Conde Nast's ratings on HAL

[kazu]

Conde Nast has published their ratings on the mega ships (I wouldn't call Hal a mega ship but the rating is from 500 -2500 passengers).

So out of all the other cruise lines, here's where HAL stands.

Before I post this, I have to say only the 'luxury' cruise lines were ahead of the first few.

#8 - the Prisendam (our next ship) :)
#9 - the Eurodam
#13 - the Amsterdam
#15 - the Noordam
#16 - the Rotterdam
#17 - the Veendam
#18 - the Westerdam
#20 - the Volendam

all, in all I would ay not too shabby. these are reader polls.

No wonder we sail HAL:):) just sharing :D

[doncarlos]

Conde Nast has published their ratings on the mega ships (I wouldn't call Hal a mega ship but the rating is from 500 -2500 passengers).

So out of all the other cruise lines, here's where HAL stands.

Before I post this, I have to say only the 'luxury' cruise lines were ahead of the first few.

#8 - the Prisendam (our next ship) :)
#9 - the Eurodam
#13 - the Amsterdam
#15 - the Noordam
#16 - the Rotterdam
#17 - the Veendam
#18 - the Westerdam
#20 - the Volendam

all, in all I would ay not too shabby. these are reader polls.

No wonder we sail HAL:):) just sharing :D

kazu, do see my observation at # 46 on the 48 days on rotterdan herein

[kazu]

kazu, do see my observation at # 46 on the 48 days on rotterdan herein

only after I posted this, so are you saying that this is meaningless???:eek:

[doncarlos]

only after I posted this, so are you saying that this is meaningless???:eek:

yes.............they are not scientific/they are "paddded " { as i suggested by my friend's action } / they reflect the audience of the publication ................. conde nast is very different target subscriber than travel and leisure, or food and wine or nat. geo or budget travel or world oceanand cruise liner society or cruise travel or cruise travel or cruise diva or etc etc etc ........you see my point .................the credible review /rank comes from an averaging of observations of folks who have been on board and post consistenly objective acroos the board pro and con evaluations .................hard to find, but they do exist LOL

[Himself]

Nice to see HAL rated so high.

[DutchByAssociation]

Conde Nast has published their ratings on the mega ships (I wouldn't call Hal a mega ship but the rating is from 500 -2500 passengers).

So out of all the other cruise lines, here's where HAL stands.

Before I post this, I have to say only the 'luxury' cruise lines were ahead of the first few.

#8 - the Prisendam (our next ship) :)
#9 - the Eurodam
#13 - the Amsterdam
#15 - the Noordam
#16 - the Rotterdam
#17 - the Veendam
#18 - the Westerdam
#20 - the Volendam

all, in all I would ay not too shabby. these are reader polls.

No wonder we sail HAL:):) just sharing :D

When I saw those results come out I wondered if Nieuw Amsterdam was an option for folks to pick or not. Eurodam is incredible and some areas were made that much more glamourous on Nieuw Amsterdam... however seeing as the ship came out the first week of July...

[whogo]

It just goes to show. Best Cruise Ships of 2011 at Frommer's lists 30 ships or classes of ship and none of them are Holland America. http://www.frommers.com/micro/2011/best-cruise-ships-of-2011/index.html One man's meat...

[iancal]

The only rating that I really pay attention to is a rating by someone I know and have faith in their rating....or my own rating.

The ratings that I put the least faith in or no faith in, are the ones done by travel magazines.

[DutchByAssociation]

It just goes to show. Best Cruise Ships of 2011 at Frommer's lists 30 ships or classes of ship and none of them are Holland America. http://www.frommers.com/micro/2011/best-cruise-ships-of-2011/index.html One man's meat...

Didn't I see somehwere that their 2010 guide said Oosterdam had a waterslide? :D

[ironin]

DBA: FWIW, The 2011 Travel & Leisure reader poll (still open) forgot to list the Zuiderdam, or at least didn't offer it as an option when I peeked in the other day.

