Just booked on the prinsendam

My wife and I just booked the Baltic cruise on the Prinsendam, out of Amsterdam, for next July.

We have not cruised on the Prinsendam, or with HAL, before.

For those of you who have been on the Prinsendam, can you give me information/ impressions that I would not get by reading the press clippings?

We are excited, also, to be going on a small ship...a different experience after being on the Island Princess and Grand Princess in the past.

Looking forward to your replies!

Thanks!

We loved the Prinsendam, it is old world with lots of elegant touches and great service. It was such a pleasant change from big ships! A very positive experience in every way.

Are you actually departing from Amsterdam or Ijmuiden? Our Prinsendam cruise departed from Ijmuiden, which is in a more remote area an hour plus from Amsterdam. We flew in a few days early,spent time in Amsterdam then took the Holland America bus shuttle to Ijmuiden on the day of the cruise. Public transportation is not good to Ijmuiden. Just be aware!

She's a very special ship. After sailing HAL for 40 years, I decided to try the Prinsendam and got hooked. Yes, she's an older ship, but for me, that is her charm. Wonderful crew, elegant fixtures, terrific itineraries. I know some people prefer the newer, glitzier ships, and that's fine. I would never put them "down." But for me, who loves classic ships that are smaller and can get into ports the other, larger ships can't, she really is the "elegant explorer."

We spent 31 days on Prinsendam in May and June of 2013. We spent a week afterwards getting over being homesick for the ship.

We loved the intimate size of the ship, that crew members quickly learned and then catered to our preferences from pre-dinner drinks to food likes and dislikes. It is also nice that, generally, Prinsendam can port in smaller and more exotic places.

I think you will enjoy. :)

Thanks for your replies! I look forward to hearing from others as well!

I speak as a big fan of the Island Princess. I like the grand princess as well. I like cruise ships but the Prinsendam did nothing for me. It is very old in the tooth and in my opinion nothing special. There are some great HAL ships but not this one. I am in the minority as HAL loyalists like this ship. . Food and service are standard for the fleet which is nothing special. If you want small intimacy go upscale to a premium line. Also check which port you are sailing out of. It is probably not central Amsterdam

We sailed on the Prinsendam, out of Amsterdam, on a 17 day trip to the Baltic several years ago. While the itinerary was wonderful, the ship was really not one of our favorites. It was old and several things needed fixing. Perhaps HAL has updated the ship, but I would put it low on the list of our favorites.

We HAVE sailed an upscale line (only twice...Regent) and found Prinsendam very similar to it. Unfortunately, the prices are pretty similar, although some late bookers are able to find good deals on Prinsendam. But, that is only after final payment. If you look online, you will find many of her upcoming cruises are sold out.

We are taking our 5th cruise on her in November. We find the food in the dining room to be superior to Regent, and the service as well--thus my comparing her to a "luxury" line.

She is old, you will see some rust, some of her cabins are showing wear....but she was built for a luxury line, so you will see many touches of elegance throughout the ship. I hate the thought she will be sold, because she is perfect for so many of us.

Prinsendam remains my favourite ship in the fleet. We have been on her three times for 80+ days.

Yes, she is older but she is a graceful Grand Damme.

The crew to passenger ratio is higher than the other HAL ships and for us, we find things are stepped up a notch.

Her Pinnacle Grill is my favourite in the fleet.

The Crow's Nest is gorgeous as is the woodwork and the art.

The crew are wonderful on this ship. More than several welcomed us back.

She doesn't have as many amenities as the new ships and may not be as shiny but her fans enjoy her ambience and her crew (not to mention itineraries) and return over and over. She's not for everyone, but for many she is. She has the highest repeat passenger ratio in the fleet!

To start, would we take the Prinsendam again? Yes, and are looking into another cruise on her right now. But this is a very different ship from others in the HAL fleet which we have found routinely to be well laid out, accessible and excellent value. Not so much the Prinsendam.

Caveat: we had a Neptune suite as this was a special occasion voyage and that is certainly one of the best of the best ways to enjoy this ship. Not sure we could ever afford to do it this way again which means one needs to strongly evaluate what else this ship offers - some okay, some not.

