Holland America Zuiderdam Western Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 4: November 11, 2025

Today the Zuiderdam is visiting Jamaica — Ocho Rios, to be exact. Now, you may be saying, “Scott, didn’t Jamaica just have a Category 5 hurricane blow through? Why on earth are you going there?” Well, Zuiderdam happens to be one of the first cruise ships to call on Jamaica since the storm, and Ocho Rios is currently the only port open on the island. Both Montego Bay and Falmouth remain closed, but they’re expected to reopen by mid-December.

Ocho Rios wasn’t hit nearly as hard as other parts of the island, so cleanup and repairs happened a lot faster. And with tourism making up a huge portion of Jamaica’s economy, it’s critical for them to get hotels, resorts, and cruise operations back up and running as quickly as possible. Here in Ocho Rios there are two places a cruise ship can dock — the Reynolds Pier, which doubles as an industrial cargo port, and right next to it (well, “sort of next to it”) is the cruise pier where passengers normally disembark.

As part of Holland America Line’s efforts to help Jamaica recover, Zuiderdam made an early-morning humanitarian stop. At around 6 a.m., we first docked at the Reynolds Pier to offload pallets of aid supplies — food, water, and other essentials — that will be distributed to communities impacted by the storm. Representatives from the Jamaican government were waiting to meet the ship and oversee the handoff. Once that was done, we moved over to the cruise pier so guests could start going ashore around 8 a.m.

And speaking of giving back, Holland America is also doing something special this week called On Deck for a Cause — which I’m sure many of you have seen or even participated in on past sailings. It’s a non-competitive 5K walk held on the promenade deck that raises money for global relief efforts. On this voyage, proceeds go to Direct Relief, a nonprofit that provides medical supplies, equipment, and healthcare support in areas hit by natural disasters — like Jamaica.

Guests can join by donating $25, which is charged to your onboard account. In return, you get an “On Deck for a Cause” T-shirt and wristband and can either join the walk or just cheer people on from the sidelines. All the money raised goes directly to Direct Relief to help doctors and nurses provide care in disaster-affected areas.

So while today is all about enjoying Jamaica and helping the local economy get back on its feet, it’s also a reminder that cruising can do some good beyond just making us gain weight over the course of a week!

The Jamaica Experience in a Nutshell

Now anyone who follows me knows that Jamaica is not a favorite of mine. Whether it’s Falmouth, Montego Bay, or Ocho Rios, this island is consistently one of my least enjoyable ports to visit. And before anyone jumps in my comments, let me be clear — I’ve given Jamaica more than a fair chance. I’ve been here plenty of times on different ships, and every single time, I walk away saying, “Never again.”

It’s just not a great experience for most cruise passengers. The safety concerns are real, and the constant aggressive selling and harassment from locals makes it exhausting to walk even a few hundred feet. You’ll be approached to buy everything from t-shirts to “smoke,” to things I won’t even repeat here — because yes, anything goes. You have to be on guard at all times if you decide to venture out on your own.

This is not one of those ports where you want to take a third-party excursion. Always, always, always book through the cruise line. Those tours are vetted and operated by approved vendors. Anything else is rolling the dice, and I can promise you, it’s not worth the risk. The same goes for flashing jewelry, designer clothes, or expensive watches — you’re practically marking yourself as a target. Locals pick up on that instantly and will follow you relentlessly trying to sell you things or flat-out ask for money.

What bothers me most are the older passengers who get off the ship with no idea what they’re walking into. They wander around the port area, unaware that they’re prime targets for the aggressive vendors who operate here. I feel genuinely bad for them — nobody should have to deal with that level of harassment just to stretch their legs ashore.

To their credit, Holland America Line did a great job preparing passengers for what to expect ashore. Both the captain in his morning announcement and the cruise director stressed the importance of booking excursions through the ship and mentioned that some areas of Ocho Rios are still recovering from the hurricane. They encouraged everyone to go ashore with an open mind — but honestly, even with the most open mind, Jamaica is a challenge.

