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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Carrolyn Prescott
Email: cprescott@gfb-expo.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Exhibit Coordinator
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Zaandam
SailingDate: 9/30/00 - 10/07/00
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 1803
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: n/a
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: n/a
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: n/a
GoodForHoneymoon: 70
CasinoStaff: n/a
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 75
LoungeService:
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 60
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Oct 2000
Time: 14:50:58
Remote Name: 24.88.11.18
Remote User:
Comments
This was my second cruise, my first cruise was on Royal Caribbean for four days, had a wonderful time, and
decided to try a different cruise line. I sailed on the ROyal Caribbean with my husband, but on this cruise i
sailed with 2 of my girlfriends, we decided hang out a whole week together. I live in Atlanta, Kay lives in New
York, and Annette lives in Ft. Lauderdale. Annette picked us up at the Ft.Lauderdale airport and we were
off on our adventure. We arrived at the pier at about 1:30pm and were on the ship by 2:00pm, it was a
breeze to check in. Our cabin was nicely laid out for 3 people, the shower was wonderful, hot and a good
flow of water. The room had adequate closet space. We were quite comfortable. Our baggage was
delivered about 1 hour after we were in the cabin. We decided to explore the ship before the ship actually
sailed. We went to the Lido deck and had something to eat, the food was good, and enjoyed the sail away
party. There was a steelband from Trinidad playing at the pool area, and the music was great, hats off to
the boys from Trini, we enjoyed their music. We went back to the cabin and got dressed for dinner, we were
at the second seating. The dining room was impressive but very cold, it was freezing in there. Our dinner
companions, Renee and Patrica were complaining also, we asked the head waiter to adjust the air
conditioning but he told us that it was controlled and he could not do anything. An advice, please walk with a
sweater when eating in the Rotterdam dinning room. Dinner was great, tasty and hot, the waiter and
assistant waiter were attentive. The next day were docked at Half Moon Cay. It is Holland America's private
island.....nice quiet day, no much to do except eat (a luncheon is served at the beach) and swim. We had a
day at sea the following day, good day also, lots of activities, bingo,and horse racing. We enjoyed the pool
and the jazzacuii....good day.
We got dressed up for the captains reception, okay, lots of lines for pictures, did not wait for pictures, there
is an express line to the ballroom, had lots of champagne, and the music was fair.
Ports of Call
Jamaica: Nice island,we hired a taxi for $US 20.00 each for the entire day, he gave us a tour of the island,
took us to the craft market, went to the rain forest, and then the grand finale was going to Dunn River Falls,
it was beautilful, must see in Jamaica.
Grand Cayman Islands: This island is nice, good shopping for jewerly, and rum cake. We also paid $25.00
per person to swim with the sting rays, it was an experience, i personally did not like the rays swimming so
close to me, but it was something i will not forget as long as I live. Do your own tour it is cheaper.
COzumel: Worst place on this cruise, people in Cozumel were not very nice, gave different prices based on
your race, be careful, not very friendly, walked behind us while we were in the store, not a very good
experience while we were there. Prices are not that great at all, the best place to do shopping was right at
the pier, they is a huge duty free store and things are reasonably priced there. Did not even have a drink or
local food there, just wanted to get back on the ship. The best thing to do while there is to find a nice beach
and relax.
Next day was a day a sea, and it was time to pack up and get ready to go home.
The cruise ship is beautiful, food was decent, our cabin steward was great, best service on the cruise, beds
were made, clothes were folded if left out and he always had a big smile. The ship also has a washer/dryer
laundry room, great idea, came home with no dirty clothes.
Negatives: The cruisers were an older crowd, no partying, old timers loved to dance in the Crow's Nest, but
ball room dancing. The dj was terrible, only had a few cd's and played them over and over again. No
calypso music in the disco on a caribbean cruise, the shows were fair, fell asleep on the comedian, he was
boring, the only comment is would like to make to the mgmt is to cater to all ages, have an additional nite for
the people on the ship who are in their 40's. We were pretty bored at night after dinner.
ALl in all we had a wonderful time, we had a lot of laughs and were sad to say goodbye to the ship and to
each other. I will not sail on the Holland America in the near future, the age group is a little to old for me at
this time, however if an older crowd is for you, the Zandamm is great.
Hope this helps someone out there, you can email me if additional info is needed, Bon Voyage
Name: G. McKiernan
Email: gmckiern@hotmail.com
Age: 64
Occupation: retired
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Zaandam
SailingDate: Sep. 30, 2000
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: 2705
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 98
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 98
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Oct 2000
Time: 10:24:19
Remote Name: 1cust17.tnt2.daytona-beach.fl.da.uu.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise on the Zaandam in a little over a month and our third Holland America Cruise in
the last year. Since our last cruise, the Captain, Hotel Manager and Cruise Director had been changed.
