Ship Tour: Holland America ms Zuiderdam

Posted in Cruises | 5 comments

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If you haven’t figured it out yet, one of the Best All Inclusive Deals out there is cruising. From the moment I went on my first cruise in 2002 I was hooked, the whole experience makes for an amazing memorable vacation.

One of the elements that makes the vacation awe inspiring is the cruise ship itself. They’re so grand with the best decor and cuisine, all packed into a large floating hotel bringing you to exciting destinations. While I was in Vancouver this past June for the Travel Blog Exchange I was lucky enough to have had lunch on board Holland America’s ms Zuiderdam. I had never been on board a ship owned and operated by Holland America before, but Mary, one of their public relations employees was kind enough to give us (a small group of bloggers) a tour after lunch.

Just taking the tour of the ship had me wanting to take another cruise and specifically one with Holland America. Inside of one of their show lounges a stage was set deemed the “Culinary Arts Center” with a working kitchen. We were told that cruisers could attend a talk by the head chef on board to learn how to cook some of the recipes and dishes that are used on board. I thought that was quite amazing. On a cruise the food is something to look forward to (since its always free and always available) and if you find something that you really liked, why not try to make it at home? Especially the desserts.

Additionally, the Zuiderdam has an exclusive, reservation only upscale dining experience set in the Pinnacle Grill. This restaurant featured premium Sterling Silver beef, inspired seafood dishes and many select wines rated “Excellent” by Wine Spectator - as well as Bvlgari china, Riedel stemware and Frette linens. It was a sight to see. Every table just looking perfect.

The upperdeck with the pool was where the party was at during the embarkation process [video below]. They had drinks going around, a band playing and the staff on board really promoted a vacation, relaxed atmosphere.

All said and done, the ship, like most, was amazing. It was a bit older (or had an older feel to it) but it was balanced out with new technology such as a room devoted to teaching cruisers how to use computers and blog (however, internet access on board is quite expensive and not included in their class).

Hopefully one way soon I’ll be able to take one of their ships for a spin, rather than just a tour at dock. Holland America seems to be a cruise line for a quiet, relaxing vacation rather than a partying, dance-all-night, type vacation.

Additional Media:

Video Tour of Pool Area during Embarkation: 

My photos along the tour:

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  • http://www.facebook.com/mhaithaca Mark H. Anbinder

    Yeah! Holland America seems to strike a good balance between reasonably affordable and reasonably luxurious. I’ve only been on one cruise, on one of their ships, but my parents are retired and do lots of cruise vacations, and they love it. (They also splurged once on one of the ultra-luxury cruises with a couple hundred passengers and nearly one staffer to every three passengers.)

  • Steven Slater

    I have done 9 cruises now and I repeat HAL the most. I love the elegance of the ships, there is still an old world charm to them. I prefer traditional elegant cruising to a Carnival Cruise booze cruise and HAL ships allow us to relax and indulge. More formal nights and fine dining make it more of a special occasion. The spas are great, wonderful and exotic treatments plus private hydrotherapy pools make for a secluded retreat away from the masses. (Although the layout of HAL ships prevent the overcrowding of other lines) The Dutch officers are delightful and the Indonesian and Philippine crew are natural warm and inviting. The crowd does tend to be a little older but we have always met new friends and enjoyed the journey. I also adore Celebrity Cruises, but HAL generally has the better itineraries. Norwegian is a nice way to go id you want a little more relaxed without the ticky -tacky Carnival trashy feel, and is very reasonably priced. My favorite cruises so far, Alaska on HAL, and the Batlic/Russia/Scandinavia. Can’t say enough for cruising, the cost effective, no-TSA, once on, once off luxury vacation.

    • http://upupandagay.com Bobby Laurie

      I love Celebrity Cruises also! I took them from New York to Bermuda back in
      the mid-2000′s and I love every minute of it. It was a 7 day itinerary and
      spent 5 whole days in Bermuda. I went on Carnival last year on a short
      Mexico trip from Long Beach.. never, again. Just like you said – trashy!

  • Justin

    I love HAL!! I was on the Zuiderdam in 2006 for a Western Caribbean 7-day and had a great time! Just got back from Bermuda aboard the Veendam :-)

    • http://upupandagay.com Bobby Laurie

      How did you like Bermuda?! I loved it there!