28 Days of Prinsendam

Please keep us posted. Just booked holiday cruise 13/18. And have been reading some awful reviews of the ship. Our cabin will be aa146

Have a great time! Diane

Back in Bergen

This morning it was cool, cloudy, mists in the sky and a light drizzle in the air. And we were in Bergen which is a charming, colorful city full of story book pastel buildings dotted with Norwegian church spires and an occasional fortress. We docked this morning along with the Deutschland - the ship we had shared the tender waters with yesterday in Flam. There was a sign on the cruise terminal that said "welcome Viking Sky", a ship that we saw days ago in our travels but if the Viking Sky was in port with us today we have not been able to see it.

Late morning we walked into town - the drizzle had stopped and the walk was very pleasant - I do enjoy this town. Lots of photo opportunities made more dramatic by the low clouds and the mist - and a wonderful market. We walked towards the fish market and through the shops that are along the main path to the city center.

Much to my amazement we rediscovered a small jewelry shop operated by a lovely woman who designs and makes the rings, pendants and bracelets that she sells. In 2010 DH bought me a lovely silver bracelet here for our anniversary and today we bought a necklace to wear with it. The designer, of course, was delighted that we had returned and, well, so was I as I walked out with my new bling.

Later we stopped at a small restaurant for a bit of a Norwegian lunch, or at least what they called a Norwegian lunch - tourists will fall for anything - but it was quite tasty and we enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere. We shared "Norwegian Tapas" (a platter full of various sausages, egg salad, potato salad, asparagus and smoked salmon served with incredible breads) - we suspect that the very white fish cream soup was probably the more traditional Norwegian delicacy but my lactose intolerance prevented us from ordering it.

Of course, as is fast becoming typical in our travels this trip, the sun made its appearance around 3:30 this afternoon ... We still, however, had a great day. So very few days left before we must disembark.

This afternoon we left Bergen through the fjords and headed into the North Sea towards our last port, Stavenger. Our skies at 10 pm are still bright and sunny with very few clouds however we are having some significant winds. Hope the sun makes an earlier in the day appearance tomorrow.

Stavanger and Sardines

Stavenger is a wonderful place to spend your last port day of a cruise. The ship docks in a narrow channel in the center of town - in our case only meters away from the behemoth MSC Fantasia - and in a very busy harbor full of ferries and other craft coming and going.

It was sunny and 50 today - with the temps rising to the lower 60's by afternoon. A great day for walking around. In easy reach of the ship were many souvenir shops and a city square full of local craft stalls. We wandered into the small Maritime Museum on the waterfront - it was full of all sorts of old local maritime artifacts and photos - and as one twisted through the various rooms and climbed the stairs of this ancient wooden building each successive floor was a little more off level and we saw exhibits of old Norwegian life of the last couple hundred years including an old kitchen. I really enjoy spending time in small, old, local museums as their contents can be quite surprising.

So ... when we found out that the entrance fee that we paid also covered free entrance to the Canning Museum - well, we were there. To get there we had to walk from the port up a ways through the "old" section of town that was full of historical old white painted wooden homes - true fairy tale material - built on narrow cobble stone paths, some of them very steep as they worked their way up from the waterfront.

The Canning Museum or the "Norse Hermetikkmuseum" is actually an old in town sardine cannery that operated from about 1880 to 1930. They still had the old machines that were used to stamp out cans and lids from sheet metal and then seal them. A museum employee also demonstrated how they operated. There were long tables with benches where the women in the factory worked packing the cans (which was done by hand) and stringing the little fish when they arrived so that they would be ready for the smoking ovens. They had one smoking oven operating and we got to taste some freshly smoked brislings.

Upstairs there were some more exhibits of things old and Norwegian but the greatest delight was a film (filmed in the very early 1900's) that was playing on a loop that showed how the whole process from the fishing boats and nets catching the sardines to the end of the canning and labeling process worked. It featured men in long beards scoping up heavy bushels of sardines from the nets into the boats, pushing wheel barrows of sardine cases to the docks where they were loaded onto ships four or five cases at a time, and women in long skirts and hair in buns covered by white caps who worked stringing the catch for smoking and also showed them filling the cans by hand.

At the end of the film was a scene that was billed as "luncheon" where an extravagant table was set up with chilling campaign bottles and platters of bread and sardines. A gentleman in a suit picked up a sardine, placed it on a slice of bread, ate it with relish, rolling his eyes at how good it was, and washed it all down with a stem glass full of bubbly. The museum staff claim that this was the first ever filmed commercial in Norway.

We had a lovely afternoon.

Tonight is our last gala night and tomorrow our last day at sea. Saturday we will be in Amsterdam and we must leave the ship.

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. It's been fun to read along. :)

What has been the dress norm on Gala nights? Thanks again for the great reports.

Thanks for letting us travel vicariously through you.

