Review Of Xmas Cruise On Statendam

[pipedreams62]

Sat December 20th -Fort Lauderdale

My wife and our two teenage boys arrived at the port at 11am. The Statendam was docked all by it's lonesome on pier 29. I dropped everyone off and then drove to the parking garage and took the free shuttle back (this took all of 10 minutes) embarkation was a breeze and we were in the Lido at 11:30.

The ship was absolutely beautiful, all decorated for xmas tastefully but not overdone. We sailed on the Veendam this summer and I had no complaints about the ship at all (and still don't) however I found the Staendam to be much prettier and in much better condition. I found the ship to be almost brand new.

Our rooms were ready at about 1:30 we went down and got unpacked. I was really fretting about all four of us sharing a cabin but I can assure you it was no problem at all. Thanks to all the great advice I got on cruise critic. We kept everything picked up and brought our over the door shoe bag. Yes 'SEAFUN" I owe you big time for that.

The sail away was beautiful with a busy day at the port (8 or 10 ships) we sailed right by the Eurodam,she really is a beauty.

We had the late traditional dining and our waiter was Nugano and his assistant Rizal. My first meal was out of this world we then retired to bed.


Sun December 21 Key West

Wow what a great first day. We had breakfast in the dining room this morning at a stunning window table. We then went on an all day excursion with Danger Charters. I read great reviews of this trip on trip adviser.

Well,it exceded expectations. We climbed aboard the Dangers Pride a beautiful sailboat with captain Dennis and first mate Chris. We sailed out for an hour till we got to a fantastic snorkeling spot. It was really gorgeous all kinds of beautiful coral reefs loads of fish life is good.

We then were served a delicious gourmet lunch on deck.

Next We all got in kayaks and paddled all thru the mangroves with crystal clear water and an abundance of native Florida birds. Chris was our guide with a wealth of knowlege an enthusiasm about the mangroves and all the Osprey birds blue herrons and numerous others.

We then had a glorious sail back to the dock.

I can't rave enough about this trip the crew wanted you to feel at home and went out of their way for each and every passenger.

They served fresh fruit going out,then a gourmet lunch after snorkeling. We then had chips and dip after the kayaking,and then we were served cookies.

There were only 11 of us on this trip. We passed the catamarans that pack 100 people on them,it hardly looked appealing.

Back to the ship relax in the hot tub and then another sail away. Dinner was delicious again. Went to american idol in the crows nest and had a blast "Richard With The Sequine Jacket" you rock!



Mon December 22 Sea Day

Just a nice lazy day walking the promenade deck.... 6 laps = 6 cookies
enjoyed the ship met with future cruise consultant and did lots of nothing
(but I'm getting good at it)

December 23 Guatemala

I never really had any interest to go to Guatemala (don't really know why)
This was the most beautiful place and I took the BEST shore excursion EVER?

We had a booked a trip with "Go With Gus" I really can't rave enough about this trip. This was a life changing epiphany type trip.

Gus greeted us at the dock with giant hugs for everybody,we then walked around the terminal for about 30 minutes (we were early for Gus) the vendors were friendly and not over pushy. They really had a lot of beautiful things for sale handbags,fabrics etc. We didn't really need anything though. They had some musicians playing in the terminal who were fun.

Back to Gus- As we were waiting Gus's wifes mother all brought us handmade bracelets and put them on our wrists,along with little handmade pins.

We were going on a 'Humanitarian Tour" and had brought notebooks, pencils, toothbrushes,toothpaste etc.

We then got on Gus's boat there were about 20 of us. The tour started with us riding along the shore for about 30 minutes with Gus narrating points of interest to us. We saw sardine fisherman loads of birds and gorgeous lush greenery.

After about 30 minutes we pulled into Gus's hotel for a bathroom break and to get a water bottle we stayed there for about 20 minutes while Gus Showed us his hotel.

We then boarded his boat and went up the Rio Dolce river. I can't really describe (you just have to be there) how beautiful it is riding up this river. There's native fisherman fishing in dug out canoes,fish jumping.It's like you've gone back in time thousands of years.

Later that day we went to the childrens school and donated our supplies to them. It's a one room school with a dirt floor. The children were so grateful for the school supplies they received.

WE left and made numerous stops,we stopped at a ladys house who made tortillas on a wood stove,we stopped at a hot spring and soaked our aching joints in the hot water,we also met fisherman who showed us their catch along the river.

We then went back to Gus's hotel and had a home cooked Guatemalan feast. We had soup,numerous appetizers,tamales,native drinks,and beer,and homemade ice cream. I was sitting there thinking "When Is This Guy Going To STOP Doing For Us"? Gus then took us thru the town of Livingston and showed us around. We then boarded his boat again and headed back to the dock. I'm actually tearing up typing this part of the review. This Gus was such a warm genuine hospitable Guy who loved his country and his people, and wanted to be a facillatator in helping them get educated. We hugged Gus got off the ship and I realized Gus had somewhat spoiled it for me. There would NEVER be an excursion that could ever leave such an impression or be so enjoyable as this one.

We then went up to the deck and watched all the people in the village drive their cabs down to the ship,singers arrived,dancers came,and as we sailed away the cab drivers flashed their lights,beeped thir horns,and the natives waved,danced and sang. Yes They loved us,and we loved them back. Great day!

December 24 Belize

We had booked a cave tubing trip with cave tubing dot com. We tendered in on a big open air shore tender that holds about 100 people. It was a 5 mile tender ride. We were met at the dock by yhony.