I wasn’t even planning on getting off today, but in the end, curiosity (and the need to get some walking done) won out. The cruise pier here is small, but still better than the Reynolds Pier, where MSC Divina was docked today. Over there, it’s an industrial port with just a few small merchant stalls. The cruise pier isn’t much better — there’s a taxi area where tours meet, a few places to grab a bite, and rows of little stalls selling trinkets and crafts. And of course, the very pushy locals waiting to pounce the second you step off the ship.

Not wanting to deal with that alone, I got creative. I found a local man and offered him $100 to basically act as a bodyguard — not to take me anywhere, not to sell me anything, just to keep everyone else away from me while I wandered around. He agreed, and honestly, it worked out pretty well. As long as he was by my side, nobody approached me. Cars still rolled by offering drugs or worse, but at least I wasn’t being physically surrounded.

When I decided I’d had enough of “authentic Jamaican culture,” I headed back toward the ship — and that’s when the real nightmare started. My self-appointed bodyguard didn’t have clearance to escort me past the merchant area, so I had to go through the gauntlet alone. The second they saw me, it was chaos. Vendors yelling, running after me, shoving trinkets into my hands saying “free gift” — and the moment you touch it, you’re expected to pay. They’ll grab your arm, your bag, your shirt — it’s insane. A polite “no, thank you” won’t cut it here, and even a firm “no” doesn’t always stop them. The fastest way out is usually to hand someone a few dollars and run.

Now, of course, everyone’s using the hurricane as the latest excuse to beg for money. And while I do feel compassion for anyone impacted, let’s be real — this aggressive behavior isn’t new, and the storm just made it worse. I walked around enough to see that most things looked pretty normal. Houses had roofs, stores were open, banks were operating — though with long lines outside since many ATMs still aren’t working due to internet outages. So yes, I sympathize, but this is par for the course in Jamaica, and unfortunately, it’s why so many cruisers dread this stop.

I truly wish cruise lines would start paying attention to guest feedback and pull back from ports like this until Jamaica takes meaningful steps to improve the visitor experience.

When it comes to shore excursions in Ocho Rios, most revolve around the island’s natural attractions. The most popular one by far is Dunn’s River Falls, where you can climb the waterfall. Then there’s Mystic Mountain, which offers a chairlift ride through the rainforest, a zip line, and even a bobsled roller coaster inspired by Cool Runnings. Other tours take you to the Blue Hole for cliff jumping and swimming, or out to Konoko Falls and Park to wander through botanical gardens and see parrots and other wildlife.

If you’d rather skip the adventure stuff, there are beach breaks at places like Turtle Beach and Mahogany Beach, or combo tours that tack on some shopping and lunch stops — though “shopping” in Jamaica usually means being escorted to the same high-pressure souvenir stalls you were trying to avoid at the pier. Holland America also offers plantation tours, rum tastings, and river tubing, but again, I strongly recommend booking these only through the ship.

All aboard time tonight was 4:30 p.m., and we actually pulled away a little early — probably because everyone had just had enough of Jamaica for one day. Let’s just say there were no pier runners this afternoon.

Holland America’s Have it All Package

In yesterday’s report, I talked about dining on Zuiderdam and the different beverage packages offered by Holland America. I also teased another type of package that really delivers a lot of value — it’s called the Have It All package, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a bundle that combines several of the most popular cruise add-ons into one convenient, discounted rate.

The Holland America Have It All Package: Everything You Need to Know

The Have It All package includes a Signature Beverage Package, Wi-Fi, specialty dining, and a shore excursion credit — all rolled into the fare. For me, it’s something I purchase every time, because it takes care of the essentials I’d be buying anyway. While I never use the shore excursion credit (I prefer to do my own thing or just enjoy the ship), it’s still nice that it’s included. The package also gives a credit toward upgrading Wi-Fi, which is perfect since the basic plan doesn’t quite meet my needs for streaming or uploading photos while at sea. The package runs about $60 per day if purchased pre-cruise or $70 per day once onboard, so it’s best to lock it in early to save a little extra.

