Princendam Aft-Facing Cabins - Good or Bad?

[Ken the cruiser]

We are planning in the near future to book an aft-facing AB vista suite and have been reading some seriously negative reviews about them. However, being that these reviews were posted back in 2010 and 2012, we were wondering if HAL has addressed those earlier issues (e.g., water draining from the pool onto the balconies, heavy vibrations and so noisy that people couldn't sleep at night to name a few). If you have actually cruised in one of these suites (AB218 - AB224) within the past few years, we would appreciate your thoughts if you have some extra time to share.

[kazu]

We are planning in the near future to book an aft-facing AB vista suite and have been reading some seriously negative reviews about them. However, being that these reviews were posted back in 2010 and 2012, we were wondering if HAL has addressed those earlier issues (e.g., water draining from the pool onto the balconies, heavy vibrations and so noisy that people couldn't sleep at night to name a few). If you have actually cruised in one of these suites (AB218 - AB224) within the past few years, we would appreciate your thoughts if you have some extra time to share.

 

I am one of the ones posting about those cabins. Have I been in one? No. Have I talked to fellow cruisers who have? Yes. Have I heard their relief when they finally got an overnight cabin (to sleep in)? Yes.

 

On our last cruise, the issues were not as bad. Why? Because they came into port later and the sea view pool was kept around 1/2 full most of the time. What I heard from others was that the cabins were still noisy (not just the vibration). But not as bad. I have heard some report that all was good in those cabins.

 

The problem is these are not the original cabins. Because they were inserted there seems to be an issue with the moving and shaking.

 

Frankly, as a huge P'dam fan, I wouldn't want any of these anyways because of the fact they are not original Prinsendam cabins. They lack the personality of the P'dam,but that's just me.

 

Wth so many categories to choose from, I wouldn't tempt fate (we are unlucky) and would book a different category. JMO

[jtl513]

Here is one post from 2014 with a differing opinion:

 

I've stayed in AB cabins on the P twice and have no complaints. I'm doing it again for the third time in October.

[Ken the cruiser]

Here is one post from 2014 with a differing opinion:

 

Very informative thread. Thanks! OK, I'm convinced. No promenade deck rooms, aft or otherwise. How are the upper promenade suites? I'm thinking just aft from the forward elevators but no farther back than over the Explorations Café or Wajang theater.

[kazu]

Very informative thread. Thanks! OK, I'm convinced. No promenade deck rooms, aft or otherwise. How are the upper promenade suites? I'm thinking just aft from the forward elevators but no farther back than over the Explorations Café or Wajang theater.

 

We had a very large roll call on our last P'dam cruise (over 100 people) and several get togethers. I heard no complaints from anyone on that deck (most were in A or AA but some were in M's) or any of the other cabins on board (other than some in the AB).

 

It was the same our previous Prinsendam cruises. Only complaints were the size of the rooms (for some ) and the AB cabins - but our roll calls were not quite as large ;)

 

If you are booking an AA category, you might want to look to see if 120 is available or it's twin on the opposite side. Several Prinsendam regulars say this is a superior cabin because the balcony is a bit bigger. They liked the jut out.

[Ken the cruiser]

We had a very large roll call on our last P'dam cruise (over 100 people) and several get togethers. I heard no complaints from anyone on that deck (most were in A or AA but some were in M's) or any of the other cabins on board (other than some in the AB).

 

It was the same our previous Prinsendam cruises. Only complaints were the size of the rooms (for some ) and the AB cabins - but our roll calls were not quite as large ;)

 

If you are booking an AA category, you might want to look to see if 120 is available or it's twin on the opposite side. Several Prinsendam regulars say this is a superior cabin because the balcony is a bit bigger. They liked the jut out.

 

Thanks KAZU for all the great information! Our plan is to book as soon as the cruise we're looking at becomes available, so we'll definitely see if either one of those cabins are available.

