Prinsendam Questions

Fellow Cruisers,

I have a few questions about the Prinsendam that I can't quite confirm from looking at the deck plans and I'm hoping someone recently on board can assist.

1. Deck 7 Lower Promenade: It appears that this deck allows for a full circuit of the ship. Is this accurate? And, does anyone know the distance around?

2. Deck 11 Lido: It appears that there is outdoor seating in the "Wintergarden" area for the Lido buffet. Is this accurate? And, is the view off of the rear of the ship blocked for the Wintergarden area by the Canelleto restaurant?

3. Deck 12 Sports: It appears from the virtual tour that you can't actually see out of the front of the boat from the Crow's Nest, only out the sides. Is this accurate?

Thank you for any guidance. I cruise because I love the water (I grew up on an island), hence my interest in whether or not the view is persistently obstructed.

Appreciatively,

Susan

Welcome,

1. Lower Promenade is a full 360 promenade

2. Canaletto is a only a designated area within the otherwise open view Winter Garden on the Lido deck. It serves as seating for the Lido during the day and becomes an Italian menu sit-down dining venue at night.

3. There is an approx 180 degree view forward from the CrowsNest.

Hope this link works as it lets you take a video tour of the sweep of the Crows Nest view, as well as identifying the 360 Lower Promenade teak walking deck.

http://www.hollandamerica.com/main/DeckPlansFull.action?ship=pr_2&deck=s&deep=0

Click on the Crows Nest location and it will take you to an interactive video of what the CrowsNest looks like from side to side.

(Boo hoo, it also shows you the back wall of our wonderful Amundson suite we enjoyed for a month back in 2013 - right next to the Crows Nest with absolutely no noise coming through the walls - Cabin 002 for anyone interested in this location.)

You will feel "at sea" on this ship. (Not boat:cool:)

Promenade deck is full circuit- I cannot recall the length.

Wintergarden is outdoor seating, but the Caneletto (enclosed) does block the view aft.

Crow's Nest provides great views forward and to the sides of the SHIP.

For your Crow's Nest question...

the Prinsendam Crow's Nest is my favourite in the fleet.

You can definitely see out the front (great views) as well as the sides.

The Sports Deck is a very nice deck. Beautiful wide hallways, works of art and the Crow's Nest is very comfy :)

I spent a lot of time there myself :)

I estimate the promenade to be about 1150>1200 ft around.

There is no outdoor seating in the Lido aft area - it is all enclosed by windows - but they do open at the top.

In these pictures the Canaletto is the section between the wavy glass partition with the white globe lights and the outside windows, and the Wintergarden is the foreground area in pics 1 & 3.

IIRC, not all of the windows open, just every other one I think.

As for the promenade, four laps equal a mile.

As for the promenade, four laps equal a mile.

Thank you all. I'm excited now to go aboard.

It appears that perhaps the Wintergarden/Caneleto area has changed recently since info below conflicts some. I'm less than thrilled that they have enclosed it all, but certainly understand - better for those cold weather jaunts.

-Susan

Thank you all. I'm excited now to go aboard.

 

It appears that perhaps the Wintergarden/Caneleto area has changed recently since info below conflicts some. I'm less than thrilled that they have enclosed it all, but certainly understand - better for those cold weather jaunts.

 

-Susan

Susan, it's actually very nice. I was on when it was on her before and after they did it. It was our place of choice to eat. ;)

It appears that perhaps the Wintergarden/Caneleto area has changed recently ...

.

My pictures are from May 2013, and IIRC the deck was enclosed and the Canaletto added just a shortly before that. When we ate in the C it was free, and I believe it changed to surcharge on the very next cruise, which kazu was on.

You have a very good memory ;). And are correct ;). Canaletto did have a surcharge when we were on and it was worth every penny. Best Canaletto we have ever experienced. :)

Best Canaletto we have ever experienced. :)

Thank you all. I'm excited now to go aboard.

 

It appears that perhaps the Wintergarden/Caneleto area has changed recently since info below conflicts some. I'm less than thrilled that they have enclosed it all, but certainly understand - better for those cold weather jaunts.

