Holland American vs Azamara

[bgp]

Considering cruise to Northern Europe and Baltic. Both azamara and HAL Prinsendam have similar itineraries. However, Prinsendam appearded to have a lot of negative reviews compared to Azamara. any opinions?
Paul

[Hlitner]

I cannot speak about the Prinsendam since we have not been on that specific ship (our most recent HA cruise was on the Noordam). But, we did an 18 day cruise (Brazil to Florida) on the Azamara Journey this past March and were "blown away" by the quality and staff on that ship. We know they had some growing pains, but by March they seemed to have worked out most of their issues. The food on Azamara was as good as any we have experienced on any ship (and I am including lines like Crystal) and the service was also excellent. My only fear is that Azamara might not be able to maintain their quality because of the financial pressures caused by high fuel prices and increased price competition due to industry expansion and the economic downturn.

I should mention the one major negative about Azamara. Its their tour offerings which were really sad. They had fewer options and the prices were ridiculous for many tours. Since we never take ships tours (after 40 years of extensive travel we prefer to do our own thing) it was not a problem, but we heard many complaints.

Hank

[travelite]

Does Azamara give you those extra days in St. Petersberg? I'd go for the one with more days in port. There is so much to see. BUT -in this city you want to take the ship's tours, unless you have bottomless pockets. If you don't take ship tours, you need a costly visa with a complicated application process. You'll probably still want a guide or a private tour....both expensive. So give consideration to the tours both lines are offering. I can only speak for HAL's tours in St.P. They were great!! and we usually do the ports independently. The rest of the Baltic is easy on your own. I wouldn't advise going into Berlin from a cruise. Berlin is a wonderful city to visit, but the long train ride from the port, for a few hours in the city seen through bus windows, is not what I call a good travel experience. The Baltic is great. I really like every thing about the area. Always enjoy going back.

[model lady]

Have done 3 cruises on Prinsendam and go on Azamara Quest in December so will be able to comment then. I prefer Prinsendam over Statendam, due to smaller size and a few added touches not found on the latter.

Not much help yet, as not sure when you are wishing to travel.

Model lady.

[dabear]

haven't been on Prisendam but were on Azamara Journey in February from Buenos Aires to Santos. A was comparable to Oceania with excellent restaurant (not banquet) quality food and service, much better than any other of the premium lines. I agree that the ship's tours were pricy but we also booked private guides. IMHO it's a better ship than HAL, not that the latter is bad.

[Mary Ellen]

Does Azamara give you those extra days in St. Petersberg? I'd go for the one with more days in port. There is so much to see. BUT -in this city you want to take the ship's tours, unless you have bottomless pockets. If you don't take ship tours, you need a costly visa with a complicated application process. You'll probably still want a guide or a private tour....both expensive.We just returned from a Baltic cruise. We (a group of 6) did a private tour arranged on-line using one of the guide agencies frequently mentioned on the CC Northern Europe forum. We did NOT need to get a visa. We were covered by the visa from the agency. After e-mailing the information needed to the agency we used, a 'ticket' was e-mailed to us. We just printed it out and showed it to the Russian Immigration officials when leaving the ship. The officials will also want a photocopy of the picture page from your passport - needed first time off the ship only. This applies to everyone, ship or private tours. It was very quick and simple. HAL wanted about $200/pp for the full day tours. We paid less than that and saw MUCH more. Some in our group estimated it would have taken 5-7 HAL tours to see everything we saw. A bus of 40+ strangers vs. a van of 6 friends with their own guide and driver??? It was a no-brainer for us.

Another thing - the president of Italy was visiting during our first day in St. Petersburg. Traffic was expected to be a nightmare with many streets closed off. We went to the country and saw the palaces there. Those who had signed up for the HAL tours in town, they saw a lot of traffic. Flexibility can be a good thing.

[MightyQuinn]

We cruised the Baltics aboard the Prinsendam last month. We thought she was a beautifully appointed ship with an elegant on-board ambiance. The ship deserves its label of “elegant explorer”. The public rooms were among the finest we have seen on HAL ships and the refurbished staterooms were lovely. The crew was professional and friendly & the senior officers were accessible and visible. There’s an intimate & convivial atmosphere on board. In my view, the smaller size of the Prinsendam is ideal for a Baltic itinerary, especially for disembarking in STP or transiting the Kiel Canal.

But the Prinsendam is still run as a HAL ship. It shares the same Signature of Excellence standard with the rest of the fleet. In our experience, the food, service & entertainment were typical of the HAL product. Not better, not worse. And that's what we expected. We would happily sail the Prinsendam again, but mostly for her smaller size, exotic ports & interesting itineraries.

I think you will find differences between the Prinsendam and Azamara. Azamara is considered a “deluxe” line while HAL is “premium” mass market. The Azamara ships are operated as a distinct brand of the Celebrity family with distinguishing features such as higher crew to pax ratio, butlers for every stateroom, enrichment programs and unique dining menus developed just for that class ship. The Prinsendam doesn’t offer these things. Azamara charges a premium for its deluxe experience which is higher than a comparable cruise aboard the Prinsendam.

So much depends on what is important to you in the cruise experience & how much you’re prepared to pay for it. What a nice choice you have to make!:)

[helenp2]

We've sailed on the Prinsendam and loved everything about this ship. I'm pretty sure we also sailed on the Amzura when it was owned by Rennaisance. The one BIG difference I think you will find is that the cabins on the Amazura are extremely small when compared to the same category of cabin on the Prinsendam. Sounds like a wonderful cruise. Hope you enjoy.