Prinsendam newbie needs help with cabin selection

[grayjay]

We are planning to book our first cruise on "Prinsendam" and we're very sure we'll like the experience as we love smaller ships, having cruised with Azamara a few times and of course on some of the bigger HAL ships like Zaandam or Eurodam as well.

We usually book a balcony cabin but this time I'm afraid it will have to be an oceanview in either cat. F or E. So help is very welcome in choosing the right cabin for this cruise because oceanviews are still more expensive than balconies on other ships of the fleet... I wanted to avoid cat. H and G because of the portholes and the fact that they are very much to the bow of the ship - too much movement in rough seas, I presume... I'm also not sure if we'd like the cabins on the promenade deck. They might give easy access to the deck, but there surely is a lot of walking outside which might disturb our beauty sleep :rolleyes:.

Some of the cat. F cabins we are considering are rather to the aft, for example 392/394/395/397. I have read about vibration and noise issues. Is that still true or has drydock for example fixed that?

In cat. E we found cabin 102 available which is far to the front on deck 9 next to the balcony cabins and the single oceanview.So there mioght be lots of movement again in rougher seas?? Some others are near to the atrium on main deck, for example 330 ( directly next to the atrium - noise???) or 322. There's also 385 again rather to the aft not too far from the aft elevators.

Any ideas about specific cabins or in about the oceanview cabins on Prinsendam in general? We'd love one of those cabins where you can sit next to the window instead of having the beds directly below the window as shown on some pictures.

Thank you very much for your help!!

[jtl513]

We had F303 (a porthole cabin) on a TransAtlantic and were surprised by the lack of motion and the amount of light. I believe the portholes are larger than on the S and R class ships, and gave as much light as a standard OV window on those ships. Google /303-prinsendam/ for my photos (click any to enlarge) and some other comments on the cabin.

 

Also Google /cabin-308-ocean-view/ (another F with portholes) and /prinsendam-oceanview-cabin-326/ for an E cabin.

Edited January 19, 2016 by jtl513

[Sue from Canada]

We are planning to book our first cruise on "Prinsendam" and we're very sure we'll like the experience as we love smaller ships, having cruised with Azamara a few times and of course on some of the bigger HAL ships like Zaandam or Eurodam as well.

We usually book a balcony cabin but this time I'm afraid it will have to be an oceanview in either cat. F or E. So help is very welcome in choosing the right cabin for this cruise because oceanviews are still more expensive than balconies on other ships of the fleet... I wanted to avoid cat. H and G because of the portholes and the fact that they are very much to the bow of the ship - too much movement in rough seas, I presume... I'm also not sure if we'd like the cabins on the promenade deck. They might give easy access to the deck, but there surely is a lot of walking outside which might disturb our beauty sleep :rolleyes:.

Some of the cat. F cabins we are considering are rather to the aft, for example 392/394/395/397. I have read about vibration and noise issues. Is that still true or has drydock for example fixed that?

In cat. E we found cabin 102 available which is far to the front on deck 9 next to the balcony cabins and the single oceanview.So there mioght be lots of movement again in rougher seas?? Some others are near to the atrium on main deck, for example 330 ( directly next to the atrium - noise???) or 322. There's also 385 again rather to the aft not too far from the aft elevators.

Any ideas about specific cabins or in about the oceanview cabins on Prinsendam in general? We'd love one of those cabins where you can sit next to the window instead of having the beds directly below the window as shown on some pictures.

Thank you very much for your help!!

 

I just got off the Prinsendam for the first time on Jan. 4, 2016. Mum and I were in C271 (outside, Lower Promenade Deck). First, I absolutely love the Prinsendam and she if now my favourite HAL ship. The crew, dining staff, food and entertainment were excellent. Cabin was very good and the ship rides nicely in rough seas. We could sit on the 2 seater sofa and see the sea (we're sure the windows sit lower on this ship). The walk in cabin was also very nice. Note: Our suitcases sit not fit under the bed. So I moved the vanity seat to use for my daily junk and put the two suitcases under the vanity. Sat on the bed to dry my hair. Hope this helps.

[RuthC]

Noise in the atrium? Not likely. This is a small ship, with fewer passengers to make any noise. Add to that there's not much going on in the atrium on any level, and it's pretty quiet all over.

I think any cabin between the forward and aft elevators should give a smooth ride.

[NoWhiners]

we were in cabin #365, a category D. Right down the hall from 385? Loved it. It was quiet, didn't notice any vibration and seas (this was a Black Sea cruise) were very rough but cabin was fine. It had the advantage of being just down the hall from the self-serve laundry room (which we used a lot on a 14 day cruise). I don't know if P'dam got rid of their laundry rooms like other HAL ships.

 

Also, luggage fit under the bed, but you have to lift the bed frame a little bit to slide it under. Once we did that, it fit fine. Wasn't too heavy so it was easy, and you only need to do it twice!

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise

ML

[serendipity1499]

We are planning to book our first cruise on "Prinsendam" and we're very sure we'll like the experience as we love smaller ships, having cruised with Azamara a few times and of course on some of the bigger HAL ships like Zaandam or Eurodam as well.

