Sunfinder Vacations

Writer Susan Breslow based this independent review on her 7-night Western Caribbean cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Spacious and refined, Zuiderdam launched in 2002 as the first of Holland America’s new Vista class ships. The ship has more public areas and lounges than many earlier ships, but the most popular innovation for this class: A majority of her cabins (66 percent) feature private balconies. Delft-blue furnishings, Venetian bal masque antiques, abundant floral arrangements, and the atrium’s glittering crystal seahorse add a European accent to public spaces.

Why Zuiderdam?

• Water wonderland: Three pools, including the spa’s for-fee hydrotherapy pool, make for uncrowded swimming and ample lounging areas to soak up sun.
• Paradise found: Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s gorgeous, spotless private island, has activities to suit everyone, from beach bums to sports enthusiasts.
• Wide choice of activities: Does a ‘50s/’60s sock hop make you want to dance? How about participating in yoga or having a massage on the beach? Wet and wacky pool games? Team trivia? You can do it all.

Who should go
Sociable baby boomers and mature couples who like a wide choice of activities predominate. The average passenger age is 58, and many hail from southern states. Sun lovers who get a kick out of dressing up on formal nights will find themselves in good company.

Who shouldn't go
The ship isn’t Noah’s Ark, but it might feel that way to singles. There are get-togethers for solo passengers, but not many attend. If single, bring a friend or two along; golf tourneys, afternoon tea, and table games are more fun with buddies. And unless school’s out you won’t see many youngsters.

Heard on the deck: “My husband’s a complainer…and he can’t find anything to complain about.”

Hits and misses

• Don’t miss: Tom Drake’s “Funny Pays Off” comedy workshop, a good opportunity to see the shipboard comic do stand-up in the middle of the day
• Best part of the ship: The Crow’s Nest, serving as a peaceful aerie by day and by night a sophisticated nightclub with topnotch ballad singers
• Best experience: The beauty salon’s luxurious frangipani scalp-neck-shoulders massage, a perfect antidote to sun- and salt-dried hair and skin
• Best shipboard activities: Sunset sailaway parties, with live music and the tropical drink special of the day
• Needs improvement: Even experienced blackjack players can find themselves out of luck in the disorganized tournament
• Activities to skip: Bingo’s low-tech paper cards and goofy announcements can be frustrating to some players

How to meet the captain
The captain doesn’t eat in the main dining room, but everyone’s invited to attend his welcome reception on the first sea day. If you’ve sailed on Holland America before, you’re a member of its Mariner’s Society and will be invited to an exclusive members-only event he hosts. VIPs also get an audience with the captain at a cocktail party.

Heard on the deck (from a member of Holland America’s Mariner’s Society): “When we come aboard, it feels like coming home.”

Whether you have an appetite for casual, continental, gourmet, or room service dining, you won’t go hungry on Zuiderdam. Extensive menus ensure even finicky eaters find something to like; the ship serves more than 500 food items on a typical 7-night cruise. In a bow to tradition, the farewell dinner ends with a lights-out march through the main dining room where cooks carry sparklers and trays of baked Alaska as clapping, napkin-waving guests show their appreciation.

Vista Dining Room
Surrounded on three sides by windows, the two-story Vista main dining room holds many tables for 8 or 10 with some smaller ones by railings. High-backed armchairs can feel snug, especially after a 5-course meal. While you may not get to know your waiter by name, he will be a model of efficiency. Cuisine varies by night, and ranges from Dutch to Indian to Italian. The farewell dinner menu offers a taste of Sevruga caviar and prawn-sized lobster tail.

Odyssey Restaurant
It’s worth more than the $20 surcharge to experience dinner at the Odyssey restaurant, with its Versace plates, sparkling crystal, white-leather chairs, and attentive wait staff. Cuisine is inspired by the Pacific Northwest, from Dungeness crab cakes to the signature salad with pecan-crusted Oregon blue cheese. Meat lovers can tear into aged filet mignon, rib-eye, or porterhouse steak cooked to perfection.

Lido Restaurant
Something’s always cooking at the buffet-style Lido, open daily, 7 AM until 1 AM. Pile a breakfast plate high with a custom-made omelet, fruit, yogurt, and cereal. Lunchtime is an around-the-world extravaganza with stir-fry or pasta choices, but the fresh pizza and make-your-own-taco station outside by the pool are guest favorites. Crave sweets? Choose cookies, cakes, or soft-serve ice cream, or take a little bit of everything… who’s watching?

Other dining options

• Windstar Café – Get a java jolt at the Starbucks-style Windstar Café. After you buy a fourth cup of coffee, the fifth’s free, and dessert is always on the house.
• Room Service – 24-hour room service is free. Arrange an early breakfast delivery to start your morning (watching sunrise over the water if you have an oceanview, made even better for those with private balconies).

