ms Zuiderdam

The 2002-built MS Zuiderdam cruise ship is the 1st Vista-class Holland America liner, with sisterships ms Oosterdam, ms Noordam, ms Westerdam.

The vessel (IMO number 9221279) is currently Netherlands-flagged (MMSI 245304000) and registered in Rotterdam.

History - construction and ownership

Holland America Line (HAL) is a Seattle-based cruise company owned by Carnival Corporation (shipowner). Between 1873-1989, HAL was a Dutch cargo and passenger shipping company operating regular Transatlantic crossings between Holland and the Americas. HAL was founded in 1873 as "Dutch-American Steamship Company" headquartered in Rotterdam Netherlands. In 1989, HAL was acquired by Carnival Corporation for around EUR 530 million. Among the company's assets are the Westmark hotel chain (Alaska-Yukon), Worldwide Shore Services (warehouses-logistics) and Half Moon Cay (Caribbean private island).

The 2000-passenger ship Zuiderdam was much showier than its ancestors, to attract younger travelers. The vessel sparkles with a flashy color scheme - from vivid red lifts and corridors to bar and show lounge seating in magenta, orange and yellow, increased more than a few eyebrows. Actually, the vessels that followed reflected a return to a more conservative layout style. There is one very interesting thing - much of the vessel's unusually light decor was left unchanged during the refurbishment, part of the cruise line's multi-million-dollar Signature of Excellence project. But, whether it is "gaudy" or "modern" really depends on passengers' personal style. After all, as more and more vessel designers take risks with distinct shapes and color palettes, styles that felt loud in 2002 are more ordinary a few years later. Probably the vessel has just grown into her look.

Decks and Cabins

MS Zuiderdam staterooms (985 total, in 30 grades) include 162 Suites, 499 Balconies, 163 Oceanviews, 163 Inside cabins. Most staterooms are sized 170-205 ft2 (16-19 m2). Nearly 70% of all staterooms have private step-out balconies. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 27. The largest accommodations are the Pinnacle Suites (830 ft2 / 77 m2, with terrace sized 320 ft2 / 30 m2).

The boat has 11 passenger decks, of which 7 are with cabins.

Implemented fleetwide in 2019, "Club Orange" program provides exclusive amenities to Suite passengers booked in categories Neptune and Pinnacle. Bonus perks by this program include:

• priority services (check-in, disembarkation, tendering, dining reservations)
• 24-hour concierge service (assistance, information, reservations)
• exclusive dining venue (serving complimentary Pinnacle Grill breakfast and Dining Room dinner, plus exclusive dishes)
• dedicated Concierge Desk (Guest Services and Tours)
• room service (a la carte breakfast menu with complimentary gourmet dishes - including smoked salmon, steak and eggs)
• sparkling wine (embarkation day), Club Orange tote bag, premium bathrobes (cabin use, available for monogramming and purchasing).
• Club Orange Restaurant is part of the Main Dining Room (designed as a separate VIP dining section).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Zuiderdam's main dining room features large windows in both its upper and lower sections. These rooms are separated by a ceiling, which is better than MDR's upper level looking down onto the lower one. Such a layout makes conversation better as voices don't carry as far, though you don't get the grand effect common to other main dining rooms. Holland America's Lido buffet rates among the best organized at sea. Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night snacks, the spot is in bright, jazzy colors with seating in the main pool area under magrodome cover (sliding glass roof) and on the adjacent aft deck. Food is arranged in themed stations that serve up sandwiches made to order, salads, pizza, sushi, stir-fries and typical hot fare. Thus, you don't have to wait behind a passenger picking through the salad bar if you want to move on to the meat station.

Follows the complete list of ms Zuiderdam restaurants and food bars.

• Pinnacle Grill (130-seat reservations-only seafood/steakhouse restaurant with fine wines selection; free for passengers under 12 yo). The venue transforms into “An Evening at le Cirque” once per cruise via a partnership with NYC “Le Cirque” French restaurant.
• Vista Restaurant (1058-seat, aft Dining Room; features open seating Breakfast and Lunch, two Dinner options - two fixed seatings or “Any Time” dining between 5:15-9 pm)
• Terrace Grill (fast food pool bar; complimentary)
• Lido Restaurant (446-seat complimentary buffet restaurant; offers self-service Breakfast 6-11 am, Lunch 11:30-2 pm, Afternoon Tea, Dinner 5:30-8 pm)
• Canaletto Restaurant (Lido Restaurant annex; operates as an Italian restaurant for Dinner, reservations required).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Culinary Arts Center features permanent cooking and viewing equipment to instruct guests on the preparation of various dishes. It is operated via a partnership with Food & Wine magazine and offers wine tastings ($15), cocktail tastings and mixology classes, as well as cooking, cake decorating, garnishing and flower arranging classes. The Queen's Lounge offers musical performances with B.B. King's Blues Club experience for five nights per week. The Digital Workshop, powered by Microsoft, is a dedicated computing education venue, with two rows of computers fronting a big, wall-mounted monitor hooked into the computer of the instructor, to graphically demonstrate each step. Other amenities include: complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("Club Hal"), cruise ship weddings, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry/Self-Serve Laundromats.

