Exploring the Baltic on the Prinsendam

Day 9 - Sea Day

After five days in port, we were looking forward to a relaxing day at sea, mostly doing nothing.

To give you an idea how that works, here is an extract from the „When & Where“, the daily program on board.

9am: EXCTalk: The real Vikings

10am: GoPro Vacations Series Presentation or, alternatively, presentation on how to make Salad for Dinner, in „America‘s Test Kitchen“

11:30 Music Trivia

3pm: Line Dance Class (K-Wang and the Biker‘s Shuffle) or „Around the World Wine Tasting“ - that might have been fun doing both activities together

4pm: Win a Cruise Bingo

And so forth... We did none of the above, though I will probably forever regret not knowing how to do the Biker‘s Shuffle. We had a nice stroll around the ship, which has some beautiful interior spaces, decorated with some amazing artwork. I especially like the library, with lots of books, games, puzzles, and some deep and comfy leather chairs.

At 11am, we were invited to the Mariners‘ Lunch, a special recognition for returning cruisers. Which was almost everyone on the ship, the dining room was bursting at the seams. We had a beautiful haddock filet and a very citrusy cheesecake, and some nice conversation with our fellow cruisers. With only around 800 passengers, after a week you start recognizing a lot of people, which makes for a lot of „Hello, what have you been doing today?“. It gives the ship a small-town appeal, which we enjoy very much.

The afternoon was mainly spent relaxing in our beautiful suite, getting ready for Gala Night. That plan went somewhat pear-shaped when we realised that most of the Gala treats, like my beloved shrimp cocktail, were also offered in the Lido buffet. Which meant no need for dressing up, and in my case having two shrimp cocktails instead of one...

I did get dressed up later on though, to enjoy some of the evening entertainment around the ship. There is live music everywhere, from a classical trio in the Explorer‘s Lounge, to a small band playing favourite dancing tunes in the Ocean Bar, and a piano bar entertainer to hum along to in the Crow‘s Nest. I enjoyed two Negronis, people watched and tapped my feet to the music, before going to the theatre to watch this evening‘s variety show. Comedian Mark Palmer opened with 25 minutes of stand-up. He got some giggles from me (though that might have had to do with the Negronis). That was followed by Russian Broadway singer Igor Portnoi. A great voice, and fantastic sense of showmanship!

The internet has been very slow today, so my little report will get posted tomorrow, when we are in Talinn. On Facebook, I have added some pictures from our beautiful cabin, and from the Lido buffet.

I really enjoy following along on your cruise. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

If you fall in love with the Prinsendam like so many of us have, you might enjoy sailing on her after July 2019 when she becomes a German cruise ship.

Barbara

Day 10 - Tallinn, Estonia

I woke up to a man making an announcement over loudspeaker - in German. It took me a moment to realize that something was not as it should be. Opening one eye to look out of the balcony window, I looked right into the balcony window of a huge Aida ship parked next to us. At breakfast, we realized that another big Costa ship was docked on our other side. All in all, there were five cruise ships in the port of Tallinn today. It made the old town insanely crowded, and I have to say took a little bit away from our enjoyment.

Undeterred, we set out. It was easy to find the way to Old Town - just follow the stream of tourists from the terminal. Tallinn has a lovely, medieval city center, with a lower and an upper town. Today, navigating through the narrow, cobble-stoned streets full of human bodies was at times frustrating. It didn‘t help that one of the cobble stones successfully tripped me, so I took a fall and kissed the ground of old Tallinn. Ouch!

Nevertheless, we enjoyed all the lovely architectural details, and the view from the castle hill over the roofs of the old town. For lunch, we found a nice place on the market square, and had some boar stew and pelmeni (Russian ravioli), all washed down with a delicious honey beer.

Walking back to the ship (well, I was mostly limping at this point), we discovered a more modern part of town, with lots of retail outlets build into old port storage buildings. A lot of the crew from all the cruise ships seemed to be spending some of their hard-earned Euros there.

Back on the ship, I put some ice on my knee and ibuprofen in my body. With some help from Mr. Duck, I felt better soon, and am pretty sure that my knee will hold up for the two days of heavy sightseeing coming up in Saint Petersburg.

In the evening, we had reservations for the Cellar Master‘s Dinner, a one-night-only affair per cruise. We enjoyed some lovely dishes with corresponding wines. As you can see, there is a bit of a theme here: sightsee, eat, drink, nap, repeat. Hard job, but someone‘s got to do it!

