Zaandam Review
Rating by category
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Having been on the Zaandam in January 2018 and been very impressed with the ship and its amenities, I chose this cruise for the chance to be on her again and to transit the Panama Canal again with stops in South America.
Embarkation/debarkation: As always, HAL did these impeccably for a mass market cruise line. Both were a breeze and I was onboard for a nice lunch in the MDR in minutes. The guarantee that one's cabin will be ready when boarding is a nice touch.
The ship: The Zaandam is a nice sized ship and is easy to get around. The public rooms and walkways have been left as they were intended when the ship was built. It has a real, wide, walk-around promenade deck: a large library space even though few books; wide internal hallways; excellent, easy to read signage. It was well maintained.
Cabin Review
Port Reviews
Aruba
Docking place is excellent. The town has high end shops and hotels, similar to St. Thomas. Not much of interest at the port.
Fuerte Amador (Balboa)
This is a tender port a ways from Panama City. There is no complimentary shuttle provided. There are some nice souvenir shops at the pier.
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
This is just a fairly good place to get on a ship.