Wishing you an easy disembarkation and safe travels home.

Arzz, Thank you so much for taking us along on our favorite ship!:D

DH & our Friends will enjoy reading about your travels.. Our Friends will especially be happy to follow you through Europe, since they hope to be going back to visit her relatives in Norway this summer.. She always likes to hear about others impression of the "old country".. ;)

Hope you enjoyed you last day at sea & wishing you a safe journey home..

Looking forward to more of your travel blogs..

Thanks again for taking so much time to tell us your wonderful stories.. :cool:

Thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful and detailed reports. Sorry to see it end. Thanks for taking so much time to post so frequently!

You made us feel part of the cruise. Thank you.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Thank you so much for your reports. I looked forward to them each day.

Its been great cruising with u . ty for including us on your journey

All Good Things Come to an End

Well, you all know the drill. The last day of the cruise. Fill out the luggage tags, dump your stuff into the suitcases, get them out in the hall before midnight ... Two weeks ago we walked the halls with a superior air as all those other folks were going thru the drill and we were not ... Sadly, now it was our turn to organize and get all that stuff done. We now share our cabin with loaded suitcases that are no longer under the bed, yet not ready yet to place out in the hallway.

Bags were supposed to be out between 8 pm and midnight. As we walked down the hall at 8 pm on our way to dinner, there already were folks who had their bags outside - I suspect in school these were the kids who always insisted on sitting in the first row.

There have been two questions posted on this thread I would like to address. First - gala night dress. There were a lot of tuxedos - our table for six had two - the night we were in the Pinnacle everyone there was wearing a tux. In general, as we could see, those who elected fixed dining times dressed up more than those who were in anytime dining. Even on gala night there were some anytime diners who were very dressed down - I think I may even have seen a pair of jeans one night.

Second was a question about the Prinsendam and her condition. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you must have everything shiny brand new, and you must have lots of organized stuff to do and you must have multiple pools, water slides and climbing walls this may not be the ship for you.

The Prinsendam is admittedly the oldest ship in the Holland America Fleet and it was not built for HAL - it was built as the Royal Viking Sun and has done time with Cunard and Seabourn before landing with Holland America. The arrangement of lounges and public spaces is different from the typical HAL ship. The dining room is all on one level - a large dining room in the stern and a narrow dining room mid ships. The Explorer's Lounge and thus the Adagio in the evenings is up one flight from the dining room. The Library is an extensive space but the Java Cafe is off to the side at one end.

The soft goods on board seem to be in great shape - as good as any that we have witnessed on previous cruises on other HAL ships. The condition of our cabin (which is also configured differently than typical HAL) is excellent. The standard cabins have walk in closets and ceramic tile baths or showers with granite counter tops as well as a sofa, desk with wide drawers and a corner shelf unit that has a small frig in the cabinet on the bottom, and new flat screen TV's.

The entry way to the standard cabins and most of the vista suites is via narrow hallways that are shared between two cabins and branch off of the main hall - this configuration was common on older ships but today would probably be considered wasted space. It does, however, have benefits. Since your cabin door does not open into the main hallway there is more privacy - it only faces one cabin door. It is also much quieter as you do not get most of the hallway noise - the walk in closet and bathroom back up to the hallway wall so that your cabin is very private.

We heard no cabin noises from neighbors and though we were in an outside cabin on main deck just below the kitchen - usually a red flag location - we heard nothing.

The ship itself appears to be in great condition, well maintained - but for those who insist on looking close you will see some evidence of the ship's age but the ship is constantly being maintained.

As to the mechanicals - in our experience this cruise all was in ship shape. The toilet always flushed when asked, and never when it was not requested. Our cabin was nice and cool (at times more cool than we would have liked - we were able to get some relief by using the in cabin thermostat) but we had the distinct impression that we were not always the ones in control. We chose not to ask for a fix - it is possible that one was available.

The size of the ship, to us, is perfect. With the maximum passenger load in the range of 800 you definitely do meet the same folks more than once which adds to the intimate atmosphere. The staff and crew, however, are the real strong points here. We have found, time and again on this ship, they learn your name quickly and they cannot do enough for you. The atmosphere really makes me feel at home.

One of the lights in our bathroom went out - we mentioned it to the cabin steward and it was fixed sometime in the following two hours - we were not in the cabin so we do not know for sure when - but we know someone was there as the bathroom door was left closed which we do not normally do and the light was fixed. Later in the afternoon our steward visited us to verify that the work had been done.

Laundry service has been phenomenal - not guaranteed before 24 hours but in fact often returned in half that time.

I have a minor dietary restriction that I usually do not usually mention - I try to self choose the correct foods (lactose intolerance), but DH blabbed to our waiter the first night - since that time I was given menus to choose from the night before each dinner and my waiters became the guardians of my food - they were more careful than I would have been. At times it was clear that special foods were prepared for me, even special desserts. And I felt well the whole trip as I never inadvertently messed up my diet.