Wonderful reports :)

So enjoying them.

It sounds like you are having a fabulous time!

I just found your posts. I'm enjoying them immensely you make me feel like I'm there with you. This is a part of the world I want to travel to soon. Thanks for your continued posts.

Mary

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Day 11 - Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

Last night there was some concern among passengers that immigration and sightseeing might be a mess today. We were pleasantly surprised, especially after crowded Tallinn and the fact that there were even more cruise ships visiting Saint Petersburg today. I stopped counting after seven, among them the huge Norwegian Breakaway. But Prinsendam was in a terminal all on her own, at the relatively new Marine Façade facility. After our tour was called, we were through immigration and on our bus in under ten minutes.

Our guide Elena and bus driver Leonid did a fantastic job today. Elena herself seemed a little surprised how smooth everything went. First, we drove out of the city to the suburb of Pushkin, or Tsarskoye Selo as it used to be called, to see beautiful Catherine‘s Palace. From the outside a marvel in white, blue and gold, the inside is even more stunning. We took advantage of early opening times and were one of the first groups in, accompanied by a marching band. The representation rooms are spectacular, especially the Amber Room. As told by our guide, the inspiration for this was a dream the Tsarina had. She let the Tsar know that she had dreamt about living in an amber jewelry box. And he had nothing better to do than have huge amber panels made to decorate the walls of the room. The Germans made off with them in WWII (they are lost to history until now - care for a treasure hunt?) but the replica on display today is still impressive.

After the palace, we had a stroll through the park and admired all the little bath houses. Elena explained that Russians fear nothing more than the cold, and adore the heat. If you have an illness that a steam bath and Vodka can‘t make better, you are probably incurable. We also learned that Catherine the Great drank a very strong coffee in the morning, made from a whole pound of the stuff. Only she could drink it that strong, and never had to share.

Our next stop was lunch, with a little Russian cultural show included. There was singing, dancing, and accordion music, all accompanied by one of the Lord of the Rings movies on the overhead tv screens. The picture of Gandalf singing „Kalinka, kalinka“ is still stuck in my head.

Next up, we drove into Saint Petersburg proper. At a youthful 315 years of age, the nucleus of the city is very beautiful, with classical façades lining the streets and canals. Our first stop was the Ressurection Church, better known as the Church on the Spilt Blood. It was erected in the classical Russian style on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated (the 8th attempt on his life was finally successful). Dangerous job, Tsar...

The church was very beautiful, but insanely crowded. So we were glad to leave after a brief walkthrough. Peter-and-Paul Fortress was somewhat lesser populated, but seeing the graves of all Russian Tsars from Peter the Great onward, including the murdered family of Nicholas II, was quite sobering. Good that we had a shopping stop including free vodka sampling next!

Our last sightseeing highlight of this day was the Yusupov Palace, owned until 1917 by one of the wealthiest families under the last Tsar. It‘s claim to fame, apart from being an extraordinarily beautiful city palace, was that Rasputin was murdered here, in the palace‘s cellar, in 1916.

Being very tired after all this beautiful and bloody Russian history, we were quite happy to put our feet up, as tomorrow will be another long day in port.

Day 12 - Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

Bus 6 showed up bright and early at 7am for another day of heavy-duty sightseeing. Fascinating how, after just one day of touring together, it almost feels like a reunion to see the rest of the group again. There were only 20 of us on Bus 6, which was, of course, the best bus.

Our day started with some classic sightseeing, including several photo stops. We got up close to impressive Isaak‘s Cathedral, not without several „Beware of pickpockets“ from our guide Elena. Elena has been absolutely great throughout our two days in Saint Petersburg. She seemed to dislike the crowds even more than we did, and was very good with instructions of leaving stuff on the bus to avoid having to go to the cloakroom. She even potty-trained us, to take advantage of the best opportunities. „Ladies and gentlemen, even if you don‘t have to go, please let‘s everyone at least try. I‘m also going!“ Fortunately, she never forgot to turn off her transmission piece before she went. The small earphone devices worked like a charm through many a chaotic situation.

Our main stop for the morning was the Hermitage museum in the Winter Palace. We got in at early opening, and the queue for regular opening an hour later was already halfway around the square. The rooms of the palace and the adjacent buildings were as much a wow as the collection of art. In the Rembrandt gallery, we were able to watch art students in the process of copying some of the masterpieces, with their easels right in front of the originals. Looking out of windows here and there, we could see the queues getting longer and longer. Elena‘s tipp: come in the winter!

