Welcome to our cruise ship, called “The Zuiderdam” operated by the Dutch Company “Holland America Line”. This is a special post to introduce you to our home on the water for the next 32 nights…
The Port of Miami is the largest cruise ship port in terms of passenger number embarkation in the world. In 2024 it placed just over 5 million people on 8 major cruise lines. No wonder the cruise ship business is its own economy bringing $USD22 billion into the Miami economy in 2024.
The port was only a 15min Uber drive from our room on Collins and 9th. Security was a breeze and our wine hidden in two opaque 1.6L drinking yoghurt plastic bottles went through without question or inspection. Bliss. My drinking yoghurt scheme had never let me down since 2011 when I first started it with Maureen on South American coaches that prohibited alcohol. Once through security we checked in at a huge counter in a building next to the ship and next stop was the ship’s door on Deck 2 in the centre of the ship via covered gantries. After a quick door photo and welcome we were told our room number (1110) and card keys were waiting for us in a sleeve outside the door. Uber to Cabin Door in just 30min. Impressive. Bundy and I then went to work to unpack our bags and set up our room as the de-facto Golfco Pictures Movie Studio complete with yoghurt bar fridge !!! A good size room for two people who would only shit, shower, shave and sleep there, maximising time on land !!!
Arrived at room at 1230pm and by 230pm we took off to visit our muster station (compulsory since our card is scanned there) and familiarised ourselves with the entire ship until cast-off at 4pm. Terrific gym, amazing cinema/theatre rooms, grand restaurants and large pool decks, covered and uncovered. Only downside was the size of the pools themselves. No laps. Small rectangles. But they did have hot-tubs but not enough. At 4pm most people gathered on the pool deck at the very rear of Deck 9 since it had uninterrupted views on 3 sides including the very rear (aft). This is the part I dreaded swarms of old couples, fat Americans and screaming kids swarming the decks – a real zoo – The Zuiderdam Zoo. Despite this set-back, we marvelled at our last view of Miami glowing in the setting sun with ominous grey clouds overhead. Darkness quickly came and it was quite windy in the open sea sending Bundy and I back to our cabins to enjoy our first round of cheese, olives, shaved ham and of course mango yoghurt (Chardonnay) !!! Bundy and I decided to dine in the so-called “Lido Market” which is 8 different buffets of every kind of food you can imagine including espresso machine and soft-serve ice-cream !!! We enjoyed a rare prime rib with wat for it – sweet peas and carrots !!! So happy there were veggies aboard the sea of sugar and starch set up for carb-hungry Americans !!! We celebrated our first of 32 nights in our luxury cabin with the movie “Kidnapping Heineken” and a lot more mango yogurt !!! Enjoy our grande departure followed by some stunning facts of our cruise ship – The Zuiderdam Zoo…
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KEY STATISTICS - THE ZUIDERDAM (2025)
- Year Built: 2002 (Vista-class ship).Most Recent Refurbishment: December 2025 (dry dock included adding 11 new ocean-view staterooms and major cabin/public area upgrades).
- Passenger Capacity: 1,964 guests (standard double occupancy); up to 2,364 guests at maximum capacity.
- Crew Size: 817 to 842 members.
- Decks: 11 passenger decks.
- Total Staterooms: 958 to 985 (increased following the 2025 dry dock).
- Onboard Facilities: 5 restaurants, 9 bars, 3 swimming pools (one with a retractable roof), and 6 outdoor Jacuzzis.
- Registry: Netherlands (Port of Rotterdam).
- Salaries: $USD29,000 (Hostess or Cleaner) to $USD200,000 (Captain).
- Profit: Our 32day cruise expected to clear between $USD2m and $USD4m in profit depending on extras dominated by drinks (between 28 and 38% of revenues).
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