Prinsendam?

[ukbound]

We are looking at the Prinsendam for the Mediterranean in 2005. I see that it is a much smaller ship, but that might be nice. We've been on HAL's Amersterdam and Rotterdam and loved both experiences. Can anyone offer advice or experiences?

[dougnewmanatsea]

I can't give you experience or advice (though I would like to try her in the future) but if you've not already seen it you might want to take a look at this article (http://www.shipcafe.net/shipcafe/pr/prdm03.htm) by Steve Garrod (shipcafe) which has lots of photos and lets you really get a feel for the ship.

Generally speaking she seems to be a popular ship that is working out well for HAL; I know at least one very well-known loyal HAL passenger who has grown very fond of her.

[Aussie Gal]

We are sailing on her in October. We have friends who sailed on her from New Zealand to Singapore and loved her and my sister sailed in 2002 from Mombasa to Singapore and thought she was great, in fact she will be on her in 2005 on the Amazon trip.

I can't wait until we fly out to Athens and board her.

Jennie

[ukbound]

Thank you for the web spot. It is very, very helpful! Aussie Gal, have a grand time and please post your experiences!

[Druke I]

Have friend who did a trans-Pacific on Prinsendam last year, and thought it a grand ship.

We are considering taking Prinsendam into the Baltic in 2005 - it is one of the few ships that can transit the Kiel Canal, what with the low bridges. We went through the Kiel once before, on NCL, and loved the region. A very pretty part of Germany, somewhat off the normal tourist track.

[localady]

We have booked the Prinsendam for her 7/26/05 Baltic cruise. I have been to the Baltic, my husband has not, and I am thrilled with the itinerary and the fact we were able to book one of the larger A rooms in the back of the Promenade:)

Sure would be good to have some other CC'ers join us!:cool:

[helenp2]

Hi, I saw your post regarding the Prinsendam and would love to hear how you enjoyed your cabin. I am booked in one of those new rooms on the promanade deck aft and it seems to be difficult getting any feedback. Hope you have a wonderful time. Look forward to your impressions of the "Elegant Explorer".

[Aussie Gal]

Helen,
I think you will find local lady is not going until July, 2005.

Jennie

[localady]

Helenp2-

I do have to wait an entire year to find out.:eek: ...when are you sailing her??? Maybe you can let me know of your experience!:cool:

[lknick]

Here's what I reported last month.

"The ship: The Prinsendam is a ship and not a floating resort hotel. It is designed for ocean voyages and in many ways has the feeling of a smaller QE2. Although we detoured south of our planned route by approximately 200 miles due to a low, there was little if any turbulence experienced due to the ship design. The ship had everything expected from HAL except a Piano bar.

Throughout the ship, there are warm wood-tones like on the Normandie…from mahogany in the cabins to rich red oak in the Explorers lounge. Carpeting is muted, but reinforced in the walk area [so some could conclude it is worn]. The dining room looked like a dining room in a fine hotel and the Pinnacle more resembled a London club than the razzle-dazzle chrome plated fancy cafeteria of the Pinnacles on the Vista class ships. Both continued the wood-tone decor.

Walk-in closets were in the balcony cabins similar to the QE2 Princess and Queens category. Corridors are narrow, making it difficult for scooters to maneuver.

The Lido deck was well laid out for the traffic, and never was there a line for service. Examples of food being served were displayed…and it was real food cooked before opening, not plastic models."

BTW, I was there...not telling things I heard from others.

[helenp2]

Helen,
I think you will find local lady is not going until July, 2005.

Jennie

OOPS - my mistake. I am not sailing until 12/18 (Holiday Cruise). Will post review when I get back. Thanks

[Tom2]

My review of the Prinsendam got lost in the change over of the boards so I am moving it back up to the front for anyone interested in the greatest ship I have ever been on, the ms Prinsendam, the way cruising was meant to be.

