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Designed to carry fewer guests while offering greater space, Zaandam is elegant and comfortable. Her décor is inspired by music and features musical instruments including signed guitars from Queen, Iggy Pop, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones and a Baroque-style pipe organ. While on-board, enjoy regional cooking demonstrations and food and wine tastings with Port to Table. Rejuvenate at the Greenhouse Spa & Salon. Indulge at any of our fine dining venues.
Zandaam - Vancouver to San Diego - 5 day cruise - only a little over half full as this cruise turns into a Legendary Journey to the South Pacific. My first "smaller" ship on HAL. Very nice. The crew and staff - Outstanding. Madi our Steward was polite, attentive and reliable. Top drawer. Lido staff - Outstanding. Dining Room staff - once again outstanding. Food very good. Captain's noon talks were informative, clear and concise. Cruise Director Claire - once again clear, concise and timely. Stateroom - one of the nicest we have ever experienced. However - one of us found it far too noisy for sleeping even with ear plugs, interior panels, creaking and groaning as the ship navigated complex currents and waves. If you are a light sleeper don't pick this cabin. Cabin temperature - just fine. Cigarette smoke chased us out of the small but entertaining casino except early mornings. We are fans of "no smoking" cruises especially inside the ship. We did not go to any of the entertainment or activities as this is not our thing and we were visiting with close family who we do not see often. However there seemed to be plenty to do if that is what you like on cruises. Embark in Vancouver - 15 minutes thru USA customs - walk on - with a large Princess ship already in Port. Disembark in San Diego - 5 minutes.
This was a 5 day cruise from Vancouver to San Diego with a port of call in San Francisco. This was my friend’s first cruise. It was the perfect fit as the ship is smaller than most and doesn’t’ have the Carnival crowd. It was much more upscale. Plus the itinerary was perfect with 3 days at sea and a port of call. This was my 12th cruise but first on Holland America. Everything was perfect with one exception. The ship was beautiful and extremely clean. Originally we got a room with a porthole. When we walked into the room it was very dark and disappointing. As a result we upgraded to a full window which was the best purchase I’ve made in a long time. Our cabin attendant was awesome with 2 daily servicing of our room. Our room was always spotless. All of the crew were fantastic!!! The cruise director, Clare was the best cruise director I’ve had on a cruise. There were plenty of activities each day. A surprise was a Okterber fest one afternoon with beers and soft pretzels. The Lido deck was decorated for the event. We boarded in Vancouver at 1030a with no lines and immediate access to our room because this was a relocation cruise. The ship passengers were split between American cruisers and Canadians who were going on the 54 day cruise when we got off. The only disappointment was the food in the buffet. It was mediocre at best. Also, after 10pm there was no food available anywhere on the ship. My friend said it was the BEST bread pudding he’s ever had. However, the meals in the main dining room were very good and also a better selection of desserts. The entertainment, though, very small was wonderful with a comedian who I thought was the best comedian on any of my other cruises I’ve taken and an exceptionally talented singer who was amazing. There were no big production shows (however this was a 5 day cruise). All in all it was a wonderful experience and I’ll certainly sail on Holland America again.
We love the size of the Zaandam. This was our first time on her, although we've sailed on the sister ship Volendam several times. We were on this cruise with friends who've never cruised before, and they were very pleased with the ship and service; however, as seasoned cruisers, we noticed a few things we would have liked to be different. The pros: Room stewards were great. The size of the ship is great because you can walk the whole thing without being exhausted. The library game area is open and inviting. The Dive In restaurant is really good if you like burgers and hot dogs. The food was very good in the main dining room, but perhaps just a notch below what we experienced on Eurodam the last two cruises. We never felt we needed to go to specialty dining since the dining room was so good. The portions were huge, much larger than on past cruises. The cruise director, Clare, was entertaining and engaging, and the cooking demonstration with Executive Chef Neil was very entertaining. Special requests in the dining room didn't seem to faze anyone, such as switching sides from one entree to another. The rooms are incredibly well-designed with lots of storage space, and our bathroom had a bathtub, which was nice. HAL takes a lot of guff for its entertainment, but the entertainment was first rate, except for one comedian who got a little risque. The classical trio, Vivace, was outstanding, and the singers and dancers were amazing, as was the magician, Nick Paul. A time we treasured was the presentation of the Tlinget representative at Glacier Bay, Kevin. He's without a doubt the best indigenous speaker we've ever encountered. We appreciated HAL providing a space and time for our worship service on Sunday, which was well-attended with very nice people. Embarkation and disembarkation were a snap - HAL has that down to a science. The cons: The Lido Market was uncomfortably warm the first and last days, not sure why, and there were times it was really crowded and hard to maneuver. The service in the main dining room was sometimes very, very slow, and one night, after we'd requested coffee with dessert and it came and was very dark and bitter, our waiter said he'd return with some other coffee, and he just disappeared. Certain areas in our cabin were looking a bit ready for refurbishment, but nothing major. We missed having USB outlets in our cabin, and there was only one outlet at the vanity, so CPAP machines had to have long extension cords, which were provided by the stewards. Ocean View rooms do not have a refrigerator, but we rented one for $2 a day. Overall, the staff were wonderful and the experience was great. I hope HAL keeps the Zaandam afloat. We really appreciate the atmosphere on the smaller ships.