We then boarded a greyhound like bus and rode for about 45 minutes to the cave tubing site. Our guide was Dave a friendly energetic guy. On this particuliar trip it was just the four of us and Dave. I thought wow we've got this whole thing alone. We walked about 40 minutes thru the rainforest with our tubes and life jackets. The walk thru the rainforest was beautiful. Here we are walking the 5 of us and I see nobody for 35 minutes?Hmm this is weird?
As we approach where you get in the water I see bright orange out of the corner of my eye. Up ahead it's 300 people standing in line with their orange tubes waiting to get in the water. Dave brings us in front of these 300 people and says "Membership Has It's Privileges" we get in the water and start floating thru the caves. They give you a miners headlight and you turn it on and can see inside the cave and all the formations. You were in the caves for quite awhile the water was refreshing the caves were neat and it was alot of fun. We went thru two caves and then went back to their hub and grabbed a soda changed int dry clothes and then boarded the bus for the ride back. The whole trip last around 5 hours.


We got back on the tender and were pretty sunburned and tired, and starving. We ate and then soaked in the hot tub.


The Crew Chrismas show was fantastic they sang Christmas songs in all of their languages quite touching.

December 25 Costa Maya Mexico - We woke up and the Veendam was docked next to us. We walked down the pier and took a bus to Malhual beach. It's $3 each going there and $2 each coming back. We walke the boardwalk and the people are really trying to get back on their feet from the devastation of Hurricane Dean. They're on their way but have a ways to go. It's sad because it really has potential. We strolled the bordwalk and had all the vendors wanting us to sit at their restaurant or snorkel etc. My wife and I each had a 1 hour massage. for $30 each. I figured it would only be so-so wrong again,it was out of this world. After 1 hour of this I was jelly,we went back to the compound by the ship, where they have a giant swimming pool and souvenirs etc. We stayed there for about an hour and went back to the ship.

We had a delicious Christmas dinner with all the fixins and this was a formal night.

December 26 Sea Day - Well the trips winding down and I'm getting that sick feeling in my stomach that the trip is coming to an end. I just take it easy hanging by the pool and soaking in one last day on the ship. We went to the mariners brunch and then the crew farewell show (yes I sobbed)We had another wonderful dinner and they had the baked alaska parade in the dining room. We went back to the room and packed booo hoooo.

December 27 Back At The dock Got off early like 7:30 and left the Staendam kicking and screaming. A wonderful cruise great time.

Tidbits
We had traditional dining and had a great table on the rail directly across from the musicians who play at dinner. I would consider us 'Low Maintenance" cruisers and realize some people are not.

Dinner every evening was two hours long. We had nowhere to run so it really didn't matter. I saw tables around the dining room who didn't look happy and never clapped for the waitstaff when prompted by D.J. Chad on the last night. I also heard people complaining about this at the pool. I really think they've cut back on staff and that's just the way it is. It's either devote 2 hours to dinner and enjoy,or complain and be miserable.

Our waiter was friendly as was assistant but I just got the impression he was being run ragged?

Our room stewards kind of bugged me. There was dust all over the top of the T.V. when we arrived and I never said anything,I think we got ice 2 times in a 7 day trip (we never asked for it) I just assumed they filled the stainless cannister with ice everyday? Whenever I wanted a cold drink there was only water in the ice bucket. I never said anything and I never complained. I gave them the highest grades on the form you fill out and I left them an envelope on the bed when we went to dinner last night. When we got back to the room they just half assed made the beds and never even bothered to make up the bunk bed? I left the auto tip in place and left them an envelope what gives? I also never asked them for anything the whole trip?

Gues what- I encountered ZERO rude seniors,ZERO rude children,99.9 dressed by the suggeseted dress code, Christmas night a man was turned away and made to go back and put a jacket on to enter the dining room on formal night.

The first formal night while everbody was dressed and I mean women in gowns etc, there was a guy sitting at the crows nest bar in basketball shorts hat on backwards and sneakers. "There's always One I Guess"

Niggly litle annoyances- To the cruise director and the D.J. When you have to make a 1 or 2 paragraph presentation like lighting the Christmas tree or Introducing the baked Alaska parade.

Can't you memorize the 1 or 2 paragraphs you have to deliver instead of holding a menu size paper and reading off of it? You look silly up there bro.
write it on your wrist or something?

I'm only pointing out these few little things. The ship was gorgeous,the crew were extra friendly and there is no better place to spend Christmas
than with Holland America.

Any questions feel free to ask. wait a minute I'm answering questions tearing up on excursions,I'm going to ruin my image of that "Pesky Pain In The Neck With The Pictures.

Happy New Year

[seafun]

Thanks Pipedream for the great review, and the refreshing glimpse of the humanity that most of us find in cruising. I'm so glad you were able to share the whole cruise with your family -- what a wonderful Christmas gift!

I'm glad you found the over-the-door-shoe-holder tip so useful. Pretty amazing how well it works to keep a family from attacking each other, isn't it? :eek:

I'm looking at the Western Caribbean for my next cruise, and your review only heightened that anticipation. Thanks again for taking the time to share it all so eloquently with us all. Great job, well done! :D

[mudscraper]

Wonderful review Pipedreams.
Guatemala with Gus sounds wonderful.

Rich

[RuthC]

Is there anything you can say about the entertainment on board? Both in the main showlounge, and in all the lounges around the ship?
Thanks.