My wife and I just returned from 14 days on the Prinsendam sailing from Athens to Rome with a three day pre cruise in Athens and a 3 day post cruise in Rome. After three continents, seven seas, eight countries, and fifteen different cities this is by far the best cruise we have ever taken. This is the way cruising was meant to be. I have decided that I really like the Prinsendam; it is like being in Cheers, everybody knows your name. We were constantly running into the Captain and his crew and they always has a friendly greeting, and even knew our names. It was also never crowded, even though it was booked to near capacity. There was always seating available in the Lido, bars and lounges and we just never felt crowded. It was like being on a private yacht. This is the smallest ship we have ever been on but it handled the seas much better than many of the larger ships we have been on, although I have to admit we had near perfect weather the entire trip. We only experienced rain once, and that was in Florence, and it only lasted for about an hour. Just long enough for the vendors to sell a lot of umbrellas. We have taken nineteen cruises with this being the fourth time we have sailed with Holland America and the other cruises being on most of the other major cruise lines. I think the food was much better on the Prinsendam, than the other HAL ships or other cruise lines that we have been on, although I realize that is a matter of personal opinion; I think preparing for smaller numbers of people allows for better food and service. The Hotel Manager told us that they are really trying to live up to the reputation of “elegant explorer”. There were some pipe leaks in the hallways on some of the other decks, but I understand that action is being taken to correct this problem. We were told that because of the ship being at near capacity they had to buy water in some of the ports and the acidity in the water was causing the leaks. Water was shut off on the ship twice during the cruise to repair the leaks, but both times we were on tours and it didn’t effect us. If I had stayed on the ship it would have been an irritant. We had an S category suite on the Lido deck and I truly can not find one thing to complain about. Because they are marketing the ship as the “elegant explorer” they have not cut back on many of the suite perks that I understand have been eliminated from the other HAL ships. The suites could still eat breakfast and lunch in the Pinnacle; we had a welcoming cocktail party in the Captains quarters, a dinner with the Captain and his staff in the Half Moon Room, and an Indonesian Lunch in the Pinnacle. All very well done and very impressive.
For our pre cruise we stayed at the Ledra Marriott Hotel in Athens and I think for me the reality of the adventure we were about to embark on hit home the first night when we went up to the roof top cafe for a glass of wine and something to eat, after traveling for 25 hours straight, and I looked over my wife’s shoulder and saw the Acropolis lit up in all its grandeur. What a view. We booked three days of tours with the HAL representative in the lobby and all three were extremely well done. We took the hotels shuttle to the Plaka the morning of the first day and then went to The Temple of Poseidon on a HAL tour that afternoon. The next day we took a full day’s tour to Delphi and the third day we toured the Acropolis on the way to the ship. Embarkation started at noon and we were on the ship in about thirty minutes. Our luggage was picked up at the hotel and was in our room when we boarded. This cruise was really port intensive and we enjoyed the relaxation offered by the three sea days. We took the full day tours whenever they were offered and the tour guides and lunches that were included were all outstanding. The tour guides were all very passionate about their countries and this added to the enjoyment and knowledge gained on the tours. In Istanbul we did the Full Day City Tour, Nessebur we did the Nessebur, Beach and Folkloric Show, Beach did not mean going to the beach, just driving along the beach resort area on the way to lunch and the Folkloric Show at a new restaurant on a hilltop over looking the sea. Nessebur was like stepping back in time, nothing has changed since 1947, but they are now evolving and 10 years from now I probably won’t be able to afford to go there. Odessa we did the Full