Holland America Zuiderdam Western Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 5: November 12, 2025

Day 5 onboard Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam and today we’re visiting Grand Cayman, our third stop on this 7-day western Caribbean cruise. So far we’ve had perfect beach day on Half Moon Cay, survived my least-favorite port of call — Ocho Rios, Jamaica — and on Thursday we’ll hit our final stop, Cozumel, before wrapping things up in Miami on Saturday.

If you read yesterday’s report, I alluded that something was up with our Cayman visit. When we sailed out of Ocho Rios last night, the captain gave his usual evening update, but this one came with a twist: we wouldn’t be able to call on Georgetown due to strong winds and swells. Cayman doesn’t have cruise piers, so every ship — big or small — tendering in means transferring guests from a steady cruise ship to a rocking and rolling little tender boat using a gangway that is constantly moving.

When the water is calm, tendering is easy. When it’s not? It becomes a mix of bobbing gangways, shifting angles, and a whole lot of “hold on tight.” For anyone unsteady on their feet… disaster waiting to happen. So, after consulting with the Cayman Port Authority, the captain was told conditions would be unsafe for Georgetown. Instead, we’d head to Spotts Bay on the south side of the island — also a tender port — but one where the swells were expected to be calmer.

I’ve never been to Spotts Bay, so I figured, “Great! Something new to check out.” But then… morning came.

Surprise!  Welcome to Georgetown.

Before I even opened the curtains I checked my phone and noticed something odd — the weather app wasn’t showing Spotts Bay. It was showing Georgetown, Grand Cayman. I thought maybe the ship was just sailing by. Nope.

I went out on my balcony… and there it was. Georgetown. We were anchored (actually no, we were held in place by the ship’s thrusters and azipods) like nothing ever happened.

A few minutes later, the captain came on the PA — and sure enough, conditions improved overnight and the port authority gave us the green light to salvage the Georgetown call after all. The only caveat: guests with mobility issues should wait until after 10am to go ashore because early-morning swells were still lingering, but they were expected to calm as the day went on.

When we arrived, the weather looked questionable — scattered showers and gray skies. But by about 11am, the rain stopped and although the clouds hung around, it was still a perfectly fine day for exploring.

Tendering Ashore in Grand Cayman

Tendering in Cayman is usually straightforward — a quick 5–7 minute ride from ship to shore. Today’s ride? A bit choppy, a bit splashy, but still manageable. Georgetown has a few tender terminals depending on where each ship anchors, and today we had one all to ourselves because Norwegian Prima, who was supposed to join us, attempted to anchor, failed, and ended up throwing in the towel and sailing away after several attempts, something the captain made note of in his afternoon announcement.

The tender procedure this morning was pretty standard for Cayman. Anyone with a shore excursion, priority status, or the burning desire to be among the first off the ship needed to grab a tender ticket to avoid the usual “everyone running downstairs at once” chaos.

Around 10:30am, the all-clear was given for open boarding, which means “no ticket needed, just head down to A-Deck and hop on the next tender.”

Because we had a very early all aboard time of 2:30pm, most guests got off the ship early to squeeze in whatever exploring or excursions they had planned. Cayman has no shortage of things to do, and some of the most popular shore excursions always sell out fast. You’ll find everything from Stingray City — the number one thing people come here for — to catamaran snorkeling tours, reef dives, turtle encounters, beach time at Seven Mile Beach, and off-road jeep adventures. There are also glass-bottom boat tours, distillery tastings, and even excursions that combine a bunch of things all-in-one.

But the great thing about Grand Cayman is you don’t need an excursion to enjoy time ashore. If you just want to explore on your own, the port area is incredibly walkable and — unlike Jamaica — it is VERY safe. And when I say safe, I mean you can walk anywhere downtown without being hassled. Nobody is running after you, nobody is grabbing your arm, nobody is pushing trinkets, lotions, perfumes, “gifts,” or anything else on you. It’s calm, clean, orderly, and honestly a breath of fresh air after yesterday.

Right within a few minutes’ walk of the tender dock you’ll find tons of shops, from jewelry stores and souvenir shops, and malls. There are several restaurants and bars right along the waterfront — places like Margaritaville, Cayman Cabana, and a handful of smaller cafés where you can grab a bite and a cold beer while watching the tenders go back and forth.

If you’re looking for quick sights within walking distance, you’ve got the Cayman National Museum, the famous “Hell” post office excursions are nearby (but not walkable), plus easy access to Seven Mile Beach taxis, breweries, churches, and plenty of waterfront spots for photos. And if you just want to stroll, the whole downtown strip is a great place to start.

It’s honestly one of the most pleasant, low-stress port areas in the Caribbean, and today was no exception.

A typical Cayman day for me doesn’t involve beaches or excursions — it’s all about wandering around town, popping into different shops, people-watching, and most importantly… stocking up on REAL Cuban cigars. And when I say real, I mean the only place in the entire Caribbean where I will buy them: Casa de Habana.

Casa de Habana is located directly across the street and slightly to the right from the tender pier. It’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, but it’s there. This shop is licensed by the Cuban government, so every cigar in there is 100% legitimate — no fakes, no infamous Cohiba scams, no back-alley specials, none of that nonsense. The store is similar to their location in St. Kitts, just smaller and without a bar, but the selection is still excellent. They also brew Cuban coffee if you need a jolt.

You’ll find cigars starting as low as $12 and others running $200+, depending on the brand and size. And let me be very clear: this is the ONLY place I recommend buying Cuban cigars in Grand Cayman — and honestly the only place in the Caribbean besides the St. Kitts store. Everywhere else selling “Cubans”? Scams. Some don’t even bother making the knockoff labels look remotely believable.