This was a 10-day cruise and land excursion. We embarked on the ship in Vancouver, sailed to Juneau, and disembarked in Skagway. The ship is old but very well maintained and updated. We had a cabin with a window, which we regretted. We usually have a balcony stateroom, but because the cruise portion of the trip was so short (3 days), we decided we could live with the window only. We were wrong. Entertainment on the ship was just OK. The singers and dancers were terrific - they put on a great show. However, the following two nights - one was a juggle and the other was a comedian. weren't so great. The juggler was very talented, but we simply didn't enjoy that type of entertainment. The comedian (Rob Little) was terrible. Very offensive and not funny at all. Dining on the ship was very good. We enjoyed the Pinnacle and Canaletto, as well as the main dining room. Service was best in the main dining room, which is beautiful. Ambiance in the main dining room is lovely, as was the meal. For breakfast and lunch, we enjoyed the Lido Market. The menu was very diverse and they had a terrific chopped salad menu. The crew on the ship were great - very friendly, and always available whenever we needed something. The land excursion portion started on Day 4, where we caught the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway to Frasier. This was fun - the train is well-maintained and the route was filled with beautiful scenery. From Frasier, we boarded a motorcoach to Whitehorse. We stayed the night in Whitehorse at the Western Gold Rush Inn, which was very nice. Whitehorse is very small, but there were plenty of dining options. From Whitehorse, we took another motorcoach to Dawson City. This was a very long bus ride (nine hours). Fortunately, our bus driver (Judy) was very entertaining, regaling us with stories about the area. Dawson City was very interesting, with its history of the Klondike Gold Rush. We took the tour offered by the Visitor's Center - this tour is very worthwhile. In Dawson City, we stayed at the Holland America Dawson Inn. The accommodations are nice - thankfully, they have air conditioning, because it was unusually warm when we were there. The staff were helpful, but we were disappointed in the breakfast at the hotel. We were told we could only have the buffet, and it didn't offer much. Definitely not worth the cost. We went to Diamond Tooth Gertie's to see the show (can-can dancing), which was fun, but very loud and crowded. Then off to Fairbanks on a chartered flight, where we were staying at the Westmark Fairbanks. We got there early (around 10 in the morning), but had to wait in the lobby until almost 3:00 pm for our room. This room wasn't so great - there was a leak behind the toilet; our bathroom floor was wet and behind the toilet was rust and water damage. We reported the problem to the front desk. The next day we did the Riverboat Discovery Tour. This was a lot of fun - the riverboat is large, and the excursion took us down the Chena River, where were able to get a from-the-boat tour of the sled dog training facility. We also got a tour of the Chena Village - this is very interesting and fun to go through. Lastly, we had a terrific lunch at the Discovery Dining Hall. Great food! From Fairbanks, we motorcoached to Denali. This was the highlight of our trip. Denali is beautiful, and we fortunately caught good weather. The best part was the Tundra Wilderness Tour, where we saw bears, moose, caribou, and ground squirrels. The Tundra was heading into fall and the colors were amazing. Our tour guide, Peter, did a great job finding wildlife for us to see. This is a definite must-see on your trip. But it starts early in the morning - the first tour is at 4:50 am; ours began at 6:00 am! Holland America's lodging facilities at Denali are very nice. We stayed in a "cabin" with 8 hotel rooms, which are well-appointed, and clean and comfortable. The shuttle made continuous loops and we never had to wait long for it. The main problem though is the shortage of dining options. There are two main dining facilities, both of which were always filled to capacity, and we had long waits for dining. Reservations are recommended, but they were all booked up by the time we learned that we could make reservations. In the mornings, it was difficult to get breakfast for the same reason, and we ended up getting a to-go breakfast both mornings at the Grizzly Grind (great service but food is just OK). The staff were overwhelmed and stressed by their inability to accommodate all the guests. We had very limited time both days so we didn't have a lot of options of places to go elsewhere. When we finally did get into the dining room, service was very slow. Holland America really needs to add