With that said we found the Prinsendam to have a very odd layout that may have worked best in its original iteration as a luxury small ship. It does not work as well now as a ship trying to cover a more diverse price point group of passengers with more modern cruising experience expectations (Spas, casinos etc). Not bad, just awkward.

She has vast empty, dark feeling forward facing deck that was covered overhead that appeared to never get used, very clunky, slow and small elevators, a nearly impossible to find open aft pool deck where, but legendary vast Neptune suites beyond anything else HAL ships offers which unfortunately come with prices to match, even though the lower floor cramped Neptune lounge we found was not appealing at all.

Pinnacle Restaurant was small, intimate and elegant and does offer the Suites breakfast in this lovely setting. Lido buffet felt crowded and cramped. The newly covered aft "Sun Garden" off the Lido buffet was a nice space, but required steps going down to enter it. Awkward when juggling a plate of food, though staff on hand ready to help. But it is those sorts of compromises that add to this overall feeling of awkward general design and layout. The single seating main dining room was nothing special, had some of the least efficient levels of service and nothing exceptional about the food either. That was an unexpected disappointment, but it was not bad. Just nothing special.

What can't be measured however in costs or space is the benefit of cruising on a small ship like the Prinsendam are: less impact when in port, access to ports the other ships have to leave behind, strong and unique itineraries and flexibility on the spot to make course deviations to enhance local cruising opportunities. So that is the strongest point of value we found -- and why we would happily choose this ship again.

Does the Prinsendam compete with other smaller luxury ships - not really, except in one important way which remains HAL's superior strength - its itineraries and its staff and crews. Long may she sail. However, I think she is better called the Exotic Explorer, not the Elegant Explorer.

To start, would we take the Prinsendam again? Yes, and are looking into another cruise on her right now. But this is a very different ship from others in the HAL fleet which we have found routinely to be well laid out, accessible and excellent value. Not so much the Prinsendam.

 

Caveat: we had a Neptune suite as this was a special occasion voyage and that is certainly one of the best of the best ways to enjoy this ship. Not sure we could ever afford to do it this way again

You raised a good point here. The Neptune Suites are absolutely gorgeous.

One nice thing about this ship is that it has the Signature Suites which the other small ships in the HAL fleet do not.

The Signature Suites on this ship are very nice as well and might fit your needs. Just a thought.

Your interpretation of elegant certainly is not be mine. I am sure elegant and new/glitzy have totally different meanings. For example....the furniture depicted in the White House on Scandal and Madam Secretary would seem old fashioned and out of date/boring to some. But, that is what you call "elegant". That is P'dam. Old, but classy and beautiful. Comparing her to Amsterdam, I like her layout much better!

Her itineraries are amazing. If I wasn't so excited about our first SY on a TA, I'd switch to the cruise leaving Sept 16. She is hitting ports she's never been to...at least that I've noticed. The itinerary after is just as unusual. I hope when HAL does sell her, they keep in mind they might want to acquire a ship for those of us looking for new ports. From what I've seen, Oceania, Regent , Viking or Azamara still do the same old, same old.

Hi BC,

If you like Las Vegas, you will probably find the Prinsendam boring.

Ira

It's a small old ship, I wouldn't go if I were you...

Have sailed the P'dam for at least 150 days because her itineraries are wonderful as she can get into so many more ports than larger ships. Yes she is a grand old dame and showing her age here and there - but aren't we all. Her suites are spacious and her regular ocean view rooms seem a bit smaller than some ships but could be the furniture arrangement. Her pluses are many: cabins with walk-in closets and tons of shelf space, king-size bed (when a pushed together) in most cabins instead of queen beds, cooler in most every room, almost half the rooms have a roomy shower which helps us with short and somewhat unsteady legs and the others a bathtub with shower, free laundry (think this is still the case), unbelievably beautiful, solid rosewood walls in one of the best Pinnacle Grills of the fleet, the best crew we have encountered on any ship, her size as you will get to know so many passengers and the crew will know you and your preferences within a few days, her unique hull design allows for a very smooth ride even in very 'active' seas. I do get sea sick but had no issue in Drake's passage or any TA sailings.

