Prinsendam info

Anyone just off MS Prinsendam? We leave on Dec. 18 for holiday cruise and are SUPER EXCITED!! Anything you can share would be wonderful.:D

Anyone just off MS Prinsendam? We leave on Dec. 18 for holiday cruise and are SUPER EXCITED!! Anything you can share would be wonderful.:D

 

Roy (rafinmd) just got off her a couple of weeks ago. He did a live thread at the time in case it is of help.

 

Don't blame you for being excited! Love the ship. Sailing on the holidays would be a wonderful experience :D

We sailed on the Prisendam for 34 days in July and August this year. We loved sailing on this ship.

 

Being our first time our first observation was how much smaller everything was. The Crows Nest felt like a miniature model compared to our other ships.

 

If you have cruised a lot with Holland America you will likely be lost a few times. With the Spa and gym being toward the aft it does take a awhile to get oriented.

 

Their are two elevators forward and two aft. They are slow but I would suggest using the aft elevators more frequently as they have less traffic. In our case we just took the stairs.

 

We loved the crew, food was great and we felt the musical entertainment was some of the best we have experienced.

 

In rough seas we felt there was more pronounced movement the higher the deck on this ship.

 

We can’t wait to sailing the MS Prisendam again in 2019.

 

Enjoy your Holiday cruise on the beautiful MS Prisendam.

<SNIP>

I noticed a few subtle changes in the Prinsendam since my last time on her in 2015, or at least things I didn’t notice the last time. There’s a row of artificial shrubs forward in the lido pool area. I quickly started avoiding that area as it somewhat screened a smoking area. I suspect that addition may be due to the relatively recent prohibition of smoking on balconies. That area along with the shrubs was moved from the port to the starboard side this evening.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/shrubs.jpg

 

The second change also doesn’t mean a lot to me but seems a nice touch. Unlike other HAL ships, the bow is a working area and designated for crew only. It also serves as a relaxation area for the crew. I have noticed a couple of picnic tables and a comfy looking couch in the covered part of that area, a nice touch for the crew.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/bow.jpg

 

My favorite spot for sailaway is on the top deck forward (I’ve been calling it Sun Deck but I think the proper name is Observation Deck), looking down on the bridge wing. There are big electrical boxes on the deck that have been painted a bright orange with stripes but still were a nasty obstacle that required attention while out on the deck. They’re still there but are now painted yellow and benches have been welded over them, not only providing a place to sit but also making it impossible to trip over them.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/bench.jpg

 

<SNIP>

I guess in keeping with my early comments on this post my parting shot might as well be about the ship. Some people really want a new ship with bells and whistles, but at age 23 the Prinsendam was instantly my favorite non-Crystal ship in 2017. The best seem to keep getting better; I found the Prinsendam a bit better this time, and with Canaletto and a useable deck 12 aft vastly improved at age 29 over what she was at 23.

 

Roy

 

Have you sailed the Prinsendam before? Most of the rest of the stuff in this post is of transitory interest but this may be the meat of what goes to your question.

 

Roy

 

Chief, what cruise are you doing in 2019? I'm on the Grand South America.

We sailed on the Prisendam for 34 days in July and August this year. We loved sailing on this ship.

 

Being our first time our first observation was how much smaller everything was. The Crows Nest felt like a miniature model compared to our other ships.

 

If you have cruised a lot with Holland America you will likely be lost a few times. With the Spa and gym being toward the aft it does take a awhile to get oriented.

 

Their are two elevators forward and two aft. They are slow but I would suggest using the aft elevators more frequently as they have less traffic. In our case we just took the stairs.

 

We loved the crew, food was great and we felt the musical entertainment was some of the best we have experienced.

 

In rough seas we felt there was more pronounced movement the higher the deck on this ship.

 

We can’t wait to sailing the MS Prisendam again in 2019.

 

Enjoy your Holiday cruise on the beautiful MS Prisendam.

We've also booked Prinsendam for 2019 (April) and we are just so thrilled to be sailing on her. Looking forward to reading everyone's reviews in 2018!

Have you sailed the Prinsendam before? Most of the rest of the stuff in this post is of transitory interest but this may be the meat of what goes to your question.

 

Roy

 

Chief, what cruise are you doing in 2019? I'm on the Grand South America.

 

Roy, we are on the 34 day Holy Land & Journey To The New World. October 19, 2019.

 

It would be nice to meet you. Maybe some day.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

We have never sailed on the Prinsendam before....we hear such good stuff about this ship. We have sailed Zuiderdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Koningsdam, Amsterdam, and the Eurodam. We were actually married on the Eurodam in Nova Scotia. Thank you so much for all the good info.