[CowPrincess]

Thank you SO much for the excursion info -- I've been looking at both the Key West one and the one in Guatemala. How long was your "all day" Key West excursion? We stop for only 6 hours, I think, though that may change in the 14 months before we go.

Are there specific lists of things that you were requested to take to the school, or was it left up to you?

Thanks again for the info!

[pipedreams62]

Is there anything you can say about the entertainment on board? Both in the main showlounge, and in all the lounges around the ship?
Thanks.


I forgot about that. We don't go to many shows for some reason w'ere wiped out tired and can't stay awake. There was a magician who was very good, and besides that we never went to the lounges or piano bars. The karaoke was great and the newlywed game was fun, and the crew show was excellent. We went to an over 18 recommended comic who wasn't all that great (I was hoping he'd actually get into the over 18 stuff but he never did) the string quartet always had lots of followers but we never made it there. I was so wiped out from sun and fresh air I just couldn't stay awake.

[pipedreams62]

Thank you SO much for the excursion info -- I've been looking at both the Key West one and the one in Guatemala. How long was your "all day" Key West excursion? We stop for only 6 hours, I think, though that may change in the 14 months before we go.

Are there specific lists of things that you were requested to take to the school, or was it left up to you?

Thanks again for the info!

Our Key West excursion was from 9:30 till 3:30 so it might not work for you. Danger charters also has 1/2 day trips as well. It was only another $25 to go for the whole day so that's what we opted for. This was an excellent tour and you were pampered alll day. I've taken the other snorkeling trips where there's 100 people on the boat and you end up being kicked in the face all day with the crowd of snorkelers. No comparison IMO

[pipedreams62]

Thank you SO much for the excursion info -- I've been looking at both the Key West one and the one in Guatemala. How long was your "all day" Key West excursion? We stop for only 6 hours, I think, though that may change in the 14 months before we go.

Are there specific lists of things that you were requested to take to the school, or was it left up to you?

Thanks again for the info!


I left out answering your other question. My wife is a teacher so she picked out good things. We went to a dollar store and got an array of pencils pencil sharpeners notebooks,etc. It's basically bring what you want. We brought childrens toothbrushes and toothpaste which Gus loved. Some people brought vitamins. I was a little scary to bring vitamins,what if they don't agree with them etc? I would stay away from candy junk food etc. These children need the vitals. If I was going again maybe I'd bring some coloring books and crayons maybe some teaching charts the teachers could use to teach the students. Whatever you bring will be greatly appreciated.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your wonderful review.

Glad you enjoyed your Christmas cruise and the Statendam. We have cruised on her a few times and really enjoyed the ship.

[RevNeal]

Dinner every evening was two hours long. We had nowhere to run so it really didn't matter. I saw tables around the dining room who didn't look happy and never clapped for the waitstaff when prompted by D.J. Chad on the last night. I also heard people complaining about this at the pool. I really think they've cut back on staff and that's just the way it is. It's either devote 2 hours to dinner and enjoy,or complain and be miserable.

Our waiter was friendly as was assistant but I just got the impression he was being run ragged?

The Line swears that they haven't cut the staff, and they will show you figures which confirms that they have the same number of staff members aboard ship as before -- give or take a few, depending upon their contract dates, fleet deployment, the addition of new ships (the Eurodam) and other similar factors. However, if you ask them to break down the shipboard deployment of staff into various work-areas, they probably won't do that. However, based upon the figures I've seen from sources I have aboard ship, it is no real surprise to those of us who have cruised on the line for 10+ years that the numbers of staff assigned to the Main Dining Room and cabin-duty have declined at least 10% over the last decade (right after new ship launches this figure can rise to as high as 15% on some vessels). This means that the waiters and assistant waiters have more tables to serve, and each cabin steward has between 3 or 4 extra cabins, than they had just a few years ago. And it shows.

How is this possible if they haven't reduced the staffing capacity of the ship? Simple ... when the Line adds features aboard ship that call for staff (cooks, waiters, etc), they have to take them from someplace. This happened when they added the Pinnacle Grills, and each time the line has added another bar or another dining venue, it has forced a change in staff deployment that has reduced the staff in the Main Dining Room and in cabin service.

Our room stewards kind of bugged me. There was dust all over the top of the T.V. when we arrived and I never said anything,I think we got ice 2 times in a 7 day trip (we never asked for it) I just assumed they filled the stainless cannister with ice everyday? Whenever I wanted a cold drink there was only water in the ice bucket. I never said anything and I never complained. I gave them the highest grades on the form you fill out and I left them an envelope on the bed when we went to dinner last night. When we got back to the room they just half assed made the beds and never even bothered to make up the bunk bed? I left the auto tip in place and left them an envelope what gives? I also never asked them for anything the whole trip?

You were kinder than I. I would have spoken to the Housekeeping Manager and taken him into the cabin to show him the dust and the sloppy service.

Gues what- I encountered ZERO rude seniors,ZERO rude children,99.9 dressed by the suggeseted dress code, Christmas night a man was turned away and made to go back and put a jacket on to enter the dining room on formal night.

It is always nice to read reports like this: sometimes people still know how to behave and, indeed, the evening ambiance does still exist on HAL ships, on at least some sailings. :)

The first formal night while everbody was dressed and I mean women in gowns etc, there was a guy sitting at the crows nest bar in basketball shorts hat on backwards and sneakers. "There's always One I Guess"

It never fails. :) The good news is that he was so uncommon that it wasn't those who were dressed up who were being made to feel "out of place." No ... somebody dressed like that doesn't ruin the evening ambiance. It's when huge numbers dress like that that the ambiance goes bye-bye.