Follows the complete list of ms Zuiderdam lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Atrium (3-deck high midship open-floor area with live performances)
• Vista Lounge (867-seat theatre/main show lounge; also serves Holland America’s enrichment program (via a partnership with BBC Earth)
• Piano Bar; Sports Bar; Pinnacle Bar (28-seat wine bar); Ocean Bar (Atrium bar and lounge, with dance floor and stage for live performances)
• Northern Lights Disco & Nightclub
• Queen’s Lounge & Culinary Arts Centre (with live band entertainment, cooking shows, culinary classes; via a partnership with “Food & Wine Magazine”)
• Explorer’s Lounge & Bar (lounge with bar; classical concert performances)
• Meeting Rooms (Hudson, Half Moon, Stuyvesant)
• Photo Gallery & Shop; Art Gallery
• Casino (served by Casino Bar and Sports Bar)
• Screening Room (38-seat indoor cinema); Erasmus Room (24-seat library)
• Atrium Shops (boutiques for duty-free tobaccos and liquor, perfumes, watches, clothing, HAL logo merchandise, souvenirs); Marabella Luxury Shop
• Explorations Cafe (specialty coffee bar and patisserie; also serves as ship’s Library and Online Centre/Internet computers room)
• Neptune Lounge (club venue for Deluxe Suite and Pinnacle guests only)
• Fitness Center (gym with separate Aerobics Room)
• Greenhouse Spa & Salon (with Hydro Pool); Lido Pool area, served by Lido Bar and Terrace Grill; Sea View Pool area served by Sea View Bar; The Retreat (adults-only); 5 jacuzzis
• Crow’s Nest (observation lounge; bar and dance floor; becomes disco at night)
• Sport Court (basketball, volleyball, soccer); Promenade Deck, Walking Track
• Club HAL (kids lounge, complimentary youth programming)
• The Loft (teens club lounge area, with Video Games Arcade, computers, PlayStations; teen disco).

Itineraries

MS Zuiderdam itinerary program is based on Alaska cruises from Seattle WA in the summer. During winter months the ship operates on the ”10 Day Panama Canal Sunfarer” cruises from Fort Lauderdale, featuring Panama Canal transits on repositioning.

During a major drydock refit in 2007, HAL's Zuiderdam ship was stretched by adding a 130 ft / 40 m long midsection. Zuiderdam is the first of Holland America's all 4 "compass ships" (Vista-class vessels), with sisterships Noordam, Oosterdam, Westerdam. Zuider means "South" (in Dutch). The class was named "Vista" because of the expansive use of glass in the superstructure. Ship's Inaugural Cruise/ Maiden Voyage was on December 14, 2002. Ship's Godmother was Joan Lunden (1950-born US journalist, author, TV host).

The ship features a Venetian theme throughout - numerous sculptures, statues and paintings of famous Dutch ships. In its Atrium area, the ship has an impressively big Seahorse sculpture made of crystal. Other prominent pieces of art onboard are a Queen Beatrix's painting (by Andy Warhol), medallions by F.L.Wright, a floral painting by Charles Ben in addition to the ship's big collection of many centuries-old antiques & paintings. This HAL ship features 85% oceanview cabins, and 67% balconies. Zuiderdam is the first cruise liner ever to offer data sockets (USB ports) in every cabin for Internet access.

Zuiderdam is Holland America's 3rd vessel with this name. The 1st "Zuider" liner was in service 1912-1922 (5200-ton Transatlantic cargo ship crossing between Rotterdam and Savannah GA USA). The 2nd Zuiderdam (passenger ship) was scheduled for launch in 1941 but was badly damaged by the British (air attack) while docked in Port Rotterdam. German command decided to raise and re-float the hull in 1942 to be used as a port blockage to the Allied forces in 1944. After WW2 (1939-1945) this ill-fated ship was raised again but was never completed.

Holland America Zuiderdam refurbishments review

During the ship's drydock refurbishment in April 2015, new cabins were added on Observation Deck 10. These accommodations are now shown in the Deck 10’s layout. Deck plan 2015 changes also include the addition of Retreat (adult deck area) on Sports Deck 11 (replacing the two Canvas Cover areas there).

In 2019 (December 1-9) the ship was drydocked in Freeport Bahamas for a USD 16 million renovation project).