Statendam -- Too Old?

[jjantonini]

:confused: We recently booked a 14 night Asia trip on the HAL Statendam. I've never sailed on a ship of this age before. Anyone on the ship recently who can ease my mind that we will still have a luxurious experience?

[kakalina]

The Statendam is beautiful and elegant. She had her upgrades and everything on her is, as always, first class. She is our favorite ship in the fleet.

[RevNeal]

:confused: We recently booked a 14 night Asia trip on the HAL Statendam. I've never sailed on a ship of this age before. Anyone on the ship recently who can ease my mind that we will still have a luxurious experience?

Welcome to the board jjantonini! Never fear, the Statendam is LOVELY ship, maintained on a daily basis with loving care and by her crew and having -- within the last year -- received a full overhaul and the full "Signature of Excellence" upgrades. She's in superb condition and is NOT really "old."

I have cruised upon her and, even before the latest upgrades, she was in fantastic shape. Now, after those upgrades, she must be spectacular. Truly a classy ship, with a real "ocean liner" feel to her. I look forward to boarding her in 2007 for my own 14-day cruise from Hong Kong to Osaka, and then staying aboard for the 18 day transit from Osaka to Vancouver!!!!

You've made a VERY fine choice in selecting the Statendam! I trust you will not be disappointed. And ... again ... welcome to the HAL board. Please don't hesitate to post any questions you may have; I'm sure you'll have a plethora of responses. :D

[sweetkeys]

We went on this ship 10 years ago and it was amazing. I'm sure it needed some freshening up after 10 years, but word has it, it's even more amazing since it's been refurbished. Enjoy!!:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have sailed on the Statendam a couple of times - most recently in June 2006. She is a beautiful ship and we did not experince any major problems.

There were a couple of times when we thought the dining room was too warm - but that just might have been us.

[travellady]

I was worried as well when we booked the Ryndam, just a year younger than the Statendam. It was just a 3 day repositioning cruise in April 2005. I kept consoling myself before we went. After all, it was a husband/wife getaway without the kids, time to relax, eat good food etc. If the ship wasn't up to par, so be it. We planned to have a good time anyway.

Lo and behold, we fell in love with the Ryndam. In fact, it's my husband's favorite ship, so far. It's a classy ship and I suspect the Statendam will be as well. Excellent service, food, and because it's small, it was really intimate.

Our next HAL cruise is the Zaandam, 3.5 weeks from now, repositioning from Vancouver to San Diego. Now my worry is "Will the Zaandam live up ot our Ryndam experience". I'll have that answer soon.

Enjoy the Statendam, I suspect you'll have a great time.

[cruznon]

Statendam is a beautiful. We sailed on her recently (Alaska) and found her to be elegant, with a gracious, warm crew. I loved the dining room--so many huge windows! My favorite spot was the Explorations Cafe/library!

[hmh]

We sailed on the Osaka-Hong Kong voyage in April and loved the Statendam. Enjoyed it very much--similar in many ways to the Amsterdam. We were on the Ryndam in November 2005 for the Sea of Cortez cruise and it is also a fine ship. I think the refurbishing of the fleet has probably extended the life of some of the ships. hmh

[BIWOZ]

She's beautiful -- warm, gracious, polished and obviously loved.

And that's just my wife! :D

(Just joking -- Statendam has a long way to go to reach her "use by" date!)

[BumperII]

We just finished b2b to Alaska on the Statendam on August 25. The ship is in excellent condition, and up to the standards of the only other HAL ship we have been on, the Maasdam. It is a great ship with bigger, more comfy cabins than the rest of the industry, beautifully decorated and beautifully maintained. It doesn't have a rock climbing wall, or an ice skating rink, just good lodging, good food and entertainment, a nice gym, a nice spa and two pools. I hope they keep these ships around for another twenty years.:)

[The Tsar]

It is our favorite HAL ship. We have sailed on the Statedam six times since 1993.

In fact, we like it so much that we have one of it's Upper Prom Directorys on our Family Room staircase wall :) .

[RuthC]

In fact, we like it so much that we have one of it's Upper Prom Directorys on our Family Room staircase wall :) .
How did you get that!!!!! Tell! Tell!!

[The Tsar]

How did you get that!!!!! Tell! Tell!!

When Holland America started it's "Signature of Excellence"program in approximately 2002, one of the first major touted improvement was the fleet-wide additions of the Pinnacle Grills. The ms. Statendam was one of the first to receive the renovation in Seattle, WA., during it's dry-dock of September 23rd - October 2, 2002. To this end, new brass etched directories were manufactured and brought aboard ship for installation to coincide with the addition of the new Pinnacle Grill restaurant. Some of those signs were not installed because they had become obsolete, when cell phones became so popular that the ship's "Satellite Telephones" for passenger use were removed. In this process it was decided that the new signs should be further updated to reflect that change as well.

My wife and I have sailed many times on the Statendam during and since it's Inaugural Year of 1993. So when I acquired it from eBay and mounted this obsolete large brass directory for the "Aft. Staircase - Upper Prom. Deck" on our family room staircase wall, my wife burst out laughing. It is now clearly viewable from both the second and lower levels of our home. While aboard the Statendam, we had to past the intended location of this particular sign several times daily. So now, whenever we pass our sign, we are continually reminded of our wonderful cruises aboard the Statendam. Everyone who sees the sign always comments on it, and of course we give a "full sales pitch" for Holland America. Although the sign correctly points to the "Restroom" and "Upper Dining Room", the indicated direction for the "Aft Swimming Pool" and the "Lido Restaurant" is unfortunately occupied by the our bedrooms <VBG>.

[RuthC]

Enjoyed your story very much, Tsar. Thanks for telling it.

[bepsf]

It is our favorite HAL ship. We have sailed on the Statedam six times since 1993.

In fact, we like it so much that we have one of it's Upper Prom Directorys on our Family Room staircase wall :) .

I saw that on eBay - I wondered who would get it!

SO glad you're enjoying it!
:)