Luxury Cruise Holidays | Caribbean Sea Cruises | Holland America Line

Ship Reviews

On July 4, 2026 we boarded the Zuiderdam for their America’s 250th Celebration: Stars & Stripes Voyage. There were 1933 passengers on the Zuiderdam of whom 84 were children. The average passenger age was 63 years old. The Zuiderdam will complete renovations by April 2, 2028. They are adding new 900 square feet Bridgeview suites, 200 square feet Solo Verandah rooms, Vista Suites and a Grand Dutch Café. Pre-pay for your luggage for your return flight before you board the cruise ship. Although you can use the ship’s Wi-Fi to access your e-mail and airline websites, since there are no cellphone towers in the ocean, you will not be able to receive a two-factor authentication text message while in the ocean, if your credit card chooses to require one. You will be asked to recognize (by name) Holland America staff members in a survey that is e-mailed to you a few days after your trip. It is implied that based on your feedback, Holland America recognizes/compensates their employees. This is your opportunity to recognize employees in areas that traditionally do not get monetary tips from guests. The survey closes 2 weeks after you get off the ship. You can take a ride share, regular taxi or a water taxi (approx. $20/person) from Logan Intl. Airport to Flynn Cruise port in Boston. Embarkation: Our luggage was taken curbside when we exited our taxi. You have to throw out any one-time use plastic bottles (water, soda) before you board the ship. They x-ray your luggage and what you carry on the ship for prohibited items. We arrived in the afternoon and were in our room within a half hour. Your key-cards are outside your stateroom waiting for you. Our luggage arrived within 45 min. If you’re hungry, the Lido Market and Dive-In are open. Ship Life: If you’ve paid for internet service, carefully follow the instruction on the sheet in your room documents to connect to the internet by going to: internet.hollandamerica.com Remember to put your phone on Airplane mode or you will exhaust your battery as your phone searches for a signal while at sea. Photos for purchase are 5 x 7” except for the “Formal” photos they shoot on Dressy night which are 8 X 10’s. The purchase of photo(s) comes with a physical print and a digital file you can download. Prices are 1 for $20-25, 5 for $110, 10 for $200, 20 for $360 and 30 for $500. In all my encounters with the ship’s staff (cabin attendants, buffet servers, bartenders), I found them to be very friendly and helpful. Tips: Tips for bartenders/baristas are covered, if you’re on a Have It All package beverage package. And $18 per passenger per day is added to your final bill as a tip for your cabin stewards and wait staff. (Our 2025 Early Booking Have It All package covered this tip amount.) No tip amount beyond this is required. But you can always tip these employees more, in cash, if you like. You can also feel free to hand other staff members cash tips while on board. I tipped my favorite servers at the buffet on the last day of the cruise. Tips for excursion staff are not covered by the above mentioned $18/pppd charge or the Early Booking Have It All package. If you are a tipper, plan for $5 per couple for bus drivers and $10 per guest for your tour guides. As well as $2 - $5 per day for housekeeping at any hotels, if you have a before or after land tour through Holland America. BTW: If you add a tip to an individual bill (typically the beverage receipt you sign), that money does not go to the individual serving you, but rather into a general fund used to compensate many categories of employees. So, if you want a specific employee to have a tip, you should tip in cash. Anything you purchase on the ship [drinks (if you’re not on HIA or a drink package), additional charge food, laundry, photos, gift shop items] will be charged an extra 18% tip/service charge. Dining: Have It All (HIA): Since I obtained free hot tea every morning from the Lido Market in the travel mug I brought from home (so I could take some back to my room), I only averaged 2-3 drinks per day covered by the Have It All package. My cabin mate obtained cans of water and Coke products (no Dr. Pepper available) from the Crow’s Nest in addition to non-free lunch & dinner drinks; so had like 5-6 HIA covered drinks per day. You can usually obtain two HIA drinks per guest card at a time. If your drink is over the covered