After wandering around town, I made my way back to the tender pier and caught one of the last runs back to the ship. The ride back was a whole lot smoother than the bumpy one over,

Holland America Wi-Fi Packages

Wi-Fi on Holland America is powered by Starlink — which means speeds are faster and far more reliable than what most people remember from cruise ship internet years ago. Since I’ve already covered beverage packages back on Day 3 and the Have It All package yesterday, today’s the perfect time to break down the various Wi-Fi options Holland America offers and what you can realistically expect from each.

Holland America sells four types of Wi-Fi plans: Social, Surf, Premium, and Stream. Each one unlocks a different level of connectivity, and the big thing to understand is that only the Stream package includes access to things like Netflix, Hulu, video calls, and even gaming — with some restrictions. If you have the Have It All package, you automatically get the Social plan included, and from there you can upgrade to any of the higher tiers for a prorated amount.

Here’s how each plan works:

• Social – This is the bare-bones option, and it does exactly what the name implies. You can access social apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. That’s it. It’s just enough to check in with family and post a few “look where I am” photos. This one is included in Have It All.
• Surf – Surf bumps you up to email, access to social apps, and general web browsing. It still doesn’t allow streaming, video calls, or anything bandwidth-heavy, but for most people who just want to stay lightly connected, Surf is perfectly fine. It’s $126.99 for the full length of a 7-day cruise, or $30.99 per 24-hour pass.
• Premium – Premium adds Wi-Fi calling, file-transfers, and everything the Surf & Social plans offer, but still excludes streaming or gaming. Think of this as the “work remotely but no Zoom” plan. It runs $166.99 for a 7-day cruise or $35.99 for a 24-hour pass.
• Stream – This is the highest tier and the one I personally needed for this cruise because I had meetings and needed to do video calls. Stream allows full access to the internet, including Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, and even some online gaming. The only things blocked are adult sites and online gambling. The price is $251.99 for a 7-day cruise.

Since my Have It All package included the Social plan, Holland America automatically applied a $175 credit toward the Stream upgrade. If you’re someone who needs to stay connected the upgrade is worth it. Streaming worked well throughout the ship and video calls were smooth with minimal lag.

Dinner at Morimoto at Sea

Tonight was the second and final dressy night of the cruise. And remember — “dressy” on Holland America is a suggestion, not a mandate. If you want to break out the tux, go for it. If not, nobody’s turning you away. Plenty of guests were in perfectly normal, casual outfits, and nobody cared. But since it was dressy night, the main dining room rolled out a special menu…

Tonight was Morimoto at Sea, a once-per-cruise dining event held inside Pinnacle Grill, featuring a menu developed by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Holland America advertises it as “a three-course dining experience celebrating our global fresh fish program,” and at $55 per person plus 18% it’s the most expensive dining option onboard — three dollars more than Pinnacle Grill. And no, before you ask, Have It All doesn’t cover this one as one of the speciality dining credits. It’s a full out-of-pocket expense.

I had an 8pm reservation, and when I showed up the restaurant was pretty empty. My server was the same one from my earlier Pinnacle Grill dinner, which was nice, and he immediately steered me with some honest guidance about what to order — and more importantly, what not to order. When I asked about the Angry Lobster, he had a certain look on his face. According to him, it’s prepared very differently than the standard Pinnacle lobster and “it’s almost always overcooked and tough.” That was enough for me.

I started with the Morimoto Fresh Tuna Pizza, topped with anchovy aioli, olives, red onion, and jalapeño. It arrived quickly and was pretty good — nothing earth-shattering but good. And that was where things started to go south.

After the appetizer arrived at 8:33 p.m., nothing happened. No dumplings that I ordered as a second appetizer. No entrée. No bread service. No anything. Just me, sitting there, scrolling Facebook. At 9:10 p.m., I finally asked what was going on. My server apologized and said, very candidly, “The kitchen is used to making the regular Pinnacle Grill menu. They take forever with this menu.” He wasn’t wrong — while he was explaining, the entrée finally arrived.  Almost 45 minutes after the appetizer!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t worth the wait.

He had recommended the Shrimp Three Ways — panko, tempura, grilled — served with various sauces. It sounded good. It wasn’t. None of the shrimp had any flavor whatsoever.  The fried rice on the side ended up being the highlight of the entire meal, and that’s saying something. The “Asian vegetables” were rubbery, limp, and completely tasteless — like tasted like they were boiled hours earlier and let to suffer a slow death. And thos dumplings?  Well, I’m still waiting for them.

When dessert time came, I told him I’d skip it. He insisted on bringing his favorite, the White Chocolate Lime Ganache with coconut foam, mango sorbet, and rice pudding. Dessert was actually delicious — but by then, the ship had sailed (pun intended). Dessert wasn’t going to salvage a $55 meal that was this poorly executed.

Honest truth? This was an extremely disappointing experience. Slow pacing, missing dishes, flavorless food, and a kitchen clearly struggling to execute a menu they only prepare once per cruise. For the price, I easily would’ve had a far better upcharge meal in the main dining room or on a regular night at Pinnacle Grill.

If Holland America wants Morimoto at Sea to live up to its branding and premium price, they need to take a serious look at the consistency and quality. Right now, it feels like an idea that isn’t being executed at a standard that matches the rest of the ship’s dining — and the service team knows it.

To add insult to injury, I went to the casino afterward and lost… again.

At that point, I called it quits and headed back to the stateroom as we sailed toward Cozumel.

More tomorrow — and as always, thanks for following along!

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