[Hlitner]

I love that they put the Prinsendam high up on the list (we need to encourage HA to keep that ship in the fleet).

Hank

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the information.

Interesting.

[HAL4ME]

[quote=Hlitner;27681174]I love that they put the Prinsendam high up on the list (we need to encourage HA to keep that ship in the fleet).

Hank[/quote

High up is right and on PRICING as well! You need to call in a Pre-Approved Bank loan for ANY of those itineraries that the Prinsendam does!..LOL ...wish they keep her as well and her fabulous itineraries and LOWER the pricing if you cold put that in the suggestion box at HAL please.:eek:;):eek:

[kazu]

[quote=Hlitner;27681174]I love that they put the Prinsendam high up on the list (we need to encourage HA to keep that ship in the fleet).

Hank[/quote

High up is right and on PRICING as well! You need to call in a Pre-Approved Bank loan for ANY of those itineraries that the Prinsendam does!..LOL ...wish they keep her as well and her fabulous itineraries and LOWER the pricing if you cold put that in the suggestion box at HAL please.:eek:;):eek:

If you compare the Prisendam to ships her size, I think you will find HAL's pricing very fair.:)

[HAL4ME]

[quote=HAL4ME;27682036]

If you compare the Prisendam to ships her size, I think you will find HAL's pricing very fair.:)

Pricing si a VERY subjective topic...what might be inexpensive to you might be expensive to me and vice versa....I agree with previous posters she has amazing itineraries but IMO are not justified fully for the premium pricing that they charge to sail on her. The pricing for Prisendam surpasses' at times even all inclusive 5 and 6 Star cruiselines!:mad:;):mad: I really don't mean to offend nor start a debate on this either.

Anyways sorry to the OP for getting off topic.

[HappyInVan]

I look at how the different companies perform over time. What is the direction?


For large-ship cruise lines, Number 10 is NCL. They're up from 2008 when they were not in the top ten. HAL was Number 9 in 2010, down from #7 in 2008.


Who's Number 8 in 2010? RCL!!!!!


This ranking is reflected in the relative prices charged by the cruise lines.


HAL's slide is worrying. Everybody is dropping their prices. The premium cruise lines are able to hold on to their relative ranking. But, HAL's relative ranking is falling even as they drop their prices. Bad?

[agabbymama]

And yet, I wouldn't take a free cruise on any of RCL Oasis class ships.

Or Princess large ships either.

I'm booked on NCL Star and fear she may be larger than I like.

I preferred the HAL smaller ships (Old Noordam, Prinsendam, Maasdam).

But I fear my cruising days are about over anyway as the only places left I really want to cruise are well beyond my pocketbook. Unless HAL wants to give me a free cruise to New Zealand or the Baltics, NOW THAT I WOULDN'T TURN DOWN!

[kazu]

I look at how the different companies perform over time. What is the direction?


For large-ship cruise lines, Number 10 is NCL. They're up from 2008 when they were not in the top ten. HAL was Number 9 in 2010, down from #7 in 2008.


Who's Number 8 in 2010? RCL!!!!!


This ranking is reflected in the relative prices charged by the cruise lines.


HAL's slide is worrying. Everybody is dropping their prices. The premium cruise lines are able to hold on to their relative ranking. But, HAL's relative ranking is falling even as they drop their prices. Bad?

I'm a little confused by this post :confused: but it doesn't take much to confuse me sometimes. I listed the readers' reviews that just came out in Conde Nast for the large ships.

the only cruise ships ahead of HAL are Regent, Crystal, Cunard & Oceania.

Celebrity Summit is #11, Celebrity Constellation is # 14

Coral Princess is #12 & Island Princess is #19. NCL is not listed at all.

Are you talking about a different poll or survey perhaps?

This poll was on individual ships, not cruise lines.

