ms Zuiderdam 5/14/05

Hey guys and gals!!!

My partner Gary and I will be on the about cruise the ms Zuiderdam on May 14. We are both 27 years old and celebrating Gary's 28th b-day that following Saturday. We have been together almost 7 years. We have previously sailed on NCL Wind and I have been on the ms Westerdam and Celebrity.

We both live in N. VA (Wash DC area) and are friendly guys just looking for other gay singles or couples to meet on the ship for cocktails, etc. We look forward to meeting some other 'family'- male or female around the country!!

Let us know at mikec5426@aol.com and just put ms Zuiderdam in the subject line (since AOL gets so much spam).

We also are planning on a night at the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove- any reviews on this hotel or the Zuiderdam would be greatly appreciated!

Mike & Gary
Leesburg, VA

[Harry Martin]

Mike, be sure and check under both ship and member reviews for thoughts on the Zuderdam. You can find them under the "Ship Reviews" red button.

Harry

Hi Guys-
My partner and I took an RSVP cruise on the Zuiderdam shortly after it was put into service. The ship is beautiful and the crew was attentive. I suggest that you make reservations for at least one dinner at the Oddesey Restaurant. This is a much smaller, intimate venue which we used to celebrate one of our friend's birthday. There is a modest fee for this room but it's worth it. It's very popular and books up fast! If you plan to dine there, make your reservation(s) as soon as you can after boarding. Have a great trip!!
Mark

Harry- Thank you for the reference to the other reviews. Some made me a bit skeptical but with my past experience on any cruise or vacation it is all what you make of it and not your surroundings. *hopefully* :-)

Mark- Thank you for your feedback! That is definitely encouraging to hear based on some of the other reviews I read. We live near Wash. Dulles airport so luckily we can plan a lot of great last minute trips and the airfare still ends up being very reasonable.

Do you guys travel frequently?

I am really looking forward to hopefully meeting some others going on the same trip!!!

Take care!
Mike

Mike-
We travel quite frequently but only cruise a couple of times a year. You're right in approaching any experience with "it's what you make of it". But, one thing we've learned over the years is that you are the customer and it is because of your money that these ships (or planes, for that matter) travel. You have every right to expect the utmost service and consideration. Should you feel that some aspect of your traveling experience is falling short of reasonable expectations then by all means, talk to someone in a management capacity to address your concerns. Unless these issues are brought forth, they seldom are corrected. What is your itinerary? Chances are very good that "family" will be on board but from reading recent posts, I'm not so sure that the crew will be helping you meet them. When all else fails, go to the disco late or check out the pool area. These are two places that "we" seem to gravitate to.
Best- Mark

Mark,

With that said let me clarify. :-) I am never one to settle for second or third rate service. I just see that so many people get upset and frustrated by bad service or incidents that happen. I never that that bother my entire vacation. But rest assured I will make sure that even the Captain knows if I am not happy with something they did!

I was on the ms Westerdam in 1995 with my family for my high school graduation "spring break" and we had a wonderful time! I remember great food and wonderful service.

I will check out the disco and pool for sure! I sure hope they serve a good martini on board and of course some frozen foo foo drinks! ;-)

We are thinking about the QM2 out of NYC later this year. But we are both 27 and no offense to anyone but I heard that the QM2 seems to have a lot of white, straight, retirees. I can't imagine how fun it would be? However, we love great service, food and itineraries.

Holland America Itinerary
---ms Zuiderdam---
Eastern Caribbean Cruise

Day Port

Saturday, May 14, 2005 Ft Lauderdale

Sunday, May 15, 2005 Half Moon Cay

Monday, May 16, 2005 At Sea

Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Road Town, Tortola

Wednesday,May 18, 2005 St Thomas,Us V.I.

Thursday, May 19, 2005 At Sea

Friday, May 20, 2005 Nassau, Bahamas

Saturday, May 21, 2005 Ft Lauderdale

I have been to St. Thomas and Nassau before. We have also been to Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, Casa Maya, etc.

Our last 'big' trip was in Aug/Sept. of last year. We spent 9 days at the Ritz Carlton in Cancun, MX. Overall a great trip but we really can't find a great vacation as a cruise! Although we are up for anything!! We have just been so busy with work we have not found the time!

Mike

Mike-
We were on the QM2's maiden crossing from Southampton to New York last April. The ship is stunning, and needless to say, BIG. Except for a couple of days of extremely rough seas, the crossing was all we had hoped for. We indulged ourselves and purchased a cabin in the Queen's Grill category. The experience was not as stuffy as I was expecting. The crew is young but not "green" and they have been trained to accommodate you politely and efficiently without being haughty. I will agree that there did not seem to be a great deal of ethnic diversity, and the average passenger age was certainly in the fifties but age is what you make it and this particular crossing may not have appealed to all within the potential demographic. You could tell however, that everyone was thrilled to be on board. There will certainly be younger people aboard and you'll find them in the bars and of course, the ever-reliable, disco. There were gay couples dancing along with the straights and no one seemed to care. Should you choose Queens Grill accommodations, there is a dedicated deck area and a lounge just outside the Grill restaurant. The food was fantastic, the wine list top notch, and they did all they could do to satisfy special requests without so much as a raised eyebrow. The ship operates with a British/Continental sensibility which made the ambience charming and welcoming. Hope this helps!
Mark

[MikeandGary]

Mark-

Thanks for the feedback on the QM2! I am glad it is not 'stuffy' which is what I imagined it to be.

I am not sure if we will get to that this year.

We would really like to try an RSVP cruise. We have heard a variety things about Atlantis and we don't fall under that 'gym bunny' category. Although we always seem to make new friends with all kinds of people. I just don't want to feel awkward and would prefer a combination of male/female on board.

Mike

Mike-
We are coming up on our first Atlantis cruise in about a month and don't really know what to expect in terms of the crowd. I can't imagine that it will be much different than the RSVP cruise we took a couple of years ago on the Zuiderdam. Admittedly, there were far more guys than women on board but that was never an issue for either. Everyone was in a party mindset and there was a true sense of commoradorie (sp?). Whichever cruise provider you use, you're going to get a wonderful mixed bag of folk. There will be other "non" gym- bunnies and countless other body types and characters. It's this, at least for us, which makes it fun!
Mark

[MikeandGary]

*BUMP* :-) Anyone else coming on the Zuiderdam on 5/14???

Mike

5/14/2005- Holland America- Zuiderdam
4/2004- Royal Caribbean- Majesty of the Seas
4/8/2000- Norwegian Wind
4/1995- Holland America- Westerdam

Hey

You guys enjoy the Zuiderdam?

Corey