Older vs Newer HAL Ships

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, Dismomx5 said:

We're inside on the Zandaam in August. How are those inside rooms on the Zaandam?

So long as it is a 'large' inside, you should be fine in it. It is only slightly smaller than the outsides on the same ship (one fewer closet). There are three generous drawers in the desk, two decent size night stands, and a love seat.
The bathroom has a decent shower, with a sink w/counter in the footprint where a tub would be in an outside cabin. There's a shelf underneath, so plenty of storage space in the bathroom. 

The ship is small enough that you can easily get from one place to another in just a few minutes, and will see the same people over and over again. Great size ship. 

Volendam is the same class of ship, so very similar. The Zaandam has a music theme, while the Volendam has a flowers theme. That's pretty much the only difference. 

[St Pete Cruiser]

20 hours ago, kazu said:

 

It was one of the nice touches on the P’dam.  I looked around and only his tables got it.  I’m guessing they were allowed to keep the and he was putting it to use 🙂 

Yes, the crumber is still around on Holland America ships, but usually only by the better and more experienced servers. 

[janmcn]

Shorter cruises (<14 days) Pinnacle Class are nice. Longer cruises the older ships have better cabins with more storage. Prefer long cruises, so the smaller, older ships are great…especially with the wide promenades…give me a library with the Exploration Cafe and I’m truly happy.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, janmcn said:

Shorter cruises (<14 days) Pinnacle Class are nice. Longer cruises the older ships have better cabins with more storage. Prefer long cruises, so the smaller, older ships are great…especially with the wide promenades…give me a library with the Exploration Cafe and I’m truly happy.

 

Did either of the remaining small ships get to keep their libraries?

[RuthC]

36 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Did either of the remaining small ships get to keep their libraries?

From what I have read on CC, the Volendam, Zaandam, and Noordam all have their original libraries intact. 

[OlsSalt]

28 minutes ago, RuthC said:

From what I have read on CC, the Volendam, Zaandam, and Noordam all have their original libraries intact. 

 

Sad to report but it appears the Noordam lost their library - 2019 "refit" from the HALFacts photos - into one of those few book cubicle things. Did it get switched back because it became a Microsoft Lab, and they are now being phased out.

[OlsSalt]

Noordam's former glory -- The Library

[CNSJ]

5 hours ago, montythecat said:

We tried HAL last year, attracted by the music offerings which seemed

to be a lot more adventurous than those offered on Celebrity which used

to be our first choice cruise line. Not any more !  Oosterdam was very

enjoyable but NS was, for us, truly exceptional. It is now my

favourite ship (27 cruises). Subject to appropriate itineraries we will

look for Pinnacle Class ships above all others. The Dutch Cafe is also

another very good reason for this choice.

We went the other way....after many HAL cruises we tried Celebrity and found ourselves back on HAL.

[Oceanwench]

Pinnacle Class brought me back to HAL.

Had an aft cabin on Rotterdam for a TA and I loved it!
Booked another for this year, and one on NS for next year.
 

I'd been cruising on NCL for several years with kids and grandkids -- a better fit for all.
But when I am adulting, I'm staying on Pinnacle ships.

[Boatdrill]

Any size is ok for me except the Pinnacle/Grandioso size.  Too many people, too many gimmicks.  

[MISTER 67]

I'll go with the Signature Class, the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam are perfect, it's too bad that at the present time the onboard experience on HAL ships especially with food and entertainment are not close to exceeding expectations.

[terrydtx]

Our first HAL cruise was in 2007 on the Volendam and since we have cruised in 3 Vista ships and both Signature ships, in November we have our first Pinaccle ship cruise on the Koningsdam. Next year we will return to the Volendam for a Boston to Montreal cruise which is ideal for a smaller ship because some of the ports they can access that larger ships can't. We have always booked either Vista or Signature suites for more room and a balcony (Volendam)

 

The only thing we miss on the Volendam and Vista ships is Tamarind which we think is the best specialty restaurant of any cruise ship we have cruised on. On the Koningsdam in November we plan multiple nights in Tamarind. We will be doing an Alaska cruise in 2025 with our grandson and hope that one of the Pinnacle Class ships will be in Alaska in 2025 so we can book on them.

Edited February 18, 2023 by terrydtx

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Our first HAL cruise was in 2007 on the Volendam and since we have cruised in 3 Vista ships and both Signature ships, in November we have our first Pinaccle ship cruise on the Koningsdam. Next year we will return to the Volendam for a Boston to Montreal cruise which is ideal for a smaller ship because some of the ports they can access that larger ships can't. We have always booked either Vista or Signature suites for more room and a balcony (Volendam)

 

The only thing we miss on the Volendam and Vista ships is Tamarind which we think is the best specialty restaurant of any cruise ship we have cruised on. On the Koningsdam in November we plan multiple nights in Tamarind. We will be doing an Alaska cruise in 2025 with our grandson and hope that one of the Pinnacle Class ships will be in Alaska in 2025 so we can book on them.

