35 day cruise and Prinsendam advice

[jjeffjb]

I've never been on a cruise ship for more than 2 weeks. I'll be on the Prinsendam for 35 days in July. Any words of wisdom for being on an extended cruise? I've read that the Prinsendam is a terrific ship. I've also read that the food is no better than the other Holland ships. Your thoughts?

[Pam in CA]

I've never been on a cruise ship for more than 2 weeks. I'll be on the Prinsendam for 35 days in July. Any words of wisdom for being on an extended cruise? I've read that the Prinsendam is a terrific ship. I've also read that the food is no better than the other Holland ships. Your thoughts?I was recently on the Prinsendam for 28 days. Our itinerary was very port-intensive, with 21 ports, so we didn't spend a whole lot of time on the ship other than to drag ourselves back onboard, eat, hit the sack and get up early the next morning to do it all over again. That said, it was my second time on the Prinsendam and I'd go on her again.

We thought the food in the Lido was excellent, better than in the dining room. So much so that we wound up eating dinner up there almost every night. The crew and staff are top-notch and the entertainment was generally very, very good. We didn't think the trio in the Explorer's Lounge was particularly good -- they played the same stuff over and over again, without a smile or any personality. There was almost no one there pre- or post-dinner, a contrast from our previous cruise on the Prinsendam which had a terrific group that weren't as technically good but had a heck of a lot more personality. They smiled and interacted with the passengers, unlike the group there now.

The only negative I can think of about the Prinsendam is that I would never, ever book a cabin towards the aft again. Because it's an older ship with older engines (a marine engineer explained the reasons to me but the details went over my head), when the ship starts slowing down to come into port, usually an hour to an hour and a half before docking, there is a LOT of vibration, enough to rattle everything in your cabin to the point where you're afraid the TV's going to fall off the shelf. It's not just a little vibration, it's a lot. Between that and the thrusters pushing the ship into the dock, it's significant. If the ship is docking at 6AM, that means the rattling starts at 4:30AM.

Our cruise was sold as either one 28-day or two 14-day cruises. Even though we had booked the 28-day cruise, it was mandatory that we had to do Muster 2x. When I asked why, since I was on a 28-day cruise with it's own unique cruise title, not a B2B, I was told it was the law. I still don't quite believe that but if there are any new passengers boarding on your cruise, you will probably have to do Muster a 2nd time. Not a biggie but I've been on a 31 day cruise and didn't have to do it 2x. To me, it was the principle. :)

You'll enjoy the Prinsendam. I did and I'd cruise her again.

[Juanita462]

We will be on the Prinsendam in March/April and will be able to post our impressions. We were told that the Grand cruises had better food and we certainly found that a year ago when we did a 64 day cruise on the Amsterdam. The service could not have been better as well.

Have heard many good reports on the Prinsendam so hope they are true for our cruise.

We found that on extended cruises people are more friendly - particularly if you participate in the activities. I still fondly remember our first 50 day cruise and the 100 or so of us that became friends and almost like family by the end.

Joining the roll call group for your cruise can give you contacts right from the start.

You can plan to do a project that you have been putting off - I wrote our family history on one long cruise. Something that I never found time for at home.

[Juanita462]

Thanks Pam for that report - we must hve been posting at the same time.

A question - how far aft do you have to be to have the vibration be a bother? We are forward from the elevators in the E section - is that far enough? With a port intensive cruise that would mean a lot of lost sleep.
I usually choose not too far from the stairs and elevators as DH is handicapped for walking.

Also, did you encounter rough seas? and how did the Prinsendam handle them? We had 32 foot waves in the Tasman Sea but had no problem, but that was on the Statendam which is a larger ship. I am wondering about bringing a good supply of sea-sick meds.

Thanks

[Pam in CA]

Thanks Pam for that report - we must hve been posting at the same time.

A question - how far aft do you have to be to have the vibration be a bother? We are forward from the elevators in the E section - is that far enough? With a port intensive cruise that would mean a lot of lost sleep.
I usually choose not too far from the stairs and elevators as DH is handicapped for walking. -- I would say that forward of the aft elevators would be tolerable. If you're in the forward "E" section, you'll be fine. I was in E391 and my friend was in E395, and it was horrible. The first morning, as we were approaching Alexandria at 3AM, the two ladies in E397 were so horrified by the rattling/shuddering that they raced up to the Front desk in their robes to find out what the heck was going on. As our 28-day cruise was also sold as two 14-day cruises, we went to the Front Desk and begged to be moved for the 2nd half of the cruise. They were able to accommodate us in two cabins pretty far forward on Lower Promenade deck and we were able to sleep that extra hour every morning.

Also, did you encounter rough seas? and how did the Prinsendam handle them? We had 32 foot waves in the Tasman Sea but had no problem, but that was on the Statendam which is a larger ship. I am wondering about bringing a good supply of sea-sick meds. We did not have rough seas but we did meet several people who were on this ship when it encountered two 75' rogue waves south of Ushuaia, Argentinia a couple of years ago. All things considered, the ship handled these extreme conditions very well. Two ladies were telling us that they were having lunch in the dining room at a table for two at the window one day. The ship had been experiencing 35' waves which are pretty rough but the ship was fine and it wasn't bothering them. They looked out the window only to see a wall of water so high they couldn't see the top. Pretty scarey stuff. Obviously, everything went over and they went flying. Some people were injured so the ship went back to Ushuaia. Only four people chose to leave the ship there and everyone else stayed on for the remainder of the cruise.