amount of your drink package, you will be charged only for the amount that your drink is over + 18% of the overage. So, if your drink is over by $1.00, you will be charged $1.18. If you order a double, you should be deducted 2 credits from your drink package vs. an extra charge for going over your HIA allotment. The easiest way to obtain a can of water ($5.00) or soda ($2.95) is from the Crow’s Nest. There is also a water bottle fill station in the gym (beside the spa) on Deck 9. Gym and sauna access are included in your fare; you don’t have to pay for the spa to use either of these areas. If you’re not on a drink package, beer is $7.75 and most wines are $11 – 13 per glass. Some of the bars have a half price happy hour and the Captain’s Toast event includes free champagne. You can have free food delivered via room service; most food is free but not all drinks are. You order room service breakfast via a menu you place outside your door the night before. Other meals are available, but breakfast is the most popular. You will pay for all drinks that don’t come from the buffet. So, even if you have a Drink Package, you will be charged full price for non-buffet drinks + 18%, if you have the drinks delivered via room service. When you order breakfast, you select a delivery time and our food arrived right on time. There is no charge for room service delivery, but it is customary to tip $2 – 5 cash depending on the size of your order. Just leave the tray in your room and your room steward will remove it the next time your room is made up. You can obtain beverages from the Lido Market Buffet at any time. Free water, coffee, hot tea (Bigalow tea bags), ice tea and lemonade are available at the buffet even during hours the buffet is not serving food. The published times for buffet food service are 7:00 – 10:30AM (earlier if needed on port days), 11:30 – 2:00PM, 2:00 PM – 4:00PM, 5:30 – 8:00PM and 10:30 – 11:30PM. But it was our experience that at least one station is open even during off times between 10:30AM and 10:30PM. There are menus on the table for additional charge beverages, but we were never asked if we wanted to order something else. If you want a Coke with your lunch, pick one up at a bar before heading to the buffet. The Main Dining Room has open seating for breakfast (8 – 9:30AM) and lunch (12PM – 1PM) and an option for reserved dinner seatings at 5PM and 7:30PM. Otherwise, you can get a dinner table via Open Seating, but you may have to wait for a table. The dining room is included in your fare and additional charge items are clearly identified on the menu. There are two Specialty restaurants. The Pinnacle Grill serves steaks and seafood and is open for lunch and dinner. Canaletto is a specialty Italian dinner restaurant located within the Lido Market Buffet space. I ordered the shrimp at Canaletto and preferred it over the shrimp I had in 2025 at the Pinnacle Grill. In addition to an entrée for each member of our party (HIA package), we ordered the extra charge lobster for $25 + 18% service charge for the table to share. The lobster was well prepared and good. Throughout the cruise we were very pleased with our food choices and quality in the Buffet, Main Dining Room and Canaletto. Additionally, Dive-In has very good hamburgers and excellent French fires. Try the Dive-in sauce with your fries. High Tea is served in the main dining room on sea days around 3PM (arrive early). “Tea” consists of one flavor of tea and a tower of savory and sweet finger food. We enjoyed the experience. Ocean View Rooms: Most Ocean View rooms are on Deck One. Rooms have either 2 single beds or 2 beds pushed together to make a queen. The queen bed sits directly under the cabin window. If you want to sit and look out your window, you will be sitting on your queen bed facing backwards. If you plan to spend significant time looking at the view, consider getting 2 single beds instead. These beds are to each side of the window with the nightstands under the window. So, you can walk up to the window, or sit on the side of the bed with your feet on the floor, or sit on the bed with your back against the wall to admire the view. You can even pull your cabin table over and eat while admiring the view. There is a large storage drawer under each bed at the foot of the bed. Dimensions: 20.5” wide x 22.5” deep x 9” tall. But only plan on using one of them as the cabin stewards will use one of them to store throw pillows