Condition of Statendam, recent cruiser opinions

[K D cruiser]

I'm a longtime Princess cruiser who is thinking of booking the 14 day Alaska cruise, RT Seattle, on the Statendam in 2015. My question is about the condition of this ship. I've read of complaints about leaking pipes, backed up plumbing, sewer smells and no AC or heat.

 

Can any recent cruisers on the Statendam please tell me if any of these problems have been corrected.

 

This would be our third Alaska cruise and the 14 day itinerary looks great, but I'm not sure we can handle the possible problems on the ship.

 

Thanks for any info.

[RuthC]

Where are you reading these reports? I'm not reading these things on this forum lately, but there aren't too many reports from the Statendam on here lately, either.

[rafinmd]

I haven't been on the Statendam yet (booked 8/17) and my usual cruise line of choice is Crystal. I was delighted to find this comment on the Statendam from of one of my most respected correspondents on that forum.

 

We had only three days of what Captain Smit called "rather rough seas," the first day out of San Diego, the day before Fanning Island, and the third from the last day. Eight days had moderate seas. (My information comes from the Cruise Log.) The seas were calm the rest of the time. Even when the seas were "rather rough," it wasn't bad at all. The Lower Promenade Deck was open for walking, no activities were canceled or changed and the dining room was full. Please tell your DW not to be concerned. It's too lovely an itinerary to be missed. She can always take sea sickness medication if she is concerned.

 

Thanks everyone, for your good wishes. Roy, I feel confident you will enjoy yourself.

 

Ricki

 

I'm quite sure if the Statendam is good enough for her it will be for me (and for you) as well.

 

Roy

[SilvertoGold]

33 days in April-May on the Statendam.

 

Some leaks in the water supply by aft elevators, lower prom deck. Carpets dried out with fans for several days; all 4 elevators were out of commission for 12 hours and a couple of short times afterwards (because the water toasted the circuit boards in the elevator controls).

 

Lido leaks from ceiling by aft stairs and by forward doors to mid-ship pool area. Buckets in evidence for several hours.

 

A/C was not working well aft to midship on a few decks: evidence of portable fans being unboxed and taken to several cabins. This lasted a week or so and then it was fine.

 

Starboard washrooms on upper Dining Room level, aft, had a flood, with dryers in the hall for several days.

 

A few years ago the Statendam was famous for its sewer smells, both inside and outside. This seems to have been fixed well.

 

Many pax were complaining about the shower 's fluctuating temperature. Hot to warm to cool and back.

 

First cruise in several years when we did not experience any "delayed flushing" of the toilet.

 

All that said, these are standard problems that arise on cruise ships all the time. Nothing outstandingly bad (except the Captain).

 

Food was better than usual, especially the desserts. Service was fast, efficient and pleasant. Our 2 room stewards had about 30 rooms between them and did a very good job.

 

We planned to do the Alaska 2 week cruise in June but decided there were other HAL ships to try instead.

Edited July 7, 2014 by SilvertoGold

[PathfinderEss]

33 days in April-May on the Statendam.

 

Some leaks in the water supply by aft elevators, lower prom deck. Carpets dried out with fans for several days; all 4 elevators were out of commission for 12 hours and a couple of short times afterwards (because the water toasted the circuit boards in the elevator controls).

 

Lido leaks from ceiling by aft stairs and by forward doors to mid-ship pool area. Buckets in evidence for several hours.

 

A/C was not working well aft to midship on a few decks: evidence of portable fans being unboxed and taken to several cabins. This lasted a week or so and then it was fine.

 

Starboard washrooms on upper Dining Room level, aft, had a flood, with dryers in the hall for several days.

 

A few years ago the Statendam was famous for its sewer smells, both inside and outside. This seems to have been fixed well.

 

Many pax were complaining about the shower 's fluctuating temperature. Hot to warm to cool and back.

 

First cruise in several years when we did not experience any "delayed flushing" of the toilet.

 

All that said, these are standard problems that arise on cruise ships all the time. Nothing outstandingly bad (except the Captain).

 

Food was better than usual, especially the desserts. Service was fast, efficient and pleasant. Our 2 room stewards had about 30 rooms between them and did a very good job.

 

We planned to do the Alaska 2 week cruise in June but decided there were other HAL ships to try instead.

You are so funny SilvertoGold, though you know I agree with you.:D

Ok back to OP question, we were on the Statendam for 43 days last Nov/Dec and had very little problems. We had rain one day and there was leaking into the Neptune, but that was taken care of promptly. Other than that, air conditioning worked fine, no toilet problems, we were very happy with the Statendam over all condition. Would have no problem sailing on her again.

Edited July 7, 2014 by PathfinderEss

[SilvertoGold]

You are so funny SilvertoGold, though you know I agree with you.:D

Ok back to OP question, we were on the Statendam for 43 days last Nov/Dec and had very little problems. We had rain one day and there was leaking into the Neptune, but that was taken care of promptly. Other than that, air conditioning worked fine, no toilet problems, we were very happy with the Statendam over all condition. Would have no problem sailing on her again.

 

Melody

 

Thanks. No one else thinks I'm funny. Isnt that strange?

[Mtn Mom]

Just got off Statendam on June 29th. I consider her condition the same as I consider myself, getting older with bumps bruises and no longer in perfect condition. But I keep clean and only so much I can do with the rest of the issues. I saw the crew constantly cleaning and taking pride on the Statdendam. Did I find rust and flaws yes, but in Alaska those are so easy to overlook when you are in such beautiful surroundings and spending time on deck enjoying the views. We had rain and didn’t see any buckets or fans in the places we visited. I did see a few public bathrooms which had out of order signs, but the next time I saw them, they were working. Even a clothes dryer was out of order and quickly saw workers remove it, repaired and returned dryer. My stateroom bathroom worked fine, had hot water, and air conditioning worked too well for me, but an extra blanket solved that. But I am always cold.

[K D cruiser]

Thanks everyone for your comments. We'll on the Grand Princess in a few weeks and she was built in 1998, so I know about wear and tear, but it will be our fifth cruise on that ship.

 

It sounds like some of the major problems have been addressed and the other stuff can happen on any ship that is in constant use.

 

The cruise isn't for another year, so we'll have to give it serious consideration.

[Susie51]

Thank you for info.

[theloo]

We were on her 2 weeks ago and she was in decent shape. Our across-the-hall neighbor had an overflowing toilet that required vacuuming one night, but staff were on it right away. Our shower knob/controller stuck, but it worked. They were doing painting and varnishing on a daily basis, so they are not letting maintenance slide.