Prinsendam Single Occupancy Cabin

The Prinsendam has at least one, perhaps two, Single Occupancy Cabins as shown on Deck Plans, etc. Yet it seems that when one tries to book said cabin one is told (or the computer says) that the Single Occupancy Cabin is "not available" or is "booked."

Does anyone, anywhere know of anyone, anywhere who has stayed in a Single Occupancy Cabin on the Prinsendam on any cruise to anywhere in the past two or three years?

Is the cabin permanently reserved for a "friend of the family"?

Thank you very much.

I was in cabin 100 last summer and loved it. It has a single but oversized twin bed, no sofa and a shower, but no tub. It was perfect for me and I loved being able to pop out the door to a large deck area that very few people used. The windows were coated so no one could see in but I could see out.

I'm on the Prinsendam this Fall and tried for the cabin again, but it was sold. I think they go very quickly.

My Europe 2009 Brochure arrived yesterday and I noticed that it said for the Grand Mediterranean and Black Sea Voyage that categories Q and R, are not available. I wonder why not, and what they do with these cabins?

Hi Martha, I hope to experience 100 in the Fall. I am booked in a Q guarantee, but at the time, my TA said 100 was the only one that was available. I am not sure why they had it listed as a guarantee.

Edited to add that since there are only 3 single occupancy cabins on the ship they go very FAST.

Marie

Thank you, folks, so much! I am going to "lie in wait" for one of those Single Occupancy Cabins on the Prinsendam!

I travel solo and prefer a Single Occupancy Cabin as I dislike paying the supplement to be in cabin made for at least two people. Having Single Occupancy cabins was one of the wonderful assets of the marvelous QE2, and the size didn't bother me on the Farewell World Cruise for 90 days.

I am not aware of other Holland America ships -- particularly the Rotterdam and the Amsterdam -- with Single Occupancy Cabins.

Don.

Don,

The Prisendam is the only HAL ship that offers these categories.

Marie

Hi, Don. Yes, I've sailed in the single inside cabin on the Prinsendam---the only single inside in the entire fleet!

It's a nice cabin, in an excellent location. It's the same size as the double cabins along the same row---the others are tight; mine was spacious. :)

I was in cabin 100 last summer and loved it. It has a single but oversized twin bed, no sofa and a shower, but no tub. It was perfect for me and I loved being able to pop out the door to a large deck area that very few people used. The windows were coated so no one could see in but I could see out.

I will be in C102 next year for the Black Sea. I did wonder if there were heavy foot traffic in that area which is so close to the bow promenade. Thank you for the "very few people" information - are there deck chairs placed close to the deck exit door or do they start on the parallel sides?

I sailed on Prinsendam when she was Royal Viking Sun and will be so happy to return to yesteryear next year.

Ruby

Hi Ruby,

I can't answer about the deck chairs as my cruise was literally through the polar ice cap - no one was sitting in deck chairs outside as you normally would - way too cold. I think there would be some there on another itinerary or you could simply bring some up from the deck below.

With the exception of the time actually in the polar ice cap I don't think there were even two people a day out there.

Have a great cruise.

Hi Ruby,With the exception of the time actually in the polar ice cap I don't think there were even two people a day out there. Have a great cruise.

Which "polar" did y'all cruise to? I sailed Saga Ruby to the edge of the arctic polar ice cap, saw polar bears for 3 hours in Magdalena Bay in Svalbard, then we had to chug back around the archipelago to get to Nord Kapp because we couldn't get safely past the polar ice cap. We came within half a mile of the 80th parallel.

Saga Ruby and Saga Rose are magnificent small upscale ships and I've sailed on both of them. But the cruise line is a British proprietary so I was the token American on both cruises. The Brits can stand out on the promenade deck in the most chilly weather and act like it's a southern breeze.

Thanks for the info - I'm ready for my C102 cabin on Prinsendam right now!

