along in their cabin and found that we had different
dinner times/tables. A quick trip to the Concierge in the Neptune lounge and
this was fixed. Tom’s oxygen was delivered about 30 minutes after we boarded;
so that worry was taken care of and we could all relax.
We located our lifejackets and laid them out in
preparation for the drill and then popped one bottle of champagne. I made a
quick trip to the Neptune for some finger sandwiches and we all sat on the
verandah and watched the preparations dockside. Our luggage arrived in good time
and we began unpacking… soon it was time for the safety-at-sea drill.
Following the drill we went to the sail-away party at the aft pool on the Lido
deck. The band played Caribbean music and we had a “rum punch in a plastic
souvenir glass.” It was rather cold and windy so we went back to the cabin to
get ready for dinner.
We explored the ship a little on our way to the
Vista dining room. The décor is quite art deco and very bright, not like HAL’s
older ships. Its WOW-factor is high; individual pictures of the different areas
can’t give you the feeling of how it works together. I really liked the style
and although some of the furniture is funny shaped, it is all very comfortable.
Each area is unique in its style, which makes finding your way around even
easier. For example, the mid-ship elevators and lobby area are done in blues and
the forward elevators and lobby in red. I enjoyed the art throughout the ship;
it ranged from whimsical to very elegant. There was always something to look at,
a new piece of art or the style of a room; except for the hallways by the
staterooms the whole ship is visually stimulating.
Our table in the Vista Dining Room was on the
upper level at the aft windows so we had a great view of the wake. It was a
rectangular table for six, but only the four of us were seated there. The chairs
are upholstered in a flowered fabric and have arms. I dislike dining room chairs
without armrests! Our waiter and assistant waiter were pretty good, but we often
sat with dirty plates in front of us for quite some time before they were
removed and each meal at least one item was forgotten; one person’s appetizer
or another’s soup. We only ate in the Vista three times and the food was well
prepared each time. We had room service on the verandah twice, Lido once and the
Odyssey once.
The Lido Cafe is very well designed with
different islands for the specialty foods like pizza/pasta and oriental (good
sushi) and of course, the ice cream bar. We had one lunch and one dinner here.
The number of items to choose from should keep anyone happy. Although no one
ever offered to carry my tray, someone always assisted my Aunt and Uncle.
I thought the Olympic Restaurant was beautiful,
but heard another couple say it was the ugliest room on the ship. It is
basically white and silver/chrome. As suite passengers we could eat breakfast
and lunch here (like the Kings/Queens room on the older ships). We had one
breakfast and one lunch here that were exceptional. Sadly, our dinner experience
wasn’t as good. While being seated we told the Maitre de that we would like to
order cocktails prior to dinner and that we wouldn’t be ordering wine. We sat
for about 15 minutes before anyone even filled our water glasses; he then called
over a waiter to assist us. We ordered our cocktails and dinner; two filet
mignons and two lamb. The waiter couldn’t remember who ordered what. This is
certainly not what I expect from a restaurant that is supposed to be fine
dining. When the entrees came, there were three, two steaks and one lamb. So we
waited for about 15 minutes for another lamb entrée to be brought and then ate
(ours were, of course, cool by then). The steak was delicious and so tender you
could cut it with a fork and the side of asparagus and mushrooms was good too.
When we finished eating, we sat back waiting for the dessert choices; after 15
minutes of sitting with dirty dishes in front of us, we walked out.
Most evenings we went to the Ocean Bar either
for a before- or after-dinner drink. This is one area that, although convenient
to the dining room, isn’t well designed. The band and dance floor are located
on one side that has very little seating and on the other side you can’t hear
the music. The Explorers Lounge is very nice but was used almost every evening
for private receptions; we attended two receptions there for Suite guests. The
attention from waiters during the dinner hours was very good, but at any other
time of the day in most of the bars the waiters seemed to cluster talking to the
bartender and it was difficult to get a drink even when you went up to the bar.