Thanks for your report! You will have photos ... right??? :D ;)

[cruznon]

Pipedreams,
What a great glimpse you gave us of your Statendam cruise.
I think your tour in Guatamela sounds incredible.
Thank you for sharing!

[Copper10-8]

But, but, but,................what about the trays?????? Did you survive? Any diapered/undiapered babies in the tubs? Kiddies running around at night destroying things and changing breakfast reservations to include extra prunes? Chair hoggery??




All kidding aside, great job on the review, bud - Thanks for taking the time!

[pipedreams62]

But, but, but,................what about the trays?????? Did you survive? Any diapered/undiapered babies in the tubs? Kiddies running around at night destroying things and changing breakfast reservations to include extra prunes? Chair hoggery??




All kidding aside, great job on the review, bud - Thanks for taking the time!


I forgot to mention. I saw a kiddie at the pool trying to use a lido tray as a skim board on the pool deck when the water splashes up. I was in the pool (waiting for an accident to happen) all of a sudden kiddies father catches this trick and the next thing I see, is the kid being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and feet dangling towards the elevator (it's okay Dad was doing this) darn I forgot to buy him a drink.

[Copper10-8]

I forgot to mention. I saw a kiddie at the pool trying to use a lido tray as a skim board on the pool deck when the water splashes up. I was in the pool (waiting for an accident to happen) all of a sudden kiddies father catches this trick and the next thing I see, is the kid being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and feet dangling towards the elevator (it's okay Dad was doing this) darn I forgot to buy him a drink.

;):D:):eek::cool:

[twinkletoes4445]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us. :)

[pipedreams62]

The Line swears that they haven't cut the staff, and they will show you figures which confirms that they have the same number of staff members aboard ship as before -- give or take a few, depending upon their contract dates, fleet deployment, the addition of new ships (the Eurodam) and other similar factors. However, if you ask them to break down the shipboard deployment of staff into various work-areas, they probably won't do that. However, based upon the figures I've seen from sources I have aboard ship, it is no real surprise to those of us who have cruised on the line for 10+ years that the numbers of staff assigned to the Main Dining Room and cabin-duty have declined at least 10% over the last decade (right after new ship launches this figure can rise to as high as 15% on some vessels). This means that the waiters and assistant waiters have more tables to serve, and each cabin steward has between 3 or 4 extra cabins, than they had just a few years ago. And it shows.

How is this possible if they haven't reduced the staffing capacity of the ship? Simple ... when the Line adds features aboard ship that call for staff (cooks, waiters, etc), they have to take them from someplace. This happened when they added the Pinnacle Grills, and each time the line has added another bar or another dining venue, it has forced a change in staff deployment that has reduced the staff in the Main Dining Room and in cabin service.



You were kinder than I. I would have spoken to the Housekeeping Manager and taken him into the cabin to show him the dust and the sloppy service.



It is always nice to read reports like this: sometimes people still know how to behave and, indeed, the evening ambiance does still exist on HAL ships, on at least some sailings. :)



It never fails. :) The good news is that he was so uncommon that it wasn't those who were dressed up who were being made to feel "out of place." No ... somebody dressed like that doesn't ruin the evening ambiance. It's when huge numbers dress like that that the ambiance goes bye-bye.

Thanks for your report! You will have photos ... right??? :D ;)


There's just not as many waitstaff in the dining room as there used to be. Our waiter in between running ragged was sincerely apolgetic and kept apologizing for the delays,there used to be a sea of waitstaff now it's somwhat sparce when you look around while eating. Like I say though this had absolutely no complaints from me. We had nowhere to go and just enjoyed hour 2 hour dinners.

Another thing I forgot to mention which some people would get mad (I found it somewhat funny) speaking of cheap seats. We had the last stern cabin on A deck (you know right next to the rudders,steering and anything else that bangs and clangs. (We had a window though)

When docking I think the only thing quieter would be the Ford motor plant or maybe a steel mill. When we booked this cruise on our last cruise the FCC said "Oh You'll Like This Room There's A Little Deck Right Next To Your Cabin",where two people can hang out while the other two get dressed? This so called deck had signs posted all over it that said "Keep Out" "Crew Only" so we never ventured out there? No problem we probably will go more midship or towards the bow next trip. There is lemonade to be made RevNeal we were right below the Lido and dining room,just an elevator ride away.

[lorekauf]

Glad to hear that you thought the Statendam was in great shape. I thought it was the most run down in all of the ships I've been on in the HAL fleet. The escalator was broken down for almost the 26 days. The light in the ladies aft pool bathroom was burned out all but 2 days out of 26 despite several complaints. There was also other lights in bathrooms burnt out. The toilet leaked in the Crows Nest in the ladies and made a huge pool....yes I do spend a lot of time in the bathroom:D:o. There was a huge chunk of wood out of a ledge in the dining room that was never fixed. I also got stuck in an elevator which I hear is an ongoing issue. I complained about 10 times before an iron was replaced in the laundromat. While none of this is huge I had never noticed this many issues on one ship before. That said this was my longest cruise. I did have excellent wait staff and pretty good cabin stewards.

Thank you for taking the time to do a review. I just couldn't find the time to do one before Christmas so I'm glad you did.