I used to be a huge fan of the tamarind but I really adore sel de mer.  Canaletto is so much better than it used to be.  I would put it at a very close second to sel de mer.  Tamarind has eliminated so many of my favourite items and the desserts are meh.  The desserts I liked have all been eliminated too. I know people like the steak in the tamarind but I’ve tried it a few times and could take it or leave it.

[terrydtx]

Just now, Florida_gal_50 said:

I used to be a huge fan of the tamarind but I really adore sel de mer.  Canaletto is so much better than it used to be.  I would put it at a very close second to sel de mer.  Tamarind has eliminated so many of my favourite items and the desserts are meh.  The desserts I liked have all been eliminated too. I know people like the steak in the tamarind but I’ve tried it a few times and could take it or leave it.

We plan on trying the Sel De Mer on the Koningsdam as well. I will agree that the Canaletto was much better on the Oosterdam last year than I remember from 2019. The last time we could dine in Tamarind was in 2014. Since then, all of our HAL cruises have been on Vista ships.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

25 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I used to be a huge fan of the tamarind but I really adore sel de mer.  Canaletto is so much better than it used to be.  I would put it at a very close second to sel de mer.  Tamarind has eliminated so many of my favourite items and the desserts are meh.  The desserts I liked have all been eliminated too. I know people like the steak in the tamarind but I’ve tried it a few times and could take it or leave it.

I have been so disappointed my last several times in Tamarind, definitely a lot has to do with taking away many of the very good items on the menu but in July I just thought the quality had fallen as well.

For many years I was never impressed with Canaletto but tried it again on our Rotterdam cruise and can say I was actually impressed as was my husband who previously hated Canaletto. We actually felt it was better than Pinnacle which has been declining for the past 7 years. Our next cruise Westerdam in September does not have a Tamarind and actually it does not bother me either way. Sadly I have never had a good experience with Sel de Mer and I love seafood so will not miss that either. We are returning to a Pinnacle class the Nieuw Statendam in December unknown if we will even bother with Sel De Mer, probably not. Planning to dine in Tamaind and Canaletto.

[gizmodog]

Not much mention on the Westerdam, going on her to Alaska in June with my family. Does anyone have an opinion on this ship in particular?

[terrydtx]

Just now, gizmodog said:

Not much mention on the Westerdam, going on her to Alaska in June with my family. Does anyone have an opinion on this ship in particular?

We did Alaska in 2019 on the Noordam her sister ship and she was fine, just doesn't have all the dinning upgrades the newer ships have. The cabins have been upgraded with wide screen interactive TVs and electronics. The Westerdam had a big refurbishment in early 2019 and two smaller maintenance and refreshing ones in 2020 and last month. I wouldn't do Alaska on any other cruise line, they have more Alaska cruising experience than any other cruise lines. You will be fine on the Westerdam.

[OlsSalt]

Agree, Canaletto became our favorite restaurant on the recent Konigsdam, after learning to avoid it on other ships.

 

Although we booked the other specialty restaurants on both of our cruise segments, we canceled them for the second segment after very disappointing first segment experiences: Pinnacle, Tamarind, Sel de Mer.  Even when we still had two of them for "free" as Mariners perks.

 

Tamarind was a favorite on Nieuw Amsterdam- but with the separate Sushi Bar and Tamarind on the Konigsdam, the menu offerings no longer had their original appeal, nor execution. Tamarind remains a lovely setting and a nice change of pace, but the former magic was somehow gone. Can't quite put my finger on it, as it was a previously winning formula.

 

Main dining room -late  fixed dining - ultimately became our go to choice on the second segment, and we were not disappointed. Whereas the other speciality dining options were disappointments on this ship ----except as mentioned for Canaletto, which was exceptional. Rudi's was definitely a one and done experience.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

I have been so disappointed my last several times in Tamarind, definitely a lot has to do with taking away many of the very good items on the menu but in July I just thought the quality had fallen as well.

For many years I was never impressed with Canaletto but tried it again on our Rotterdam cruise and can say I was actually impressed as was my husband who previously hated Canaletto. We actually felt it was better than Pinnacle which has been declining for the past 7 years. Our next cruise Westerdam in September does not have a Tamarind and actually it does not bother me either way. Sadly I have never had a good experience with Sel de Mer and I love seafood so will not miss that either. We are returning to a Pinnacle class the Nieuw Statendam in December unknown if we will even bother with Sel De Mer, probably not. Planning to dine in Tamaind and Canaletto.

I don't think anyone hated canaletto more than I did so its shocking that I feel so warm towards it now. I only go to the pinnacle for lunch now and I have to say I thought only one lunch was very good last time. The rest were meh.

