The ports. Like many cruise lines, Holland America owns an island and makes it a port of call. The day we dropped anchor there, the sun was too hot for me to handle, but my wife and some of our friends raved about the beach, the surf, and the lunch which the Zuiderdam served on shore. We also stopped at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, a port so dull our comedian joked that the only activities on the island were happening on board our ship. In retrospect, I realize that he wasn't making a joke. The remaining ports of St. Thomas and Nassau are standard for most cruise lines.
The service on the Zuiderdam. One of the two criteria which make or break a cruise for me. In a nutshell, the Holland America service was not as good as Celebrity, which in my opinion sets the standard for the industry, but it was still good, and regarding our cabin steward, very, very good. Our cabin steward was named Mohammed Ali, and no, it's not who you're thinking. Our Mr. Ali, who like most of the crew came from Indonesia, was a young man with a big smile and an even bigger heart. He was always available, although I never saw him work with an assistant. Especially in the evenings, he arranged our bed sheets so beautifully it was almost criminal to sleep on them.
Our dining room waiter was also from Indonesia and the first night at dinner we presented him with a challenge. Shrimp cocktails for all six of us every night, we told him. Even if they aren't on the menu. He had no problem bringing them or bringing us a multitude of other dishes or multiple dishes. As on the Century, our drinks from the bar were waiting for us on our table in the dining room as we had requested. However, on the Century, our waiter was there to greet us each evening and to hold our chairs for us. Then he explained each item on the menu. When we ordered lobster tails, he shelled them.
On the Zuiderdam, occasionally our waiter's assistant would hold our chairs for us, but the menu was never explained and we shelled the lobster tails ourselves: an example of the difference between a good cruise line and a great one. Also, in the Zuiderdam's Lido restaurant, a buffet where we ate breakfast and lunch, there were usually several waiters standing around, but they rarely offered to carry our trays to the tables unless we asked them. But why should we have to ask them?
Which brings me to the delicate topic of tipping on the Zuiderdam. Years ago, Holland America was noted for a "no tipping required" policy. That this cruise line would discourage tips to its employees for working so hard seems heartless, and the rationale that Holland America offered was ridiculous. Our staff, they claimed, loved working for you so much that money was not even a consideration. I frankly never understood how an Indonesian I had never met before and would never see again would enjoy a week as my slave, and I suppose that this enigma finally occurred to Holland America. Today the policy is to automatically charge $10 per passenger per day as tips to spread equally throughout the staff on the ship, which is unfair to those like Mr. Ali and our dining room waiter who deserved to be compensated for their exceptional service. So at the end of the cruise, and at Holland America's invitation, we simply gave Mr. Ali and our dining room waiter (and his assistants) some extra cash just for themselves and not to share with anyone.
The food on the Zuiderdam. The primary reason I cruise and my main criterion for choosing a cruise line. Except for the Zuiderdam's superior Lido buffet, I regret to report that the quality of food was not quite as good as Celebrity's. As for the superb Lido, the breakfast selections were limited only by your imagination, and at lunch there were several stations to satisfy almost any taste: Salads, Soups, Sandwiches, Sweets, Hot Dishes, Asian, Italian, and probably others I can't recall offhand. The grill just outside by the pool produced hamburgers, hot dogs, vegetarian burgers, chicken, tacos, fries and other items. However, unlike the burgers on board the Century which tasted like ground filet mignon, I'm told that the Zuiderdam's just tasted like, well, burgers. The vegetarian burger was nothing special either.
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