Prinsendam cabin selection.

[KIWI66]

Am looking at a 28 day Rome to London cruise in June 2009 and undecided on cabin choice between Superior Verandah Suite or Deluxe Verandah Outside Stateroom.Are the extra dollars worth the Suite?Looking for comments from experienced Prinsendam cruisers.

[cp556]

I'm interested in replies, too, because the price difference between SS and S on our chosen British Isles cruise was a big one.

[jhannah]

It all depends. What do you really want out of the cruise? Do you want to have laundry included in your fare, and the ability to have a semi-private concierge to handle your shore excursions and business matteres? Would you like to have a quiet lounge nearby with snacks, games and magazines? If this really rounds out the cruise experience for you, then springing for an S category stateroom will be worth it.

But if you just are interested in spacious accommodations and willing to go to the library for your reading material and Lido for your snacks, then the SS will give you plenty of real estate and save you quite a few dollars.

[dakrewser]

Prinsendam S suites are even more expensive, relative to other cabin classes, then the rest of the fleet mostly because of scarcity. For me, though, it would boil down to how much time will you spend on he ship during the day? At night, the difference between the S and the SS is not particularly noticeable. During the day, the Neptune Lounge and the lovely concierges ca make a difference.

You're cruise, if I read it correctly, has 22 port days out of 28 - that normally means very little time aboard ship during the day. If it were me, I'd go for the SS - and use the savings for a blowout dinner in Bordeaux!

[IheartHAL]

For me, the extra real estate is worth the price. The Superior Verandah Suites are very roomy. The drawer and closet space is plentiful, but the best thing about this category on the Prinsendam is the bathroom layout -- the bathtub/sink can be totally closed off from the toilet/2nd sink. It's almost like having 2 bathrooms!

(I believe the OP was asking about Superior Verandah Suite (SS,SY) versus Deluxe Verandah Outside (A, AA, AB, BC), so the Neptune isn't a factor.)

[dakrewser]

Good catch! I do wish HAL would come up with more "separable" names :rolleyes:

In that case, the SS is very worth the difference, especially as it's a longer cruise.

[debsea]

We LOVE the deluxe suites and the wonderful service and convenience of the Neptune Lounge. On S and R class ships, there is no question. The deluxe suites are SO much more comfortable than the verandah cabins that it is definitely worth the extra $$$ for us. But on the Vista class ships, the SS and SY accommodations are so roomy for two people with generous storage space that we find it difficult to justify the extra cost on an itinerary where the cost differential is significant between the superior suites and the deluxe suites. Having only cruised in deluxe suites on several cruises, we did not feel at all deprived in an SY cabin during our 20 days on b2b Mediterrannean cruises, and are looking forward to our SY on the Prinsendam this September.

[bobnsandi]

Try asking Grumpy and Slinkie. They may have experience with these cabins.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=684421

[KIWI66]

Thank you for the comments.Have booked a AA cabin and will start researching ports.Any comments from previous cruisers of the same itinerary would be appreciated,28 night Rome to London(European Capitals)

[travelite]

It all depends. What do you really want out of the cruise? Do you want to have laundry included in your fare, and the ability to have a semi-private concierge to handle your shore excursions and business matteres? Would you like to have a quiet lounge nearby with snacks, games and magazines? If this really rounds out the cruise experience for you, then springing for an S category stateroom will be worth it.

But if you just are interested in spacious accommodations and willing to go to the library for your reading material and Lido for your snacks, then the SS will give you plenty of real estate and save you quite a few dollars.

The difference in price between an outside cabin and a verandah on the Prinsendam adds up to an additional shorter cruise for us. I'll take the extra cruise option and the outside cabin. With that said, what outside cabin to select on the Prinsendam? I think I'd shy away from Dolphin deck, but maybe it would be fine. We have never been on the lowest passenger deck of a ship. What are your thoughts on Main deck aft? Is there much noise and vibration on Main deck aft? or should we consider mid-ship? It appears the aft cabins are slightly larger than those mid-ship. We considered lower promenade deck in the bow, but the the Queen's lounge is above it, and most of those cabins only have partial sea views. My guess is a cabin on Main deck would be a good choice.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.