When you do the math, the Have It All package is honestly one of the best values out there in the premium cruise space. Between the drinks, dining, and Wi-Fi credit alone, it pays for itself quickly — and it’s one less thing to think about once you step onboard. Holland America did a great job with this offering because it bundles what most cruisers want anyway, letting you just relax and, well… have it all.

To Grand Cayman we go!  Or, will we?

Before we left Ocho Rios, the captain came on the PA with his usual departure announcement and an update on the evening’s forecast. We were expecting a little “rocking and rolling” overnight as we made our way toward our next stop — Grand Cayman. Along with some strong winds, the seas were predicted to get a bit choppy, and he warned that things could be lively once we got out into open water.

He also broke the news that we wouldn’t be tendering in George Town as originally planned. Because Grand Cayman doesn’t have a cruise dock, ships anchor offshore and passengers are ferried back and forth using tender boats that each hold around 250 people. When seas are rough, trying to step off a large ship onto a smaller boat bouncing up and down beside it becomes dangerous fast — especially for older passengers. So the Cayman Port Authority advised that morning tender operations into George Town would not be possible. Instead, we’d be heading to the south side of the island to Spotts Bay, where the swells were expected to be lighter and tendering could be done safely. Some excursions would operate as planned, while others that couldn’t be accommodated from Spotts were refunded.

As the night went on, the captain’s forecast proved spot-on. The winds picked up, and Zuiderdam started to bob and weave her way through the waves. People walking down the hallway suddenly turned into pinballs bouncing off the walls. Around the ship, things were quieter than usual. Bars and lounges weren’t as busy, and you could see a few first-time cruisers looking a little pale as mal de mer made its unwelcome appearance. As for me? I loved every minute of it — that’s part of the adventure.

Before dinner, I made my way over to the Pinnacle Bar. I ordered a few gin and tonics — thankfully, made properly here — and ended up striking up a great conversation with the ship’s sommelier over a glass of wine. We talked shop for a bit, everything from the ship’s wine list to his 15 years at sea.

While sitting there, I glanced across the bar and did a double take — a familiar face caught my eye. It was Jason, a crew member I met on the Rotterdam a few cruises ago, now working here on Zuiderdam. We had a good laugh about how small the cruise world really is and caught up for a bit before I continued my evening. Later on, I ran into Fred and Cookie at the Ocean Bar, and the small-world theme continued as we reminisced about the cruises we’d all been on together before.

Dinner in the Main Dining Room on Zuiderdam

Dinner tonight took me back to the main dining room, where every meal so far has been spot-on — delicious, well-paced, and served with that signature Holland America service that sets their MDR apart from other cruise lines. I asked for the same service team I’d had the past few nights, and they were happy to seat me in their section again. Looking back at my photos later, I realized I somehow ordered a beer with dinner — can’t say I remember doing that, but I’ll chalk it up to the wine I enjoyed earlier at the Pinnacle Bar!

I started out with a quinoa and feta cheese salad, followed by a prosciutto, salami, melon, and fig plate — fresh and hit the spot.

For my main course, I went with a $25 upcharge item, the Yuzu Butter Grilled Lobster Tails. Two perfectly grilled, sweet, tender tails served with vegetables. I’ll apologize in advance for the photo — my server de-shelled the lobster before I could snap a good one — but trust me, it both looked and tasted fantastic. During dinner, my server asked if I liked rice (there’s that old seafarer saying, “no rice, no power” since rice is a staple in the crew mess 24/7). When I said yes, he followed up with, “Do you like Indonesian sambal?” When I told him I love it spicy, he grinned and said he makes his own. A few minutes later, he came back with a small bowl of homemade sambal and rice — and it was as fiery and flavorful as promised.

To finish, I went with a classic blueberry pie — something I haven’t had in ages.

Once again, the main dining room nailed it with both food and service. After dinner, I caught up with Fred and Cookie at the Ocean Bar for a nightcap before wobbling my way back to my stateroom as Zuiderdam gently pitched and rolled through the waves. The motion rocked me right to sleep, and the wine probably helped as well.

Tomorrow, we’re set to arrive in Grand Cayman — but will it be George Town or Spotts Bay? Let’s just say it might not be quite what it seems… stay tuned, and as always, thanks for following along.

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