and the bed foot runner at night. The storage height under the bed is 13 inches tall and there is 36 inches of space between the underbed drawer and where the nightstand extends out to for you to slide your suitcase under the bed. There was enough space for our one medium and one large suitcase under the bed(s). There are two USB A outlets at the head of the bed(s). The nightstands measure 20 inches deep by 14.5 inches wide. They have two drawers. The drawers are 11” wide by 16.5” deep by 4.25” high. There is a sitting area with a sofa sleeper and a 16” x 28” adjustable height coffee table. A room service tray (18” x 26”) will fit on this table. At the desk there are two USB-A, two 115-volt USA and two 220-volt European outlets. The desk has a tray, glasses, ice bucket, hairdryer, make-up mirror and triangle shaped storage cabinet. Under the desk is a minifridge (with some space not occupied with minibar items for sale.) There is a comfortable desk chair. Remember to take your tray to the buffet, if you plan on bringing food back with you. There are three floor to ceiling closets. The first has the room safe and four shelves 23” wide x 11” deep and 10” of hanging clothes space. The door to the room safe opens as 10.5” wide and 6.5” tall. A standard laptop will not fit in the safe. The second closet is 22” wide x 20” deep and can be configured with one or two shelves (by folding down a shelf). It also has a full-length mirror. The third closet is 23.5” wide x 17.24” deep with one or two shelves. Some of the shelf space is occupied by 2 life jackets, 2 deck blankets, 2 pool towels, 2 robes and 1 umbrella. There is a curtain you can pull across the entry hall with the closets and bathroom to separate the light from the hall to the rest of the cabin. Bathroom: There is a motion activated light on the floor under the closets that comes on at night. There is also a ceiling nightlight in the bathroom that is always on. The bathroom is small but functional for one person at a time. The medicine cabinet has three triangle shaped shelves. There is a combination US/European outlet by the sink but it is non-polarized (both US holes are the same size) so you can plug in a shaver but not a blow dryer. The ship uses Elemis products. There are soap and lotion dispensers by the sink and a shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispenser mounted to the shower wall. TV is available with a limited number of channels: BBC News, Fox News, MSNBC, HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, QVC, Prime One, Prime Favorites, CNN & a Sport 24 channel. There is a wide selection of in-room movies to choose from. There are also informational programs available on your ports of call. There is no self-service laundry facility on the ship, but H. A. does have a laundry service. You can have just a single item or a small bag (19 inches x 14 inches) of clothes cleaned. A single bag is $30 for wash and fold or $35 for wash and press (+18%). Or you can purchase laundry service for the entire cruise ($70 + 18% for a 1-week cruise). Entertainment: The Crow’s Nest has games and puzzles for the whole family to enjoy. We liked walking around outdoors on Deck 3. Three laps is a mile. We were able to work off some of those calories we ate while enjoying the view. There are two small pools, four hot tubs, a gym and sauna on board. There are specials at the Spa on days the ship is in port. Pack an orange shirt or outfit for the Orange Party in the Rolling Stone Lounge. They serve orange-colored appetizers and desserts and have orange-colored cocktails for sale to celebrate their Dutch heritage. Nightly performances on the World Stage occur at 7:30PM and again at 9PM. Breton Thunder performed our first night. One member of my party liked them so much, we also caught their performance in the Rolling Stone lounge another night. The house performers for the World Stage are a company of 3 singers and 6 dancers. We enjoyed their performance of “Hey Mr. D. J.” This company also backed up singer Natalie Toro on night 4 of our cruise. She has an amazing voice and great stories of her life as a Broadway actress. My favorite performer was pianist Elliot Finkel. I’m not really a piano person but Mr. Finkel was just so entertaining with his music and tales of his life as a musician. We also saw Baily Payne perform backed up by the house dancers. She has a lot of elaborate costumes. Bay of