[oceanlov1]

It was a great cruise. Seeing as the Statendam is the oldest ship in the fleet, you could not tell. It was very clean and it was quite well taken care of. They crew was always around doing something to the ship, cleaning, painting, varnishing. They even replaced the carpet in my hallway.
I thoroughly enjoyed the final superstar competition. The finalists were excellent. That was great entertainment.
Food is totally subjective, and I am pretty fussy, but the Statendam's food was very good to excellent. Everything was tasty.
I thought the entertainment besides the superstar competition was OK, nothing to write home about.
Had some luck in the casino. What more could you ask?? There were some nights, tho, that I saw some brutal loses. The dealers could not lose.......not fun.
My cabin steward kept the cabin very clean. He did an excellent job. He had an assisstant and I noticed they had MANY cabins. I don't know how many,but I saw him way down the hall from my cabin.
All in all, I would recommend the Statendam.

[WeLoveCruising]

Thanks for posting your review. Glad you have a good time. We were on the 12/6 cruise and thought it was among the best cruises we have ever taken.

I really like the Statendam, especially the way the Explorer's Lounge is closed in instead of open as on the other ships. It made for a nice intimate way to have an after dinner drink and enojy the Christmas tree and music in there.

I think the Statendam is in great shape, and look forward to sailing on her again.

[WeLoveCruising]

Is there anything you can say about the entertainment on board? Both in the main showlounge, and in all the lounges around the ship?
Thanks.

Hi Ruth
I was on the sailing right before Pipedreams. Romeo was in the Piano Bar, although we didnt make it in there much.

Joanne

[pipedreams62]

Thanks for posting your review. Glad you have a good time. We were on the 12/6 cruise and thought it was among the best cruises we have ever taken.

I really like the Statendam, especially the way the Explorer's Lounge is closed in instead of open as on the other ships. It made for a nice intimate way to have an after dinner drink and enojy the Christmas tree and music in there.

I think the Statendam is in great shape, and look forward to sailing on her again.


My two teenage boys sought out Hugo every morning after your tip. Hugo also stole the crew show,very versatile that Hugo.

I found the ship in meticulous condition and would love to sail her again.

Happy New Year!

[DeepWaterMariner]

It was a great cruise. Seeing as the Statendam is the oldest ship in the fleet, you could not tell. It was very clean and it was quite well taken care of. They crew was always around doing something to the ship, cleaning, painting, varnishing. They even replaced the carpet in my hallway.
I thoroughly enjoyed the final superstar competition. The finalists were excellent. That was great entertainment.
Food is totally subjective, and I am pretty fussy, but the Statendam's food was very good to excellent. Everything was tasty.
I thought the entertainment besides the superstar competition was OK, nothing to write home about.
Had some luck in the casino. What more could you ask?? There were some nights, tho, that I saw some brutal loses. The dealers could not lose.......not fun.
My cabin steward kept the cabin very clean. He did an excellent job. He had an assisstant and I noticed they had MANY cabins. I don't know how many,but I saw him way down the hall from my cabin.
All in all, I would recommend the Statendam.

I generally agree with your take. We were also on this cruise, our first on HAL in about six years. The Statendam looked in first class condition to us. Service in the dinning room was a bit slow which looked to be caused by the number of tables our wait staff had to service. The last two nights the service improved markedly. We didn't complain but maybe someone did at one of the other tables. The food was excellent...the goose on Christmas eve was incredible. Our whole family was wow'ed by the food in the Lido...everything made fresh to order at breakfast, the best hamburgers from any grill we've sampled at sea, and so much more.

We were very specific about what we wanted from our room steward and he did exactly what we asked...no complaints.

It was our first Christmas cruise and I was surprised at what a wonderful experience Christmas eve and Christmas morning were for us holiday traditionalists...the crew choirs on Christmas eve brought tears to my eyes when then left the stage, carrying candles, and all of us singing Silent Night...the Midnight Mass (and I'm not even Catholic) shared by passengers and crew, and the hilarious arrival of Santa on Christmas morning...my granddaughter has never laughed harder. And that terrific Christmas eve menu.

[RuthC]

Romeo was in the Piano Bar, although we didnt make it in there much.

Joanne
Thanks, Joanne. I don't know anything about him. Maybe someday I'll find out? :confused:

[maha123]

Hi Pipedreams62

Great review! Can you please tell me who is the Captain and Hotel Manager on the Statendam and do you know when their contracts end? We will be on the Statendam in March and were wondering.

Thanks

[WeLoveCruising]

Thanks, Joanne. I don't know anything about him. Maybe someday I'll find out? :confused:

Dont go out of your way...if you know what I mean. We are usually regualrs in the Piano Bar, but not this time.

[WeLoveCruising]

My two teenage boys sought out Hugo every morning after your tip. Hugo also stole the crew show,very versatile that Hugo.

I found the ship in meticulous condition and would love to sail her again.

Happy New Year!

Thats Great! Hugo made our mornings, and he was the star of our crew show, too. What a character. I really hope to see him again on another cruise.

[VampyAmber]

I also just returned from the Statendam Christmas Cruise. Overall, I enjoyed it, although I prefer a larger and newer ship. On sea days, it felt very crowded, especially in the dining areas. However, the food was great, the cabins were quite roomy, and the staff was super nice. Also, I have not heard one person mention the horrible stench that was present in various areas of the ship. I realize that I have a sensitive nose, but the smell of sewage really put me off. This was my first cruise on HAL and I'm pretty sure I would cruise with them again, but next time I will definitely choose a newer and larger ship.