Day Tour which included a fantastic locale lunch with two classical singers that could easily make it in any Opera Company in the World. Yalta we did the Best of Crimea, visited two palaces, and the summer home of the last Czar of Russia where the Yalta Conference was held. Again another great lunch with great local entertainment. Because we took two ships tours in the Ukraine, visas were not required. In Kusadasi we took the Ephesus Full Day Tour, well worth the price. In Santorini we took the Akrotiri Excavations & Oia Village. The excavations are shut down because Greece pulled all of the money to help support the Olympics but the tour was still worth while. After the tour we walked around the city, did some shopping and I rode the donkey back down the hill while my wife walked. Quite an experience. In Malta we visited Malta’s Mysterious Megaliths and the tour ended at the museum in the center of Valletta, so we elected not to ride with the tour back to the bus but instead explore a little on our own. We visited St John’s Co Cathedral, extremely impressive, tagged along with a HAL tour in progress and then visited the Malta War Museum, a must for anyone interested in WWII. We were told that it was a 20 minute walk back to the ship but ended up taking us about 2 hours, we could see the ship but couldn’t figure out how to get down the bastions to the ship. I was about ready to repel over the edge when we found the way. In Monte Carlo we did the Jewels of Cote d Azur full day tour and then went to the Casino. In Livorno we did the Tuscan Landmarks: Florence and Pisa getting back to the ship about 7:00 pm and then having to pack to get off the ship the next day. I think HAL really outdid themselves on our three day post cruise stay in Rome. We were met at embarkation by our guide Umberto who spent the next three days with us even staying at the hotel. He truly went out of his way to make sure everyone was pleased, and I cannot say enough good things about him. There were only 5 couples on our post cruise tour and we really covered a lot in a short period of time. We stayed at the Hotel Villa Degli Angeli in Castle Gandolfo, the Pope,s summer residence. This is a suburb of Rome and it did upset some people that we were not down town. For our first visit to Rom, we really liked it. Our room had a balcony overlooking the lake and the Popes summer residence and we would sit out there each night with a bottle of wine and preview the digital pictures we had taken that day. The last night HAL had set up a dinner at a Counts Residence and Winery and we dined with the Count in his dining room, what a fantastic evening. We even got him to play the piano for us, quite an accomplished musician. His residence was used by the Germans to spot their big guns in the hills during the allied invasion at Anzio Beach. The residence was almost destroyed but rebuilt identical to the original construction in the 15th century. A fascinating individual and a very memorable evening.
Conclusion: This was probably the best cruise we have ever taken. We did meet a couple that was constantly complaining, so we started avoiding them .I am convinced that some people take cruises to intentionally look for things to complain about. I am sure that if we looked hard enough we could have found things to complain about, but this cruise really did exceed our expectations in all areas. We truly had no complaints at all. I brought my laptop and could get wireless reception in our stateroom, so each evening we would send e-mails and post pictures on a website that I established before we left so our friends and family could enjoy the cruise along with us. Because of the all day tours and the early morning departures, along with late dining, we ended up missing most of the entertainment. We figured we can always see entertainment but probably won’t be back to that part of the world again. Those that saw the entertainment said it was good. We booked another cruise for next year while on board, one that originates in Rome. Now that we feel comfortable with Rome we will probably stay at one of two hotels in Rome that we looked at while we were touring. This has gotten a lot longer than I had intended, so if anyone has any questions I would be happy to try and answer them. Bottom Line: Great Ship, Great Crew, Great Food, Great Itinerary, translated into a Great Time and a Great Cruise.

