Older travelers and couples who want a calm, mid-size ship with good live music.
Think twice if: Specialty restaurants (Pinnacle Grill, Morimoto By Sea) are not marked as included on the ship page; check prices.
See her Europe sailings ↓ · Where is she now? → · Holland America Line's page for this ship →
What she's like
Lots of choice on board. Expect some lines at the buffet and to get off in busy ports. About 42 tons of ship per guest. As a rule of thumb, 40 or more feels roomy and under 30 feels busy.
Unknown from line's site.
Our judgment, from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (ultra-luxury).
Cabin, main dining, Lido buffet, 24-hour room service, entertainment. 'Have It All' fare adds Signature Beverage Package, specialty dining nights, Surf Wi-Fi package and a shore excursion credit. 20% service charge on drinks, specialty cover charges and a-la-carte items.
Infants must be at least 6 months old (12 months on trans-ocean and remote itineraries with 2+ consecutive sea days). Club HAL youth program.
Casual by day; 'smart casual' in the evening at most table-service restaurants; 'Dressy Nights' for more polished evening wear.
Her Europe sailings, May 2027 to August 2027
23 sailings in Europe on the published schedule, 7 to 25 nights. Tap a start port to see how to get from the airport to the ship.
Where they start
- Amsterdam , 21 sailings how to get there →
- Reykjavik , 2 sailings how to get there →
What it costs beyond the fare
| Tips for the crew | $18 per person per day; Suites: $20 per person per day; Added to your bill automatically |
|---|---|
| Drinks package | Signature Beverage Package (up to 15 drinks a day, drinks up to US$12, service charge included) comes with Have It All; Elite package also sold. Lowest package 'starts at US $17.95 per person per day' (non-alcoholic tier); alcohol package prices not published. All adults in a cabin must buy the same package. |
| Wifi | Surf Wi-Fi package included with Have It All; stand-alone prices not published. |
| Specialty restaurants | Cover charge plus 20% service charge; specialty nights included with Have It All. Prices not published. |
| Money on board | USD (all onboard prices quoted in US$) |
How tipping and money work on a European cruise → · Build a full trip budget →
Her restaurants · 1 included, 0 extra
| Where to eat | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dining Room | Not stated |
| Canaletto | Not stated |
| Pinnacle Grill | Not stated |
| Morimoto By Sea | Not stated |
| Lido Market | Not stated |
| Dive-In | Not stated |
| Crow's Nest Café | Not stated |
| 24-Hour Room Service | Included |
Which cabin to book, and which to avoid
| Cabin type | Size | Decks |
|---|---|---|
| Pinnacle Suite (PS) | about 1,150 incl. verandah sq ft | 7 |
| Neptune Suite (SA/SB/SC) | 500-712 incl. verandah sq ft | 4, 7 |
| Signature Suite (SS/SY/SZ) | 372-384 incl. verandah sq ft | 6, 8 |
| Verandah stateroom (VA-VF) | 212-359 incl. verandah sq ft | 4-8, 10 |
| Ocean-view stateroom (C/D/DD/E/F) | 174-180 sq ft | 1, 4 |
| Interior stateroom (I/J/K/L/M/MM) | 151-233 sq ft | 1, 4-8, 10 |
Good to know before you pick
- Deck 8 midship suites/cabins sit directly under the Lido Pool, Lido Market and Canaletto (deck 9 midship)
- Deck 8 aft cabins sit under the Sea View Pool and Bar (deck 9 aft)
- Deck 10 forward cabins are on the same deck as the Crow's Nest lounge and game room forward
- Fully accessible and ambulatory-accessible cabins are listed by number in the PDF legend (e.g. VB6004, VB6003, SY8068, I-8037)
- Decks 4-6 are all staterooms, sandwiched between public decks 3 and 7 (deck plan)
If you use a wheelchair or walk with difficulty
Deck plan lists fully accessible suites SC6175 and SC6164 (roll-in shower) plus several roll-in-shower staterooms; the ship page notes accessible staterooms and priority boarding. Submit an SRI form to the Guest Accessibility Department right after booking (or 45 days before). Wheelchair help at boarding does not need advance request but there can be a wait. Tender policy not published. Elevators: Forward, midship and aft elevator banks on decks 1-9; deck 10 forward/mid area only; deck 11 one marker Our accessibility guide →
Find your way around
Our own deck plans, drawn from the line's official plan: tap a deck to see it from above, with what's at the front, middle and back of the ship. Use “Find on board” to light up every deck with a pool, a bar or a restaurant. Not to scale.
