Statendam question

[Mr Miserable]

Seems to be an ageing old lady, 1993.
Anybody been onboard recently?
Is it in good nick? Has it had a recent refit?
Flat screen TV's are a pretty good clue - does this ship have them?

[lorekauf]

I was on the Statendam for 26 days between Nov.10 - Dec.6/08. I found the Statendam to be a bit worn down. It was for sure in the worst shape on any HAL ship I've sailed on. That said overall for the age I think the ship looks pretty good. I'm sure many will now pipe up to dispute what I have said. If I sail with HAL again the Statendam wouldn't necessarily be my first choice.

[Cruiser809e8r09]

No disagreement here. We were on her for 14 days pre-Christmas. I wouldn't say she was in bad repair, I would say rather that her decor is dated and tired. They had the same old AC problems in some of the cabins, and there was a bit of a sewer smell in ours the first day, but the Hotel Manager said that was merely from them sucking out the muck of the sewer tanks. We never smelled it again. The senior staff said she's going in for a complete refit in 2009 (see one of the other threads for the exact schedule). We still had a good cruise. All but one person in our CC meeting group said they had a great cruise, and that was 20+ people.

[SDHALFAN]

I'm pretty heartened by Lorekauf's and dscruisin's reports since I will be embarking the ms Statendam on February 6th, 2009, for a 28-day cruise.

I have my favorites in the fleet, specifically the ms Amsterdam and the ms Ryndam. Haven't been on the Ryndam for a couple of years but just returned from a 65-day cruise aboard the ms Amsterdam, and I have to say that they all seem to be showing a little wear and tear - okay more than a just a little and all (other than the new Vista class) ships seem to be in need of some cosmetic surgery.

I hope to have many more enjoyable cruises aboard the HAL fleet and I do look forward to seeing some new, fresh and interesting changes.

Valerie:)

[lorekauf]

I have my favorites in the fleet, specifically the ms Amsterdam and the ms Ryndam.
Valerie:)
I have to say that the Ryndam is one of my favorites too.

[pipedreams62]

I was on the Statendam for Christmas. I found the ship in imaculate pristine condition. I might have even found my favorite Dam ship.

Maybe I need glasses?


http://www.caufields.com/productimages/Halloween/Jewelry/Images/47_0010.jpg

I've been on 3 different cruise lines and ALWAYS smell sewer smell once a trip.

My theory is 2000 people eating 24hrs a day = sewer smell.

http://www.bwog.net/uploads/stench.jpg

[lorekauf]

My theory is 2000 people eating 24hrs a day = sewer smell.


Ok..so how do you eat 24 hours a day......must be some sleeping in there somewhere:D. Not to discount your experience but it was a 7 days cruise correct? Easier to see the warts after a longer time period. I'm sure the experience will be enjoyable for anyone sailing on the Statendam as long as the person realizes the ship has been around the block a few times.

[RuthC]

Seems to be an ageing old lady, 1993.

1993 is hardly an "aging old lady". :rolleyes:
These aren't cars---but I have kept cars longer than the age of the Statendam.

[dmgg]

We were on the same Dec 6/08 sailing with dscruisin (Hi Derek!), and agree with his comments. Cabins did have flat screens. One thing I would add is that I found the crew to be super! Our cabin stewards and dining room staff were really great. We had a great cruise and would definitely sail on the Statendam again. The captain and hotel manager attended both our CC m&gs and spent quite a bit of time with us. The one member of our role call who had difficulties with a/c throughout the cruise I think was in Cabin 179 (?). HM said that cabin and the similarly placed cabin on other side were 2 that consistently have a/c problems. We were on main deck and had no a/c problems whatsoever. Have a great cruise!

[lorekauf]

I found the a/c worked too well on the Statendam. It was for sure on the cold side. Truth be told I prefer the ship cold to warm.

