I booked a free cruise with Holland America on the Zuiderdam that left from Boston and sailed through the Canadian Maritime Provinces. I paid $220 in taxes and a $100 deposit that would convert to onboard credit for an Interior Guaranteed Stateroom. I paid an additional $158 to upgrade to an Unobstructed Ocean View Stateroom just a few days before the cruise when I received an upgrade offer by email. Additionally, Holland America charges $17 per night gratuities, which came out to $119 for my week long cruise. The total for my cruise was $497 out of pocket.
When I called in to accept an upgrade offer, I pulled up the deck plan for the ship. Most of the Unobstructed Ocean View Staterooms are on Deck 1 and have a decent size window.
However, there are two Unobstructed Ocean View rooms (4121 and 4122) on Deck 4 that have full floor to ceiling windows that essentially look like a Verandah stateroom but with no door; just a solid window instead. I was able to secure room 4122 for my sailing.
Zuiderdam is one of HAL’s older and smaller ships that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles you would find on new ship. It also doesn’t have the crowds you find on larger ships.
Stateroom
The stateroom is going to be identical to most of the staterooms, including Verandah rooms, on the sip. As you enter, there is the bathroom to one side and closets on the other side. There is a ton of closet space; easily enough for two adults and then some.
I like that the Vista Class of ships has a curtain that can close off the closet/bathroom area from the rest of the room. It adds privacy if you are traveling with a companion.
There is a desk and mini fridge next to the closets and curtain. I had my room stewards empty the fridge so I could use it for my own waters and not have to pay the mini bar prices. There are both US and European power outlets at the desk. There are also three wall mounted hooks next to the desk.
Across from the desk in my room was a fold out couch and table. There is a second curtain that can be pulled about two feet into the room to divide up the space a bit if you had someone sleeping on the couch. The light on the ceiling above the couch in my room never worked.
My room was set up as a King bed rather than two double beds. There is a nightstand on either side of the bed. There are USB outlets next to the bed but now standard electrical outlets. When configured as a King bed, you have to reach behind the pillows to turn on and off the room lights and reading lights.
The bed faces a wall mounted modern TV. There is a lot of beige in the room along with gold accents. It is a dated but mostly maintained room. The TV is relatively new and I am guessing the couch, chair and mattress have been replaced (but little else).
The vent for the air conditioning is right above the bed. It keeps the room very cool. During my sailing, the AC stopped working once and when they got it back up and running it spit out a bunch of black “soot” all over the bed.
Next to the bed is the floor to ceiling windows. They look like they could be doors to a verandah, but they do not open and there is no verandah.
If you get close to the window you can see a balcony to the left and equipment to the right. But overall it is a pretty nice view.
Here you can see the room from the outside on the Promenade Deck (Deck 3). It is the large windows above the sign for muster station 16.
Bathroom
Room 4122 has a bathtub. I don’t believe all the rooms on the Zuiderdam have a tub; some just have a shower. However, on ships with a shower curtain, I actually prefer the tub as it seems less “clingy”.
The water fluctuated in temperature during my sailing. The tub was slow to drain so I was usually standing in an inch of water.
The entire bathroom is dated and hasn’t been updated in 20+ years much (if at all). It is a single vanity sink. There is plenty of storage behind the mirror to the left of the sink.
The suite I had last summer on sister ship Oosterdam had been updated slightly; Zuiderdam could use a refresh.
Overall
The Zuiderdam staterooms are dated but functional. I imagine in 2003 they were considered luxurious. I think Room 4122 (and 4121) are the sweet spot if you want to save some money and go with an Ocean View Stateroom. In some ways, you actually have a better view than a Verandah room as you aren’t looking through a railing.