[sp2]

Were there many children on board this Christmas cruise? Hubby and I were thinking of taking a Christmas cruise next year, but don't want to be overwhelmed with other people's kids! Heard some horror stories on other boards of huge numbers of unsupervised kids on RCI, Princess etc. What is HAL like at Christmas generally? We are hoping since they seem to attract an older clientele, there may be fewer kids. We are mid-forties, cruised HAL Ryndam about 8 years ago. Thanks!

[the_dylaness]

Sounds like you had an excellent cruise, loud room and guy at Crow's nest in baseball cap notwithstanding.

Now that you're a certified member of the Cave-tubing.com crowd, I have only one thing to say. BUTTS UP!

[WeLoveCruising]

I also just returned from the Statendam Christmas Cruise. Overall, I enjoyed it, although I prefer a larger and newer ship. On sea days, it felt very crowded, especially in the dining areas. However, the food was great, the cabins were quite roomy, and the staff was super nice. Also, I have not heard one person mention the horrible stench that was present in various areas of the ship. I realize that I have a sensitive nose, but the smell of sewage really put me off. This was my first cruise on HAL and I'm pretty sure I would cruise with them again, but next time I will definitely choose a newer and larger ship.

I dont know if your cruise was different than mine (12/6). I didnt notice any odors, other than once on Deck 6 when we were coming in one night from our nightly walk along the Promenade. It was pretty strong, but I only noticed it that one night.

Holiday sailings are the most crowded because of all the families traveling together, filling more of the 3rd and 4th bed in cabins.

Glad you enjoyed the other aspects of your cruise, and hope your next one is better.

[sassyredhat]

Thanks for the wonderful post.

Statendam was our first cruiseship, so we have fond memories of that cruise.

We hope to take a holiday cruise soon. I had held off as I was concerned there would be tons of small kiddies running around. (no flamers plz :)).

Now I realize that a holiday cruise will be very special.

How did you arrange the humanitarian part ?

Pat

[DeepWaterMariner]

I also just returned from the Statendam Christmas Cruise. Overall, I enjoyed it, although I prefer a larger and newer ship. On sea days, it felt very crowded, especially in the dining areas. However, the food was great, the cabins were quite roomy, and the staff was super nice. Also, I have not heard one person mention the horrible stench that was present in various areas of the ship. I realize that I have a sensitive nose, but the smell of sewage really put me off. This was my first cruise on HAL and I'm pretty sure I would cruise with them again, but next time I will definitely choose a newer and larger ship.

I caught a whiff of what your referring too, but I think calling it a horrible stench is an over statement. It did not impact our enjoyment of the cruise.

There were fewer kids on the cruise than I expected. There were plenty of kids but not in the numbers I had envisioned for a Christmas cruise. I didn't see any examples of misbehaving or unsupervised kids.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Thank you for a wonderful review. I really enjoyed reading about your "Go with Gus" day. What an experience for you and your family.Sounds as if some great memories were made that day .:)

[pipedreams62]

Thanks for the wonderful post.

Statendam was our first cruiseship, so we have fond memories of that cruise.

We hope to take a holiday cruise soon. I had held off as I was concerned there would be tons of small kiddies running around. (no flamers plz :)).

Now I realize that a holiday cruise will be very special.

How did you arrange the humanitarian part ?

Pat

I didn't find the ship overrun with kids. I never encountered any ill behaved kids. We really had a nice bunch of people on this cruise. The Go with Gus tour I found on the Guatemala board here on cruise critic.

Christmas on the ship was really special. I can't wait till next year.

[happy cruzer]

Great Review.

My way of looking at the dining room service - Is that each server may have more tables but they also will make more money from the tips. I have know many people who have worked in the service industry and they want as many tables as you will give them. Of course, management has to make sure that the service does not suffer.

Regarding two hours for dinner, that's been my experience ever since I started cruising. Maybe we are just slow eaters, but I always plan on dinner in the dining room being a 2 hour meal.

Thanks for sharing so many wonderful details.

[chloecruiser]

Well I think I am overly tired from a fabulous cruise as I thought I replied to Pipedreams62 earlier today but I don't see it. Pipedreams--GO YANKEES!!

We were on the Statendam Christmas Cruise and went on the "Go With Gus" tour with you. It was the highlight of our tour and maybe one of the most special things we have ever done and we have done quite a few things in our lives. Couldn't have been a more perfect day except for some cruisers wearing Boston Red Sox hats ;). We loved the cruise. The food and the wait staff in the main dining room and the cabin crew were wonderful. Didn't want to leave them and, in fact, tipped them way over and above the automatic $11@ day PP service charge. After all, they work for one year straight. Our cabin attendant's wife had a baby he had never seen and they made the cruise very special.

The quality of the food in the main dining room, the Lido and the Pinnacle was excellent. though, as I had read before, the Pinnacle has some major service issues. We waited more than 45 minutes between our appetizers and our main course :mad:. When I complained, they had many excuses but none very good.

We thought the smoking was a problem :eek:. The casino allowed smoking and one could smoke in their cabins. We, unluckily, had a verandah cabin and the neighbor forward of us smoked. Everytime I would go out on the verandah he would be smoking and it would blow into my verandah. Even the ashes would hit me in the face so I didn't use the verandah much.