Overall, this cruise was much more enjoyable than the last. The crew were much more attentive and
outgoing, doing everything within reason to accomodate the passengers. We had booked this cruise
through an internet auction and had to pick up our documents pier side. Check-in went rapidly but we were
not able to establish credit during check-in. However this was quickly accomplished once on board. We had
a guarantee of a Cat. G (outside cabin) and were pleased to find that we had been upgraded to a better
located outside cabin. Due to weather, the Captain decided to reverse the normal itinerary. This caused no
inconvenience and made for a much calmer cruise. First stop was HAL's private island, Half Moon Cay. As
usual, it was a highlight of the cruise. The stops were well planned, offering passengers the maximum time
ashore at each stop. The variety of shore excursions was excellent. Food in both the dining room and the
Lido were excellent to outstanding. Service in the Casino and lounges was attentive without being overly
pushy. The food in the Lido was of good variety and well prepared. Overall, this cruise was super and we
look forward to our next Holland America Cruise. We sailed the following week on Celebrity's Century and
find that line and ship very lacking in comparison to HAl. HAL has earned our business from this point on.
Name: Terrence & Bernadette Lynch
Email: bear.doll@3web.net
Age: 36
Occupation: Customer Sales Agent
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Zaandam
SailingDate: 24 OCT 2000
Itinerary: Seafarer 10 nts
Cabin: E 1845
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 86
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 86
CruiseStaff: 89
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 79
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 79
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 60
DeckService: 79
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 60
CasinoStaff: 65
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 40
LoungeService: 80
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 98
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 79
WheelchairAccess: 89
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 89
OverallPortsofCall: 97
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 25
CruiseActivities: 30
Casino: 79
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 75
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 70
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 86
SpaceRatio: 89
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Nov 2000
Time: 23:57:59
Remote Name: tor-58-26a-209197167073.3web.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was our 4th cruise and it was more special than the others since it was our Family/Friends
Reunion cruise.We had 8 cabins and 16 passengers.However with the exception of the ports of call
this cruise was a bit disappointing to all of us. First of all let me say that 75percent of the passengers
were over 55yrs but that was NOT the problem.The on-board entertainment or lack of it was
absolutely terrible.There events/activitivies all catered to anyone under 55yrs.On the entire cruise we
did not hear calypso or reggae music (caribbean music).
On Caribbean night at the poolside we had to
ask the band to play 'HOT HOT HOT' the people next to us all started to cheer and they were all
seniors !Anyway that was the ONLY caribbean music we heard for the whole night.The band and the
music they supplied was very boring.We had passengers in our group ranging in ages from
13-67yrs.We are in our mid 30s my sister/friends in their 40s we were all so bored at the nightclub.I
felt sorry for the teenagers with us 13/15/17yrs they were playing music before their parents were
born! Not 1 night out of 10nts did they cater to the under 35-40 yr crowd.We asked the cruise director
Lyle why is the entertainment so boring? His response was that they were trying to please the majority
of guests...well I meet some seniors at the pool and they were complaining about the same thing one
gentleman who told me he was 78yrs old said that he looked foward to the lively music and pool
activities both daytime and nighttime.
We were a bit ticked off at the end of the cruise they had to
remind you of their tipping not required policy you felt that they were telling you don't have to tip but
do so anyway because you got good service.Which brings me to the point of their staff we found a lot
of Dining Room/Buffet staff to be either immature,unhelpful or unproffessional at least on the other
cruise lines they might be kissing up to you because they want a tip but the staff was always polite and
courteous. We had a Anniversary/Birthday celebration almost every night in the dining room well
almost every night it went wrong i.e.cake going to the wrong couple or table,cake being served after
dessert when everyone was practically ready to leave the table,we had to ask for it to be served prior
to dessert.One night they even forgot somone's birthday altogether!
In closing I would like to say not
aspects of this cruise was bad the embarkation/disembarkation process went very well.The MS
Zaandam is a lovely ship but that pipe organ in the atrium HAS GOT TO GO! it gives the area a
cluttered look I am sure it would look nice someplace else!we liked the variety in the port of calls the
fact that they offered a Southern Caribbean cruise from Ft.Lauderdale instead of San Juan. However I
would not be completely honest if I say that we would readily choose Holland America again,if the
prices were the same we would definitely choose another cruise line.We have sailed every year for the
past 4yrs and we have tried Celebrity and Princess Cruises we were quite impressed with them.
