Peter Cunningham

Age: 61
Occupation: Liquor Broker
Number of Cruises: 24
Cruise Line: Holland America
Ship: Zuiderdam
Sailing Date: October 11th, 2003
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean

This was my first Holland America cruise. Wow what a pleasant surprise! Embarkation could be improved as I feel much of the check in process could be done from home or your travel agent. That being said it took about 45 minutes.

We has a class SS small suite and it was well laid out and comfortable. The verandah was large and the most impressive was the bathroom facilities. They are really good. Having a shower and separate bath is a nice luxury. The best thing about the Zuiderdam is the crew. They really go out of their way to please. I mean everyone. This really enforces how well a no tipping policy works. We tipped of course but only the people who earned it, i.e. room steward, waiter and a couple of bartenders.

The ship was wonderful. It was well laid out and designed. The complaints I had read about pre-cruise simply did not exist. I never smelled sewage and the vibration in the dining room was not too noticeable as the Captain would lower the revs during dining hours. I did learn the Zuiderdam is going into dry dock in November to fix that problem and others. The vibration is apparently caused by cavitation around the propellers and they intend to place air jets on the hull near the wheels to divert air away from the props.

The food was very good. I have no complaints. The best thing was that dining staff did not read the menu to you nor did they recommend anything. This practice on some lines drives me nuts. We did not try out the Odyssey Specialty Restaurant as we were happy the the main dining room. I heard though that the prime rib there is to kill for. The Crow's Nest lounge is my favorite though they was all quite nice. Rudy at the Aft Pool Bar was a great bartender as well as most friendly.

Ports of call were as expected. Half Moon Cay is OK if you are a sun worshipper. Holland America needs to improve the transportation to and from. It was very confusing. We were the last to go ashore and even then we had to wait too long. St. Martin was OK but I thought a little trashy and dirty. Their port facility although new left a lot to be desired. St. Thomas is St. Thomas. It is one of my favorites and having been there about ten times I know the drill and my way around. Nassau has gone the way of Jamaica. Dirty crowded and quite unpleasant. We ended up at Hard Rock Cafe and found it super. One note about Nassau. There is a new huge casino there and they want to charge you $ 25.00 just to get in. This if after a $ 20.00 water taxi drive.

The Cruise Director (a boring person) should have alerted the passengers. It really angered a great many folks. Luckily, not being a gambler, we didn't get sucked in. Disembarkation was the smoothest ever. We had a 11:25 flight and were there at 9:15. Even security at FLL is smooth and efficient.

Summary: Holland America is about as good as it gets! I highly recommend them and the MS Zuiderdam. We are already booked for two weeks back to back.

Peter Cunningham
Fairhope, AL

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