[serendipity1499]

[quote=HAL4ME;27682036]

If you compare the Prisendam to ships her size, I think you will find HAL's pricing very fair.:)

[quote=kazu;27682827]

I agree!:)

Pricing si a VERY subjective topic...what might be inexpensive to you might be expensive to me and vice versa....I agree with previous posters she has amazing itineraries but IMO are not justified fully for the premium pricing that they charge to sail on her. The pricing for Prisendam surpasses' at times even all inclusive 5 and 6 Star cruiselines!:mad:;):mad: I really don't mean to offend nor start a debate on this either.

Anyways sorry to the OP for getting off topic.

Reason I agree with Kazu is I've been doing some comparing...IMO HAL's pricing for the Prinsendam is very fair.. Are you comparing apples to apples? Would you be so kind to give us a complete example of the Prinsendam surpassing the all inclusive 5 & 6 star lines..

Have been comparing Prinsendam's itineraries with Oceania's itineries..They have three of the same Renaissance ships.. We booked to the Amazon on HAL in 1996 & Oceania to the Amazon in 1997..Our basic Oceania fare was approx $1,000 less for the same itinerary on the Prinsendam as Oceania gave us a $500 air credit since we drive to the port....However our total spending on both cruises for the basic outside cabins, port charges, Hotel Service charges, laundry, restaurants etc. was within a couple hundred dollars of each other.....

These were the differences: HAL's outside cabins are larger than Oceania's, HAL's Hotel Service Charge was $10.00 per day per person (in 1996) as opposed to Oceania's $12.50 per day per person (in 1997)..HAL's Corkage fee (was $15.00 in 1996), less than Oceania's but can't remember how much.. HAL had an excellent laundry package as opposed to Oceania's by the piece..Washers & driers on Prinsendam are free & on Oceania they are $2.00 each..HAL has a wrap around promenade deck which we love..Oceania does not..Service on both was fantastic!

Oceania's alternative Restaurants are free as opposed to HAL's Pinnacle..

We're now booked on Oceania this April on a 14 day cruise which goes up the East coast of the U.S., then to Bermuda & finally down to the Caribbean..Our Outside cabin is less than the published fare with a TA (similar in class to the outsides on the Prinsendam)..It is $445.57 per day incl taxes & fees(April is shoulder season)....

Prinsendam does not ply the Caribbean waters..Therefore I compared our Oceania cabin to a "D" cabin on the Prinsendam to the Amazon (in Nov peak season) & the day rate was $424.91 (HAL's WEB site)

BTW Oceania's tips (aka HAL's Hotel Service charge) will increase this summer to $13.50 per day for Concierge class & $18.50 per day for Suites with butler service...HAL's is $11.00 per day..Liquor service charge is 18 % on Oceania & $15.% on HAL..

IMO Oceania & HAL are similar & it's a fair comparison..

Cheers...:)Betty

[ariawoman]

Just curious, is there a link to this article online or was it just a magazine published on it?

I find it interesting that Veendam rated well, based on what you read on here with the "ac issues" lol. Maybe they took her in a non-hot season. (or had working a/c). (or the a/c thing isn't as bad as cruise critic makes it seem).

[kalliekae]

And yet, I wouldn't take a free cruise on any of RCL Oasis class ships.

Or Princess large ships either.

I'm booked on NCL Star and fear she may be larger than I like.




And I wouldn't trade my Oasis cruise for a free Prisendam cruise. Different strokes.....That's why we have different cruise ships! :)

[Hlitner]

Hmmmm. These posts are interesting. Sure, the Prinsendam often gets a pretty high price but its not unreasonable. The key to keeping costs under control on that ship is to not book a verandah. We do longer Prinsendam cruises and are satisfied with an outside cabin (most have walk-in closests) and the prices are reasonable. It is interesting the Prinsendam has the highest percentage of repeaters of all the HA ships and they sell out most of their cruises. The funny thing is that the Prinsendam is a relatively old ship, is in need of updates to many of its cabins, has few amenities compared to many newer mega ships, and yet rates so high and is so darn popular. We have loved every moment on this vessel.