[Wehwalt]

I sailed in 121 on the 36 days from FLL to Buenos Aires on the Pdam this past year's Grand South America. I was delighted to get the cabin, liked it very much, and have it booked on the Grand Med next year. The only negative is that when there is live commentary about what the ship is passing through (canal, Antarctic waters) you're on a bit of a delay. One thing to do is to turn on the TV to the bow view.

 

It's nice as well to be on the same deck as much of the action, and there's not much traffic back there. Also, you have virtually private exits down to the outside deck. Easy to escape after Muster Drill!

Edited August 5, 2016 by Wehwalt

[OlsSalt]

Next question about this block of newly attached aft cabins on the Prinsendam.

 

Are the noise and vibration problems present in all of the aft cabins this new cabin pod, or just the truly "aft-facing" one at the very rear of the pod?

[Mrs. Walkinman]

Next question about this block of newly attached aft cabins on the Prinsendam.

 

Are the noise and vibration problems present in all of the aft cabins this new cabin pod, or just the truly "aft-facing" one at the very rear of the pod?

 

We were in one of the veranda cabins along the side-not facing aft- on a 30 day Amazon cruise two years ago. I didn't notice much vibration, but there was some noise from the pool deck above; scraping chairs, etc.

 

I was up every morning at least 1/2 hour before sunrise, sitting on the veranda with a pot of coffee from room service. At around 530am almost every day, the deck stewards wash off the pool deck, and there would be a rain of water splashing down into the balcony. Once I got used to it, it was OK, but the first couple of days I got soaked.

 

I asked our room steward about the aft balconies, and he said that they get a lot of soot wafting down from the smoke stack, and that I was better off in the side facing balcony.

[kazu]

Next question about this block of newly attached aft cabins on the Prinsendam.

 

Are the noise and vibration problems present in all of the aft cabins this new cabin pod, or just the truly "aft-facing" one at the very rear of the pod?

 

From what I heard all the cabins COULD be affected. since the last dry dock there was some improvement. But the vibration and noise persisted in the "new" cabins. Some were barely no issue at all along the non aft and others were a big issue. Definitely the cabins still have issues. Not as bad as before, but they are still there.

 

The inside cabin on that deck (which was an old Signature Suite I believe) is huge and was moved to the inside. It had no vibrations or issues in that cabin (ski ww's cabin) as I recall. Hopefully ski ww sees this thread and confirms my memory is correct but I recall asking them about it. I don't know if this is because it was "moved" and constructed of the old material or not.

 

The added cabins (the AB's) are the "standard issue HAL cabins". They are not the Prinsendam original cabins and I suspect that the quality may not as be as high (?) as the original P'dam cabins. Or there was not enough to solidify the cabins when they installed them? It's just a best guess.

 

Bottom line - some people were fine after the last dry dock, others were not. Definitely those on the side not in the aft seemed to have fewer issues overall.

 

It seems to be a "your mileage may vary" scenario.

 

Just reporting what I have been told both on the cruise and via a website emails where cabins are posted by CC members ;)

Edited August 5, 2016 by kazu

[OlsSalt]

Lasst year I saw the aft cabins were priced better than the regular verandah cabins and I though, wow, what a deal. Now I think I understand why. Thanks for all these tips.

 

Next predicament since we waited this long to think about the upcoming Amazon cruise - Nov 2016, I wonder if the only cabins left now will be the troubled aft cabins. Will be checking soon but glad I am prepared to consider this when they tell us what might be left.

 

Soooo ..even with the known possibility of an aft-cabin "rough ride", would grabbing an aft cabin if this is all that is left worth the chance just to do the Amazon. (I know, I know only we can decide.)

 

Noise and vibrations constant, or noise mainly when daytime activities are going on? Vibrations like a "Magic Fingers" bed or metal rattling drones?

[OlsSalt]

Found this 200 series aft-facing cabin CC member review - beware of the gratuitous "upgrade"?:

 

 

We had booked an ocean view cabin, but a few days before the sail date we were upgraded to a veranda suite, AB202.

 

The location of our particular cabin was at the rear of the ship on deck 8 so we didn't have too far to walk to anywhere. On the negative side, to get to our cabin in the evening we had to either walk on one side through the Explorer’s lounge after waiting patiently for Adagio to finish playing, or hold our breath and sprint through the smoky casino on the other side. (We must confess that we sometimes rudely walked through while Adagio were playing).