Best dining

• Dish: Tender filet mignon at the Odyssey Restaurant, delectably seasoned and flawlessly grilled, the house horseradish mustard sauce making a nice complement
• Dessert: Composed as beautifully as a Vermeer painting, the Amsterdam Chocolate Tulip holds Belgian chocolate mousse drizzled with raspberry sauce
• Restaurant: Odyssey, housing a unique clamshell grill that cooks prime beef rapidly at 1600 degrees and seals in juices, the restaurant’s secret to succulence
• Food seminar: Start happy hour early on western Caribbean itineraries with tequila and Kahlúa tasting, held just after the ship departs Cozumel

How to…

• Get a table for two: Request a table for two before leaving home -- once the ship sails, they may not be available at the 8 PM Vista restaurant seating (twos are plentiful at lunch)
• Celebrate a birthday or anniversary: Notify the maître d’ in advance -- you’ll get a yummy ice cream cake delivered at dessert time, free of charge (a tip is appropriate)
• Change seating: Tables are pre-assigned, but if you ask the maître d’ prior to the next evening’s dinner he’ll do his best to relocate you
• Dress for formal night: Women turn out in smart black cocktail dresses, long sleeveless gowns, sequined tops, and plenty of good jewelry flashes; men don tuxedos or dark suits
• Dress for casual night: The look is more country club than ballpark casual; many men opt for sports coats, no ties (shorts and jeans are not allowed)

Tips:

• Although there’s no midnight buffet, guests can feast on eye-dazzling confections at the Royal Dutch Tea and Dutch Dessert Extravaganza on sea days.
• Got the midday munchies? Pick up a bag of fresh-popped popcorn before the movie starts in the Queen’s Lounge.
• Unlimited-soda card ($33) can keep drinkers effervescent all week.
• If you get thirsty in your cabin, the well-stocked minibar contains chilled water, soda, and spirits.

Uncommonly large cabins feature lots of closet space. Although the maple accents, beige walls, burnt-orange furnishings, and thin queen-sized mattress won’t win any design awards, amenities such as the stocked minibars, complimentary bowls of fruit, safes, and full-length and magnifying makeup mirrors compensate for the lack of style. The 17” TV plays CNN, TNT, onboard port talks, and two recently released movies daily.

A small oval table, sofa, and desk with chair are good places to write “wish you were here” missives using the ship’s stationery or postcards while wearing one of the supplied terrycloth bathrobes. The well-designed bathroom has a shower-in-tub with a premium massage shower head and a large, well-lit mirror with a side medicine cabinet to secure sundries. Chocolates at turndown foster sweet dreams.

Tips:

• With no clock in the cabin, you’ll have to bring your own, or program the phone for wake-up calls.
• No need to hunt for the hair dryer; it’s in a drawer on the side of the desk.
• Physically challenged guests have a choice of 28 wheelchair-accessible cabins.

Even on sea days, Zuiderdam never feels crowded. With a half dozen lounges, there’s always a new place to curl up with a book or sip a cocktail. The large Vista Lounge, where the big shows take place, has some obstructed views but acoustics are excellent. The more intimate Queen’s Lounge has the swingy look and feel of a nightclub from Rat Pack days. As the evening wears on, the strobe-lit Northern Lights disco lures late-night revelers to its palomino-print banquettes. Bring your laptop or use one of the PC stations at the high-traffic Internet Café. Wireless access is available, too, and you can earn free minutes by buying a package early in the cruise.

Heard on the deck: “Everyone on the dance floor does something different, but it all works out.”

The Sports Bar right outside the casino attracts the liveliest crowds, often cheering to ESPN on its multiple TV screens. At day’s end, couples of all ages head for the Crow’s Nest, which features cocktails, slow dancing, and entertainment by first-rate cabaret singers. Most popular are the daily cocktails and mocktails.

Shows
Despite two nightly show times, one for early diners and the other for late, performers maintain high energy. Musical entertainment ranges from a bouncy homage to beach-blanket movies to Elton John impersonator Joel Mason (complete with feathered costume and oversized spectacles) to karaoke madness. But the biggest crowd pleasers are magician James Cielen and Vegas-style comedian Tom Drake.

Heard on the deck: “I have to stop laughing or they’re going to throw me off the ship!”

Weddings and vow renewals
Couples can marry aboard when the ship’s in port, but they’ll need to arrange the details with a Royal Ocean Events wedding planner. Packages start at $1,295 and include the ceremony, a coordinator, flowers, cake, champagne, a photo album, recorded music, and a keepsake certificate. For $99 the captain will officiate at vow renewals, and the simple chapel on Half Moon Cay offers a scenic venue. Champagne, wine, and hors d'oeuvres are included, as is the bride’s corsage.

