With its traditional heritage and older demographic, you might expect a cruise on Holland America's Zuiderdam to be a placid affair. Wrong. Thanks to interesting enrichment partnerships and outstanding entertainment choices, we found ourselves going from morning to night.

What kept us so busy? A morning mindfulness session developed by editors at "O, The Oprah Magazine." Cooking demonstrations with "America's Test Kitchen." BBC Earth movies. Afternoon classical music concerts at the Lincoln Center Stage. Singing along to the dueling pianos at Billboard Onboard. Watching the passengers get down in the B.B. King's Blues Club. Add in trivia sessions, wine tastings, mainstage shows and (if you're a PC fan) a full schedule of Microsoft Digital Workshop classes, and we barely had time to eat. Zuiderdam received the full line-up of HAL features in a late 2017 refurbishment; the ship itself dates back to 2002. There are still some places where the vessel shows its age -- the polar bear in the pool area needs to go (while Zuiderdam sails Alaska, it also does Panama Canal and European itineraries), as does the strange throne-like bench in the aft pool -- but overall, the refresh brought some life to an older ship. We were particularly cheered by the USB ports near the bed in the cabins, although we still feel the rooms lacked storage. On a previous Zuiderdam cruise, we gave the ship excellent marks for logistics. For example, our time on the ship was part of an Alaskan cruise tour, and passengers both embarked and disembarked in Skagway. Zuiderdam staff had the process down to a science; our room was ready when we boarded the ship and luggage arrived promptly. We found similar attention to detail on a subsequent partial Panama Canal transit; despite an array of tours and a tricky time-sensitive tendering operation, the cruise ship staff had their act together to make the operation run smoothly, with competent and efficient service that we found throughout the ship. And, it's that consistency that makes a cruise on Zuiderdam a fail-safe proposition. Uncover the best deals with a Holland America Line expert Jill Vosters Specialities : Couples & Romance and Destination Weddings 121 reviews Contact Agent Heidi DesJarlais Specialities : Couples & Romance and Destination Weddings 90 reviews Contact Agent Barbara Lawrence Specialities : All Inclusive and Family Vacations 38 reviews Contact Agent Danny Fisher Specialities : River Cruises and All Inclusive 33 reviews Contact Agent Jody Piotter Specialities : River Cruises and Luxury Cruises 27 reviews Contact Agent Lori Hischke Specialities : River Cruises and Honeymoons 16 reviews Contact Agent Ruth Daniel Specialities : Luxury Cruises and River Cruises 13 reviews Contact Agent Amy Stambaugh Specialities : River Cruises and National Parks 11 reviews Contact Agent Karen Copeland Specialities : River Cruises and All Inclusive 9 reviews Contact Agent Ilana Goldstein Specialities : Luxury Cruises and All Inclusive 8 reviews Contact Agent