Lunch was on one of the floating restaurants in the Neva river. Arriving there, we saw an armed policeman guarding the entrance, looking very serious and telling us the restaurant was closed. Not good, as one group was already in there, and the rest of our ship‘s groups were arriving behind us. Debating our options, we saw one of the waitresses waiving us in, and the policeman stepping back. Going in, I was hoping that this was a tax fraud issue rather than a problem with the hygiene (apparently it was taxes, as Elena later told us).

After lunch, we drove an hour to Peterhof Castle and Gardens. Our destination was the beautiful cascade of fountains and the park. Like a lot of the classical architecture, everything was displayed to impress. Really beautiful, but even better was the chance Elena gave us to explore on our own, on the promise that we would be on time for our Hydrofoil transfer back to the city. We took her up on the offer and left our group for a while, simply enjoying the beautiful landscape on our own.

The boat trip back to the city was faster than the bus ride out to Peterhof. We caught up with Leonid and Bus 6 in front of the Winter Palace and had a smooth ride back to the ship, which we reached three minutes before the all aboard time, being welcomed back by the hotel director himself.

Even though I am really tired after two days of heavy sightseeing, the whole process has been extremely smooth and glitch-free. We did encounter some crowds, but it was much better than we had been warned about.

On the ship last night, we also had a nice fountain display in the neighbouring hallway. Buckets were catching the water pouring from the ceiling - apparently a pipe broke. That led to no water in the shower this morning. Fortunately, the issue was fixed when we returned. We have had a couple of plumbing issues so far, the old lady is showing her age in some areas...

Day 13 - Helsinki, Finland

Sunny blue skies greeted us on our approach to Helsinki, and would stay with us the whole day. It was not too warm or cold, with a nice breeze blowing. Perfect!

We had breakfast in the winter garden part of the Lido, and could see from there that we were docked pretty much in the center of the city. In the distance, two other, larger cruise ships were visible, but we had the prime spot.

We sighted a hop on - hop off sightseeing bus parked next to the ship and decided that we would give it a try. Conveniently, they were able to charge the ticket price directly to our room cards. Setting out, we first saw the water side of Helsinki, along the coast. The city seems to offer a number of public beaches, picnic areas and recreational facilities along its coastline. Everybody can take advantage of the rare warm summer days, and be out and about. There also is a pattern of re-using old factory or shipyard buildings for public or cultural purposes. Helsinki has a very good public library system, and is committed to provide access to education and digital infrastructure to everyone. There weren‘t many architectural highlights, as in the Baltic States, but the city is very charming, open and pleasant. Modern mixes with old, and the proximity to the sea makes for a very nice setting.

Reaching the furthest point of the sightseeing tour, we decided to get off the bus and walk back to the ship, with a couple of stops here and there. First, we discovered a Sea Life aquarium. One of us has a soft spot for all the things swimming in the oceans, rivers and lakes, so we have been to aquariums in many parts of the world. This one was very nice, however we were missing a bit of local context. The different tanks were filled with diverse marine creatures, but none were specific to the Baltic Sea. The shark tunnel was thrilling, as they always are.

Next to the aquarium sat an amusement park, housing many rides on a hill high over the city. Strangely, it was almost empty, and none of the rides were moving. It was after noon at this point, and didn‘t seem to fill up in any significant way.

We wandered out of the park, and along the railroad tracks toward the central station. This was way more scenic than it sounds, as there was a walkway along a lake or inlet, lined with beautiful old wooden houses.

Back in the city center, we found the market place and had some lunch at one of the stalls. Moose meatballs!

The Prinsendam was parked basically next to the market square, and we saw many happy crew members heading out for some shopping. I am always glad to see them out and about, being able to take advantage of what our ports of call have to offer.

Sailaway was beautiful, along the many smaller and bigger islands. One of them houses the fortress Suomenlinna, the main reason for Helsinki‘s existence. It was a strategic asset during the many wars between Sweden and Russia. Finland was sandwiched between the two historical powerhouses and an important asset for the Swedish king.