[kryos]

Our cruise was sold as either one 28-day or two 14-day cruises. Even though we had booked the 28-day cruise, it was mandatory that we had to do Muster 2x. When I asked why, since I was on a 28-day cruise with it's own unique cruise title, not a B2B, I was told it was the law. I still don't quite believe that but if there are any new passengers boarding on your cruise, you will probably have to do Muster a 2nd time. Not a biggie but I've been on a 31 day cruise and didn't have to do it 2x. To me, it was the principle. :)

Don't feel too bad. I did a 35-day cruise on the Statendam. Technically, it was sold as either a coastal from Vancouver to San Francisco or San Diego (a three to five day voyage), and then a 30-day Hawaii/South Pacific cruise round-trip San Diego. People taking the 30-day voyage could board in either Vancouver, San Francisco or San Diego as well.

Well, of course, I had to muster in Vancouver at the start of the cruise ... I did NOT have to muster in San Francisco, but then I was told that I DID have to muster again in San Diego ... because technically I was on two different cruises.

However, there was no second muster drill mid-way through the Hawaii/South Pacific cruise, as there was back in 2006 when I did this same voyage. So, I think it all depends on the captain. I think the only absolutely legally required muster drill is the one at the beginning of your sailing.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Nancyquilts]

We've been lucky to be on the Prinsendam 6 times (through 3 different cruise lines, and we'd follow her anywhere), and the last time was 39 days from Ft. Lauderdale to Antarctica to Buenos Aires. We don't find that being on Prinsendam is ever long enough. Have a great cruise, and check out the Crows Nest for a quiet place during the day. Nancy

[Juanita462]

Thanks Pam - I think we should be ok as we are a few cabins beyond the stairs. It seems to me that the cruiseline should advise people of things like excessive noise and vibration for certain cabins - the do warn about obstruction and port holes so why not noise. These cabins should be downgraded in category and price to compensate for this problem.

On our last cruise we were over the butcher shop and the noise was really bad - a shrill saw noise when they were cutting up the meat and noises most of the night with equipment rattling and rolling around. It wasn't until we went directly to the customer relations lady that we were moved a deck up and to blessed peace and quiet.

Have seen programs on rogue waves and they are scary things - sinking even huge tankers with a 100 foot wall of water. If the Prinsendam can handle a 75 foot wave she will be ok. I gather these waves can appear even on a calm sea.

Really appreciate your reply and information - many thanks.

[RuthC]

I've never been on a cruise ship for more than 2 weeks. I'll be on the Prinsendam for 35 days in July. Any words of wisdom for being on an extended cruise?
I've taken several cruises in the 33-35 day range and this is what I think---
Relax and enjoy the rhythm of a longer cruise. They aren't anything like short (7-10 days) or medium length (11-20 days). They take on their own pace that's more like real life.
Of course, to some extent, this depends on the balance of sea and port days, but generally speaking everything kind of slows down, and a routine begins.

I was on the Prinsendam once, for an 18-day cruise. I loved the ship. I found the service to be a notch above the other HAL ships (more like what HAL used to be all the time). The food was delicious.

[the2ofus]

I just left the Prinsendam last Sunday after our 24 day European Farewell cruise. I loved the ship. Easy to get around, very stable. We had 14 to 18 ft waves on two different days. There was some pitching fore and aft but still a quite comfortable ride and the stabilizers worked well to minimize side to side motion.

The staff and crew are great. Front office staff were the most responsive and the friendliest I have ever encountered.

Food is subjective but I thought that it was very good overall. I never had trouble finding something on the menu that I liked. The variety of food at lunch in the Lido is amazing. One couple I talked with several times during the cruise found the food to be not to their liking, but apparently she was a gourmet cook from a city where fine restaurants and exotic ingredients were readily available. By contrast, otheres raved about the food.

[Williebill]

My wife and I were on the Prinsendam for two segments of the World Cruise in 2005. Leading up to that cruise, we had only taken 7-day cruises and wondered if our longer cruise would too long for us and if we would get bored. By the end of the cruise, we still weren't ready to get off the ship; the cruise was fantastic. As far as the food and entertainment, we had the best of any cruise up to that point; but you have to remember, this was a world cruise and everything is different. I look forward to cruising on the Prinsendam again in the future.

[CaveDiving]

My wife and I were on the Princendam for 66 days for the winter Grand Voyage in '07. It is a smaller ship than most of the other HA fleet but large enough that there's lots to do.

The food was excellent but that's really a factor of who the chef is for your particular cruise.

The ship is large enough that you can usually find a quiet place to read a book or simply be alone if that is your intention.

There were plenty of things to keep us busy but here again, this is a function of the cruise director on your cruise. Ours, Bruce, was great.

We experienced the two big waves. Before the waves hit, we were in the main dining room on the third level looking way upward out the large windows to try to see the tops of the waves. At the time, we were experiencing 70 to 80 knot winds rounding Cape Horn. It was definately an "E" ride.

In summary, what do I think of long cruises on the Princendam? On Jan 2 we board her again in Ft. Lauderdale for 115 days this winter.

Scott

[jjeffjb]

Your responses have been very helpful.
Jeff

[Nancyquilts]

I forgot - they have the most marvelous library I've seen on any ship.:)

[Lisa63]

I've appreciate the responses, as well, so thank you all. Jeff, we'll see you onboard for the first two weeks.