We usually book a balcony cabin but this time I'm afraid it will have to be an oceanview in either cat. F or E. So help is very welcome in choosing the right cabin for this cruise because oceanviews are still more expensive than balconies on other ships of the fleet... I wanted to avoid cat. H and G because of the portholes and the fact that they are very much to the bow of the ship - too much movement in rough seas, I presume... I'm also not sure if we'd like the cabins on the promenade deck. They might give easy access to the deck, but there surely is a lot of walking outside which might disturb our beauty sleep :rolleyes:.

Some of the cat. F cabins we are considering are rather to the aft, for example 392/394/395/397. I have read about vibration and noise issues. Is that still true or has drydock for example fixed that?

In cat. E we found cabin 102 available which is far to the front on deck 9 next to the balcony cabins and the single oceanview.So there mioght be lots of movement again in rougher seas?? Some others are near to the atrium on main deck, for example 330 ( directly next to the atrium - noise???) or 322. There's also 385 again rather to the aft not too far from the aft elevators.

Any ideas about specific cabins or in about the oceanview cabins on Prinsendam in general? We'd love one of those cabins where you can sit next to the window instead of having the beds directly below the window as shown on some pictures.

Thank you very much for your help!!

 

I bolded your question about noise in the Atrium..We've been on the Prinsendam twice..It is our favorite ship & was built to handle all types of seas.. We never experienced any problems with vibration or noise on either of our cruises..

 

On our South America/Antarctica cruise in 2013 we were in E331 on Main deck, very close to the Atrium & the elevators...No noise whatsoever.. We loved that cabin.. We also were in cabin 320, further forward on the same deck on another cruise..We liked 331 more because it was closer to the Atrium..The doors to all the cabins are actually recessed & do not open directly on the main hall..You will love the walk in closets!..

 

Hope you find a cabin you like & enjoy your cruise..

Edited January 20, 2016 by serendipity1499

[arzz]

Be aware that if the seas are very rough and you are in a forward porthole cabin they may require that the metal porthole covers be installed over the portholes making your cabin a virtual inside cabin during these times. This happened during our 2007 Antarctica voyage. We were not in one of those cabins (we were aft on the dolphin deck) - but those with the portholes covered for several days were not happy.

[Storylady]

Don't book the aft cabins on the Dolphin or Main Deck. The windows are double pained due to the noise or vibration you are talking about. The Chief Engineer said that they have been that way almost from the time it was built. Not sure how much noise you can hear due to the double pained windows. But I would not want to be in one of those cabins without putting something in the window to make sure that you don't bump your head.

 

 

My husband and I have been on the Prinsendam for three major cruise. She sails beautifully. And the cabins forward of the Atrium is our favorite location. Although, the farther forward you go (porthole), you may heard the waves banging against the hull. My sister-in -law and husband had an F cabin and they heard the waves banging when the seas were rough.

 

We delivered CC invitations theoughout the ship and felt that the farther forward you were, the quieter it was. I would take the 322. The 330 might be okay also. There definitely is no noise in the atrium on the main deck!

Edited January 20, 2016 by Storylady
Spelling error

[grayjay]

Thank you so much for your answers - they really helped so much in choosing a cabin. So as vibration still seems to be an issue ( we didn't like it on Eurodam either where it was very noticeable) we'll avoid the cabins more to the aft .

There's still the decision whether to take cabin E 102 which is on deck 9 directly next to the single oceanview and rather to the bow - which might have more motion but in general we prefer the higher decks because of the view. On the other hand we'll only have a window to look through...

Our second choice would now be either E 330 or 322 as your answers have shown us that being near to the atrium is obviously no issue.

So which is it to be - shall I throw the dice or ask experienced HAL cruisers again ;): I'll just ask first and THEN perhaps try to find the dice!

By the way:we're planning to book a cruise to Spitsbergen and Iceland. We've been to Spitsbergen before but it will be great to go again. And the Norwegian fjords which we'll also visit again are places I can't get enough of!

Thank you again for your help.

[FRANKIEDNYC]

:) Cabins 102 and 103 are in a nice location but you do feel a bit more motion of the ocean. Also when scenic cruising, lots of people hang out on that outer deck and if you need privacy, you must draw the curtains because they will be standing right outside your window.

[grayjay]

:) Cabins 102 and 103 are in a nice location but you do feel a bit more motion of the ocean. Also when scenic cruising, lots of people hang out on that outer deck and if you need privacy, you must draw the curtains because they will be standing right outside your window.

 

Well, if they're really interested in watching a large elderly lady lying on the sofa or bed - reading a book or taking a snooze - they're very welcome..:)

We really did choose cabin 102 now - hoping for calm seas... But we really liked the idea of just slipping outside for a view instead of having to walk up from decks 5 or 6, kind of having an extra-large balcony near. And I assume it will be quiet in the evenings.

And of course there's always the small chance for an upsell to a balcony cabin when the time of departure draws near...

Thanks again for all your help .