Last month Hubby and I decided to book a last minute cruise to the Panama Canal. Neither of us have ever been there, and it was on my bucket list. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time.
And it was! We had a great time, enjoyed the trip and highly recommend it to anyone considering a similar voyage.
Today I want to talk a little bit about the ship we were on: the M.S. Zuiderdam of Holland America Line. First launched in 2001, it has an ideal capacity of roughly 1900 passengers and a crew of 840. I don’t know if or when it has ever been refitted (I have to assume it’s been at least once), but our experience showed that it’s in need of some real maintenance. Don’t get me wrong, I saw nothing that led me to question her seaworthiness while we were on board. But passenger comfort and sanitation issues require attention.
Let’s start with the positive notes.
The ship is the perfect size for a person who likes to be able to exercise but doesn’t like being in crowds. You can walk two miles in 6 laps on the Promenade deck. It’s large enough to accommodate a couple of small pools and has plenty of eating venue choices. If you don’t have a balcony room or better, you’ll not have any problem finding deck chairs someplace when you’re looking for some fresh air.
Our first cabin was #4049, located on the starboard side, towards the bow, just behind a bank of elevators. We’d purchased the guaranteed verandah and were assigned this cabin two days prior to boarding. The location was super great. Since it was on a deck above the lifeboats, our balcony was larger than most and extended another 12 to 18 inches towards the water. We had great views. There was an interconnecting door in the cabin but we had no issues with noise or anyone trying to use it from the other side. Since we were close to the elevators, I could easily run back and forth to drop off my Kindle or grab my sunglasses without having to negotiate a long hallway. Being near the elevators, my first concern was whether or not it would be noisy, but I really had nothing to worry about. Our room was quiet both day and night. It may have been noisy in the hallway during our passage through the Panama Canal, because the crew opened a “crew only” space at the bow on our deck so that we could all go outside and experience the canal from the front of the ship. But since I was out wandering around the deck myself, I have no idea how many people actually walked by the door on their way to the viewing.
Our second cabin was #5088, port side and more towards mid-ship. The balcony was smaller and the passageway a little bit noiser at night, but it was just as comfortable as our first cabin.
Why did we switch cabins?
In port on the first day I noticed a smell in our room. Attributing it to the normal Florida marshland, I didn’t think much of it.
In the early hours of Day 4, we were awakened by one of the most awful stenches you can imagine. Have you ever opened a full septic tank? I haven’t, but I can imagine it would smell just like this. I have a strong stomach, but the odor was so bad it filled my mouth and left an awful taste behind. My husband opened our balcony door and we let in some fresh air, but neither of us could go back to sleep. And it’s not like you can prop the door open; it’s designed to swing shut so you have to stand there and hold it if you want to let in fresh air.
I thought it was just a freak experience, unlikely to reoccur.
Day 4 was our Aruba port. We went on our excursion and returned to the cabin for a good night’s sleep. Instead, we were wakened again by the smell. Raw sewage. This time when my husband opened the balcony door, the stench got even stronger. It was coming from both directions, outside and in.
I called Guest Services. They sent someone to investigate. We were told that maintenance was being done on the ship and that everything had been “taken care of”. They offered to spray a deodorizer.
It took a long time to go back to sleep.
Day 5. We received a complimentary plate of candy with a signed note of apology.
Day 6. The same awful smell happened in the middle of the night. This time, the steward who came to investigate told us “the ocean is smelling particularly bad tonight”. He sprayed the deodorizer and left.
Day 7. We received a complimentary plate of chocolate colored strawberries with an unsigned note of apology. I think it was also around this day that, unbeknown to us, Deck 8 flooded and passengers were complaining of waking up to water on the floor of their cabins.
And we thought we had it bad!
Day 8. It rained all day. We had a long excursion in port. When we returned we were tired, wet, and just wanted to take a nap before dinner. A few minutes after we lay down, the smell started again. I nearly cried. Guest Services didn’t seem sympathetic. I asked if we could change cabins, and few minutes later they called to tell us there was a cabin available on Deck 5 if we were interested.
An hour later we were moved and enjoying dinner at the buffet. I wished that I’d thought of asking for a different cabin when the whole fiasco started.
I never learned what problem was causing the stench. It was unbearable, and in my opinion the cruise line should’ve offered to move us at least after the second call. Fortunately, it was the only bad experience we had on the entire trip.
As far as the ship’s decor and layout went, I enjoyed walking around and looking at the artwork. I didn’t particularly enjoy the entertainment lineup, mostly because the times either conflicted with my excursions or were too late. We tried to go to a couple of shows but they were so popular that the seats filled far in advance of the starting time. Or there just weren’t enough seats for everyone who wanted to go. It was disappointing to have to walk away because the room was too full.