As to the comment comparing it to the Oasis we must point out that the Oasis does a very limited 7 day itinerary whereas the Prinsendam cruises all over the world and many of its cruises are over 30 days in length. These are two totally different products that target different type cruisers. The last ship Royal Caribbean had in this size class was the Sun Viking (we loved that ship) which is long gone.

Hank

[HappyInVan]

I'm a little confused by this post :confused: but it doesn't take much to confuse me sometimes. I listed the readers' reviews that just came out in Conde Nast for the large ships.

the only cruise ships ahead of HAL are Regent, Crystal, Cunard & Oceania.

Celebrity Summit is #11, Celebrity Constellation is # 14

Coral Princess is #12 & Island Princess is #19. NCL is not listed at all.

Are you talking about a different poll or survey perhaps?

This poll was on individual ships, not cruise lines.


Sorry! Yes, I am comparing cruise lines (Cruise Travellers Magazine). See here for Conde Nast 2010.


http://www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/readerschoice/transportation




Why compare cruise companies instead of just ships? Ship polls can be volatile depending who has travelled recently and who bothers to vote. Moreover, opinion of cruise ships are affected by sentimentality. Did you have a particularly good or bad experience on a particular ship?


Further, it is hard to compare voting on budget cruises with luxury cruises. There are people who give Carnival etc 5 stars for FOOD! On the other hand, gourmets may give RSS and Silversea just 3 or 4 stars!


IMO, company polls are a better measure of value.


Readers are comparing the perceived value of various options. They vote with their feet. Which cruise company gets their dollars for the next cruise?

[kazu]

Sorry! Yes, I am comparing cruise lines (Cruise Travellers Magazine). See here for Conde Nast 2010.


http://www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/readerschoice/transportation




Why compare cruise companies instead of just ships? Ship polls can be volatile depending who has travelled recently and who bothers to vote. Moreover, opinion of cruise ships are affected by sentimentality. Did you have a particularly good or bad experience on a particular ship?


Further, it is hard to compare voting on budget cruises with luxury cruises. There are people who give Carnival etc 5 stars for FOOD! On the other hand, gourmets may give RSS and Silversea just 3 or 4 stars!


IMO, company polls are a better measure of value.


Readers are comparing the perceived value of various options. They vote with their feet. Which cruise company gets their dollars for the next cruise?

thanks very much - I agree, voting with your feet is the most indicative.


I was pleasantly surprised to see where the dam ships stood and thought I would share.:)

[kazu]

Just curious, is there a link to this article online or was it just a magazine published on it?

I find it interesting that Veendam rated well, based on what you read on here with the "ac issues" lol. Maybe they took her in a non-hot season. (or had working a/c). (or the a/c thing isn't as bad as cruise critic makes it seem).

i couldn't find a link to the individual ships - it just came out in this month's magazine. (doesn't mean it isn't there).

However out of interest, here is the article on overall ratings for cruise ships. HAL is #2. i couldn't paste both the link & the article. (I may be technically challenged)

however, just type in cntraveler which bring you to their website & in the search - top 80 cruise ships - here are the overall ratings for 2010 for the top 10 by cruise line:

TRANSPORT: CRUISE LINES - LARGE SHIPS




This year, Crystal Cruises rules the waves for Large ships. It floated to the top with the highest scores for facilities/activities (95.11) and value for money (90.81). Holland America Line is best for ambience/decor (93.95) and Royal Caribbean International for nightlife/entertainment (86.59)

1. Crystal Cruises 89.96
2. Holland America Line 89.57
3. Cunard Line 87.12
4. P&O Cruises 87.01
5. Royal Caribbean International 85.41 6 Celebrity Cruises 84.40
7. Star Cruises 83.37
8. Regent Seven Seas Cruises 81.73
9. Princess Cruises 80.95
10. Norwegian Cruise Lines 78.88

Of course, the most important opinion is your own. But I found it interesting :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

i couldn't find a link to the individual ships - it just came out in this month's magazine. (doesn't mean it isn't there).

