Cruise with Bill & Mary Ann on the Prinsendam's Grand So. America & Antarctica Voyage

[WCB]

We are impressed that we have ia poet among you!! Again, thank you for the kind words in regards to our recent trip.

 

Yes, by reading between the lines, your impressions are "right on". We intend to explain more details as soon as we unpack our notebooks from the shipped luggage.

 

On the Prinsendam, the outside cabins are larger than the verandas on deck 9. We have been in those outside cabins on two cruises, and did just fine.

 

Our final thoughts will be coming soon...........

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 76 April 6, 2010 Tuesday Ship Gifts

 

It's hard to believe that we have been home almost two weeks now! We have made little progress with the duffel unpacking, which, by the way, arrived in good condition last Wednesdasy, as promised by Fed Ex. The only casualty was one of the Amaryllis bulb vases. Actually, we were surprised even one of those vases made it back intact, because they were so delicate. The only other item damaged was the tagua nut booby bird sculpture, which can be glued back together. At least the duffel bags were not trashed, not like the ten pieces of luggage from last year's world cruise. HAL did make good on those bags by replacing the 6 Grand World Voyage duffels with brand new ones, and money to cover the other luggage.

 

Here is the collection of gifts we received from HAL and our travel group.

 

1-13 2 black bags lined with blue satin, magnetic name tags, neck lanyards, and 2 medium blue fleece jackets, compliments of our travel agency

 

1-13 2 diaries and 2 keycard holders and a single red rose bouquet at dinner

 

1-14 2 Grand Voyage bags ( dirty gold ) and one large vase with an amaryllis bulb (plus one more vase and bulb from Hank)

 

1-18 2 small leather bound alarm clocks

 

1-24 Bottle of white wine with balloons and a card from room stewards for my Birthday (or from Roger, the Bev Manager?)

 

1-30 2 navy blue woolen hats and scarves with HAL logos

 

1-31 One lighted bookmark from Henk and Lucia

 

2-04 Little bottles of Purell..... if you can call these a gift

 

2-07 Maps of the Chilean Fjords, the Straits of Magellan, and Cape Horn

 

2-10 Two stuffed penguins

 

2-12 A map of Antarctica

 

2-14 A single red rose at dinner (Valentine's Day), and 2 sets of wine charms

 

2-20 Two sets of postcards with Steven Card's paintings of several HAL ships, past & present

 

2-22 Two more bottles of Purell.......necessary gifts

 

2-25 Two handle-less mugs Goedewaggen design earthenware

 

3-03 Two more bottles of Purell.........still necessary we guess

 

3-05 Had to ask for two canvas HAL bags , should have received first (room stewards forgot our room)

 

3-07 Two Grand Voyage luggage tags

 

3-14 Two Grand Voyage luggage straps

 

3-16 Two small HAL tiles (at Mariner lunch)

 

3-17 Two Grand Voyage duffel bags (dirty gold)

 

3-17 An unexpected gift of a bottle of red wine from the front desk staff for air-conditioning problem

 

3-22 Two Royal Goedewaggen plates with the 2010 Grand South America/Antarctica Voyage on them in blue Delft design,

and two Grand South America/Antarctica Voyage Pins

 

And that's it, folks!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

to be continued...........

[preciouspup]

Thanks - I miss my daily "vacation" minutes from reading your daily adventures. Looking forward to your final thoughts.

[WCB]

Report # 77 April 7, 2010 Wedneday Final Summary - South America GWV

 

Well, today is the two week mark that we have been back from our 70 day circumnavigation of South America. We are far from being back to normal, as we are behind in catching up on the household chores, but that gives us something to do everyday, right?

 

Our final summary of this voyage is a mixed bag, because the itinerary was fantastic, but the cruising experience was not up to the standards that we have become accustomed to. Even though particular cruises have been labeled "Grand" by the cruise line, it does not make it so. The only one deserving that title should be the World Cruise. We have done our share of those, so we feel we have the insight to compare. Here are some of the reasons for our humble opinion.......