Fundi, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada Sunday, July 5 75 degrees $0.73 Canadian dollars = $1.00 US Ship time added one hour this morning to align with the time in Canada. The time on your phone will probably be wrong all day. There really isn’t a need to have Canadian dollars for this port. I paid with US dollars at the Container Market just outside the cruise terminal. And you can always pay by credit card. Being at it was Sunday and we arrived at 5PM, some shops were not open including the historical market in the town. The main attraction of New Brunswick is the Reversing Tide Falls which are about a 1.5 mile walk from the cruise terminal. Walk down to the park by the ocean and follow the red path through the park. When you exit the park take the sidewalk up the street to the falls. This last half mile is uphill. You can also take a taxi or ride share if you don’t want to walk up or down the hill. Depending on the time of the day, the tide flows in or out rapidly. The tide can be viewed from both sides of the bridge. However, if you cross the bridge, you can go down a long flight of stairs to almost ocean level for a closer look. Norfolk, Virgina Tuesday, July 7 89 degrees and humid Since this was our first port back in the US after visiting Canada, every passenger had to get off the ship and go through US Customs and Immigration before any passengers could get back on the ship. This took about 2 hours. The USS Wisconsin & Nauticus Museum are right next to the ship when it docks. They are open 9AM – 5PM and are $20. The Douglas MacArther Memorial Museum is walking distance (0.5 miles) from the ship, open 10AM – 5PM and is free. The Chrysler Museum is 0.8 miles and open 10AM – 5PM. There are many boats in the harbor available for harbor cruises. There is some shopping of artisan goods available at Seldon Market and Mermaid Market. For other attractions you will need to take a ride share or taxi which are available just outside Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Center. The Zoo is open 9AM – 4PM 2.7 miles ($20), Norfolk Botanical Garden is 8.5 miles ($23), Historic Jamestown is 54 miles ($30) and Williamsburg is 75 km away and is $37.50. We left the ship at 2PM and declined to take a ride share. We walked along the waterfront, shopped at Seldon Market and visited the MacArther Museum. The city was surprisingly uncrowded for a Tuesday afternoon. We made it back to the ship for our 5PM dinner reservation. The Orange Pary was this night. New York City Wednesday, July 8 (71 degrees) and Thursday, July 9 On our way into the Brooklynn Cruise Terminal, we sailed under a bridge. We went to the 11th floor observation deck to watch the ship barely clear the underside of the bridge. But the highlight of the day, was sailing past the Statue of Liberty. We docked around 5PM. We were originally supposed to dock in Manhattan but were told via e-mail one month ahead of time that we would be docking in Brooklynn instead. Pros of docking in Brooklynn: amazing views of Manhattan, the Brooklynn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty especially at night from the starboard side of the ship. (Port side has views of Brooklynn.) Cons: We paid $170 in ride share fees to go to and from Times Square instead of just being able to walk there. You can also get to Manhattan via the Red Hook Ferry ($4.50). But you will need to take a taxi, ride share or subway ($3) to get uptown after you get off the ferry. Day two in New York, we took the H. A. arranged New York City by Land & Sea tour. Our tour guide, Jay, seemed to know the name and history of every building in New York. And our bus driver Eddie maneuvered our tour bus through some very narrow streets in Brooklynn. Our tour started by entering Manhattan via the Brooklynn Bridge. We drove through Chinatown, Little Italy, SOHO, DUMBO and many other neighborhoods before driving down Broadway. We boarded a boat which could hold about 150 people for a one-hour cruise by the Statue of Liberty and back. There is passenger seating both inside and outside. They have a snack bar on board the boat: cocktails $16.50 & beer $15; fountain drinks, water, coffee & tea $5. They also have chips, candy and hotdogs for sale. The restrooms are located in the “basement”. In addition to the Statute of Liberty, we could see New Jersey, Brooklynn and Manhattan from the boat. Other popular attractions in Manhattan include the One World Observatory & 911 