However out of interest, here is the article on overall ratings for cruise ships. HAL is #2. i couldn't paste both the link & the article. (I may be technically challenged)

however, just type in cntraveler which bring you to their website & in the search - top 80 cruise ships - here are the overall ratings for 2010 for the top 10 by cruise line:

TRANSPORT: CRUISE LINES - LARGE SHIPS




This year, Crystal Cruises rules the waves for Large ships. It floated to the top with the highest scores for facilities/activities (95.11) and value for money (90.81). Holland America Line is best for ambience/decor (93.95) and Royal Caribbean International for nightlife/entertainment (86.59)

1. Crystal Cruises 89.96
2. Holland America Line 89.57
3. Cunard Line 87.12
4. P&O Cruises 87.01
5. Royal Caribbean International 85.41 6 Celebrity Cruises 84.40
7. Star Cruises 83.37
8. Regent Seven Seas Cruises 81.73
9. Princess Cruises 80.95
10. Norwegian Cruise Lines 78.88

Of course, the most important opinion is your own. But I found it interesting :)

kazu

Thanks for this information.

[whogo]

What could be more fair and accurate than a travel magazine's ratings of its advertisers' products?

[NordicPrince]

As to the comment comparing it to the Oasis we must point out that the Oasis does a very limited 7 day itinerary whereas the Prinsendam cruises all over the world and many of its cruises are over 30 days in length. These are two totally different products that target different type cruisers. The last ship Royal Caribbean had in this size class was the Sun Viking (we loved that ship) which is long gone.

Hank

Off topic: In Boxing terms:
The Prinsendam (former Sun Viking) was built at 37,800 tons.
The Sun Viking was built at approx. 18,000 tons - half that size.
The Sun Viking was never stretched unlike her sister ships Nordic Prince and Song of Norway (23,000 tons)
So you're comparing a Lightweight (Prinsendam)to a Featherweight (Sun Viking)- different classes.

Now the Oasis is 225,000 tons - more 12x the size of the Sun Viking and
about 6x the size of Prinsendam and 3x the size of the "S" class.
Oasis - SuperHeavyweight a class of its own (or maybe a step beyond)

Featherweights versus Lightweights versus SuperHeavyweights.

However I agree that the Oasis and the Prinsendam serve 2 different target audiences.

Isn't it supposed to be one big happy cruising family anyway?

[SwissMyst]

Didn't I see somehwere that their 2010 guide said Oosterdam had a waterslide? :D


That was reserved for the passengers that still wanted to get off in Mazatlan. :p

[SwissMyst]

Wow that infintesimal difference between Crystal and HAL is sure going to get some knickers in a twist on some "other" CC forum. I can already hear the sound of breaking glass. :rolleyes: The ultimate put-down "over there" if you did not think Crystal was Floating Nirvana Manifest, was to sneer perhaps you would be happier on Holland America...... and then they would all snicker amongst themselves. (Hey, that sounds like the HAL board sometimes too!)

[kazu]

What could be more fair and accurate than a travel magazine's ratings of its advertisers' products?

I get Conde Nast on a regular basis. To see a HAL ad in it is rare at best (same on Frommers web site). I can't remember when I saw the last one. The ads I see are by Regent, oceania, Cunard,Seabourn, Silversea, Windstar & the now & then NCL or Celebrity.

That's why I found the ratings on the individual ships surprising - HAL is not an advertiser here. - or at least not a prominent, memorable one :D

[HappyInVan]

Dear Kazu

Those are the numbers for CN Trave-L-Ler (double LL) in the UK from 2010! See this page.


http://www.cntraveller.com/magazine/readers-travel-awards-2010/transport-cruise-lines---large-ships (http://www.cntraveller.com/magazine/readers-travel-awards-2010/transport-cruise-lines---large-ships)




From CN in the United States, here's the 2010 breakdown for top cruise ships. You can see the relative strengths and weaknesses among the companies.


http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/502255


The only category that lists HAL ships is in the Large Ship Top 25. Prinsendam as #6 and Eurodam following up as #13.