 

Major construction has NEVER taken place while we have been sailing on a grand voyage. This could have been avoided if HAL had chosen to either keep the ship in drydock longer, or delay the build for another time. And this was a MAJOR retrofit with the addition of 22 new aft cabins, an expanded promenade deck, and an enlarged aft pool deck with a covered bar. We have a letter from the head office in Seattle stating that there would be NO impact on our cruise, as the work would be done behind a closed-off wall. We somehow knew that would not be the case. If you have read these reports from day one, you all know how much the passengers loved the drilling, hammering, sawing, sanding....need we go on???

 

And because the workmen were scheduled to leave in Valparaiso, Chile, the quality of the finished job suffered. We often wished we did not notice details, but being familiar with that type of work, we came to the conclusion that the construction was "slapped together", whether it worked or not. For instance, the teak decking around the aft pool and the promenade deck was applyed so quickly, that there were numerous leaks later on. It had not been sealed properly, and water got underneath the boards.That left unsightly puddles of stagnant water seeping up from the wood. Attempts were made to fix the larger spots, but smaller ones were left alone. The final painting was never done. The metal ceilings and beams supporting the new cabins were already showing signs of rust. The ship's crew began touch-up painting, but only at eye-level. Few people look up, like us, so they let it go undone. Large glass panels had been installed around part of the aft pool deck. These were propped up with temporary boards and braces, with black caulking smeared on the seams to prevent them from leaking. We do not know how these panels withstood the high winds we had on some days.

 

The worst reports came from the passengers that were the first (sacrificed!) guests in these new aft cabins on deck 8. They had the pleasure of experiencing flooding from broken water pipes, non-working toilets, freezing temperatures, leaking veranda doors, and sliding closet doors that would not stay put during high seas. The least of their problems were the refrigerators that did not work at all. Lucky them! They were the "testers" for the next group that would do the Mediterranean Grand Voyage. Those cabins would be all fixed by March 24th, the start of that cruise, we are sure!

 

The use of the aft pool was delayed, even after the decking was finished. There was no water in that pool for weeks. By the time the pool and two spas were opened for use, the weather turned cold. And due to the fact that we had an outbreak of the Noro virus, the water in all of the pools was emptied. When they were finally filled, the disinfectant used was so strong, it caused rashes in many of the frequent users. That was enough for us to see......we never went in the pool or spas once during the entire trip. A big disappointment, yes, but there was no way we wanted to get that spreading rash!! And the other thing, the shower that had been at the back pool had been removed. There was no replacement, even though a mens and a womens bathroom were added. Sure wish they had reserved a spot for that shower to rinse off the salt water from the pool!

 

The gifts, although much appreciated, have gotten fewer and smaller. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Everyone likes presents, but with them, comes the problem of getting them back home. If you cannot squeeze these gifts in your existing bags, then you have to pay extra to ship them home. That is, of course, everyone but the veranda folks, that paid full price for their rooms. They get free, unlimited shipping. If you had been upgraded, like many of us were, those perks do not apply to you. So for that reason, many longtime cruisers gave away several of those presents. Some world cruise friends of ours have said they would rather have shipboard credit in lieu of the gifts. They may have a point there!

 

We don't know why, but there was no foreign money exchange at the front desk. The world cruise always offers this service, but not this ship. Either you brought the foreign money with you, or you had to find an ATM or a local bank to exchange money. That sure can be an inconvenience in most all of the ports we visited. We sure do not want to waste time doing that. For us, if the dollar did not work, we did not buy anything. We also avoid using our credit cards overseas, even though the majority of folks do. In the past, we have been victims of credit card fraud, so we are overly cautious now. It was a real pain in the rear to clear that up, and it took months!