The food…was AMAZING. Perhaps the best cruise ship food I’ve had. The first two days, the service staff served everyone whether you were at the buffet, the pool side salad bar, or in a dining room. After that we served ourselves at parts of the buffet. It was my favorite dining venue. There were two ethnic food stations, one for Asian and the other for Italian food (including pizza every day). The Asian station offered breakfast, lunch and dinner while the Italian station had waffles, breads and pastries at breakfast. I loved having miso soup and rice for breakfast!
Breakfast also offered an omelet station and a station for the normal American heart attack-friendly breakfast foods (eggs/fried potatoes/bacon/sausage/ham). Beverages included coffee (low caffeine), decaf, tea, orange juice and a variety of other fruit juices, and water. I didn’t see any dairy beverages but I didn’t look for them.
Lunch usually had a selection of meat-based or vegetarian-based entree and sides, sandwiches, and an awesome salad bar. Dinner was pretty much the same as lunch with a change in entrees. Drinks included coffees/tea, water, iced tea and lemonade.
Eating in the dining room was nice, but you just can’t beat the freedom of dining at any time you want in the buffet. The dining room offered the same selections as the buffet except on the Gala nights. Then they added things like steak or salmon to the menu.
Speaking of Gala nights…we had two of them, and the concept is that you get all dressed up and go to the dining room for a meal. A photographer was available if you wanted to take pictures. We went to the first one, but there wasn’t really anything special about it. I had to wear suits and professional clothing for my corporate job, I really am over the idea of dressing up to go somewhere. And the dinner just didn’t seem that special to me. So the second Gala night we went to the buffet and enjoyed ourselves instead.
They also offered high tea every day around 3:00 pm in the dining room. I went once and found it rather nice. We were served Darjeeling from a stainless carafe and given a selection of small tea sandwiches and cookies. It probably would have been nicer if we were part of a group and had friends to converse with.
Of course they also offered liquor, wine and beer for sale. There’s an option to purchase a beverage package that includes liquor, wine and beer, but it’s very pricey and if you buy it you have to purchase it for everyone in your cabin. We opted to purchase ours a la carte, and at the end had a bar tab of about $325. That sounds like a lot, but we participated in martini tasting most nights ($15 per person or $24 per couple) and the regular drink price was $8 to $10 per drink. They also tack a gratuity onto every order. So I think we averaged about two drinks per person per day (some days were more) and were quite satisfied. We didn’t buy premium coffees, but they were also available if desired.
There was a spa on board, and a fitness center; both very clean and modern. I took the spa tour the first day but the prices were too high for my budget. I intended to use the fitness center while on board but we ended up doing the 2 mile walk on deck nearly every day instead. Who wants to be on a treadmill when you can be walking a few feet from the ocean?
Our cabin was typical of a cruise ship cabin. Two single beds were pushed together to make our queen sized bed. It was comfortable and the linens were changed daily. I was surprised to find our bathroom had a bathtub; other than that the room met my expectations and our initial room steward was fantastic. I always enjoy coming back to the cabin in the evenings to see what towel critter is waiting for me!
The last thing I want to mention about the ship is in regards to cleanliness. The day before we boarded I received an email stating the following:
Please be advised that during the previous cruise there were elevated counts of gastrointestinal illness among guests confirmed to have been caused by norovirus, the most common cause of gastrointestinal illness in the world…In response, we launced a comprehensive disinfection program developed in coordination with several international public health authorities.
Talk about having second doubts about this cruise! After reading everything I could about norovirus online, I wasn’t concerned with the potential health threat. Here’s why:
Cruise lines don’t like negative publicity. Therefore, they do everything possible to avoid communicable health issues amongst passengers. The email didn’t state how the virus was spread and most likely it’s impossible to pinpoint a cause. However, it’s my guess (after becoming educated) that it started with a passenger who failed to follow sanitary guidelines in a public place. Not, for example, with dirty utensils or incorrect food preparation. Which can happen anywhere.
Norovirus is entirely preventable if you wash your hands regularly, especially before and after eating, and refrain from touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
The fact that norovirus was detected on the previous cruise gave HAL time to prepare for my cruise. We ended up with a three hour delay in boarding so that the crew could disinfect the ship. I felt better knowing that all the elevator buttons (and other common “touch” areas) were going to have extra sanitation prior to me coming aboard.
The email didn’t state how many people were affected. It could have been 5 or 500; my guess is that a handful of people were involved and the ship is required by law to report it. 10 out of nearly 2000 people isn’t as threatening as, say, 1000 out of 2000 people.
During my cruise, I never encountered any area of the ship that I thought was unclean, including the public bathrooms. I experienced one bathroom with an ‘out of order’ sign on the sink, and one bathroom needed to have the cloth towels picked up for laundry. Other than that, the dining areas, bars, entertainment venues and hallways appeared to be as clean as they could get. Wait staff were prompt at picking up dirty dishes and glasses from tables. I never felt ill due to food or drink. And I washed my hands with soap many times a day, particularly before and after eating, as I usually do. Cleanliness wasn’t an issue on my cruise.
Sooooo…..our first Port of Call was the Bahamas. I’ll get to that in the next post.
originally posted at annettezimmerman.com