Here's my cut and paste from concierge.com (Conde Nast Traveler of United States)


Condé Nast Traveler:
2010 Readers' Choice Awards


Large-Ship lines
1.Crystal, 92.3
2.Regent Seven Seas Cruises, 92.3
3.Cunard (QV), 90.2
4.Oceania Cruises, 86.6
5.Silversea, 84


From 2011 Gold List, HAL is not in the top thirteen.


http://www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/goldlist/2011/category/cruiselines



:eek:

[bepsf]

The Prinsendam (former Sun Viking) was built at 37,800 tons.

Prinsendam is the former Royal Viking Sun/Seabourn Sun.

[doncarlos]

Off topic: In Boxing terms:
The Prinsendam (former Sun Viking) was built at 37,800 tons.
The Sun Viking was built at approx. 18,000 tons - half that size.......

?

i believe you meant prinsendam [ former royal viking sun ], not prinsendam [ former sun viking ] :)

[ariawoman]

Prinsendam is the former Royal Viking Sun/Seabourn Sun.


I'm glad you posted that. When someone said that outside cabins (without verandahs) had walk in closets, I immediately thought of my seabourn cruise. We had a great room even though it was only oceanview, it was huge (i think it was 277 sq feet) and had a large bathroom with tub, and the walk in closet. Loved it.

Maybe I'd enjoy the Prisendam....

Who am I foolin', I'm sure I'll love any 'dam ship as long as it gets me outta here!

[kazu]

I'm glad you posted that. When someone said that outside cabins (without verandahs) had walk in closets, I immediately thought of my seabourn cruise. We had a great room even though it was only oceanview, it was huge (i think it was 277 sq feet) and had a large bathroom with tub, and the walk in closet. Loved it.

Maybe I'd enjoy the Prisendam....

Who am I foolin', I'm sure I'll love any 'dam ship as long as it gets me outta here!

Ariawoman, the Elegant Explorer is a class unto herself. She does not fit into any of HAL's other 'class' of cruise ship.

Yes, I understand verandahs have walk in closets (which is awesome).

We are booked in a deluxe verandah which will be smaller than the vistas and other classes, but I am betting dollars to donuts it will seem huge.

I'll let you all know once we sail. Really looking forward to this experience. :):):)

[ariawoman]

Ariawoman, the Elegant Explorer is a class unto herself. She does not fit into any of HAL's other 'class' of cruise ship.

Yes, I understand verandahs have walk in closets (which is awesome).

We are booked in a deluxe verandah which will be smaller than the vistas and other classes, but I am betting dollars to donuts it will seem huge.

I'll let you all know once we sail. Really looking forward to this experience. :):):)

What intrigues me about it is when I did sail I said to my bf that i wish I could take the seabourn cabin, but put it on the HAL ship....the Prisendam might be the answer to my wish on that.... lol

Very curious now. This ship always sails outta the west coast ports though right?

[kazu]

What intrigues me about it is when I did sail I said to my bf that i wish I could take the seabourn cabin, but put it on the HAL ship....the Prisendam might be the answer to my wish on that.... lol

Very curious now. This ship always sails outta the west coast ports though right?

hey you've done Europe before, she has some very nice itineraries there. We're doing a Med with a transatlantic back to Fort Lauderdale.

I don't know all her itineraries, but i can say that they are different and unique. Imagine - going to Seville - not docking in Cadiz but cruising up the river to Seville and staying there overnight. :):) She does some pretty nice ports. I'm looking forward to the 'Elegant Explorer":D

[bepsf]

Prinsendam might be the answer to my wish on that.... lol

Very curious now. This ship always sails outta the west coast ports though right?

