Grand Africa Cruise - A Tour of the Zaandam

Ship's Tour

Earlier today I walked around and took some pictures of the ship.  I also have a few I took earlier in the cruise so I thought I would just put them altogether and do a tour of the ship.  I say "sort of" because it's not very comprehensive, but it does show some of where we have spent the last 71 days.  Since it's the last day of the cruise there weren't many people out and about so it made my picture taking easier.

First off is the Neptune Lounge where we got our breakfast, snacks, looked at our pictures and of course, met with Kristine when we needed help with something.  The Neptune Lounge is only available to Neptune and Pinnacle suite guests and is one of the major reasons we always try to book a Neptune Suite.  It was just down the hall from us so access was quick and easy.

Kristine at her desk.

To the left of Kristine's desk is where the food is.  To the right of Kristine's desk is the beverage area where you can get coffee, tea, juices and water. 

This is the Neptune Lounge as seen from Kristine's desk.  The large table to the left is where Val and I would go to look at our pictures and the smaller table to the right was our preferred place to eat our breakfast.

The is the left side of the lounge area ...

and the right side.

Next is Deck 9, the Sports Deck, the top deck of the ship.

This center section of the sports deck is open all the way around for walking or jogging.  The area at the end is the sports court and there is one on each side.  They have basketball, tennis, pickle ball or whatever else will work in the enclosed area.  You can walk through the sports courts on either side and take stairs down to the Lido Deck below.

From the sports deck you can look down at the Lido Pool that has a sliding cover that can be closed in bad weather.

Also on the Sports Deck is the Crow's Nest, seen as I enter from the starboard (right) side.  The Crow's Nest is a lounge area at the front of the ship with windows wrapped 180 degrees around.  There is also a bar there if you want a drink.  It is also used for various events and gatherings, but is mostly just a place to go and relax.  On many of the ships this area is being changed into a multi-use area.

This is the front part of the Crow's Nest with the bar in the middle.

This is the port (left) side of the Crow's Nest.  Sometimes an area is reserved for a group as is the case here.  We had our Grand Australia get together in this area.

Deck 8 is the Lido Deck.  The Lido deck has the spa and fitness center towards the front of the ship and the Lido Pool in the middle.  There is another pool at the rear of the ship on the Lido Deck called the Sea View Pool.  Between the two pools is the Lido Market that is the buffet for casual dining.  In the evenings, part of the Lido Market is used as the Canaletto, an Italian restaurant.  It is one of the two specialty restaurants on the ship that cost extra to dine there.

This is the Lido Pool area as seen from the entrance near the spa and fitness center at the front of the ship.

This area to the right of the forward entrance is called the Dive In.  The Dive In is where you can get hamburgers and hot dogs and there is a taco and nacho bar you can see to the right.

The other side of the Lido Pool as seen from the Dive In.

Looking back toward the front of the ship.

The is the Lido Bar by the pool.  It is where our group from the missed Seychelles tour met before eating at the Canaletto.

This is the entrance to the Lido Market from the rear of the ship.  There is a duplicate of this on the other side of the ship.  If you walk all the way through you get to the Lido Pool.

Looking at the buffet area from our table.

Here is Val finishing up her lunch with a bowl of ice cream.

This is the Sea View pool at the rear of the ship on the Lido Deck taken from the Sports Deck.  The Sea View Bar is just outside the Lido Market and one of the few areas of the ship where smoking is allowed is an outside area just underneath where I'm taking this picture from.  The Sea View Pool area is where the King Neptune Ceremony and the Sail Away parties were held.  It is mostly just used as an outdoor pool area during the day.

Deck 6 (The Verandah Deck) and Deck 7 (The Navigation Deck) are passenger cabin decks where all the balcony cabins area, so the next deck to look at is deck 5, The Upper Promenade Deck, where most of the action is on the ship.

