Published January 10, 2003. All images and text copyright Peter Knego (unless otherwise noted).

Page Five:
ZUIDERDAM Tour: Lower Promenade to Main Deck

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The Casino, facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

The Piano Bar, facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

Aft of the middle level of the Vista Lounge on Lower Promenade Deck, we find the ship's casino on the port side and the Piano Bar starboard. While the configuration is quite different from that on the STATENDAM and her bigger sisters, the 70 seat Piano Bar and Casino are still adjacent to each other.

The Sports Bar, facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

A 42 seat Sports Bar is just aft of the Piano Bar, both lined with picture windows and ocean views. A diagonal passage cuts across the aft portion of the Casino toward the ship's port side where the 80 seat Northern Lights Nightclub follows.

The forward bar portion of Northern Lights, facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

Not only is the room a conceptual departure from the last series of ships with a dedicated disco, its decor is much wilder than the Crow's Nest, which retains its popularity with the thirtysomethings and on up crowd.

Northern Lights, facing forward. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

Featuring black and white "cow skin" patterned upholstery in its booth seating and a large ice cube centerpiece just forward of the dance floor, the room's intended look is not yet realized. Black lights are meant to shine on the upholstery, obliterating the Holstein pattern in an optical twist and a water fountain was meant to emanate from the plastic ice cube. There was some doubt about the fountain being completed due to safety restrictions, but the lights were still on the "to do" list. The aft entrance is amusingly interactive as a "hopping" bulkhead light leads the visitor down the passage in conjunction with ceiling spots that are triggered by footsteps.

The Queen's Lounge facing port/forward. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

The semicircular 170 seat Queens Lounge follows amidships with its large dance floor and stage. It is both cinema and meeting room and can be configured to different specifications as the first rows of seating are not fixed. When serving as a cinema, popcorn will be offered in what is now a Holland America tradition. The room also has its own dedicated bar area.

One of the elegant pairs of lift doors in the midships Promenade Deck foyer. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

A midships lobby spans the width of the ship, offering access to six lifts that serve all passenger levels from Main to Lido Deck (four outside sea view elevators) and Main to Observation Deck (inboard pair). The doors of the lifts are elegant cast aluminum floral/leaf designs by Gilbert Lebigre that would be right at home in an art deco movie palace or a 1930s-built NYK liner. The bulkhead surfacing in this area is most intriguing with its futuristic metallic "egg carton" finish.

Port section of Odyssey Restaurant, facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

Just aft, the second level of the handsome Atrium is dedicated to the 130 seat Odyssey Restaurant on the port side and the forward portion of the 62 seat Windstar Cafe on the starboard side. Along this portion of the Atrium there are several beautiful glass sculptures by Peter Bremers inspired by undersea creatures. Hopefully, they will survive the wear and tear of shipboard life.

The inboard portion of the Odyssey Restaurant, shown in an aft facing view, borders the Atrium. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

The Odyssey Restaurant takes its name from the reservations-required Italian Restaurants found on the prior pairs of ships (which in turn were named in honor of the former first class restaurant on the 1959-built SS ROTTERDAM). On ZUIDERDAM and her sisters, this room is actually an extra-tariff restaurant featuring cuisine of the Pacific Northwest. It might have been called Pinnacle Grill, but on ZUIDERDAM and OOSTERDAM, the signage had already been designed. On the final three Vista ships, the room will be given the alternate name to conform with those recently installed on the STATENDAM and RYNDAM. As far as the cuisine is concerned, it is well worth the extra $15.00 charge, which can barely be enough to cover the costs. We were able to sample a delicious chicken Thai soup, Dungeness crab cakes in a seductively sweet chili sauce, and a main course featuring a trio of salmon, filet mignon, and lamb chops. The food has an Asian-American slant with delicious accompanying sauces and is beautifully prepared and presented on oversize, elegant china by Bvlgari with chicly modern cutlery and large crystal glasses by Riedel. It rivals the cuisine of any similar land-based restaurant and cannot be recommended highly enough!

The Odyssey Restaurant Bar, facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

The decor is a complete departure from the typical Holland America "look" with illuminated Caravaggio-style still life photo panels from the National Gallery in London, inspired spindly aluminum chairs (that are wonderfully cushioned despite their "sharp" appearance) and stark white surfacing. Plastic ceiling panels with fiber optic lighting effects are supposed to be jellyfish, but look more like sand dollars or (spineless) rays. The room is divided into various sections including a gallery that looks out to sea and an attractive bar aft. At first, it was a bit shocking to see this type of space on a Holland America ship, but with a little attitude adjustment, it quickly became my favorite space on the ZUIDERDAM.