 

If it had not been for the upgrade, and we must admit to really enjoying our balcony for this scenic cruise, we would not have chosen this cabin location. However, this location would have been excellent for people with mobility issues or for smokers that frequent the casino.

 

We complained to the front desk about a bad smell preventing us from sitting on our balcony on a couple of occasions when we were in port. We were told that it resulted from a combination of ship’s waste vent locations and unfavourable wind direction and there was not much they could do about it.

[OlsSalt]

Okay, cancel any more questions about Prinsendam aft-cabins for me - just booked Vista A137 for the November 2016 Amazon. Yippee.

 

However, I did learn the AB 200 series Vista aft cabins are $200 less, so they know what they are selling.

[RuthC]

Okay, cancel any more questions about Prinsendam aft-cabins for me - just booked Vista A137 for the November 2016 Amazon. Yippee.

I've stayed in that cabin. Loved it. Perfect location, smooth ride. The only thing I didn't like was the mirror in the bathtub. :eek: Nor the height of the side of the tub.

[Wehwalt]

I did not find noise/vibration an issue in 121. You sign up for a certain level when you go on a ship, of course. But I had far worse vibration in an aft-facing cabin (6093) on the Pacific Princess. It was great to be able to see both sides in Antarctica.

[OlsSalt]

I've stayed in that cabin. Loved it. Perfect location, smooth ride. The only thing I didn't like was the mirror in the bathtub. :eek: Nor the height of the side of the tub.

 

Thanks for the great feedback about the cabin. We had a mirror in the bath-tub inclosure on our last Prinsendam Neptune suite too. Totally odd place for one, thank you very much. Luckily it steamed up, but I put those features into the category of what were they thinking. A holdover from their Royal Viking days?

 

Another question if you remember this detail. From the deck plan it looks like the Atrium circular stair case goes up to this Upper Promenade Deck and then stops there.

 

And then another stair case in a near by goes up to the upper Lido deck, but it looks like might by-passes the suite deck in-between. I know you use the elevators, but does this stair lay-out case ring a bell?

[RuthC]

Another question if you remember this detail. From the deck plan it looks like the Atrium circular stair case goes up to this Upper Promenade Deck and then stops there.

 

And then another stair case in a near by goes up to the upper Lido deck, but it looks like might by-passes the suite deck in-between. I know you use the elevators, but does this stair lay-out case ring a bell?

I remember when I came out of the cabin passageway the atrium had the circular staircase in both directions, but I never used it. I don't know what deck it ends on; I don't recall it on Lido Deck (it must go there, though. how else will climbers get to the deck).

Scooters were parked there, I expect as they can't get down into the cabins on that deck. They were out of the way (I wasn't using a scooter at the time).

There was no other staircase that I found (I did go forward, across, and back down to the atrium once) unless you used the aft staircase.

Edited August 6, 2016 by RuthC

[kazu]

Thanks for the great feedback about the cabin. We had a mirror in the bath-tub inclosure on our last Prinsendam Neptune suite too. Totally odd place for one, thank you very much. Luckily it steamed up, but I put those features into the category of what were they thinking. A holdover from their Royal Viking days?

 

Another question if you remember this detail. From the deck plan it looks like the Atrium circular stair case goes up to this Upper Promenade Deck and then stops there.

 

And then another stair case in a near by goes up to the upper Lido deck, but it looks like might by-passes the suite deck in-between. I know you use the elevators, but does this stair lay-out case ring a bell?

 

Is this the stairway you are referencing?

 

There's a stair way that goes to the Lido deck. You arrive at a landing (which is actually the landing/foyer before the suites) (there is an elevator there too if I recall correctly). Across the landing is another stairway that goes up to the Sports Deck. At the top of that landing to the left is the hallway to the Suites on the Sports Deck and the Crow's Nest.