We had a lovely dinner in the dining room, chatting to our table neighbors and almost forgetting the time. Not good, because we wanted to go to happy hour in the Crow‘s Nest! With the second drink only two dollars, each of us had two Wang Wangs, to the delight of the cocktail waiter. Never heard of the Wang Wang? It‘s the bigger and meaner brother of the Long Island Icetea. The bartender pours seven or eight different liquors in the mixer, and tops it off with pineapple and orange juice, and a dash of grenadine. The result is a smooth, fruity concoction, you never realize how potent it is before you a thoroughly tipsy.

Second Wang Wang in hand, we went to the Showroom at Sea to watch Rubén Villagrand, an illusionist and mime who we greatly enjoyed. Afterwards, I decided to postpone writing my report to tomorrow and let the Wang Wang put me to bed.

Great reports Anna.

I am still chuckling at your decision to postpone doing your report until after the Wang Wang's had worn off ;) :')

I suspect it was a very wise one.:hearteyes:

Day 14 - At Sea

There is a mystery about sea days. You wake up in the morning, looking forward to a day filled with fun activities. You muck about, mainly doing not very much. And then *poof* the day is gone already.

That pretty accurately describes today.

We had a lazy, late breakfast. So did almost everyone on the ship. The Lido was still packed at closing time.

We got lovely Cappuccinos at the Java Café, and drank them in the library, checking out some of the board games.

Chilled in our cabin for some time.

Can‘t skip lunch, even if it feels like you just had breakfast. Lido had awesome Chinese food and do-it-yourself salad.

EXC Guide talk about the Kiel Canal. Weird to hear an American speak about my home turf. All in all fairly accurate, even though there were a couple of minor falsities.

Mixology again was a no-show by everyone but us, so I spontaneously decided on the Indonesian Crew Show. That was fun, and always so great to see the talent and joy of the crew members. Who knew that our cabin steward Buda is a rad bass player?!

To the spa to get a haircut.

Change to gala attire.

Have our picture taken by ship‘s photographers for mother-in-law.

Pre-dinner martini and then food again. Shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, lobster, chocolate lava cake. Yumyum!

Movie time: „The Trollhunter“, Norwegian pseudo-documentary. We had the whole ship‘s cinema to ourselves and enjoyed the film very much.

*Poof* Day gone.

Oh Anna, how much I have enjoyed your reporting on the Baltic trip. Several years ago I did the Prinsendam Baltic trip, loved it. Probably my favorite cruise of all times. But then I have German family and fully enjoyed the area. On that cruise we stopped in Rostock, and I totally fell in love with that city. But the Prinsendam hasn't stopped there since. It is such an interesting place. Anyway one of my cousins whom I had never met, rendevouzed with me in Rostock and we spent the day in her summer house out on the Spit of land. I loved that whole trip and the Kiel canal was also fascinating. Thanks for writing about your adventures. It's so much fun to read about the area again. Have a wonderful rest of the cruise. Happy sailing!!!!

Marianne

Day 15 - Kiel Canal and North Sea

Early and not so bright, a good description of my status when we entered the Holtenau lock into the Kiel Canal at 3am this morning. The canal had been one of the main reasons I decided on this itinerary. Close to home, I have crossed and passed it many times. But never on a big ship, that has been pretty high on my wish list, and got crossed off today.

Bleary-eyed, I watched us transit the lock, and decided to go back to sleep for a little bit. When I woke shortly after 6am, it was light out. Small patches of morning fog were visible above the water, and the swans and ducks, plentiful in the canal, were just waking up.

I spent the morning moving about the ship, watching our transit from different vantage points. Due to the bridges, the canal has a height restriction of 40 meters. The top of our mast had to come down in order for us to fit. It was quite exhilarating to see us pass the bridges from deck 13, were it seemed like we almost wouldn’t make it. The transit also involved a lot of horn-tooting, as many of the small ferries and feeder ships along the way gave us a friendly greeting, which of course had to be reciprocated.

A sentimental moment came when we were in the Brunsbüttel locks, about to leave the canal. Cruise Director Samantha invited us all up to the Lido Pool to take a memorable picture together. Today marks the last time that the Prinsendam, and also very likely any Holland America ship, will have passed through the Kiel Canal. The other ships are all significantly bigger than our small explorer. Sad to think about it, but glad I could be a part of this milestone.

Lunch time had some nice views of Cuxhaven, a city at the mouth of the Elbe river into the North Sea. Afterwards, it was suitcase packing time. A well deserved nap followed, rudely interrupted by our first-stage ship‘s alarm. When the captain came on the loudspeaker, we learned that a small fire had broken out in the Java Café, due to a wire in the wine fridge short-circuiting. Everything was under control promptly, and the captain was communicating very thoroughly.