[localady]

Tom2-
Thank you for the wonderful review!! I am glad that you had an exceptional cruise. I know what you mean about some living to complain:eek: , I've far to many blessing to even think that way! We will sail her next summer to the Baltic, we are thrilled!! Thanks again for the great review!:cool:

[helenp2]

Tom2.

What a great review, sounds fantastic. We are very much looking forward to sailing on the "Elegant Explorer", especially after reading your fine recap. Thanks again

[ger_77]

We were also on the Prinsendam's Black Sea & Beyond cruise May 31 - June 13 and were so happy to have sailed on such a fine old ship. Certainly there were problems with leaking pipes, but nothing that was insurmountable. We were treated royally by so many staff members that it made the glitches (such as not having any luggage for the first 3 days of the cruise) much easier to bear. The staff in the bars and restaurants did everything they possibly could to make our trip a memorable one ... so much so that we are planning a return to the area and hope to be sailing on the Prinsendam once again. We've sailed on the larger ships (1800+ passengers) and much prefer the more intimate feel of a ship the size of the Prinsendam. You get to know the ship quicker and it makes for a much more relaxed trip all around. You won't be sorry you booked on the Prinsendam - we certainly weren't.

Smooth Sailing!

[dougnewmanatsea]

We were also on the Prinsendam's Black Sea & Beyond cruise May 31 - June 13 and were so happy to have sailed on such a fine old ship.Fine old ship - ouch! I must be getting old too then! (For the curious, I'm roughly the same age as she is... Yes, I know ships age faster than people, but I still remember when she was considered a "newer ship", if not new...)

But seriously, ten years ago, an old ship was at least 30+, something PRINSENDAM's age was barely entering middle age and if a ship was under 5 years old or so it was considered brand new. Just shows how far we've come. I've even seen the S-class ships called old and I remember when those were just artists' renderings in HAL brochures!

How times change...

[Lovebirds]

Since the Prinsendam will be our "home" for 112 nights next year, it is really nice to see the excellent reviews. I was getting a bit discouraged after reading a few reviews of the first few sailings coming out of renovation, but some seem to have been written by the cronic complainer types.

I've stayed in 4 star hotels that did not deserve that rating on the day that I was there, but, when deficiencies were pointed out to management, in a nice way, things are usually taken care of. Demanding to be moved to a different cabin, as one reviewer said he did, on what was probably a full ship, certainly will not enhance the relationship between passenger and crew.

We don't expect perfection, so I'm sure we will be very comfortable on the grand dame.

[jhannah]

We're just about 5 weeks out from leaving for our 13-day Mediterranean sailing on the ms Prinsendam. Looking forward to trying out this smaller ship.

[Aussie Gal]

Vegas Jim,

As you will be coming down the gangplank we will literally be going up it. I will wave to you in Athens Jim. Not long to wait now. Time is moving steadily. Seven weeks today until we leave here for Europe and our wonderful cruise/holiday. Can't wait!!

Jennie

[benjamins]

We are looking at the Prinsendam for the Mediterranean in 2005. I see that it is a much smaller ship, but that might be nice. We've been on HAL's Amersterdam and Rotterdam and loved both experiences. Can anyone offer advice or experiences?

Smaller is often more exclusive and higher quality in the cruise world. The Prinsendam is HAL's true premium ship. The Statendam and Rotterdam ships are HAL's traditional mass market ships and give a fine HAL experience. The Vista class is a HAL flavored generic new ship, I want nothing to do with them, and they are quite large.

The Prinsendam has quality interior spaces and is meant to be more pampering and more of a special experience than the other HAL ships. I'm glad they have this ship, and hopefully her success will have HAL produce more ships her size in the future for that segment of the market that appreciates this type of product and is willing to pay a bit extra for it.

[Brandis]

Because they are marketing the ship as the “elegant explorer” they have not cut back on many of the suite perks that I understand have been eliminated from the other HAL ships. The suites could still eat breakfast and lunch in the Pinnacle; we had a welcoming cocktail party in the Captains quarters, a dinner with the Captain and his staff in the Half Moon Room, and an Indonesian Lunch in the Pinnacle.

We will be in a cat. S deluxe verandah suite on Prinsendam for the transatlantic crossing in November. I don't know when Tom2's review originally was posted, but I was wondering, if breakfast and lunch are still served in the Pinnacle for suite guests on Prinsendam as I heard this perk has been removed on the other HAL ships...

[Slinkiecat]

Tom2, thank you so much for the detailed review of the Prinsendam. We are taking a world cruise on that ship in January and not much is available on the boards in the way of review.

slinkie

[WCB]

Welcome aboard the Prinsendam for the January 2005 sailing! We had sailed when she was the Seabourn Sun in 2001 and really enjoyed it. Not only was the ship well appointed, but the entire crew made us feel like part of their family.
We are sailing from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale, so hopefully we can meet while onboard.
Mary Ann and Bill