New to HAL...Have Questions about Statendam

[kalliyan1]

Hi all....we are new cruisers to HAL. We've been on many of the other lines but not HAL.
We just booked Alaska the end of May on the Statendam. I'm nervous about this cruise because the age of the boat, 1993. I did find out that its going into a 16 day drydock in march/april.
Can you tell me what I might expect from this after drydock, etc????
It's also a much smaller boat then we have ever been on, but w/an Alaska itinerary, that may not be too bad.....but, will we feel like it's too crowded just because the boat is smaller and perhaps doesn't have many public areas?
TIA

[pipedreams62]

Hi all....we are new cruisers to HAL. We've been on many of the other lines but not HAL.
We just booked Alaska the end of May on the Statendam. I'm nervous about this cruise because the age of the boat, 1993. I did find out that its going into a 16 day drydock in march/april.
Can you tell me what I might expect from this after drydock, etc????
It's also a much smaller boat then we have ever been on, but w/an Alaska itinerary, that may not be too bad.....but, will we feel like it's too crowded just because the boat is smaller and perhaps doesn't have many public areas?
TIA

You've picked a beautiful ship,that should be even nicer after drydock.
You will feel LESS crowded on the smaller ship. Holland America really knows how to do Alaska.

Have fun

[SwissMyst]

We love the smaller HAL ships the best. We have sailed on the Maasdam and the Rotterdam which are similar among these smaller ship and liked the older Maasdam the very best. We had verandah cabins on both and if you can swing it, they were the best way to go. The advice I see here for Alaska, is the smaller the better. I think you made a good choice.

If given a choice, these will be the only ones we will sail when we choose HAL rather than the newer and larger ones, but we won't turn down those either. The older ships have larger cabins, larger balconies, a wonderful layout, gracious flow and always felt they had a wonderful human scale. I love the feel of their main dining rooms.

Never noticed these smaller ships were "old" as there is a lovely old world feeling about all these smaller HAL ships with their collections of art and antiques from Holland's long sailing traditions. Though they sometimes have some quirky decor that does not quite match, that seems like it is between piecemeal refurbishings. (Maasdam show lounge was a trip of disconnected themes.)

[RuthC]

The Statendam is a real ship; she much (much, much) bigger than a boat. As far as her age goes, ships are not like cars---they last a lot longer.

The Statendam, like her sisters, has the same public rooms as the larger R-class ships; they are just a tad smaller to account for fewer passengers, that's all. It's an intimate feel.
The passenger/space ratio is quite generous, so the ship feels less crowded than many of the big-box ships.
The ship is small enough that you can get to know your fellow passengers, and see them again and again. The staff will get to know you and your preferences since there are not thousands of people to serve.

You'll have a marvelous time!

[Marie321]

We cruised Alaska last year on the Statendam for a 14 day b2b cruise. We had a wonderful time and never felt crowded on the ship. Sometimes, it even feels as if you are the only ones on the ship! The crew is marvelous and we enjoyed the ports tremendously!

[kalliyan1]

Everyone for your responses!!!! i am very excited about our trip and feel much better after reading your responses.
Thanks again

[IRL_Joanie]

Photos show what some words might not. Take a look at photos of not only staterooms, but also many of the public rooms on the ship.

The passenger capacity of the Statendam is 1,258 and crew sontingency is 580. You will have less passengers to contend with and more crew to make you comfortable. JMO I think you will be quite happy with your choice:)

http://joanjett2000.topcities.com/HAL/Statendam/index.html

Joanie