to its dining options and staff at Denali, because they currently do not have enough availability to meet the needs of all the guests. When we left Denali, we took the McKinley Explorer Train to Anchorage. This was a lovely trip - lots of scenery and good information from the train's tour guide. But it was a very long trip - a little over nine hours. Lunch on the train was very good. We spent our last night in Anchorage at the Captain Cook Hotel. Beautiful hotel and terrific accommodations. One of the best things that Holland America does it manage your bags throughout the entire trip. Our bags were picked up in the morning each day and transferred to our next stop. However, if you take this trip, be prepared for very early morning calls. Every day we had to have our bags out in the hotel hallway early in the morning for pickup. Most days we had to get up around 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning. Also be prepared for long travel times some days. Although it's very worthwhile, it does get tiring.
This is an absolutely beautiful ship. I understand it just got out of dry dock in Feb 2025. It needs to go back. Rusty windows. Dirty furniture upholstery. Light bulbs, elevator buttons and indicator lights out throughout the vessel. The ship is not being well maintained. We ate in every dining venue and the food was usually cold and untastey with one exception: the breakfast in the lido was outstanding every single day. Thank you! Along that note, we always had to get our own water, juice, tea, coffee. We thought the entertainment was 100% better than in the past 3 years. The singers and dancers were excellent. Our cabin stewards kept our cabin clean. However, the mattresses should be trashed. The cruise line has cut everything to the very bone. The Zandaam is severely understaffed in all areas. Just a couple more items: if there is any crab in the crab cakes in the Pinnacle grill, we never found it; they were breading and that was all. Additionally, a proper bar should have an abundance of limes. Lemons DO NOT replace limes. Holland America is supposed to be improving according to them by the end of 2025. We will wait and see; however, the best way to do it would be to double the current staff. We are 5 star mariners and disappointed in the mariner program.
With refined amenities and Holland America Line signature Mariner’s Dream bed gracing each elegant stateroom, the ship offers five grades of staterooms. Most are ocean-facing, many featuring teak-lined verandas for dining alfresco or private sunbathing.
Holland America Line invites you to dine "As You Wish". To savour Italian cuisine one night and a perfectly grilled porterhouse steak the next. To take your place in the Dining Room at a specific seating time or be spontaneous, following your desires. Onboard, there are restaurants to suit every mood, along with the flexibility to choose the dining style you prefer.
Boasting an expansive range of enrichment facilities and opportunity, Holland America Line's ships are bound to offer something you'll want to know more about. Why not have a go at the Digital Workshop powered by Windows and learn how to enhance your holiday picture or how to easily share them.
Every day aboard a Holland America cruise ship brings a wealth of cruise activities and indulgences, along with the freedom to partake in as many-or as few- as you please. It's an opportunity to try something new that surprises you, every day.
Dabble, discover, daydream- do everything, or do nothing at all.
Whether you want to workout in the Fitness Centre, learn yoga, pamper yourself with a massage and spa treatment, or enjoy a game of basketball, there's a perfect onboard activity for everyone.
Holland America Line's youth activities program, Kids Club, offers an array of entertaining events for kids and teens ages 3-17, supervised by a full-time, professionally trained staff. They'll have an opportunity to join other kids their age for arts and crafts, sports, video game competitions, scavenger hunts, challenging team games and themed parties.
Note: Kids Club is not offered on cruises of 25-days or longer, including all Legendary and Grand Voyages. We will offer a selection of children’s activities throughout these longer voyages for any children who may be onboard.
Safety Comes First
Safety is our primary concern and strict policies are in place for effective supervision. Adult guests are not permitted to remain in Kids Club unless attending to a special-needs child.
Please note: During voyages with a high number of families onboard, we will make all efforts to accommodate interested parties. However, participation in our program cannot be guaranteed. Hours of operation may change to better serve our guests.