The ship was a bit aged and we also noticed the sewer odor around the Explorers Bar on Deck 8 and around the stairs aft on deck 9. I had read about the smell before departing and they don't seem to have figured it out or maybe they just don't smell it. The entertainment was up and down. Sort of old fashioned but the Broadway production was quite good. Key West was ok, not our favorite stop as Guatemala with Gus was unsurpassed. In Belize we snorkeled with Fab Tours who we found at the dock. It was fun and we spent some time on a private island. In Costa Maya we did a private excursion with "Ivan & David" though David was our guide. We went to Chochoban (sp?) to see Mayan ruins then to the small town near the ship. Had a $10--30 minute massage. Note that as the day progresses, the prices drop. This is true in most of the ports so we learned to contain our shopping urges till right before leaving a port. In many places the drop was 50%.

We really lucked out with our dining as we had signed up for "dine as you wish" or whatever it was called. We were a party of 18 so on the first night I asked the Dining Room Captain what we could do. He arranged for us to have three adjacent tables at 7:45 each night and it worked out wonderfully :). We never really waited in line and the service was incredible. Never had to wait which was a far cry from the $20PP service we paid for and received in the Pinnacle.

I also note the shower problem with the water getting hot and cool during the course of the shower. The staterooms were quite large and comfortable other than that. Lastly, and unfortunately :mad:, I took a major fall on the lido deck near the pool on our last day. I was walking to the spa when I slipped on some water, hitting ny head on the deck. I was pretty shook up, also twisted my knee and I must say, every muscle in my body hurts today. There had been some small yellow cones on either side of the walkway. One side was lounge chairs, the other tables and chairs. There was no where to walk other than through this area. That night I heard of three other people who had fallen at that spot. It is quite dangerous and they need to put some treads or rubber matting there before an elderly cruiser gets seriously injured. By the way, I left some money in the Casino which was quite a fun place other than the smoke. The dealers were all very friendly, especially when taking our money.

So that is my recap. Not as eloquent as Pipedreams but we will both live on with our memories of Gus and Guatemala.

[chloecruiser]

Many kids but they didn't seem to be out of control.

[chloecruiser]

Gus requested from us notebooks, vitamins, scrunchys (girl hair things?), small toys like little matchbox cars, for the boys and some bubble gum. We took all that.

[chloecruiser]

gowithgustours.com

[pipedreams62]

Gus requested from us notebooks, vitamins, scrunchys (girl hair things?), small toys like little matchbox cars, for the boys and some bubble gum. We took all that.


I thought it was so cute when we saw the kids paddling down the river in their canoes, chewing the gum they had just received.

[maha123]

Hi Pipedreams62

Great review! Can you please tell me who is the Captain and Hotel Manager on the Statendam and do you know when their contracts end? We will be on the Statendam in March and were wondering.

Thanks

Pipedreams62,
Not sure if you saw my earlier question so I am reposting.
Thanks

[pipedreams62]

Pipedreams62,
Not sure if you saw my earlier question so I am reposting.
Thanks


The captains name was Arnold and I'm not sure of the hotel manager. I have no idea when their contracts are up? Perhaps someone else who took this cruise will know? Wish I could be more help.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Great review, I am putting together a little slide show with 11 pictures of your Sail Away that I captured from the Eurodam on the 20th. My question is I am reducing the size so it will upload in to Photobucket but I have a couple of pictures that show everyone that is standing out on their balcony and up on the Lido deck that were facing the Eurodam as the Statendam passed. I did not want to reduce the pic of you were in one of them.

[DeepWaterMariner]

We thought the smoking was a problem :eek:. The casino allowed smoking and one could smoke in their cabins. We, unluckily, had a verandah cabin and the neighbor forward of us smoked. Everytime I would go out on the verandah he would be smoking and it would blow into my verandah. Even the ashes would hit me in the face so I didn't use the verandah much.


Interesting that our end of the cruise survey had an extra page with three questions related to smoking...do you smoke...would you cruise HAL if smoking wasn't allowed in the cabins...would you cruise HAL if smoking wasn't allowed at all.

[Himself]

Pipedreams:
I enjoyed your report and particularly your "scouting report" on the STatendam. I have traveled this ship a number of times. I have always enjoyed her. You contrasted this ship with the Veendam and I found that interesting. The Statendam is the oldest of the "S" class ships. It came on line in late '92. The Veendam is the newest of the "S" class ships and it came on line in June or July of 1996. Glad you had a good cruise. Happy New Year.

[jetstorm]

My family was on this cruise also and overall we enjoyed it. We did notice the stench near the library, the bathrooms nearby were out of order the whole trip and that appeared to be where the smell was coming from. We had really slow service at dinner. One night a family member didn't receive their meal until everyone else was completely finished, also very long wait between courses which again seemed to be from a lack of staff. They did try hard but had many table to cover. On Christmas Eve my husband got violently ill and was in bed all day Christmas. Another member felt ill and stayed with him on board. As we returned to the ship, a lady from the Veendam (docked next door) said many people on board her ship were very sick and quarantined to their cabins. She said their ship had stopped having a buffet at all and even the salt and pepper shakers were removed from tables. Like I said this is just what one lady told us.
We went with the ship's tour in Guatemala on the Ak Tenimit tour and were only taken to the place the villagers sell their handicrafts, not to the actual village or school. We were told the trail was too slick from rain. I suggest anyone interested in this tour go with Gus. We went cave tubing with Major Tom and loved it. Our guide Mike was a blast. They are truly the best and really care about your safety and that you have fun.
To those of you that were on our roll call, I tried to find you guys at sail away on the Lido but never could find anyone I could associate with Cruise Critic. How sad.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Here is the link for the pictures I took of the Statendam Sail Away on December 20th

http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/?albumview=slideshow

Here is just a few of them
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/100_2984.jpg?t=1230588116