The Atrium Bar was never open when we walked through, but I loved the sculptured
look of the furniture and floors.
We missed the Mariner’s Party because the
time conflicted slightly with the Suites lunch. We attended the special Captain’s
lunch for suite guests in the Crow’s Nest; as usual the food served was
excellent and they didn’t skimp on the caviar! The Crow’s Nest is similar to
those on the other ships with the exception of some great lounge chairs that
face out the windows. I saw several people taking an afternoon snooze in
them.
This ship is the first to have a dedicated
nightclub, the Northern Lights. This room is interesting to say the least. As
you walk down the entry hallway, lights in the ceiling light and dim overhead
following your path into the nightclub; there are fiber optic lights embedded in
the carpet and sparkles on the walls. The “Iceberg” is located here, but I
must say it didn’t do anything for me. But the most eye-catching feature is
the black and white cowhide upholstery on the booths. One of the Officers told
me that the crew has nicknamed it the “Cow’s Nest.” The Spa area is
really beautiful, I enjoyed the thermal room for a while one afternoon and used
the Therapy pool twice (both times were on sea days). There was no charge for
these because they are still working out problems with the facilities. I was
looking forward to the therapy pool and was very disappointed to find that it
still had not been fixed. The water was quite cool and only a few jets were
working. The bubble loungers were not working at all. I looked into a couple of
the treatment rooms – they were the nicest I’ve ever seen – the tables
were draped in bright colored fabric and had fresh flowers laying on each.
Ports:
Half Moon Cay: We tendered in to the
island after room service coffee and some sweet rolls from the Neptune. Our
Priority tender passes allowed us to walk right onto the boat instead of waiting
in lines (another perk of an S suite). The day was a mix of sun and clouds and a
bit too cool to be in the water although a few brave souls were swimming. We had
the buffet lunch on the island (hotdogs, hamburgers & ribs); it was ok. We
were the only ship at the island. I think it would be awfully overcrowded if
there were more than one ship. This remains one of the best things about sailing
with HAL!
St. Thomas: We wandered around the
jewelry shops.
St. Kitts: We took the new Railroad
excursion. It only began running two weeks prior and is a very nice trip. You
have a choice of an upper (open) seat or a seat in the lower enclosed car.
Complementary rum punch was served and there is narration that gives much
information on the island.
Nassau: We did the dolphin encounter. It
was very well done with everyone having a great deal of time to interact with
the dolphins.
Additional items to note:
Our mini bar was broken and removed for repair.
It was returned on day 6. It didn’t bother me much, but irritated my husband
who wants a cold Coke with his Jack Daniels.
There was a nasty sewer odor in our cabin 2
days. The only other place I noticed it was in a hallway near the Queens Lounge
one time. It seems to only affect small areas of the ship and at different
times. No one could answer my question about what caused it.
The service is still a little confused, but
should improve with a little time. With the exception of a few bar staff,
everyone was attentive, friendly and smiling in the usual HAL style.
Formal nights – we wear tuxes and gowns. I
noticed fewer tuxes at early dinner than late and although most people did dress
for dinner, there were more suits than on past sailings.
The Neptune lounge is very nice and the staff
was very helpful; it was nice to just take forms to them instead of running down
to the main desk. Our cabin was very close to the lounge so we used it often for
snacks and appetizers. If the cabin had been further away such as the aft S
suites, I don’t think I would have used it as much.
We also enjoyed the casino and actually spent a
couple hours playing the slots. It was large and well laid out.
We thought the photos were high priced (but I’m
finding that on all the ships we’ve sailed lately) and not as good in quality.
There were many backdrops available on formal nights. But, as usual, we bought a
number of them for our trip album.
The fresh flowers throughout the ship remain
one of my favorite things!
To sum up: it was a good trip, but not
great. I think I prefer the smaller HAL ships, but price and itinerary being
right I would sail Zuiderdam again.
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