No glitz but elegance, so if that works for you, you should have an awesome cruise.

Let us know your impressions when you get back.

To start, would we take the Prinsendam again? Yes, and are looking into another cruise on her right now. But this is a very different ship from others in the HAL fleet which we have found routinely to be well laid out, accessible and excellent value. Not so much the Prinsendam.

 

Caveat: we had a Neptune suite as this was a special occasion voyage and that is certainly one of the best of the best ways to enjoy this ship. Not sure we could ever afford to do it this way again which means one needs to strongly evaluate what else this ship offers - some okay, some not.

 

With that said we found the Prinsendam to have a very odd layout that may have worked best in its original iteration as a luxury small ship. It does not work as well now as a ship trying to cover a more diverse price point group of passengers with more modern cruising experience expectations (Spas, casinos etc). Not bad, just awkward.

 

She has vast empty, dark feeling forward facing deck that was covered overhead that appeared to never get used, very clunky, slow and small elevators, a nearly impossible to find open aft pool deck where, but legendary vast Neptune suites beyond anything else HAL ships offers which unfortunately come with prices to match, even though the lower floor cramped Neptune lounge we found was not appealing at all.

 

Pinnacle Restaurant was small, intimate and elegant and does offer the Suites breakfast in this lovely setting. Lido buffet felt crowded and cramped. The newly covered aft "Sun Garden" off the Lido buffet was a nice space, but required steps going down to enter it. Awkward when juggling a plate of food, though staff on hand ready to help. But it is those sorts of compromises that add to this overall feeling of awkward general design and layout. The single seating main dining room was nothing special, had some of the least efficient levels of service and nothing exceptional about the food either. That was an unexpected disappointment, but it was not bad. Just nothing special.

 

What can't be measured however in costs or space is the benefit of cruising on a small ship like the Prinsendam are: less impact when in port, access to ports the other ships have to leave behind, strong and unique itineraries and flexibility on the spot to make course deviations to enhance local cruising opportunities. So that is the strongest point of value we found -- and why we would happily choose this ship again.

 

Does the Prinsendam compete with other smaller luxury ships - not really, except in one important way which remains HAL's superior strength - its itineraries and its staff and crews. Long may she sail. However, I think she is better called the Exotic Explorer, not the Elegant Explorer.

Agree this ship has an odd layout, could not find comfortable seating other than a handful of library chairs always occupied by sleeping people. I kept looking for comfortable seating areas but there is no atrium, just an odd open type staircase wrapped around a pole. There was one comfy love seat in the coffee bar but it was polluted with smoke from the adjacent casino. If smoke bothers the OP read about HAL smoking policy. There are zero padded lounge chairs at the two pools, just cheap plastic chairs sold at Target for $29. There were a handful of padded chaise Loungers on each side of promenade deck but they were broken with rusty hardware. Decorations and artwork are sparse, walls are covered with hundreds of port plaques, IMO tacky. I scratch my head when I read some consider this to be a luxury ship as the furnishings were cheap.

The pool is uncovered, there is also a small uncovered pool aft.

There was no tableside service in the Lido buffet, no one serving beverages like on Princess or a premium line like Oceania. Beverages are self serve but they will have poured glasses of water on the buffet line.

Our cabin had a musty odor, especially when the AC was not working. Our cabin was sweltering hot in the middle of the night and mid afternoon when we would return from port. I smelled must in some hallways and a public rest room forward off the promenade deck was extremely musty smelling.

Wood floorings, door frames, windows were rotting many places on the ship. The soft good were in good shape, including our cabin. We had an OV.

I did not see extra staff on board, the Lido was grossly understaffed on the 14 days we were on board. One busboy picking up dirty dishes. Dining room service was pretty good if you arrive right when they open, show up an hour later and service is a little strained. Maybe the extra crew members are below deck keeping this old girl afloat.

Sometimes this ship is used for World cruises and apparently they beef up food and service for the world cruise.

