ms Zuiderdam
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ms Zuiderdam
129
Cruises availables
The MS Zuiderdam is a Holland America Line ship positioned between classic and premium cruising, featuring an elegant atmosphere and high onboard comfort on a mid-sized vessel. Its itineraries include Alaska, the Caribbean, Northern Europe, and the Mediterranean, along with world cruise options. Dining, refined service, live music, and shows are central elements of the onboard experience, complemented by wellness facilities such as a spa and pool. The MS Zuiderdam is well suited for travelers seeking a balanced cruise experience with varied global itineraries, comfortable amenities, and a traditional yet upscale onboard ambiance.
Itineraries of the ms Zuiderdam
Price and Availability Notice
Prices displayed are provided for informational purposes only. They reflect the rates in effect at the time of their most recent update and are shown in Canadian dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified.
Supplier rates, exchange rates, taxes and fees, room or cabin categories, and promotions are subject to change at any time. The applicable price is the one confirmed by a travel advisor at the time of booking, subject to availability. Only the confirmed price shall be considered valid.
It is the traveler's responsibility to confirm the price, inclusions, and applicable terms and conditions before making a reservation. While every effort is made to keep our content up to date, transmission, display, or pricing errors may occur. In such cases, the correct price will be communicated to the traveler before any booking is confirmed. Certain terms, restrictions, and exclusions may apply.
decks plans
Deck - 11
Sports
Deck - 10
Observation
Deck - 9
Lido
Deck - 8
Navigation
Deck - 7
Rotterdam
Deck - 6
Upper Verandah
Deck - 5
Verandah
Deck - 4
Upper Promenade
Deck - 3
Promenade
Deck - 2
Lower Promenade
Deck - 1
Main
Ship's attributes
Services And Amenities
- Elevators
- Self-service laundry room
- Casino
- Jacuzzi
- Pool
- Beauty salon
- Spa & body care
Specific needs
- Wheelchair accessible staterooms
Technical specifications
- Classe: Vista Class
- Tonnage: 82820
- Speed: 24.0 knots
- Passengers: 1970
- Decks: 11
- Length: 285 m
- Width: 32 m
History
- 14 décembre 2002: Voyage inaugural
Frequently Asked Questions
The Zuiderdam measures 82,820 gross tons, 285.42 m long by 32.25 m wide, with 11 passenger decks. She holds roughly 985 staterooms, or 1,970 guests at double occupancy and about 2,364 berths in total, with around 817 crew. Fincantieri delivered her at Marghera and she entered service in December 2002. She is the lead ship of the Vista class and the longest hull of the four at 285.42 m.
That number circulates in the trade press, but it predates the November 2025 dry dock. The register gives 1,970 guests at double occupancy, exactly matching her 985 staterooms after 11 ocean-view rooms were added on decks 1 and 7 in that yard period. Maximum capacity of about 2,364 counts third and fourth berths and only fills in high season. So one ship can show three different numbers without any of them being false: double occupancy, maximum capacity, and an out-of-date figure.
She is the prototype of the series, christened by American broadcaster Joan Lunden at Port Everglades on 14 December 2002, and the first Holland America ship with CODAG propulsion pairing diesel engines and a gas turbine. Her interior follows a Venetian theme, including a large Daniel Ogier work on the Venice carnival. Above all, she is the only one of the four a Montreal client can reach by car, thanks to her Quebec City and Boston seasons. And she is the second Evolution ship, back in service 2 April 2028.
From May to October 2026 she runs the Canada and New England season between Boston and Quebec City, on seven-day itineraries and longer variants. She also ran a 35-day Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Norway loop out of Boston from 18 July to 22 August 2026. Winter takes her back to the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Her 22 November to 6 December 2025 dry dock in the Bahamas came just ahead of this season.
The 2027 season keeps her between Quebec City and Boston from May to October, with three different seven-day itineraries, 10- and 11-day versions, and a 14-day run from Quebec City to Miami at season's end. She then enters dry dock for the Evolution transformation on an unpublished date, and returns 2 April 2028 from Rome to Barcelona. For a Montreal client the 2027 season needs no flight at all: Quebec City is a three-hour drive, Boston about six. One caution: Holland America warns that itineraries around the transformation window may shift.
