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I had an opportunity to
escort a charter client on Holland America’s Zaandam last week
on a special 4-night itinerary that was made possible by the
ship’s being previously at the Superbowl. on a short term
charter. Generally, I would not submit a ship review for a
chartered program, but I feel it is important to share with
you the recent changes and upgrades of the Zaandam since its
January drydock and institution of Holland America’s
“Signature of Excellence” amenities as well as Holland
America’s levels of service and performance on this corporate
charter.
As mentioned above, the Zaandam recently instituted the
upgrade associated with Holland America’s “Signature of
Excellence” program and the ship has never looked better. For
all intensive purposes, this is a new ship after the
drydocking. All of the public areas are fresh and the
carpeting and soft goods are immaculate. The cabins are
phenomenal. They have added flat screen TVs and DVD players in
every stateroom and the upgraded bedding is actually very
comfortable. The linens and duvets are also better than any
you have experienced on a large cruise ship. Coupled with the
fact that Holland America already featured some of the largest
staterooms afloat, you now have the best staterooms at sea in
this market.
The internet café and library (where DVD rentals are also
available) have been concentrated around the new coffee shop.
It’s basically a Starbucks at sea without the prices.
Specialty coffees and teas range from $1.50 - $3.00. This area
was very busy most mornings and, surprisingly, afternoons. The
casino is adequate for a ship this size and the staff is
friendly and accommodating to all levels of gamers. The ship
also features a movie theatre which shows first-run features
daily. – Complete with fresh popcorn. Our charterer took
advantage of splitting up their offices and doing “movie
nights” for each territory. The spa and salon are up to date
with many of the latest treatments and feature many package
options for guests.
How can we leave out one of the most important aspects of a
cruise? The food. The dining experience was also fantastic.
The lido buffet is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and
features numerous stations that serve different cuisines
throughout the day. Breakfast is standard, but lunch and
dinner feature many specialty stations like deli, Italian,
Carving Stations and of course dessert stations. You could
actually dine at the lido for the entire cruise and you would
still report that your dining experience was excellent. The
main dining room was efficient, with excellent service staff
and a varied menu. Each night at dinner, there are 5 main
course choices including one vegetarian options and one
“comfort food” choice. The wine list is very good and prices
range from $22 - $60 for most bottles. The Zaandam also
features the Pinnacle Grill, an alternative dining option
which carries a $20 per person surcharge and requires
reservations. The surcharge is well worth it. The menu in this
restaurant is fantastic with the service to match - definitely
something to experience at least once on the cruise. Room
service was also very good with orders arriving within 10
minutes. I am sure on larger vessels this may take a bit
longer. The dining room menus are available through room
service during dining room hours and there is a 24-menu which
featured sandwiches, desserts, and beverages.
So now that we’ve established that the hardware was in
excellent shape and that the dining was also, here’s what
really was impressive about the ship – the staff. The crew on
the Zaandam was among the best I have ever worked with. Our
particular program was fairly simply programming as charters
go, but the staff’s personalities, efficiency and interaction
with the corporate client was of particular note. Holland
America is probably the best big cruise line to work with in
terms of charters and incentive sales because their staff
understands the difference in our clients versus standard
groups and FITs. With this kind of cooperation and foresight
from the ship staff, your travel staff will feel the
difference. I urge you to consider booking your next cruise
program on Holland America, you will see the difference! |