 

Speaking of the front desk......the personel on this ship were very inexperienced. We could ask a question from four different staff members, and get four completely different answers. We asked about some of the new perks for the Mariner program, and they did not know how to answer. They said they would deliver a copy of the perks, but we never got it. They were a very nice and polite group, but we gave up on asking questions there. On the other hand, the world cruise staff are the best. They learn your name, and never, never forget it. From one cruise to the next, they remember your name. Guess we got spoiled by this expert staff, but shouldn't it be the same for all Grand Voyages?

 

As much as he tried to take notes and listen to everything we said, the Guest Relations Manager was of no help at all. The only help we ever got from him was replacing the daily flowers we were supposed to get in our room with two large bouquets of flowers. Now that was generous, but answers to our big questions were NEVER dealt with. He knew there was nothing he could do to correct the mess and noise from the construction crew, so all of our remarks went unnoticed and unaddressed. He knew we would all eventually give up, and forget about it. Yes, we gave up with him, but followed through with HAL once we got home.

 

Public announcements from the cruise director continued everyday, like this was a 7 day cruise. We did not need to know what time Bingo was everyday, or when the guest speakers were talking in the Lounge at Sea ( formerly called the Queens Lounge ). We can read well! It was in the daily newsletter, and eventually enough people complained about the announcements, and they went away! Unless there was a planned emergency drill with the staff, the only announcements came at 1:05pm, when the Captain gave his daily talk and Thom followed with his speech. That was good enough for us!

 

Remember the Navigation Channel on the room TV's that gave the weather forecast, the wave heights, wind direction, and current position of the ship? Well, it broke in the beginning of the trip. We were told that the "Motherboard" blew up, and there was no way to fix it. Even with all the possible ways to send stuff to the ship, it could not be fixed until we got back to Ft. Lauderdale. It's funny that HAL could fly entertainers, lecturers, and food experts from all over the world, but could not supply us with a technician capable of fixing that system. Yes, it would be fixed and ready for the Med Grand voyage, but just not this one!

 

The dress code for this trip was far from being traditional. Formal nights were flip-flopped with casual nights. We had several formal nights on port days. Some of those port days were long ones, where we left late in the day or evening. Most early seaters missed those nights or ate in the Lido instead. On several casual evenings, the dining room was lavishly decorated for theme nights. The waiters and head waiters were dressed in fancy costumes, while we were in casual wear. We could never figure out who was responsible for the strange decisions. For the most part, Seattle's head office was blamed for the scheduling. On most other Grand voyages, the hotel manager and dining room manager make those calls. Go figure??

 

The food was good in the dining room, but nowhere near the quality of the cuisine on a world cruise. The beef entrees were inconsistent with the flavor or the doneness as ordered. You either got a steak that was rare to raw, or one that had been sitting for a while in a steamer. The only real place to get the best quality beef was in the Pinnacle Grill, which we did on one occasion. Last year, while on the Rotterdam's world cruise, we had excellent Pinnacle grill quality t-bone steaks or ribeye steaks in the regular dining room. That sure did not happen on this trip!

 

Absolutely everyone that took a full world voyage was invited to a dinner with the Captain on the Rotterdam last year. Everyone. It did not matter how many days you had with HAL, or perhaps no day with them. That was not the case on this trip. Two couples from our table did not get invited to the Captain's dinner. That sure does not make for warm and fuzzy feelings between the passengers and the staff. HAL should keep that in mind if they want to have these passengers book another cruise with you! That follows through with the complimentary upgrades as well. Some of us got them, and some did not. We could not figure out how HAL picks certain people for upgrading. We thought it went by the number of days sailed with the company, but that idea was blown away , when we found a couple of fellows who got upgraded from the E category to a suite on deck 10. They had only one HAL trip between the two of them. Again, go figure? Friends of ours were really insulted, because they had nearly 500 days with HAL, and never got an upgrade. So they spent most of the trip begging to get one! In the long run, they would have been better off staying where they were, since they got one of the new cabins with big problems! Lucky them! Their third move turned out to be OK, and since they were also doing the Med voyage, they were happy to have a veranda.

