Opinion on Pinnacle Class ships, particularly Nieuw Statendam - did you find it too large/crowded?

[croozen]

We started out many years ago on the Volendam so we are partial I guess to smaller ships. Since then we have done Westerdam, Oosterdam, the largest being the Eurodam which I think is about 2100. 

 

Given the Pinnacles take about 2500ish did you find it crowded, more of a hassle getting on and off, line ups etc.?? Just curious to hear opinions. I have seen a smattering of comments on both ends - that people said is felt spacious and others saying it was too many people. 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We love it and go on a Pinnacle class ship every fall for 3 months. 

[PACD_JG]

I went on the NS with 2900 folks Thanksgiving 22. Too many people, ship and crew can’t handle that, and it turned me off from cruising the Caribbean and during school breaks.  I went on the Koningsdam with 1800 to Alaska in June 22.  It was a 10/10…which made me think I could duplicate the experience at Thanksgiving on the NS.  Here’s hoping July this year on the Koningsdam is closer to 1800…

[OlsSalt]

Had to try the Pinnacle class, after years mainly on beloved S and R class HAL ships.

 

One and done.  Zero appeal. 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by OlsSalt

[3rdGenCunarder]

I don't know if I would say the K'dam feels large. It certainly does not feel spacious. The promenade is narrow, with lots of turns to get around the "canned" life rafts. The only place to sit is on the benches that hold life jackets. The world Stage (Main showroom) is way too small for the number of passengers. When I sailed on K (two different times), if you wanted to get a seat for a show, you had to get there a half hour early. Forty-five minutes if you wanted a good seat (or had a preference for where you sat). The music venues along "Music Walk" are too small for the number of people who go there, so the crowd spills out into the walkway. Think Times Square on New Year's Eve, only louder. 

 

A really special itinerary would get me back on a Pinnacle ship, so never say never. But I will say not likely.

[julia]

Just spent 35 nights on the Koningsdam, and while she's visually pleasing, we would NOT sail this class again.  Very crowded in places, very loud (with canned techno-music in every venue), weird promenade deck, and the Anytime Dining was anything but.  Although the staff and service was outstanding, we prefer the smaller ships.

[3rdGenCunarder]

48 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

I went on the NS with 2900 folks Thanksgiving 22. Too many people, ship and crew can’t handle that, and it turned me off from cruising the Caribbean and during school breaks.  I went on the Koningsdam with 1800 to Alaska in June 22.  It was a 10/10…which made me think I could duplicate the experience at Thanksgiving on the NS.  Here’s hoping July this year on the Koningsdam is closer to 1800…

 

Your holiday experience can happen on almost any ship because so many families travel using the cabins that will take 3 or 4 people. But given that K'dam's stated capacity is around 2600 (with only 2 people per cabin), I don't think you will get the 1800 passenger experience again.

[bennybear]

We  loved the Koningsdam for 23 days,  enjoyed the tamarind, Dutch cafe and beautiful dining room.  We are among those that love the old larger promenade, but that was easily resolved by booking a cabin with a large veranda.  So the pluses far outweighed the very few minuses.  
 

The last time on the Noordam we found the decor in the stateroom not up to snuff in a signature suite. Whereas the Westerdam was nicely updated.   So depends on extent of recent dry docks on older ships. 

[doone]

Been on Koningsdam and Rotterdam and found I love the Pinnacle class ships.  As far as feeling crowded, at times it did, but never took away from my experience, love them…..

[mcrcruiser]

The only problem we found was the low staff levels  causing much delayed  dinner service & the lack of daily evening shows in the front theatre which they named the World Stage

[albingirl]

I've sailed 3x on the NS, and two times it was at 60 % capacity. We went again this past Feb for 2 weeks and it was sold out. We had club orange on that sailing with excellent service, so we were fine. I have only one complaint...I do wish they would lay off the loud music by the pool. The Playlist is awful and it's difficult to read. This music blares on the 9th and 10th decks. Otherwise, we had a wonderful cruise.

 

[Quo Vadis?]

Until our September cruise on N Statendam, we had not sailed on HAL since Westerdam in 2008.  We cruised for two and a half weeks from Quebec and loved the ship, so much so that we booked another 8 weeks over Thanksgiving Christmas and New Year.  

The ship is rated at 2,666 (there is a meaning to numbers) but over the holidays up to 600 children boosted that capacity to nearly 3,000.  

There are places to hide, there are timings to consider to avoid crowds.

It is best to avoid vacation time and holidays but we loved our time on board.

[Riversedge]

It’s obvious that some love it and and some don’t.  We sailed on the NS about a month ago and didn’t care for it.  We have also sailed the Koningsdam which we didn’t love either.  Too crowded and staffing is not up to par for a great experience.  Venues were crowded and loud.  We loved the Eurodam and Volendam.  If all the smaller ships go away we will probably go elsewhere, possibly Azamara as we love their experience. 

[montythecat]

We loved our Mediterranean cruise on Nieuw Statendam last

summer. The Dutch Cafe and the variety of music in the Billboard 

Onboard venues were highlights. We thought The Pinnacle Class

Ships were very stylish. We preferred the overall layout and

facilities to, for example, Celebrity’s Edge Class ships. With

appropriate itineraries these vessels will be our first choices

(with, incidentally, HAL Vista Class being our second choice).

[seagarsmoker]

We've been on Westerdam,  Eurodam,  NA and NS and the NS (sold out) and except for first day, I didn't feel it was more crowded than the other ships. Yes, the NS didn't have staff ratio compared to the other ships,  but from everything I've read, the lower staff numbers are now the norm on all the ships.