Memorial Museum 9AM – 7PM ($36); the Empire State Building 9AM – 12AM ($44 – 100) and the Guggenheim Museum 10:30AM – 5:30PM. Visiting Central Park and Times Square are free (unless you buy something.) On the last day of your cruise, there are luggage scales provided for use by each of the midship elevators. If you are using a H. A. transfer to the airport, you need to have your luggage outside your room by midnight the night before. Remember to bring a backpack or similar item to carry your pajamas and morning toiletries off the ship. Disembarkation: Breakfast is served in the Dining Room from 6:30-8:30AM and in Lido Market from 6:00 – 9:00AM. You can view your room charges on your room TV or through the Navigator app. We did not have any errors in our bill. Everyone had to be off the ship by 9:15AM. We carried our suitcases off the ship to waiting taxis lined up for a short ride to the Boston Waterfront District. Taxi drives in Boston prefer cash (US). Boston July 11, 12 & 13th We spent three days in Boston after the cruise. We stayed at the Harborside Inn of Boston which is a boutique hotel two blocks from the ocean. Despite its name, their rooms do not have a view of the ocean but the hotel is very conveniently located without the price of hotels directly on the water. We arrived around 9:30AM and there was no problem having our luggage held until 3PM check-in. (They also held our luggage after we checked out.) Our room was comfortable with extra tall ceilings. There was a minifridge in the room but no coffee/tea station either in the room or in the lobby. There is a restaurant attached to the lobby with coffee/tea available for purchase. We were on the second floor and could occasionally hear a faint rumbling in the room. It took several days to determine that it was the subway. It really wasn’t a problem, just more of a curiosity: it was never loud enough to wake us up. I would stay at the Harborside Inn again. I’ve also stayed at the Dagny Boston and would recommend that hotel too as being nice and well located, but not as pricy as other hotels in Boston. Boston is a super walkable city. There was so much to do within 2 miles of our hotel. There’s a Seven Eleven on the corner next to the hotel. Quincy Market (10AM – 9PM except 10AM – 6PM of Sun) is a block away, and is a great place to get a bite to eat. At times it can be crowded to eat there, so we just took our food back to our room which had a nice table and 2 chairs for us to use to enjoy our meal. The number one thing to do in Boston is walk the Freedom Trail. The trail is 2.5 miles long and links 16 historical sites across Boston. The trail is free but some sites charge admission to go inside. Just follow the red brick trail through the streets of Boston. You can also download an audio guide in English, French or Spanish from the National Parks Service for more information on each site. Popular sites on the trail that charge a fee include: the Old North Church 10AM – 5PM ($10), USS Constitution ship & museum 10AM – 5PM ($15) and the Paul Revere House 10AM – 5PM ($6). Other things to do in Boston include the Isabela Stewart Gardner Museum 11AM – 5PM ($22), the New England Aquarium 9AM – 6PM ($40) and the Samuel Adams Brewery 12N – 9PM ($15 – 40). And children love the Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum 10AM – 5PM (adults $37). Boston has two Hop-On Hop-Off bus tours: the Old Town Trolley ($55) and the City View Trolley ($46) if you’re not up to walking all over Boston.

I sailed on this cruise and because of many negative comments am compelled to add something positive. The 4th of July celebrations were delayed and hampered due to shore issues not HAL. We saw large fireworks from deck over the Logan airport which probably came from Dorchester. One negative was the immigration check in Norfork which was difficult due to some passengers ignoring procedure to leave ship. After numerous voyages on many HAL ships in the past this unique cruise stands out as a wonderful experience. It probably will never be repeated in my lifetime. Granted we were in a NS and had many freebies added on due to advance booking. HIA included gratuities, beverages and OBC. Food, crew, attendants and bar servers were all very good and consistent as previously experienced on HAL. Because of some passengers complaints OBC was issued to every cabin as well. I would book another cruise on Zuiderdam if itinerary matched my expectations.