 

A huge problem with this ship has always been trouble with the air conditioning and potable water temperature when the ship sails in a hot weather area of the world. The temperatures around the ship can vary from freezing in the showlounge, or sweltering in the aft dining room. While we are on the subject of water, it was shut down from 1am to 9am the following morning. There were NO working toilets on the entire ship! The incident went ignored, despite the fact that the crew and passengers were quite upset about it. Actually, there were several times that our water was off, due to problems in our section of the ship.

 

We did enjoy most of the HAL tours we took, even if they were on the expensive side. They seem to be getting more expensive every year! When we wrote about one of the less than good trips in Buenos Aires, we received a shipboard credit. Most of their tours were well planned, and when visiting a place that we have never been to, we felt taking a tour was the better choice. We took as many tours with our travel group as we did with HAL. The remainder of the ports, we did our own thing. Sometimes it was nice NOT to have to get up early, stand in line to be stickered, and shuffle off to the waiting buses.

 

The entertainment was one of our downfalls......that is, we seldom attended. We did get daily reports from our tablemates, Margaret and Keith. They did enjoy many of the entertainers, usually trying to find something good about their acts. However, some shows were so bad, they walked out after 5 or 10 minutes! Most of the local groups brought onboard to sing and dance could be viewed on our room TVs the next day. We really did not miss too much there. The best shows were of the lecturers and cooking programs held onboard the ship. We always watched these programs in the late afternoon or after dinner.

 

On a positive note, our room stewards and most of the wait staff were great. All except one waiter who did not like his job. It was apparent with his attitude with how he served us, or not, during every evening meal. Granted, we were a table for ten, and that is difficult to begin with. But the night that our dinner plates went unbussed for 20 minutes was the final straw. Come to think of it, that was "staged" on purpose, in order for him to get removed from our table. That was a blessing for us, because we got Pidi, who was better than excellent with his service. We think in time, our previous waiter will be removed from the dining room all together. There is too much competition for these jobs, and if they cannot keep up with the required pace with a smile, they are replaced. We have been told in the past, that the best waiters are hand-picked for grand voyages. We find that to be true.

 

Well, we think we covered most of the major obstacles on this cruise. Like we said, it was the itinerary that was the big draw for us. We were not disappointed to finally get to see Antarctica. It was everything we expected and much, much more. The evening that we were all eating dinner in La Fontaine, and the sun set on the icebergs, turning them golden, was unforgettable! However, we would think twice before sailing on the Prinsendam again. Now with the addition of the 22 cabins, the number of passengers has been increased. What will that do with the ship experience? Crowded everything, especially the Lido. We could never find seats in there during breakfast or lunch as it was. We abandoned that area completely, when the Noro virus hit. That was the easiest place to pick up the germs, or else the staff would have never been used to serve all of the utensils and food. There is no getting around it, that Code Red situation put a damper on this trip. We will never know how many passengers and staff had the bug, but we guessed it was a lot. We will always remember to bring Imodium, Pepto Bismo, and Cipro, when our doctor sees fit to prescribe it!!

 

In ending, we would like to rename this cruise the Elegant Explorer Voyage, since the "Grand" part of the cruise was taken out of it! Hopefully, this was a onetime experience, and perhaps HAL will learn from their mistakes! We do intend to sail on next year's world cruise ( Amsterdam ), which we would like to suggest should be called the Ultimate Grand Voyage, because that is what they are! Also in our plans, is the 2012 world cruise, depending on where it is going.

 

And we would like to conclude this report with some great news..........we are going to be grandparents again in October, with a new baby expected by our younger son and his beautiful wife! That was sure the best news we could have heard!!

 

So if all goes well, we should be back, reporting the 2011 World Cruise on the Amsterdam!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Cruzin Terri]

Thanks again for all your reports along the way. I felt like I was traveling with you.

Thank you also for your thoroughly honest review of the Prinsendam experience. I have been toying with the idea of doing this voyage and right now I am not sure I would do it based on your reqports as well as some of the others on your cruise.