[AKJonesy]

I never liked the small ships.  I would not be able to ever go on a river cruise where there are only hundreds of people.  I like to be basically incognito and go about my business without bumping into people and feeling like I have to talk to people.  I guess this comes from living where few people live.  Not that I do not like to socialize because I have hosted the Roll Call many times and have organized tours when people were doing that more.  I do like Oosterdam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam for size but I have been on the new Rotterdam and really like the additions of restaurants and music walk.  I have been on Noordam, Volendam, Zuiderdam, Zaandam and the old Rotterdam and would have to say they were my least favorite.  I probably would not have like Prinsendam but would have like to sail her just because other people really seemed to like that ship. 

[Florida_gal_50]

4 minutes ago, AKJonesy said:

I never liked the small ships.  I would not be able to ever go on a river cruise where there are only hundreds of people.  I like to be basically incognito and go about my business without bumping into people and feeling like I have to talk to people.  I guess this comes from living where few people live.  Not that I do not like to socialize because I have hosted the Roll Call many times and have organized tours when people were doing that more.  I do like Oosterdam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam for size but I have been on the new Rotterdam and really like the additions of restaurants and music walk.  I have been on Noordam, Volendam, Zuiderdam, Zaandam and the old Rotterdam and would have to say they were my least favorite.  I probably would not have like Prinsendam but would have like to sail her just because other people really seemed to like that ship. 

Agree with you 100 percent.  I think there are just more vocal people about the prinsendam.  I personally know 2 people that sailed that ship and neither was particularly impressed with it.  That said I’ve never been on the ship and I’m no fan of the old ships like the people seem to be that sailed that ship.

[OlsSalt]

2 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Agree with you 100 percent.  I think there are just more vocal people about the prinsendam.  I personally know 2 people that sailed that ship and neither was particularly impressed with it.  That said I’ve never been on the ship and I’m no fan of the old ships like the people seem to be that sailed that ship.

 

Loved the Black Sea itinerary and the ability for the Prinsendam to be more flexible in response to unexpected changes. Waking up in the middle of the bustle of downtown Istanbul's harbor and marine traffic scene cannot be duplicated, except when surrounded by the glowing city lights while having dinner on the back deck in this same setting.  

 

But it was an awkward layout ship, and did not excel in any particular way over other HAL ships in decor, dining or service.  The Pinnacle for breakfast was the one standout - small space and very welcoming staff. Those moments starting each day were a real delight. 

 

The large Neptune suites were pretty spectacular size-wise, and we did spend most of our onboard time in it, so we really did not get around the rest of the ship which always felt more cramped and crowded to us. No glass dome pool area either. The Neptune Lounge was nothing special for some curious reason - just a converted, verandah suite, with little spacious charm, feel or amenities.

 

But what a wonderful itinerary. So we did love our Prinsendam adventure. We still remain key supporters of the other HAL smaller ships, and dearly hope they find a way to continue.

[Florida_gal_50]

42 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Loved the Black Sea itinerary and the ability for the Prinsendam to be more flexible in response to unexpected changes. Waking up in the middle of the bustle of downtown Istanbul's harbor and marine traffic scene cannot be duplicated, except when surrounded by the glowing city lights while having dinner on the back deck in this same setting.  

 

But it was an awkward layout ship, and did not excel in any particular way over other HAL ships in decor, dining or service.  The Pinnacle for breakfast was the one standout - small space and very welcoming staff. Those moments starting each day were a real delight. 

 

The large Neptune suites were pretty spectacular size-wise, and we did spend most of our onboard time in it, so we really did not get around the rest of the ship which always felt more cramped and crowded to us. No glass dome pool area either. The Neptune Lounge was nothing special for some curious reason - just a converted, verandah suite, with little spacious charm, feel or amenities.

 

But what a wonderful itinerary. So we did love our Prinsendam adventure. We still remain key supporters of the other HAL smaller ships, and dearly hope they find a way to continue.

I have no doubt that that ship did some wonderful itineraries that’s will never be replicated.  For me, a beautiful ship is more important because I do tend to stay on the ship more than I used to.  I have precious few holidays for now so I’m not interested in taking super long cruises that are difficult to get to.  I may never be.  I realize that is probably much different than a lot of people on this board.  I do hope for those that love the small ships they they will support those ships instead of saying one thing then doing all cruises on larger ships.

[Susanmaz]

We really enjoy the smaller ships. We’re on the K’dam last November and found it too big with too many people, felt crowded and noisy. We like the quiet and calm atmosphere of small.

[loveapug]

On 2/17/2023 at 1:15 PM, St Pete Cruiser said:

Yes, the crumber is still around on Holland America ships, but usually only by the better and more experienced servers. 

Just got off the Oosterdam- and several of the waiters used the crumb catcher! I like the seeded rolls and the seeds always seem to shed...