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/100_2984.jpg?t=1230588116

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/100_2990.jpg?t=1230588188

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/100_2993.jpg?t=1230588217

[pipedreams62]

Here is the link for the pictures I took of the Statendam Sail Away on December 20th

http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/?albumview=slideshow

Here is just a few of them
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/100_2984.jpg?t=1230588116

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/100_2984.jpg?t=1230588116

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/100_2990.jpg?t=1230588188

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/laffnvegas/Statendam%20Sail%20Away%2012-20-2008/100_2993.jpg?t=1230588217


I think we have some good pictures of the Eurodam as we passed her. I'll have to check with the photographer (my wife) if yes I will post them.

Thanks again,now I've got to get back to "Killing Time" before my next cruise.

[DeepWaterMariner]

On Christmas Eve my husband got violently ill and was in bed all day Christmas. Another member felt ill and stayed with him on board.

Our grandson got sick on Christmas after being ashore in Costa Maya and was out of commission on Friday too. No one else in the family got sick so we have been attributing it to something he ate ashore...maybe not.

[Dukegirl5577]

I find myself wanting to book a cruise that goes to Guatemala now!!!

Great review!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I think we have some good pictures of the Eurodam as we passed her. I'll have to check with the photographer (my wife) if yes I will post them.

Thanks again,now I've got to get back to "Killing Time" before my next cruise.
Well if you took pictures of the Eurodam as you passed her then you might have caught a picture of Tom and i on our balcony on deck 8 aft last cabin port side before the corner.:)

It was fun watching the Statendam sail out of Port Everglades before it got dark.

[biddy belle]

Pipedreams62,
Not sure if you saw my earlier question so I am reposting.
Thanks
Harm-Jan Arnold is the Captain, and his duty began with our cruise on Dec. 6th. Simon De Boer is the hotel Manager, but he goes on home leave the end of Feb, 2009. They are both quite personable, and found time in their busy schedules to attend BOTH of our cruise critic get togethers, and to have us included in their VIP party. My husband and I were fortunate enough to have dinner with Simon, and found him quite charming. Apparently, when he returns from his home leave, he will be in charge of overseeing the drydocking of several ships, including the beautiful Statendam, and will be based in Seattle. As far as "sewage smell" on the ship, we got a brief whiff of it upon coming in from the promenade deck, aft, one afternoon. Nothing to write home about. Service was exemplary across the board, especially the dining room and room service. Wish all ships were this well run! Enjoy!

[maha123]

Thank you Pipedreams62 and biddy belle for your responses. Much appreciated.:)

[CBHinkle]

My family was on the Statendam Christmas cruise and enjoyed it very much. Having been on the Zuiderdam 2 years ago at Christmas, we thought the Christmas decorations were a little on the sparse side this cruise. The holiday party with Santa wasn't as well organized but still was fun. We really enjoyed the first show the cast presented but the " world show", not so much. The first one had so much energy. The magician was entertaining. Ditto for the American Idol contest. Liked some of the contestants who didn't make it to the final round.
Our cabin reeked of smoke--they tried to fix it--cleaned carpets etc.--but there was still the odor. Props for trying. First night of preferred dining (or whatever it's called) was a disaster, but we got the hang of it later in the week.

[WSPIR]

Hi All,

My first post. Go easy on me.

My Wife and I had a fantastic time on the Christmas Cruise, the staff we encountered were all exceptional.

I read encounters that individuals had and I cannot relate to any of them.

Our "thing" was to wander over to the Crows nest and see what was going on, I entered the idol contest and had a lot of fun...which led into returning on subsequent nights to sing again, i love to sing so it was a blast to be able to do it.

Our excursions were all really nice! In Key West we rented one of those electric cars and drove around town, THE way to go!

In Guatamala we did the Mayan Ruins, and we had a small bus (we were the oberflow folks) FANTASTIC! We had as much fun with the mom and son in the back seat as wandering through the ruins, our tour guide was fun...I will smoke a turd in h** for this but she told us that they grow their own cattle and they have "crazy rain" (we knew what she really meant but it is burned into my mind forever), we assumed Crazy rain helped to grow their cattle.

The ruins were awesome, We had never seen Mayan ruins before so it was very interesting for us.

The next excursion was Mayan Ruins in Belize, a very long bus ride...I found the country side interesting!
People around me moaned and groaned the entire ride. We asked the Belize Tourism to move the ruins closer to the port...they would get more people (I think they are going to deny the request)

If I can edit my post I will include the names of these trips)

The excursion to Costa Maya was the best! We took Mr Trolley to the "Cruise Ship Shopping center" and sat on the beach and drank until it was time to go home. :)

The crew Christmas show was very touching, loved it.

We never left our cabin on Christmas day, it was so relaxing. With our busy job schedule it was exactly what we wanted to do! We did ask our room stewart to come in and make his towel animal... we all laughed so much!

The last day at sea was the finals for the Statendam Idol in the main lounge....WOW what an experience!

You have no idea how wonderful I fet to hear from my wife that everyone stood up when I finished singing. She had tears in her eyes as she described it.(I had no idea, I could not see past the first few rows). It was a fantastic experience and I had such a good time with the Entertainment group and the other singers.

I would do a cruise again in a heartbeat!

Cheers

"Seattle" Darren Thompson