Observations of the Zaandam

PEB

Staff Captain
We just finished 14 nights of an Alaskan cruise on the Zaandam We sailed May 7 to May 21 and here are some of my observations. The ship had only been out of dry dock a few weeks so it was in good shape. I liked the size of the ship and it was easy to get around. They did not ruin the Crows Nest like they had done on the Westerdam a few months before.

Our room was an outside view room looking out on the walking deck under the lifeboats. It was small and the beds were not comfortable. We were close enough that on windy days you could hear the outside door slam shut from the wind.

The ship actually rode very well in the waves even on the rougher sea days. They were constantly doing maintenance on the ship both inside and out. The crew was very good and went out of their way to take care of everyone even though they were short staffed in my opinion.

There were quite a few activities on the ship even more than were on the Westerdam that I had been on the day before I boarded the Zaandam. The band that played in the Ocean Bar was far better than what I had heard in the BB King on the Westerdam and they also took requests. The piano player in the piano bar always drew a large crowd as well as the classical music in the Lincoln Center.

We ate in the MDR and the wait staff was very good, however I was not happy with the food. I turned away many dishes but this is all subjective and the food was not to my liking. We had a table for 8 but many times we were alone because the only other two people assigned to our table would go to pay restaurants. Once in a while they would bring a couple friends to our table. Often the food in the Lido at lunch was dried out and not very tasty.

There are a lot of different style seats throughout the ship so you have to search for a style that is comfortable for you. On sea days it is hard to find a seat to sit in due to all the people taking up the best spots. In the theater I saw them take away many chairs due to people leaning back in them and the legs giving way and breaking on the chairs. The main floor seating in the theater is not on an incline so it can be hard to see over or around people.

The ultimate question is would I cruise on this ship again? The answer would be yes, overall I liked the ship and the staff was very good. I like smaller ships and this worked for me.
 

BSeabob

Forum Manager
Staff member
thanks for the update.. Hal seems to be hit and miss on a few things lately. I was on this ship a few yrs back and Its a very nice size. I had and Inside (down there somewhere lol) Was comfortable for an inside.
 
Top