At the end of this cruise I am 11 days at sea short of a gold medallion so we have been on our share of HAL ships though we had not been on the Prinsendam since 2011. No question that the Prinsendam is by far our favorite HAL ship - she comes in first for size, atmosphere, crew and general ambiance. She is admittedly quirky in spots - only two sets of stairs and elevators - floors in some public hallways gently slant up and down (and were designed to do so) ... but she has an elegance that is unique and we find her spaces very comfortable.

I am aware, from cruise reviews that not everyone looks for the same attributes when on vacation - so what pleases me may not please you. I can say, however, that the Prinsendam really pleases us and many of the passengers on board this ship agree.

We are now in a hotel in Amsterdam for a short visit before returning home. Disembarkation went very smoothly this morning even though we shared the terminal with a disembarking Royal Caribbean ship - colored luggage tags were called from 20-30 minutes earlier than expected times and getting our bags and out of the terminal to a taxi was swift and easy.

Thanks again. A few ? From me if u have time. Have u or do u know anyone who had a Vista Suite on up prom? What r they like?

2 dining rooms what is the difference

Just got off Maasadam. There wad a lot of Trivia scheduled?

In the afternoon they always had a happy he 6-7 with reduced prices .

I think but cannot guarantee that the vista suites on upper promenade deck are just like the ocean view cabins but also have a small balcony. Someone else on line may be able to confirm this.

The signature suites, however, are larger and different and I hear very nice.

The mid ship's dining room is small and narrow. It tends to be much quieter and I have always enjoyed eating there - in fact I prefer it. The dining room across the hall, at the stern, is much larger and gets much noisier. In my past experiences this room was used for open dining and the small dining venue for fixed dining. This cruise, however, we had a table for 6 in the large dining room that was for fixed dining. And, it is important to note that we had table partners who do not like to eat in the small dining room as it makes them feel like an "after thought" - an impression that I never had when eating in the small dining room myself.

There was trivia every day and on sea days there was also one later in the day too. The culinary hostess also held food trivia daily before the sip and savor event daily ($4 for a glass of wine and a small appetizer)

There was usually at least one happy hour someplace per day.

We are considering a cruise on the Prinisendam, could comment on the ship motion? The cabin we are looking at is aft on the Dolphin deck.

I feel the Prinsendam absorbs the ocean's motion as well if not better than the other HAL ships I have been on. We have been on this ship in greater than 35 foot seas and, of course, there was motion then but she rode the waves very well. Our crossing this May was very comfortable.

We have, on previous cruises, stayed in both cabin 479 on Dolphin deck, and 382 on Main deck. This trip we were absolutely mid ships on Main deck. In terms of response to motion there is not much difference between the three locations. Toward the stern, however, the sound and vibration of the thrusters in early morning when coming into port can be very noticeable. We would not, however, hesitate to stay in any of the aforementioned cabins again.

Thanks again. A few ? From me if u have time. Have u or do u know anyone who had a Vista Suite on up prom? What r they like?

 

2 dining rooms what is the difference

 

Just got off Maasadam. There wad a lot of Trivia scheduled?

 

In the afternoon they always had a happy he 6-7 with reduced prices .

I think but cannot guarantee that the vista suites on upper promenade deck are just like the ocean view cabins but also have a small balcony. Someone else on line may be able to confirm this.

 

The signature suites, however, are larger and different and I hear very nice.

 

The mid ship's dining room is small and narrow. It tends to be much quieter and I have always enjoyed eating there - in fact I prefer it. The dining room across the hall, at the stern, is much larger and gets much noisier. In my past experiences this room was used for open dining and the small dining venue for fixed dining. This cruise, however, we had a table for 6 in the large dining room that was for fixed dining. And, it is important to note that we had table partners who do not like to eat in the small dining room as it makes them feel like an "after thought" - an impression that I never had when eating in the small dining room myself.

 

Arzz, I believe you are correct. The verandahs are basically the size of the ocean views with a verandah, however some are larger than others. Other than the AB cabins which were added at a dry dock, the cabins on the P'dam are not cookie cutter cabins - so size can vary.

Frequent P'dam cruisers that are CC members like 130. They said that the verandah and room were larger. I did not see the room, though.

They do count as "suites" for the double mariner points though. To add to Arzz, The Signature Suites are gorgeous on this ship IMO.

The ship's movement is not felt like on other ships, but, personally I avoid aft because of the noises and vibrations. We have stayed in forward cabins and seen little difference from this to mid ship.

The mid ship (which I call the forward dining room) is used for fixed seating. The larger dining room has been a mix of fixed and open seating for all the cruises I have been on. Like Arzz, I prefer the forward/mid ship dining room - smaller, quieter and you can hear whifs of the Adagio. Seating there has always been restricted to fixed dining when we have been on.

Thank you for the information.