No - Prinsendam cruises the world.
Most cruises are not round trips from a single port, but one way trips.

[RuthC]

Yes, I understand verandahs have walk in closets (which is awesome).
With the exception of the new cabins on the aft, every cabin on the Prinsendam has a walk-in closet. Even the lowly single inside has one.

Ariawoman, I don't believe the Prinsendam has sailed from the US west coast in years. There was one summer, maybe 8 years ago (or so) that she was pulled from her intended itineraries and moved to a San Francisco to Alaska itinerary that year only. Other than a stop on the west coast on a World Cruise, I don't recall her being back since.

[HappyInVan]

Dear Kazu,

I apologize. :o

I got carried away. Please do what you like. As I said, you are a decent fellow.

[HAL4ME]

I still say that Prinsendam cruises are way to pricy for what you get in return...nice itinerary but way to expensive for what you get in return and HAL knows it and milks it to the hilt with people who like I like doing Exoctic itineraries.
You could currently cruise Seabourn 14 night Dubai to Rome or Singaore to Mumbai 14 nights each cruise for $3600.00 per person all inclusive 5 star in a Suites only and doing an exotic itinerary.;):D;)

[kazu]

Dear Kazu,

I apologize. :o

I got carried away. Please do what you like. As I said, you are a decent fellow.


no worries :):) - amazing how results can be so different.

[kazu]

I still say that Prinsendam cruises are way to pricy for what you get in return...nice itinerary but way to expensive for what you get in return and HAL knows it and milks it to the hilt with people who like I like doing Exoctic itineraries.
You could currently cruise Seabourn 14 night Dubai to Rome or Singaore to Mumbai 14 nights each cruise for $3600.00 per person all inclusive 5 star in a Suites only and doing an exotic itinerary.;):D;)

I used to think the Prisendam was over priced until I price checked my Prisendam cruise, and since I am in a suite (and these are larger than Seabourn's standard suites), I think I compared fairly. Not one of the lines offered anything like this one that I am doing. They were mostly just transatlantics with a couple of stops (very boring). When I compared apples to apples (drinks, shore excursions, flights, all that stuff) Prisendam was still more reasonable.

Plus her itinerary was way better and more interesting and much more appealing to us. But that's just us :D

[Hlitner]

I still say that Prinsendam cruises are way to pricy for what you get in return...nice itinerary but way to expensive for what you get in return and HAL knows it and milks it to the hilt with people who like I like doing Exoctic itineraries.
You could currently cruise Seabourn 14 night Dubai to Rome or Singaore to Mumbai 14 nights each cruise for $3600.00 per person all inclusive 5 star in a Suites only and doing an exotic itinerary.;):D;)

You got my interest so we started having some fun doing comparisons with the knowledge that its a bit like apples and oranges because of the ultra high quality of Seabourn. We have currently booked a 41 night Prinsendam cruise for about $13000 which includes a hefty on-board credit that covers gratuities plus. Now that is for an outside cabin (not a suite or verandah). If I look at comparable Seabourn cruise I find some where the minimum price (which is discounted 60%) is approximately $32,000 (cost for two). Sure, there are a few Seabourn itineraries that have fantastic prices, but they are usually on less than desirable itineraries (hence the good prices). As a general rule we find that Seabourn usually costs about $500 per passenger day (when you can find a good discount) whereas we can cruise on the Prinsendam for less than $200 per passenger day. The 14 night for 3600 you quote is the exception...rather than the rule and there are always good exceptions on any line.

Hank

[m steve]

We were looking at a Cunard cruise on the QE for 10 days around the British Isles and was quoted $3392 for an A4 balcony cabin. I looked at the HAL site and they want $5299 for a AB on Prinsendam for 14 days. That $470 a day on HAL and $340 on Cunard. For about the same cost we could be in a Princess suite.