The 11 ocean-view staterooms added on decks 1 and 7 in November 2025 are the newest aboard, though the deck 1 rooms sit low to the water. The deck 8 verandah staterooms received completely rebuilt bathrooms in that same dry dock, making them the freshest value on the ship. On St. Lawrence itineraries, a port-side verandah on the run down to Boston gives the better shoreline views. Neptune Suites, 46 to 66 m², open up the Neptune Lounge.
She carries the Vista Dining Room, Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, Lido Market, Dive-In, New York Pizza and Explorations Café. Bars include the Ocean Bar, Explorer's Lounge, Gallery Bar and the Crow's Nest, the latter fitted with a stage and new lighting since December 2025. The Rolling Stone Lounge and Billboard Onboard carry the music, the latter installed in the October 2017 refit. Contrary to several published listings, there is no dedicated Club Orange restaurant and no B.B. King's Blues Club aboard.
She is the oldest of the four Vista ships, in service since December 2002, and some pool-deck fittings have aged despite the 2025 work. St. Lawrence itineraries draw a heavily retired crowd, which leaves little going on for families. Connecting staterooms are scarce. And the uncertainty around the transformation window bears directly on late-2027 departures, since the line publishes no dry dock entry date.
Have It All bundles a shore excursion credit, the Signature Beverage Package, specialty dining nights and Wi-Fi Surf. On a seven-day run between Quebec City and Boston that means one night, taken at the Pinnacle Grill or Canaletto. On the 14-day Quebec City to Miami crossing in 2027 it rises to two nights and the excursion credit doubles. That credit works well at Charlottetown, Sydney in Nova Scotia and Bar Harbor, where nature excursions are the main draw.
A daily amount is added to your onboard account, per person per day, children included, at a higher rate in suites. Holland America raised it in 2026. It can be prepaid at booking or settled at the end of the cruise, and stays adjustable at the guest services desk. On the Zuiderdam's seven-day Quebec City to Boston runs the cumulative total stays modest, unlike her 35-day crossings.
The Signature Beverage Package covers wines by the glass, beers, spirits, cocktails, sodas and specialty coffees, service charge included, with a daily drink limit. On a seven-day Quebec City to Boston run, daily port calls cut the hours spent aboard and the package earns out less easily. On the 35-day Greenland and Norway loop, with its long sea days in the Crow's Nest and Explorer's Lounge, the numbers turn clearly in its favour.
Two plans are sold, Surf for browsing, messaging and social media, and Premium for video streaming and calls. They are priced per device and can be moved between devices. On the St. Lawrence and New England itineraries, coverage is good and the ship is close to shore throughout. On the Greenland and Iceland loop, expect dropouts at high latitude, particularly around Qaqortoq and Nanortalik.
Yes. Club HAL takes Littles aged 3 to 6, Middles aged 7 to 12, and teens aged 13 to 17 in The Loft. On Quebec City to Boston itineraries the crowd skews heavily retired and children are few, except during school holiday weeks. Hours run 9 a.m. to noon, 1 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m. on sea days, with no care after closing. For a family, the Zuiderdam's real advantage is that nobody has to fly.
Enrolment is automatic after a first completed cruise, and credits come from days aboard, onboard spending and the double days reserved for suite guests. The programme has five tiers, from Star Mariner to Five-Star Mariner. Her seven-day Quebec City to Boston runs are a low-effort way to bank days year after year without ever boarding a plane. The 35-day Greenland loop, by contrast, clears a whole tier in one voyage.
In the St. Lawrence and its gulf the going is calm, and the run down to Halifax and Bar Harbor is nearly always the same. The North Atlantic between Nova Scotia and Boston can build in the autumn, through September and October. The 35-day Greenland and Norway loop crosses far more demanding water, with genuine ocean swells. A stateroom amidships on deck 5 or 6 noticeably reduces what you feel, and the ship carries active stabilisers.
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