Name: Diane
Email: dedere@prodigy.net
Age: 33
Occupation: Nurse Case Manager
NumberOfCruises: 13
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Zaandam
SailingDate: 9-2-2000
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
Cabin: Mini-Suite Cat B
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 98
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 70
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 70
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 89
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Jan 2001
Time: 12:11:21
Remote Name: a090-0823.nycm.splitrock.net
Remote User:
Comments
We went on Zaandam on Sept 2 of 2000 This was the first for us on HAL. My Husband and I are in our early
30's but were well aware that it caters to an older crowd. We went with a Co Worker and her husband in Mini
Suites, Cat B. If you can afford it go for it. The balconys were a great size and because we were next to each
other the door between them can be opened. My Co worker is in her late 40's and her Husband is in his Mid
fifties. We absolutely loved this line. We are both in the medical field as well as my husband so love being
around older people. There are seats in the elevators and quite a few wheelchairs on board, but the service
and the extras that HAL provides is no match to most other lines.
There was never a pool that was
overcrowded, you were always able to get a seat by the pool and on deck. The food in the Lido was
unbeatable. They had different foods daily with carving stations, sandwiches, wraps, chinese/Thai food, ice
cream (Hard and soft) with toppings, out on deck, hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, french fries etc... Even the
room service had omelets and a variety of food. We weren't crazy with some of the comedians on board, but it
didn't make or break our cruise. We had second seating with a Horrible seating arrangement. 8 at this table
with 2 other couples that were in Suites. The placement of the table was bad as u could not see when the
waiters were walking around for our Special formal night and the other two couples were playing musical
chairs each night sitting in different seats when we arrived. Just obnoxious and made sure every one new they
were staying in a Suite.
The Marco Polo (A MUST),we went twice because the second night was not full. Filet
Mignon was perfect along with the service and seating. There is an Expresso/Cappacino bar (No charge) that
was also fabulous with free cookies. Across from this is the Movie Theater, Small but seats were just fine.
Cozumel could had been a longer day. Go on your own and rent the Mopeds for 20 dollars. What a blast. All
over town u can rent these, take an initial cab to get to town. I could write forever, any questions or if u would
like to see pics, please write, Bon voy age!! Diane
Name: Herbert Meisen
Email: hjmsia49@optonline.net
Age: 69
Occupation: Retired Fire Officer
NumberOfCruises: 11
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Zaandam
SailingDate: March 7, 2001
Itinerary: Seafarer Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 3356 Category "J"
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 70
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 70
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Mar 2001
Time: 20:52:13
Remote Name: ool-18bb034e.dyn.optonline.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was our sixth cruise on Holland America and the best so far. This was due mainly to two factors- the
quality of the food served and the musicians were superior to previous cruises. Head Chef Wolfgang and
Pastry Chef Mario provided nightly meals in the dining room that never disappointed. It was so good we
decided not to try the alternative dining in the Marco Polo dining room because we might have missed
another excellent meal. We would have liked to have had lunch in the Marco Polo dining room on one of
the three at sea days but they were not offered as they were on sister ship Volendam last year. What
added to our dining experience was that the Maitre d' provided us with a table for two near the
Champagne Strings and their fine music made for perfect ambiance. These talented musicians also
performed nightly to an appreciative audience in the explorer lounge. Each evening was a pleasure due to
the dance music in the Crows Nest provided by the Wilson Palomo Quartet that gave us a great variety of
dancable music and answered many requests of passengers. The nightly shows in the theatre were very
good escpecially the musical production numbers performed by the ship's cast. Cruise director Lynda, a
former stand-up comic, was much appreciated for her humor. The pianist in the Sea View lounge was well
received and the area has been enlarged to allow dancing. Among the day activities we enjoyed were the
Passport to Fitness program (excellent aerobics instructors),the team trivia contests with good prizes and
our favorite feature of the newer HAL ships- the lower promenade deck only steps from our cabin for
relaxing in padded deck chairs or just walking on the wide teak deck shaded from the hot sun and
shielded from the rain. We had a problem with the air conditioning in our cabin (not cool enough) that was
corrected promptly. The staff at the main desk was most helpful. The ports of call were good except for
Bonaire where the beaches had too much coral and St. Thomas which had no less than seven
mega-ships in port at the same time forcing our passengers to tender and complain of crowded conditions
ashore. We liked the musical decor of the Zaandam with the exception of that huge 'pipe organ' in the
Atrium. It was never played by a person and made such little computer generated music in such a large
area. A true pipe organ, played by a musician would have bee much appreciated in that venue. The
Indonesian and Filipino crew was always friendly and accomodating. It was a delightful cruise and we look
forward to sailing with Holland America again.
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