Again thanks for your daily reports and honest reviews.

Terri

[Aussie Gal]

Mary Ann and Bill,

 

Thanks for fillling us in with all the plusses and minuses regarding your cruise. I am so sorry that the Prinsendam has had those extra cabins added. I thought the size of her before the reconstruction was perfect. We had a wonderful 24 days on her in November and as we have such fond memories, we will be loath to return to her.

 

Congratulations on being grandparents. I hope all goes well with the birth in October.

 

I look forward to reading your reports next year on the World Cruise. We seriously considered doing the first part from Ft. Lauderdale to Sydney, as the ship will be spending about 11 days cruising New Zealand. It is a fantastic itinerary but unfortunately we have severe water restrictions here as we are in a drought, and not being around for Jan/Feb would be detrimental for our garden so we have had to postpone until the drought is over!

 

Thanks once again for all the reports.

 

Jennie

[markf]

Thanks for the honest recap, I hope that management reads it as well. I certainly would be frustrated if i experienced what you did. I guess these cruise lines try to sell perfection but they cant deliver it

[Cristiano]

Hi Guys,

 

I would also like to thank you for the summary of your cruise and in particular the situation / condition of the Prinendam.

 

We had booked the TA for 13th May 2011 but having followed your 'blog' and that of Paul, it became apparent that the Prinsendam was not the ship that we did the Black Sea on in 2005.

 

We loved the itinerary for May 13 but also another cruise took our fancy which is on the Nieuw Amsterdam April 3 2011 a 27 day TA.

 

I think that HAL will have to seriously address reports such as yours otherwise people will tend not to sail on her; having said that the roll that I had started for the Prinsendam is going 'gang busters'.

 

Once again I enjoyed your reports and look forward to the next adventure.

 

If you are in Sydney on your next WC on the Amsterdam we may see you as last year we were fortunate enough to have dinner in the Pinnacle with some very close friends.

 

ciao,

 

Cristiano.

[candbgirl]

Thank you again for takng us along on your voyage. Thanks also for the honest review of the trip. I think we all know things aren't always perfect but to see both sides of a cruise is so refreshing. I can't wait for your next adventure. And lastly, congratulations on the new baby. Babies really put eveything in perspective, don't they? See you next January.

[OldCodger73]

Bill & Mary Ann, thanks for your final report on the cruise.

 

Are you planning on sending your comments to HAL Seattle? It would be interesting to know if you get any reply other than a form letter.

[roberts2005]

Bill, thank you for all the details. We will be traveling on Prinsendam in July, in one of the new cabins. The itinerary made the choice. With all the problems, Prinsendam still seems to have one of HAL's highest per day rates.

[WCB]

Hello all!

 

We have been away for a spell, so just got a chance to catch up on CC posts.

 

Yes, we did forward our comments to Stein Kruse via guest relations. We will follow up with a written letter if we do not get a response. This may be soon, since we have heard nothing as of yet. When we do receive a reply, we shall post the results.

 

Thanks for all of your nice comments!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[DFD1]

An incredible account of a fascinating trip, masterfully written, this blog is a treasure. It is a great read from your first post to your last. Thank you so much.

[WCB]

Hello fellow CC members!

 

Just thought we would drop a line regarding the letter we sent to HAL regarding the 2011 South America Grand Voyage on the Prinsendam.

 

We are pleased to tell you that HAL responded to our letter, offering their sincerest apologies for their untimely and disturbing retrofit while we were sailing. As a result, they gave us a very nice future shipboard credit to be used on our 2011 world cruise. Their reply came in less than one month from sending the letter, so we thought it fair to let you all know.

 

Now we are looking forward, with a better attitude, to another great adventure next year!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[OldCodger73]

Bill and Mary Ann, that's great news. Looking forward to following along on your 2011 World Cruise blog.

[DeepWaterMariner]

I'm glad that HAL came through for you and hope they meet your expectations for the world cruise. It will be here before you know it.