At the rear of the ship is the main dining room.  This is the entrance to the upper level that is primarily used for fixed seating where your dining time and table is the same each night, and you have the same dining stewards every night.  We prefer this and always choose late seating that was at 7:30 on this cruise, but is typically at 8:00.  Breakfast and lunch seating is always first come, first serve.

Another view of the Christmas decorations at the entrance.

The starboard side of the dining room.

The lower dining room viewed from the upper dining room.  The lower dining room is where any time dining is available.  You can walk up or make reservations and won't have the same table or dining stewards every time.

The port side of the dining room.  Our table is the first table (with two chairs showing) by the railing.  We ate there almost every night when we were on the ship.

Val and I with our dining steward Tama and Tony.

Most nights after dinner we walked towards the front of the ship to the casino.

Another view of the casino from the other end.

On the other side of the ship from the casino is the Mix, another of the many bar and lounge areas on the ship.  Behind me are several shops selling jewelry.

On the right (starboard side) as you walk out the casino going towards the front of the ship is the Ocean Bar.  The Ocean Bar is a large area where there is music and dancing every night.  To the left of the Ocean Bar in the middle of the ship is the Atrium area.  The Atrium is a large circular opening that extends down three decks to the Lower Promenade Deck.

This Christmas display is on the port side of the Atrium and is the most elaborate decoration on the ship.  They had the area cordoned off for days while various people worked putting it together.  It was an elaborate gingerbread village made by the culinary team. It was very well done and attracted a lot of people.

Leaving the Atrium and continuing forward you reach the balcony of the World Stage.  I am in the balcony looking down at the lower level on the Promenade Deck.

A view from the balcony looking across.

This is as far forward as you can get on the Upper Promenade Deck so next we'll go back to the Atrium and go down to Deck 4, the Promenade Deck.  The Promenade Deck is where the lower level of the World Stage, Guest Services, the shore excursion services, the Wajang Theater (where we met before our Marrakech tour), and the Pinnacle Grill, the ships premiere specialty restaurant, are.  At the rear of the Promenade Deck is the lower level of the main dining room.

This is guest services or "the front desk" as it is called as it is just like the front desk at a hotel where you go for help, to settle accounts, to complain about something or anything else you may need.  There is usually a line and this is another reason we think spending the extra money for a Neptune Suite is worth it as the Neptune Lounge Concierge (Kristine for us on this cruise) will take care of anything that you need.  The Neptune Lounge staff is part of Guest Services.

There are spiral staircases that go between decks in the Atrium.  This is leading up to the Upper Promenade Deck and there is another leading down to the Lower Promenade Deck.

This is one side of the Pinnacle Grill that is located in the mid-ship area of the Promenade Deck.  The Pinnacle Grill is a high end specialty restaurant mainly serving steaks and seafood and is usually very good, but there is a surcharge for eating there.

 
The last deck on this ship tour is Deck 3, the Lower Promenade Deck.  The Lower Promenade Deck is mainly guest cabins, but it is the bottom of the Atrium and also where you access the outside wrap around deck where many of us use to get our exercise in by walking laps around the ship.  Decks one and two below the Lower Promenade Deck are mainly guest cabins.  Below deck one is A Deck that is mostly off limits for passengers, but it is where you usually get on the tenders.

The Atrium on the Lower Promenade Deck.  The stairway up to the Promenade Deck is to the left and in the middle there is actually a pipe organ that is played at least once every day.

Outside on the Lower Promenade Deck under the lifeboats.

Lifeboat station number 12, this is our station.

Holland America is more of a traditional cruise as you can see with teak deck and wooden benches.

That's it, that's all the pictures I have.  For better or worse, this turned out to be more than I meant it to be, but I tend to do that.  

As you can see, Holland America doesn't have water slides and climbing walls or lots of dining and entertainment options, but it does offer a more traditional cruising experience.  The Zaandam has a capacity of only 1400 passengers and that is quite small compared to most ships nowadays, but this is what Val and I like, especially as we get older.  Now it's time to end this cruise.