Ruby

Hi, Ruby. I was on the same cruise as cliffdweller; it was the Arctic Polar Ice Cap. We got to 508.5 miles from the North Pole.

I'm interested in learning about Saga cruises. What did you like/dislike about them? Do you think an American woman, traveling alone could enjoy sailing that line? Especially a woman who would have been right at home living in the Victorian era? ;)

And how was the food and entertainment?

I'm interested in learning about Saga cruises. What did you like/dislike about them? Do you think an American woman, traveling alone could enjoy sailing that line? Especially a woman who would have been right at home living in the Victorian era? And how was the food and entertainment?

On the assumption that you can make the age limit for passengers of 50+, you would feel right at home. One of the many reasons I cruise on Saga is that I am always a single woman traveling alone and, on Saga, there are many singles "of an age." My first interest in any cruise is civility and, on Saga, it is the norm, plus the fun of those two wonderful ships from an age now over the horizon.

The cabins are not modular, they are sometimes those quirky shapes to fit the bow or an oddlot corridor. The onboard service is outstanding, equivalent to my Royal Viking cruises, and the food is fine. Since there are only about 560 pax onboard and a high crew-to-pax ratio, it is like staying at a 5-star hotel. I booked an inside cabin on Ruby two years ago and it was 120 sq ft which is tight altho' the cabin was quite well designed. On Rose last August, I had a devoon inside cabin that was huge - it pays to read the deck plans for the ships.

The entertainment is outstanding - those highly trained British singers and dancers shine and the costumes are top drawer. In heavy seas, I watched an Apache dance that was incredible in its daring and execution.

A few thoughts - for the Brits, Saga is a fine choice altho' a bit expensive. For Americans, it can be expensive in that airfare and travel insurance are not included and the currency exchange is painful.

I smiled at the current debates about "immersion cruises" on RCI. On both my cruises, I was the token American and warmly welcomed. I loved being immersed in the grand old days of British culture onboard the Saga Sisters.

Ruby

Thank you so much, Ruby! I appreciate the info more than I can say.

Saga cruises has appealed to me for a while now, and you've made me even more interested in checking them out. :)

Thank you so much, Ruby! I appreciate the info more than I can say. Saga cruises has appealed to me for a while now, and you've made me even more interested in checking them out.

I thought I would give you an example of Saga service. When I returned from Greenland and Iceland last August on Rose, I had scheduled a car service to take me from Dover to Gatwick. I had used this car service before and they were excellent.

When we arrrived in Dover, I was caught by surprise to find cold rainy weather and I was wearing a summer dress. And I couldn't find my driver. I walked all around the area for an hour, trying to locate the car - no luck. Early on, a Saga rep asked if she could help me, I explained the situation and said I was confident the problem would be resolved.

I never found the car service. But the Saga rep stayed with me, called on her mobile to find them, asked how she could help me get to Gatwick. Although I was frustrated about the situation, a part of my mind was impressed that I was important to Saga amongst the scores of passengers needing bus services, car services, private transportation. Ultimately I grabbed a cab which took me to Gatwick - done and done.

I later learned that there were two cruise ships at the port simultaneously and my driver was in line for the wrong ship. But the quiet dedication to personal service confirmed to me that Saga cruises care about each and every passenger.

Ruby

I have stayed in the single cabin on the PRDM but it is generally held for talent or service engineers that may be on board for a short period. The easiest way to book it is a few weeks before a cruise when HAL knows if it will be needed.

The single outsides are great cabins...and very private. From time to time, HAL has taken them out of availability and they are never available for Grand Voyages. Reason is the ship doesn't have enough room for staff and so the singles get assigned for that duty before double cabins. The singles are also popular for the Future Cruise Consultant because they have excellant wifi capability and more storage space than a double cabin. If you can get one...grab it. The window is a treat...neither forward nor front but angular to give you a grand view...and almost no one uses the outside deck to stand on, let alone sit on. No foot traffic.