Looking for…

• Quietest spot: The handsome library attracts too many talkers; instead, take refuge in a deep upholstered chair outside the Lido or inside the Oak Room
• Liveliest spot: Whether your game is 21, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud poker, slots, or kibbitzing, the hottest action’s in the casino
• Best view: Fly up to the Crow’s Nest during the day to unwind in a leather recliner overlooking the sea
• Best drink: The bartender at the Ocean Bar concocts a mean banana mudslide: Vodka, Kahlúa, Bailey’s Irish cream, and a fresh banana
• Best show: Tom Drake’s Late Night Adult Comedy Showtime monologues in the clubby Queen’s Lounge leave ‘em laughing
• Best activity: Parrot Punch, anyone? While the deejay spins, low-priced drinks flow at sailaway parties beside the Lido pool

Tips:

• Casino dealers and pit bosses are exceptionally nice. If you’re a novice, say so; the rules will be explained.
• With a stamp card, the fifth drink you order onboard is free.
• Earn free Internet minutes by buying a package early or late in the cruise.

Click to view a virtual tour

Spa and salon
Treatments in the efficient, low-pressure Greenhouse Spa range from an aah-inducing scented-oil scalp massage ($26) to a $222 seaweed massage. Appointments are handled promptly and staff is genuinely friendly. Some treatments that don’t require modesty are performed in a corner of the beauty salon, a less-than-serene environment. Heat-seekers flock to the jetted 98.6-degree hydrotherapy pool and thermal retreat area with warmed lounge chairs, sauna, and steam room. Both charge $15 admission. Though some time slots fill up quickly, the spa can generally squeeze passengers in.

Fitness areas
If the captain could harness energy from all the stationary bikes and treadmills pumping in the clean, windowed fitness center, he’d likely pick up a few knots of speed. Fitness programs include a daily 7 AM mile walk (three laps around the Promenade Deck) as well as classes in aerobics, step, yoga, body sculpting, and standard and pool Pilates. A mirrored corner of the gym has free weights. There’s a basketball court on the open-air sports deck atop the ship, but it’s often too windy to play.

Tips:

• Schedule spa services on port days, when prices are significantly lower.
• Save even more by buying length-of-cruise packages like the $80 hydro pool pass.
• Come home in better shape than when you left: Individual fitness classes are $11, but you can purchase an unlimited pass is $80.
• If you’re willing to skip the first sailaway party, there’s a free 5:30 PM fitness class on departure day.

Holland American fans get a chuckle out of donning “’dam ship” caps and T-shirts, but there’s lots more to browse in the large, well-lit shopping area: Gold and gemstone jewelry that comes with a one-year guarantee, casual and formal wear, gifts, liquor, crystal, stuffed animals, Christmas ornaments, and ship souvenirs. To avoid the hard sell, skip the perky “Shop on Board” TV channel and shopping pitches disguised as port talks. In person, the sales staff is quite helpful.

Tips:

• Wait for daily promotions if you have your heart set on an inches-of-gold necklace, loose gemstones, costume rings, or T-shirts.
• Liquor is duty-free and tax-free onboard, but it’s even cheaper in Cozumel.
• The Internet Café stocks some PC items such as wireless cards and mice.
• Lighten up: Use FedEx ship-to-home service. A 50-pound suitcase, delivered anywhere in the U.S in 2-5 business days, is $35.

There weren’t many kids on a recent spring voyage -- 26 out of 1,800 passengers. But Club HAL® staff, all of whom have at least 2 years experience working with youngsters, say they get busy during school and summer vacations. There’s plenty to keep small sailors – ages 5 and up – amused in the Waverunner children’s center: Arts and crafts, a large-screen TV, Sony PlayStations, and a nearby video arcade. Activities are broken out by age group and include pool parties and scavenger hunts. The more kids around, the more activities scheduled.

Tips:

• Get kids involved early in the cruise so they have buddies for the duration of the voyage.
• If your child is shy, you’re welcome to keep him or her company in the Waverunner.

Zuiderdam sails 7-night eastern and western Caribbean routes, alternating weeks. A number of passengers stay onboard for both weeks to experience the full itinerary, fitting in two visits to popular Half Moon Cay. Depending on what you like to do, port visits can entail sunning, sports, shopping, or sightseeing. If the weather’s gloomy in a particular port, the staff adds more onboard activities to keep passengers happy.

Heard on the deck: “I loved the private island. It had everything, and it was so clean and easy to get around.”

• Cruise line - Holland America
• Ship name - Zuiderdam
• Type of cruise - Elegant
• Passenger capacity - 1848
• Decks - 11
• Total cabins - 924
• Private balcony cabins - 623
• Total crew - 800
• Year entered service - 2002
• Tonnage - 85000
• Officers nationality - Dutch/European
• Ship size - Large
• Registry - Netherlands
• Ship length - 951