[pipedreams62]

No disagreement here. We were on her for 14 days pre-Christmas. I wouldn't say she was in bad repair, I would say rather that her decor is dated and tired. They had the same old AC problems in some of the cabins, and there was a bit of a sewer smell in ours the first day, but the Hotel Manager said that was merely from them sucking out the muck of the sewer tanks. We never smelled it again. The senior staff said she's going in for a complete refit in 2009 (see one of the other threads for the exact schedule). We still had a good cruise. All but one person in our CC meeting group said they had a great cruise, and that was 20+ people.


Becuse there's always one, in every group.


http://vwkombi.com/photos/beetle-bash-bug-jam-etc/Images/20.jpg

[Mr Miserable]

Thanks for the replies - all very informative and useful.
I agree that 1993 is not old however if the ship is not efficiently maintained (expensive) it soon shows sign of wear to the passenger - worn/stained carpets, dirty windows, corrosion, light bulbs not replaced etc. Cruise companies are cutting back on their staff and so there is more work to do for those who remain. They will keep cutting back until it's obvious that they have gone too far. Additionally, older ships require more money to be spent on them than new ones.
As far as the sewage smell is concerned, HAL ships do seem to suffer from this particularly badly and perhaps disproportionately compared to other cruise lines. My wife and I encountered a corner of the Navigator of the Seas over Xmas with the same smell and we both immediately commented that it smelt like Holland America! A sad way to remember otherwise excellent cruises! We haven't noticed it on Celebrity, Princess or previously on RCI ships and we walk the promenade deck every evening without fail. We love the HAL promenade decks although we do look silly wearing our respirators. (A joke, by the way)

[Mr Miserable]

Pipedreams62
I hope you don't mind but your picture of me was too good and I needed an avata wotsit thingy.

[biddy belle]

Thanks for the replies - all very informative and useful.
I agree that 1993 is not old however if the ship is not efficiently maintained (expensive) it soon shows sign of wear to the passenger - worn/stained carpets, dirty windows, corrosion, light bulbs not replaced etc. Cruise companies are cutting back on their staff and so there is more work to do for those who remain. They will keep cutting back until it's obvious that they have gone too far. Additionally, older ships require more money to be spent on them than new ones.
As far as the sewage smell is concerned, HAL ships do seem to suffer from this particularly badly and perhaps disproportionately compared to other cruise lines. My wife and I encountered a corner of the Navigator of the Seas over Xmas with the same smell and we both immediately commented that it smelt like Holland America! A sad way to remember otherwise excellent cruises! We haven't noticed it on Celebrity, Princess or previously on RCI ships and we walk the promenade deck every evening without fail. We love the HAL promenade decks although we do look silly wearing our respirators. (A joke, by the way)
I notice that your last HAL cruise was in '07 on the Maasdam. Having sailed that "Old Lady", as well as the Statendam in Dec., and being an "old lady" myself, let me assure you that the Statendam is well maintained to the max, as am I! Some of us still enjoy traveling on the ships which evoke the elegance of yesteryear: fine art and wood detailing. Both these ships, while lacking the water slides and rock climbing walls, were quite pleasing to us, and we would not hesitate to sail them again! My husband would have to be bound and gagged before he would venture onto another RCI ship, the line we have sailed twice most recently. By the way, there was a definite sewage smell on the Promenade deck on the Grandeur and the Jewel of the aforementioned line intermittentlyy, but nothing that warrented a complaint. To each his own, but we have had NO complaints about HAL in general. or any of their ships in particular.

[Cinder Again]

I sailed her last summer, and had a great time, but I agree some decoration/re-decoration is called for...that said, I think the mattresses on HAL ships are some of the best, and I would rather have a comfortable bed than prettier/newer curtains. It's all relative. My bed on a Celebrity ship, in a full suite, mind you, reminded me of a sofa bed I occasionally slept on in my youth. I could feel the metal supports through the mattress!
It seems like HAL has decided to upgrade it's ships rather than continuing to add new builds. I support that endeavor, as I like the "smaller" ships, and I know when they build new, they build bigger. I have taken a recent look at my Carnival Stock, though, and like the rest of the ecomony, some things may just have to wait until an upturn in the ecomony. So, I'll snuggle in that nice bed, and wait anxiously for the rest of the changes to come at some future time.