 

I'm going by memory but I think that's how I remember it. I used the stairs a lot ;)

[rafinmd]

I don,t remember what deck the transion is, but the traditional stairs begin where the circular ones end. I rarely use ships elevators so I've walked from main deck to lido many times so I can verify there's no break.

 

Roy

[madera1]

We will be in AB221 in just 2 weeks and I I'll report back after our experience. My DH specifically selected this cabin at the time of our original booking as he loves aft locations. Hopefully we won't have issues.

[OlsSalt]

I don,t remember what deck the transion is, but the traditional stairs begin where the circular ones end. I rarely use ships elevators so I've walked from main deck to lido many times so I can verify there's no break.

 

Roy

 

Thanks for all these first hand reports about the central stair well. The deck plans are confusing when trying to visualize going from deck to deck, but it makes sense there has to be at least a continuous central stair access.

 

I remember one huge circular stairwell somewhere on the Prinsendam that looked like a giant vortex. Almost took a photo of it because it was such a strong, but foreboding, architectural feature. But since we were way in the forward part of the ship on our Prinsendam cruise, up by the Crow's Nest we did not use the central or aft stairs, just ran into this one once.

 

The deck plans do show this central stairwell break at the Upper Promenade level, and then a non-continuous bank of stairs between the Upper Promenande and the Verandah decks. So that doesn't make sense since you report from your actual first hand experience it is all one continuous stair well - is this the infamous vortex?

 

And then I saw on the deck plan only a very tiny one side stairwell in the actual Lido buffet, or else it looks like the central stairs come directly outside side on the Lido deck. could that be right? Rain, rain go away.

 

Oh well, this is getting difficult to create a word picture here. We will just have to wait to see and do.

Edited August 6, 2016 by OlsSalt

[kazu]

Thanks for all these first hand reports about the central stair well. The deck plans are confusing when trying to visualize going from deck to deck, but it makes sense there has to be at least a continuous central stair access.

 

I remember one huge circular stairwell somewhere on the Prinsendam that looked like a giant vortex. Almost took a photo of it because it was such a strong, but foreboding, architectural feature. But since we were way in the forward part of the ship on our Prinsendam cruise, up by the Crow's Nest we did not use the central or aft stairs, just ran into this one once.

 

The deck plans do show this central stairwell break at the Upper Promenade level, and then a non-continuous bank of stairs between the Upper Promenande and the Verandah decks. So that doesn't make sense since you report from your actual first hand experience it is all one continuous stair well - is this the infamous vortex?

 

And then I saw on the deck plan only a very tiny one side stairwell in the actual Lido buffet, or else it looks like the central stairs come directly outside side on the Lido deck. could that be right? Rain, rain go away.

 

Oh well, this is getting difficult to create a word picture here. We will just have to wait to see and do.

 

there's an outside set of stairs going from the Lido. I think it was off the Canaletto if I remember correctly (otherwise that new Garden room of the Lido). On our last cruise, passengers were not permitted to use them, probably for safety reasons.

[RuthC]

OlsSalt, the Prinsendam is a small ship---there are only two inside staircases, forward and aft. They are continuous in the same area of the ship, and are by the elevator banks. There are some outside stairways from one deck to another, but those can't be counted on to go to every deck; they don't.

 

I don't know if it is still there (I expect it is), but there was a half-staircase and handicap elevator to go from the salon to the gym.

[sos1720]

We were on the fantastic Prinsendam last October/November (2015) for 4 weeks; the first 2 in one of the aft-facing verandas, the last 2 weeks in a suite on the starboard side of the ship. The first 2 weeks were awful because we entered ports early in the morning, maybe 5 or 5:30 AM. When the ship was in reverse, the vibration could be compared to reentry in a space capsule. No sleeping through that! I found screws on the floor from the bathroom door that had shook loose! I would really advise our Cruise Critic fellow travelers to avoid aft-facing Prinsendam cabins at all costs in a port-intensive cruise. I absolutely love the ship though and it's definitely my favorite HAL ship. I have sailed on three other HAL ships in rear-facing aft cabins and never experienced anything similar to the vibration on the Prinsendam.