A great smaller ship. It’s an older ship but in excellent condition-new carpet, new tubs and maybe the best mattress ever. Crew is super friendly. Lido and MDR food was good and lines were short. The ship seems well staffed. I was not a fan of Pinnacle Grill or Canellto’s. I thought the food in both was just mediocre but I will say they were booked solid every night. Cabin on observation deck was great for a solo traveler. It had a balcony, was very close to the Crow’s Nest and was only a deck away from Lido, the spa and the pool. This is the first HAL ship I have sailed on where the shore excursions where not a nightmare getting off and on the ship. Everything was super organized and you could just walk off the ship directly to the buses. I only did the show with the ventriloquist but he was awesome; the audience really liked him.

Overview: What a great cruise!!! My wife and I had an amazing time on a 7 day Canada & New England Cruise from Quebec City to Boston. This was our 2nd HAL cruise and I was a bit skeptical based on my previous experience on Eurodam in December of 2025. Cleanliness: The ship was spotless, cleaning staff was constantly wiping high traffic areas including Lido Deck, staircases, handles, etc. Even though it's supposed to be 1 class below Eurodam, it felt more upscale. I think it was due to the fact that the crew made it very memorable. Everyone was extremely nice, always smiling, always willing to help. Cabin: Our cabin was on Deck 4 and even though it had blocked view (tender boats), it was bright and airy. Water was hot instantly, air conditioning was easily adjustable (unlike Eurodam). Our cabin was cleaned twice a day which was truly appreciated. It is always nice coming back to a clean room, with made up beds, vacuumed floors, and clean trash bins. Pool Area: We found there were always enough lounge chairs to relax on in the pool area. We enjoyed spending time in the hot tub. Dining: The food in the Main Dining room was well prepared, food on Deck 9 (Lido) was also good quality, with lots of variety, and stations like Asian and Indian. We hadn't tried any specialty restaurants or paid extra for lobster because the quality overall was simply good, and we didn't feel like we had to splurge on special dishes. Entertainment: I would personally like to thank our cruise director Brian and assistant cruise director Ray for doing a fantastic job entertaining guests, providing updates, and answering any questions. Brian was constantly mingling with the guests, and got to know me by name. We participated in several trivia games, it was fun. Entertainment team also put on a great Orange Night event, with shows and dancing for all. For those guests who prefer to play games with their family members or other guests, there is a Crew's Nest lounge on deck 10. This area also has specialty coffee. They had a ton of board games and puzzles for guests to enjoy. All the shows were great, from the Zuiderdam singers and dancers to Celtic Band and special guest featuring a very funny comedian. We enjoyed them all. Other venues included Billboard Onboard featuring a pianist, Rolling Stones, and few other venues. Spa and Gym: I have to give shout out to massage therapist Michelle, it was one of the best massages I ever had. It was so good and relaxing, I almost fell asleep. The gym had very nice equipment and free weights. Embarkation and Disembarkation: Both were easy, no hassle, no huge lines, and no confusion. While other cruise ships don't open cabins until 2 or 3 pm, all the cabins were accessible even before 12 pm. The only odd thing was that we had to go through customs on the ship itself as we were coming down from Canada to US port. Several customs officials boarded the ship and were checking passports. Once cleared, we were allowed to go ashore in Portland, Maine. Suggestions: The only suggestion is to replace very bulky chairs in the Lido dining area. I saw how many people struggled to lift and move those chairs out of the way. Final Thoughts: I consider myself a critical person having sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Crystal. (ultra luxury), I was pleasantly surprised on how well everything worked on Zuiderdam. I feel that 1500-2000 passengers is a good blend of classic cruising. We didn't have to reserve dining room, shows, or any other activities like you'd typically do on bigger ships with 4000+ passengers. This made it a much more relaxing cruise. Plus, the layout of the ship was similar to Eurodam which I really like. Deck 2 has all the activities, Deck 3 has shops. No traffic, no congestion. Well done! If you are into classic cursing, you should definitely consider HAL Zuiderdam.