Anyone just off MS Prinsendam? We leave on Dec. 18 for holiday cruise and are SUPER EXCITED!! Anything you can share would be wonderful.:D

 

My traveling companion and I sailed on Prinsendam's 2015 Holiday cruise and we were delighted and very pleased with our experiences. Prinsendam's Christmas entertainment began even before we left the pier at Port Everglades (but, it was a delayed sailing because of needing to load supplies). Don't miss the Christmas morning program in the Showroom at Sea. New Year's Eve: it was the most fun and the best I have had in years!

 

I hope your cruise will be as pleasant as mine was!

Roy (rafinmd) just got off her a couple of weeks ago. He did a live thread at the time in case it is of help.

 

 

 

 

How can I access this ???

Roy (rafinmd) just got off her a couple of weeks ago. He did a live thread at the time in case it is of help.

 

 

 

 

How can I access this ???

 

Here is the link to Roy's thread https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2545523

 

You may have to move forward a few pages since he starts on the Amsterdam flies to catch the Prinsendam and then sails her.

 

It's a great thread though and worth a full read if you have time :)

Booked cabin 495 for 9/18 sailing. Questions: another( nameless ) site reports that this is a F category cabin and it is considered a family cabin. What does this mean ? I am sailing solo. Also does anyone know what that aft deck is used for and if there is access? Thanks so much.

Booked cabin 495 for 9/18 sailing. Questions: another( nameless ) site reports that this is a F category cabin and it is considered a family cabin. What does this mean ? I am sailing solo. Also does anyone know what that aft deck is used for and if there is access? Thanks so much.

 

That cabin is an ocean view. F is simply the category it is called. Just like the E, D, C's etc. It is NOT a family cabin but a standard oceanview.

 

No access to that aft deck that you are next to. Not sure, but I suspect it is either used for crew quarters and/or storage or a working area.

Booked cabin 495 for 9/18 sailing. Questions: another( nameless ) site reports that this is a F category cabin and it is considered a family cabin. What does this mean ? I am sailing solo. Also does anyone know what that aft deck is used for and if there is access? Thanks so much.

It is an F cabin, but since it is not a triple or quad I have no clue why it would be called a family cabin. On an older deck plan that I have that stern area shows a number of small symbols that HAL used to use to denote equipment such as winches, anchors, lines, etc. It is probably off-limits to passengers.

Edited December 7, 2017 by catl331

Booked cabin 495 for 9/18 sailing. Questions: another( nameless ) site reports that this is a F category cabin and it is considered a family cabin. What does this mean ? I am sailing solo. Also does anyone know what that aft deck is used for and if there is access? Thanks so much.

Standard oceanview cabin. If you could move more mid-ship on same deck there are some with sofas, if that would be more to your liking. I love having a sofa/sofabed in our cabin to watch tv, instead of on the bed. Look for a small circle shown (on the deck plan) of each cabin....it indicates a sofa.

Thanks everybody for the info. Do you think I should move my cabin location? I know final payment due date is months away but cancellations may happen. Because this is the Princendam it may not be that open. Thoughts?

Thanks everybody for the info. Do you think I should move my cabin location? I know final payment due date is months away but cancellations may happen. Because this is the Princendam it may not be that open. Thoughts?

That would be up to you. The cabin you have booked is very far forward, which is not my first choice. It does not have a sofa. I would choose something more midship with a sofa, but only you know what's important to you.

Thanks everybody for the info. Do you think I should move my cabin location?

The working area could be noisy in the morning during docking or anchoring.

 

That would be up to you. The cabin you have booked is very far forward,

very far aft

I don't care for the aft cabins on the P'dam because of the noise issues and, like others, I would prefer a sofa in my cabin.

 

But, it's totally up to you and your budget. Using moving up a smidge (which I think you will need to do) is not that expensive.

 

Only you can decide what is right for YOU. ;)

The working area could be noisy in the morning during docking or anchoring.

 

very far aft

My brain said aft and my fingers typed forward! Senior moment, sorry..lol

That would be up to you. The cabin you have booked is very far forward, which is not my first choice. It does not have a sofa. I would choose something more midship with a sofa, but only you know what's important to you.

 

No sofa? I've been in an aft cabin (I think we were in 490) and they have love seats just like the midship cabins. They are noisy, not from work in the crew area aft, but from prop/engine noise. My experience is that I would rather have a cabin in the forward half of those decks. The oceanviews in the aft half of the deck have a Plexiglas cover between you and the window. We would sooner be in a forward cabin with port holes than the far aft cabins. The forward cabins are noisy during docking or anchoring but not as bad as the prop/engine noise aft...and the cutout area for the port holes provides a nice shelf for storage.