Dinner in the Lido was German night. All kinds of sausages, sauerbraten, suckling pick, dumplings, red cabbage, and all sorts of delicious sweets had a lot of takers. Funny to have traditional German cuisine presented by the enthusiastic Filipino crew. And it was delicious!

Oh Anna, how much I have enjoyed your reporting on the Baltic trip. Several years ago I did the Prinsendam Baltic trip, loved it. Probably my favorite cruise of all times. But then I have German family and fully enjoyed the area. On that cruise we stopped in Rostock, and I totally fell in love with that city. But the Prinsendam hasn't stopped there since. It is such an interesting place. Anyway one of my cousins whom I had never met, rendevouzed with me in Rostock and we spent the day in her summer house out on the Spit of land. I loved that whole trip and the Kiel canal was also fascinating. Thanks for writing about your adventures. It's so much fun to read about the area again. Have a wonderful rest of the cruise. Happy sailing!!!!

Marianne

Thank you Marianne! Yes, the itinerary is absolutely wonderful, and has a high sentimental value for me. Glad to hear that you had the opportunity to connect with family in Rostock. It makes travelling so much more meaningful to have this king of personal experiences.

It sounds like a wonderful final saiing on the Kiel Canal.

I remember ours so well and the tooting and waving from the shores. I can only imagine how special this one would have been.

I am glad you had the opportunity to enjoy it to the fullest and your dinner sounds wonderful and takes me back :)

thank you for sharing with us and enjoy your remaining cruise.

Day 16 - Amsterdam and home

All good things must come to an end. But not before we have the chance to immerse ourselves in some serious Dutch culture. Cheese, anyone?

After our last breakfast on the Prinsendam, and last goodbye to our wonderful stewards Pras and Buda, debarkation was fast and painless. Holland America allows you to stay in your stateroom until your luggage number is called. There are no queues anywhere, and we immediately found our suitcase in the baggage hall.

Since we have an afternoon flight, we booked the ship‘s airport transfer-sightseeing tour. First stop was the beautiful village of Edam. None of the residents were out and about, it being earlyish on a Sunday morning. Our group wandered through the town, admiring the beautiful houses. At some point, the local cheese store opened. However, our guide promised us a cheese-making demo at our next stop, so we moved on.

The open-air museum cum tourist shopping mekka Zaanse Schans was our destination after Edam. The promised windmills appeared next to the parking lot. And then: cheese! Mr. Duck got very excited about all the yellowness around him. And we were quite happy to sample the goods. Smoked jalapeño cheese had to come home with us, yummy!

We were given some free time, and admired the pretty scenery, before returning to the bus and onwards to the airport. Byebye, it has been a lot of fun!

Day 16 - Amsterdam and home

 

 

 

 

 

All good things must come to an end. But not before we have the chance to immerse ourselves in some serious Dutch culture. Cheese, anyone?

 

 

 

After our last breakfast on the Prinsendam, and last goodbye to our wonderful stewards Pras and Buda, debarkation was fast and painless. Holland America allows you to stay in your stateroom until your luggage number is called. There are no queues anywhere, and we immediately found our suitcase in the baggage hall.

 

 

 

Since we have an afternoon flight, we booked the ship‘s airport transfer-sightseeing tour. First stop was the beautiful village of Edam. None of the residents were out and about, it being earlyish on a Sunday morning. Our group wandered through the town, admiring the beautiful houses. At some point, the local cheese store opened. However, our guide promised us a cheese-making demo at our next stop, so we moved on.

 

 

 

The open-air museum cum tourist shopping mekka Zaanse Schans was our destination after Edam. The promised windmills appeared next to the parking lot. And then: cheese! Mr. Duck got very excited about all the yellowness around him. And we were quite happy to sample the goods. Smoked jalapeño cheese had to come home with us, yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

We were given some free time, and admired the pretty scenery, before returning to the bus and onwards to the airport. Byebye, it has been a lot of fun!

Wonderful report; thanks for taking us along on your journey! Reading brought back many memories of our Kiel Canal cruise on the Prinsendam.

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Thank you so much for this posting. I will travel on the Koningsdam through the Baltic for 14 nights, not exactly the same ports, but still quite interesting. Very much enjoyed, hope this inspires me to detail my trip.

Busted!