Zaandam: Sanitation Record & Health Report
ShipTea Verdict
The Zaandam turns 26 this year, but Holland America clearly wasn't interested in letting her show her age — a 2025 refurbishment gave this Rotterdam-class veteran a fresh coat of paint before she went back to shuttling guests between Vancouver, San Diego, and the occasional Fort Lauderdale sailing. At 61,396 tons and carrying just 1,432 passengers with 647 crew, she's a small ship by modern standards, which means more crew per guest and less of that mega-resort chaos. Built by Fincantieri in Marghera and sailing under the Dutch flag, she's got the classic HAL pedigree, and her kitchen backs that up: a Food Safety Score of 100.0 earns her the "Spotless Galley" grade, no asterisks needed.
Here's where we have to be straight with you: the CDC has only inspected the Zaandam once since her refurb, on January 11, 2026, and she came away with a 92. That's a comfortable pass — anything 86 or above clears the bar — but it lands below the 162-ship fleet average of 96.7 and well under the median of 98. One inspection isn't a pattern, so we're not calling this a trend (the data itself says "insufficient_data," and we're taking that seriously rather than inventing a trajectory), but it does mean the Zaandam is starting her post-refurb chapter in the middle of the pack rather than the top tier. We also don't have reliable outbreak data for her right now — the CDC's outbreak records are currently unreachable — so we're not going to pretend she has a spotless record when we simply can't see it. Consider this one file half-open until the next inspection comes in.
Who it's for: travelers who want an intimate, refurbished ship with a genuinely strong food safety showing and don't need Broadway-scale entertainment to have a good time — the smaller passenger count means shorter lines and a more personal feel. Who should skip it: anyone who treats CDC scores like a competitive sport and wants to sail only on ships sitting at the very top of the leaderboard; a single 92 with no track record yet isn't a red flag, but it's also not a bragging right, and the fleet's median ships are simply putting up better numbers right now.
Zaandam at a Glance
Zaandam is a Rotterdam-class ship in the Holland America fleet, built in 2000 and refurbished in 2025. It carries 1,432 passengers and measures 61,396 gross tons. Zaandam has 38 sailings on the schedule through January 2028, mostly from Vancouver (22) and San Diego (13), most often on 7-night voyages (trips run 4 to 70 nights). The next departure is November 19, 2026 from San Diego.
We have 2 CDC inspections on record for Zaandam. The most recent results ran 92 (Jan 2026), 96 (Aug 2026), up 4 points across that span.
Rotterdam-Class Sister Ships
Zaandam has 1 sister ship in the Rotterdam class. Here is how its latest CDC score compares.
| Ship | Line | Latest CDC score | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volendam | Holland America | 95 | Jul 12, 2025 |
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Score History
Outbreak Timeline
No outbreaks on record for the Zaandam.
Outbreak history for this ship is not currently available from the CDC.
Environmental Rating: B-
Making Effort
Score Breakdown
Friends of the Earth Report Card
USCG Environmental Compliance
✓ Clean environmental compliance record — no MARPOL deficiencies on file.
Spotless Galley
Food Safety Sub-Score based on 1 inspection with item-level data.
Food Inspection Breakdown
Item-level deductions from the most recent inspection with detailed data.
| Item | Category | Type | Deducted | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #11 | Employee Health & Illness Management | Critical | 0 | 5 |
| #12 | Employee Cleanliness & Handwashing | Critical | 0 | 5 |
| #13 | Food Safety Management & Knowledge | Critical | 0 | 5 |
| #14 | Employee Appearance | Non-Critical | 0 | 2 |
| #15 | Food Sources & Receiving | Critical | 0 | 5 |
| #16 | Food Temperature & Time Control | Critical | 0 | 5 |
| #17 | Food Protection & Prep Practices | Non-Critical | 0 | 2 |
| #18 | Cross-Contamination Prevention | Critical | 0 | 5 |
| #19 | Food Storage & Handling | Non-Critical | 0 | 2 |
| #20 | Food Display & Service | Non-Critical | 0 | 2 |
| #24 | Food-Contact Surface Cleaning | Critical | 0 | 5 |
| #25 | Wiping Cloths Cleanliness | Non-Critical | 0 | 2 |
| #26 | Equipment Sanitization | Critical | 0 | 5 |
| Total Food Deductions | -0 | 50 | ||
How Is This Calculated?
The Food Safety Sub-Score extracts deductions from 13 food-specific CDC VSP inspection items (items 11-20 and 24-26) covering employee hygiene, temperature control, cross-contamination, food storage, and equipment sanitation. The maximum possible food deduction is 50 points. Score = 100 × (1 - food deductions / 50).
Crew Treatment: Fair Passage
This score reflects how Holland America treats its crew — based on employee reviews, flag state quality, safety compliance, and editorial assessment. All ships in the Holland America fleet share this line-level rating.
Glassdoor Employee Rating
★★★★☆ 3.3Based on 645 employee reviews
Score Breakdown
Flag State Quality
Zaandam is registered under a Paris MOU White List flag state — the highest safety and compliance tier. Flag State Score: 100/100
Upcoming Sailings
| Voyage | Departs | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 18 nights, round-trip from San Diego, USA | Nov 19 | 18N |
| 30 nights, round-trip from San Diego, USA | Nov 19 | 30N |
| 12 nights, round-trip from San Diego, USA | Dec 7 | 12N |
| 15 nights, one-way from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale | Dec 19 | 15N |
| 70 nights, round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, USA | Jan 3 | 70N |
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Good For You If...
- You want a ship with an excellent latest score (96/100)
- You like ships that are trending upward
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Frequently Asked Questions
The latest CDC sanitation score for the Zaandam is 96/100 as of August 14, 2026.
No, the Zaandam has never failed a CDC inspection. All recorded scores have been 86 or above.
No, the Zaandam has no recorded gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on file with the CDC.
The Zaandam has a latest CDC sanitation score of 96/100. See the full inspection history and our ShipTea verdict for a complete assessment.
Based on CDC VSP inspection item-level data, the Zaandam has a food safety score of 100/100 ("Spotless Galley"). This sub-score focuses on 13 food-specific inspection items covering temperature control, cross-contamination, and sanitation.
The Zaandam was last inspected by the CDC on August 14, 2026.