[AKJonesy]

Tired of the old tired ships.  We just returned to Ft. Lauderdale on Rotterdam for 11 day Caribbean and loved it.  This is our second time on Rotterdam and we would return again.  What I have found is that you can easily find many quiet places other than your stateroom.  For example, I walked down to Music Walk around 10 am and that entire floor was nearly empty.  There was one crew talk going on and the shops were open but it was pretty empty.  I popped into the library and it was empty.  What I found is that the majority of people congregate in few areas such as the pools, bars and food areas (when open).  I also find that many bars and hallway areas are empty where there are nice chairs.  Even in the Crow's Nest is was never all that full unless there was something on the schedule.  

[Mary229]

I didn’t particularly like the K but the NS seemed to have gotten the design kinks out without too many narrow passages.  I think more importantly it is the itinerary and time of year that will impact your experience.  I did NS transatlantic and it was great.  I did K in Caribbean during peak season though not holiday and it was so so. 

[RuthC]

I sailed the Nieuw Statendam as my first (last?) Pinnacle class ship, and found the ship overall to be far too large, and the areas where people gather far too small for the number of passengers. Yes, it was crowded, but beyond that, it was difficult for someone with mobility problems, using an assistance device, to get through many of the areas. All the furniture was also placed in too close proximity. 
There was barely enough room to get through some areas when using a rollator, and frequently not enough when using a scooter; I imagine anyone using a wheelchair would have had similar difficulties. 

I thought the music, including the piped in overhead music, was much too loud, and there was no place to go, other than my cabin, to escape it. 
I'm glad I had the opportunity to sail so many days, to so many places, when cruising was a gracious, lovely way to see the world. A shame those days are rapidly disappearing. 

[PalmSprings]

5 hours ago, PACD_JG said:

I went on the NS with 2900 folks Thanksgiving 22

I was on this cruise also and agree that the ship was uncomfortably crowded.  There were also far more children than I had ever seen on a HAL voyage.

 

I won’t give up on the pinnacles, however, simply because they contain wonderful options not available on all ships.  Chief among these are Rudi’s and Tamarind!  The music options are also incredible.

 

 

[vicd1969]

I found the MDR was too slow at times on the NS due to not enough waitstaff serving a full ship. But on the Rotterdam in Norway,  I had Club Orange and it was one of my best dining experiences on a HAL ship. Getting off the ship at a port stop can be very crowded as well, if you are trying to be among the first to leave. However, i really liked the thermal spa on the Pinnacle class. Unfortunately if you are going to pay for a Vanilla cruise fare with no club orange, specialty dining, and no spa pass, the older Vista/Signature class ships probably will provide a better experience, if itinerary is equivalent.

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, RuthC said:

I sailed the Nieuw Statendam as my first (last?) Pinnacle class ship, and found the ship overall to be far too large, and the areas where people gather far too small for the number of passengers. Yes, it was crowded, but beyond that, it was difficult for someone with mobility problems, using an assistance device, to get through many of the areas. All the furniture was also placed in too close proximity. 
There was barely enough room to get through some areas when using a rollator, and frequently not enough when using a scooter; I imagine anyone using a wheelchair would have had similar difficulties. 

I thought the music, including the piped in overhead music, was much too loud, and there was no place to go, other than my cabin, to escape it. 
I'm glad I had the opportunity to sail so many days, to so many places, when cruising was a gracious, lovely way to see the world. A shame those days are rapidly disappearing. 

 

I saw someone on a scooter having a difficult time making it around one of the corners in a hallway, making me wonder if the corridors are slightly narrower than on other ships. Steward carts in the hall were a bit of a squeeze to get by walking without any assistance device. I don't know what someone on a scooter does when a cart is in the hallway. 

[RuthC]

18 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I saw someone on a scooter having a difficult time making it around one of the corners in a hallway, making me wonder if the corridors are slightly narrower than on other ships.

At least some of the passageways, in the cabin areas for certain, are definitely narrower than on the older ships, right up through Signature class. The area where the bump out is has two tight turns in a row, and it's necessary to take a great swing to get around them. 

HAL also has some tall cleaning carts on this class of ship and, depending on how they are positioned, can be difficult to pass. Or impossible. Fortunately, the stewards are generally within calling distance when I can't get by. The carts with laundry are impossible! 

Passageways in the common areas are more generous. 

[Crew News]

44 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I saw someone on a scooter having a difficult time making it around one of the corners in a hallway, making me wonder if the corridors are slightly narrower than on other ships. Steward carts in the hall were a bit of a squeeze to get by walking without any assistance device. I don't know what someone on a scooter does when a cart is in the hallway. 

Or a tray of used Room Service dishes.

[CruiserBruce]

Too large? Crowded? Nope.

 

Might be overthinking this.

[Btimmer]

We've sailed on all of the current HAL fleet.  For the Pinnacle class, we've done multiple week trips on the K & NS, and a shorter 10 day on the Rotterdam.  We find the staterooms to be small and we do like the potential of the Main Stage but it is currently very under-utilized in my opinion.  We really like the music variety, but find the RS Rock Room to be far too loud for our taste.  The Dutch Cafe is a nice touch. And the Tamarind is our favorite restaurant at sea.

 

That being said, we don't choose ships but rather focus on the itinerary.  As an example, traveling 3 weeks to Iceland/Greenland on the NS was an absolute joy.  But this year the bulk of our HAL cruising will be on two smaller ships:  Noordam and Zaandam because of their itineraries.