The Windstar Cafe facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

On the starboard side, the handsome Windstar Cafe was immensely popular during our short time aboard. It features extra tariff specialty pastries (not available in the ship's other dining venues) in addition to a huge array of coffees and smoothies. As with the coffee bar on, say, the SUPERSTAR LEO, the slight charges will be well worth the indulgence. The Windstar Cafe is divided into two sections with the coffee bar forward. Its decor is what one would find aboard a Windstar (a Holland America subsidiary company) ship with deep blue upholstery and blonde wood veneers underneath an attractively cambered blue suede ceiling. A model of the WINDSTAR serves as a focal point, as do backlit photo panels of a sailing ship.

Explorer's Lounge, facing aft. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

Galleys serving the Odyssey and Lower Vista Dining Rooms occupy the port side while the starboard side continues with the inboard Art Gallery passage (featuring Commedia dell'Arte-inspired figurines of Neptune and Amphitrite) that opens onto the outboard 62 seat Explorer's Lounge. Here, the ZUIDERDAM is perhaps most similar to her smaller sisters as this room has all the familiar dark wood tones, richly colored soft fittings and a large traditional oil painting on the inboard aluminum bulkhead of a fictional Venetian waterfront scene inspired by Canaletto.

The forward portion of Explorer's Lounge is broken up into three sections while the aft portion is a small room that resembles a smoking room in an old manor house (somewhat similar to the cigar room on board ROYAL VIKING SUN, now HAL's PRINSENDAM).

A portion of the Lower Vista Dining Room, facing port. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

The Lower Vista Dining Room winds up the Lower Promenade Deck level, stretching all the way aft to large picture windows with expansive ocean vistas.

The Vista Lounge facing aft from the stage. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

On Main Deck aft of the lowest level of the Vista Lounge there is a video arcade and then a large block of Category C and D (large outside) and J (large or standard inside) cabins.

The Atrium facing up and aft from Main Deck level. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

The elegant metallic sweep of the Shore Excursions Desk, facing forward. Photo and copyright Peter Knego 2002.

The Atrium begins its ascent from here with front office on the port side and Shore Excursion Office starboard. Inboard of the front office is a Warhol portrait of Holland's Queen Julianna in lieu of the traditional stately photograph. A picture is worth a thousand words and this image perhaps best symbolizes the ZUIDERDAM's evolution from the tried and true Holland America tradition.

Category D, E ((large outside), and K (large or standard inside) cabins round up the rest of the accommodation on Main Deck, the ZUIDERDAM's lowest passenger level.

Miscellaneous Observations

In the three days aboard (December 11 -- 14, 2002), the operation was remarkably free of the usual shakedown dilemmas. Plumbing (with the exception of many public restrooms), air conditioning, lighting, sound, spa facilities, etc., all seemed to operate without hitch. Onboard crew seemed to be well acquainted with the ship and aside from a curt and seemingly discontent waiter in the Lower Vista Dining Room on inaugural day, the staff was up to or exceeded HAL's high standards of courtesy, finesse, and friendliness.

Food, from the Lido to the Odyssey and Vista Dining Rooms was the finest I have experienced on an HAL ship in years. In the Lido, the new stations and variety of food was most welcome. The Italian fare was excellent with freshly prepared pasta and pizza that ranks among the best at sea.

The shows are bigger and more spectacular and the choreography is more adventurous than seen on other ships. Holland America has successfully entered the Vegas revue genre with its production numbers and those who enjoy such fare will not leave disappointed. Patti Austin was the name performer during the inaugural cruises and her show, which included a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, was a huge success with the SRO crowd.

There is a great energy and feeling onboard the ZUIDERDAM that will hopefully carry over to her four sisters. Some of the art and color schemes are more successful than others, but it is evident that the old HAL formula is being tempered for a new generation. On the down side, the new carpet patterns, for their economic sense, look like they have already been stained and often the myriad of colors they bring to certain rooms is disruptive instead of complimentary. On the plus side, there is a huge variety of interesting and innovative chairs that add personality, charm, and comfort to the many spaces they inhabit.

HAL and Mr. Dingemans have achieved the desired effect of a small ship feel with the facilities and spacious accommodation one can only find on today's large cruise vessels.

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