- Deck 11 · Sports Deck , Sport Court
- Deck 10 · Observation Deck , Crow's Nest; Cafe / Game Room; Art Studio; Shore Excursions; Sliding dome cover (over Lido Pool); Kids Club
- Deck 9 · Lido Deck , Fitness Center; Spa & Salon; Hydro Pool; Lido Pool (under sliding dome); Lido Bar / Dive-In; Canaletto; Lido Market; Sea View Bar; Sea View Pool
- Deck 8 · Navigation Deck , Bridge
- Deck 7 · Rotterdam Deck , Neptune Lounge
- Deck 6 · Upper Verandah Deck
- Deck 5 · Verandah Deck
- Deck 4 · Upper Promenade Deck
- Deck 3 · Promenade Deck , World Stage (upper level); Library; Half Moon; Stuyvesant / Merabella / Effy Jewelry / shops; Ocean Bar; Atrium; Photo Gallery; Dining Room (upper level)
- Deck 2 · Lower Promenade Deck , World Stage; Casino; Billboard Onboard; Gallery Bar; Rolling Stone Lounge; Ocean atrium; Pinnacle Grill; Shops; Explorer's Lounge; Portrait Studio; Dining Room
- Deck 1 · Main Deck , World Stage (lower level); Atrium; Guest Services / Future Cruises
What to book, and when
Booking, check-in and reservations
Online check-in must be completed 72 hours (3 days) before sailing. Special-needs (SRI) form right after booking or 45 days before. Special meals: 90 days before.
Paying and cancelling
not published from pages checked.
Tips for her Europe sailings
Europe sailings 2027-2028 listed year-round. On voyages departing/returning in Europe, the under-18 policy applies (drinking age 18).
The ship in numbers
- Cruise line
- Holland America Line
- Kind of ship
- Premium
- Built
- 2002
- Guests
- 1,964
- Crew
- 842
- Guest decks
- 11
- Gross tons
- 82,820
- Length
- 285 m (935 ft)
- Width
- 32 m (105 ft)
- Flag
- Netherlands
- Class
- Vista class
- Ship number
- IMO 9221279
- Sister ships
- Oosterdam
- In Europe 2026–27
- Northern Europe & Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, British Isles, Iceland
Highlights
- Part of 'Holland America Evolution': staterooms refreshed and refreshed deck plans published (Holland America)
- 32 solo-traveler balcony staterooms of 200 sq ft (Holland America)
- World Stage show lounge spans decks 1-3 (deck plan)
More pictures
Sources & what we could not confirm · 12 sources · checked 2026-11
- Holland America: Zuiderdam ship page
- Holland America: Zuiderdam deck plan PDF
- Wikipedia: MS Zuiderdam (secondary)
- VesselFinder vessel record (registry: flag, gross tonnage, year)
- Holland America FAQ: how to pay gratuities
- Holland America: Know before you go FAQ
- Holland America: beverage packages
- Holland America FAQ: Have It All
- Holland America FAQ: dress code
- Holland America FAQ: smoking policy
- Holland America: accessibility
- CruiseTimetables.com: Zuiderdam schedule (independent listing)
- Crew, length and beam from Wikipedia (Holland America ship page shows no specs)
- Dining cost not stated on the ship page except complimentary room service
- Deck venues read from the official deck plan PDF (current version); a refreshed 'Evolution' deck plan also exists
- Holland America Line: Alcohol drinks package price
- Holland America Line: Wi-Fi price
- Holland America Line: Deposit/final payment/cancellation schedule
- Holland America Line: Wheelchair tender policy
- Holland America Line: Nationality mix
- Deck plan: Oosterdam assumed same layout as Zuiderdam (sister); separate Oosterdam PDF exists (sd1/raw/hal_OS.pdf) but not compared
- Deck plan: Ocean-view sizes from legend; exact deck list per category inferred from cabin code prefixes on each page
- Deck plan: Deck 1 venue list may be incomplete (some labels split in the PDF text)