Would like to hear from anyone recently off the Zuiderdam. We will be cruising on her later in the month and need an overview to get me through the days between now and then :~). Sure are looking forward to relaxing, good food, service, and hopefully some sun. What is not to be missed on the ship? Any tips on enjoying the Western Caribbean?
Thanks to all,
Toley
My daughter and I sailed on the Zuiderdam on 3/13. Some folks don't like the colors, but the were kind of cool looking to me. The food in the dining room and the Lido was good, but it seemed like the closed one side of the Lido during breakfast a little earlier than I think they should have. My daughter spent most of her at sea time at Club Hal (which is great for kids). I stuck around the aft pool. I really liked walking the Promenade deck, or reading on one of the chairs there (this was the only place I noticed "chair hogs"...some folks took the cusions with them when they went anywhere). The ports of call (Eastern Caribbean) were great, entertainment was very good as well. All in all, it's a great ship - I think you're going to like it. FWIW, we had an inside stateroom (which was very roomy), but the Thursday before our return, there was a flyer that said if we wanted to stay on the ship and take the cruise again the following week, it would only cost $199 per person. I was sorely tempted to do it, but then again, I had to get back to work and my daughter had to get back to school.
Yes, we can't wait either. First time on HAL and booked a BC guarantee but no cabin assigned yet. Check out http://webcam.keywest.com/msindex.htm tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. and the Zuiderdam will be arriving in Key West. We already have our day there planned. Hope to see you soon!
L & E,
Thanks for the webcam address. I'll take another look tomorrow for sure. We haven't made any definite plans for Key West yet. What are you planning? Never been to the Keys, so just being there will be fun. It was 76 degrees there when I checked the webcam. Sounds wonderful to finally thaw out.
This is our third trip on HAL and we really enjoyed both. I would think they would be assigning staterooms soon. Have never tried a guarantee. Have you done them before?
Hi Toley,
We have had the opportunity to spend a few days in Key West after two different cruises. It is a great place. We really enjoy snorkeling so we have booked with Sebago for the 9:00am trip for $35.00 US per person. We went with them in May 2003 and it was great. They have an excellent reputation and we did not hesitate to book on line. Check out their web site www.keywestsebago.com. They are located in front of Schooner Wharf Bar where we will definately stop for a cool one. We will snorkel in the morning, probably back to the ship for lunch and then "visit" a few of the local watering holes in the afternoon.
We have never cruised HAL and we are looking forward to it. We have never booked a guarantee before and we are getting anxious about our cabin location. We are flying in from Toronto the day of the cruise. You mentioned thawing out, where are you from?
We have also booked with Soto Cruises in Grand Cayman for the 9:30 am Sting Ray City trip. We have been to Sting Ray City before but used Capt. Marvins. The price is right at $24.00 for Sting Ray City and two other stops.
Hi L&E,
We will also be flying in on the day of the cruise, but from cold, and now very wet Massachusetts. We may have had it a bit warmer than you folks though. I don't think we've seen the sun for a week. Wish we could have flown in a day or two ahead, but it wasn't to be because of work.
Thanks for the other info too. The Wharf Bar sounds good. What other "watering holes" do you like?
We've only been to Toronto via the airport when we raced to change planes for Vancouver. We cruised the Inside Passage on the Volendam from there. Had a great time.
Well,,,, everybody goes to Sloppy Joes so it is getting really busy. We like Hog's Breath too. We are Buffett fans so a trip to Captain Tony's is a must ,although we have never really sat down in there. You have to see it to believe it! It is going to be a mission on this trip to actually but our butts in a chair in there a have a drink. Along the waterfront there are a number of great places. The Raw Bar and Turtle Crawls both have "local flavor". Key West is a great place, you just have to slow down and be on vacation!
We met great folks from Mass on our Princess cruise.
L&E,
Congratulations on your upgrade. I guess guarantees can work out nicely sometimes...as long as you'd be happy with the original category if you weren't upgraded. Less than a week now! Can't wait.
Toley
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