We booked this cruise against my better judgement, the price was much higher than other ships in the fleet. A tablemate on a previous HAL cruise told us to try the Pdam once for a different experience. However I did not see the value added and would not book this ship again.

Itineraries are good.

For the record we are three star Mariners, elite on Princess and we love Oceania. We sailed The Coral Princess in May and fell in love with her again. Coral Princess was wedged Inbetween Oceania sailings. Prinsendam was also wedged Inbetween two Oceania trips and it did not measure up to the price we paid.

Yes, the lack of the glass enclosed and covered pool area on the P'Dam is a draw back on this ship and most other smaller "luxury" ships.

These glass domes that are a HAL ship signature look like they are going the way of the dinosaurs, but become essential when the weather turns or one is choosing a cold climate itinerary. It is nice to have this extra "outdoor" seating option during those times.

Enclosing the P'dam "Sun Garden" helped this situation, but it is not the same as the full access Lido area under the retractable glass dome on the other HAL ships.

Because we enjoyed our upper deck Neptune Suite so much, even though it had a much smaller, exposed balcony than other HAL ships, we spent almost all of our onboard time in the spacious suite itself or in the adjacent Crow's Nest which was very nice, as our on-board seating area.

Ours was a very port-intensive itinerary so not so many at-sea days that needed more open ship seating. It was nice taking the routine Neptune Lounge snacks out on their balcony, but there was not much else to enjoy in this much smaller Neptune Lounge space.

I honestly do not even remember going to any shows or events in whatever theater it may have had.

So P'Dam comes with virtues and deficiencies, like anything. Just like some of the other cruise lines we have used. Agree, the top end lines do not offer much variety in their itineraries, which is where the P'Dam excels.

We just got off another small cruise ship (very un-luxury, but wonderful) that did an Norway and Arctic-Russia cruise. And who do we see coming up one of the narrow Norwegian coastal water ways but the P'Dam, much to the excitement of all onboard. Mutual cheers and waves between fellow small, small ship fans. We loved seeing her again because we do now feel she is "our ship" too.

"Sometimes this ship is used for World cruises and apparently they beef up food and service for the world cruise. "

The Prinsendam has never been used on a world cruise, that's a privilege for only the Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the past...

we just got off Prinsendam and the ship is still in excellent condition. beyond that, the crew is very friendly, especially the captain who goes out of his way to greet everyone and is seen around the ship a lot.

the staff is very friendly and learns everyone's name very fast ...

being smaller ship, less pax, getting off for excursions or ports is quick and efficient.

this was our third cruise on this ship and we are pleased that it has not changed for the worse. we hated to have to leave.

harry

The Prinsendam has never been used on a world cruise, that's a privilege for only the Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the past...

Actually, the Prinsendam has been used for a World Cruise, for about 2-3 years, a little over 10 years ago. The regular World Cruisers objected loudly. Then the Amsterdam took over, and has been doing it ever since.

Actually, the Prinsendam has been used for a World Cruise, for about 2-3 years, a little over 10 years ago. The regular World Cruisers objected loudly. Then the Amsterdam took over, and has been doing it ever since.

That is also what I recall. And, she came out of drydock with the newly added aft veranda cabins that were not part of the original structure and had, and to this day, have issues.

And, she came out of drydock with the newly added aft veranda cabins that were not part of the original structure and had, and to this day, have issues.

IIRC, that dry dock ended with the Prinsendam heading out to a Circle South America cruise. It was less than the 10-12 years ago that the Prinsendam did the World Cruise, but was a while back now.

Thank you Ruth for the information. I had friends on that initial out of drydock cruise with the new staterooms who were friends with a couple who had one of those new staterooms. Most unhappy, they were in those staterooms.

Thanks for your replies! I look forward to hearing from others as well!

And we just booked same cruise for this August!! 2015... We are not good with long-term planning. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS SHIP!!!!!!!!!

:)

Hi BC,

 

If you like Las Vegas, you will probably find the Prinsendam boring.

 

Ira

And if I hate Las Vegas? :p