 

-Susan

The P'Dam is our favorite HAL ship upon which we have spent exactly 200 days :). Regarding that Wintergarden/Caneleto area is was totally rebuilt/refurbished (I think in 2012). Previously it was an outdoor area covered by an awning...used primarily as an outdoor seating area for the Lido. But during the 2012 (not positive of the actual year) drydock they enclosed this entire area with a permanent structure. The so-called Wintergarden and also Caneleto are contained in the same enclosure and are, in practice, one large room (although the Caneleto area is set up as a separate dining area for dinner. Since that area is ringed with large windows (for about 180 degrees) you have a view no matter where you sit. We love this area (when having breakfast or lunch) and nearly always were able to find seats (we were recently on the ship for the 55 day Grand Med cruise). Our theory is that many HAL cruisers do not want to be bothered having to walk the few extra steps to that aft area.....which is great for those of us who enjoy walking :).

Hank

Do posted signs say that? The S-class ships are 4 laps/mile and the P'dam is shorter. I'd guess it's closer to 4.5 laps, but they may round it down.

Yes there is a sign I believe on the aft starboard part of the deck. I am sure there is some rounding going on :p.

You have a very good memory ;). And are correct ;). Canaletto did have a surcharge when we were on and it was worth every penny. Best Canaletto we have ever experienced. :)

Plus it has the best atmosphere of any Canaletto we have every visited. I love that part of the Lido. We eat breakfast and lunch there almost every day.

The P'Dam is our favorite HAL ship upon which we have spent exactly 200 days :). Regarding that Wintergarden/Caneleto area is was totally rebuilt/refurbished (I think in 2012). Previously it was an outdoor area covered by an awning...used primarily as an outdoor seating area for the Lido. But during the 2012 (not positive of the actual year) drydock they enclosed this entire area with a permanent structure. The so-called Wintergarden and also Caneleto are contained in the same enclosure and are, in practice, one large room (although the Caneleto area is set up as a separate dining area for dinner. Since that area is ringed with large windows (for about 180 degrees) you have a view no matter where you sit. We love this area (when having breakfast or lunch) and nearly always were able to find seats (we were recently on the ship for the 55 day Grand Med cruise). Our theory is that many HAL cruisers do not want to be bothered having to walk the few extra steps to that aft area.....which is great for those of us who enjoy walking :).

 

Hank

Hank,

You are right, the only time we have seen a crowd there is at the very height of lunch time. It surprises me as the main part of Lido fills right up. I find the main Lido seating to feel more claustrophobic then most other ships so a few extra steps and a few stairs are a small price to pay for a great view.

Wintergarden/Caneleto area is was totally rebuilt/refurbished (I think in 2012)

Our theory is that many HAL cruisers do not want to be bothered having to walk the few extra steps to that aft area.....which is great for those of us who enjoy walking :).

 

Hank

Love the enclosed area and spent many days on her and sitting there right after this was done but have to say, it got really warm/hot or chilly/cold depending on the outside temp due to ventilation issues after the enclosure. This was why some people said that they just avoided it during the day. Did have to wear my jacket in Antarctica for breakfast but the views were great. Anyone know if they have fixed the ventilation?

Hank,

 

You are right, the only time we have seen a crowd there is at the very height of lunch time. It surprises me as the main part of Lido fills right up. I find the main Lido seating to feel more claustrophobic then most other ships so a few extra steps and a few stairs are a small price to pay for a great view.

Now you've gone and done it -- the place will be crowded with everyone knowing about it!

Just off the Prinsendam. She's beautiful and we liked the Lido buffet area and quite often had breakfast in the Wintergarden part, but it was VERY chilly in the mornings and we missed the open space you usually have in the buffet areas of other ships. No problem on this cruise which went to colder climates - we NEVER saw anybody one deck down on the aft sea pool area and we couldn't have eaten outdoors anyway - but we'll surely miss having meals outside in fresh air during a Med cruise for example.There's the area in front of the Lido Market - poolside - which has tables and chairs but we found it windy and we didn't like the smell of the Dive In corner nearby. On the otherf side we didn't like the smell of the smoker's corner - sorry about that comment - so this is the one thing we didn't like about the Prinsendam.

The Crow's nest is nice though, lots of people using it during scenic parts of the cruise, for a quiet read in the mornings and it's really crowded in the afternoons for Happy Hour! The view forward is a bit impeded because of the wide wooden covering of the deck below. But it's still a nice place.

Since you all were so amazingly helpful regarding ship layout, I'll try another set of queries.

1. Selling: We usually sail on NCL in part because I have frequent cruiser perks, in part because I took a cruise on Carnival and hated it so much I ended up sticking with the familiar since then. One thing we dislike on NCL (and hated on Carnival since it was nonstop) was the selling and upselling. At one point I couldn't even get the staff to share whether a port was walkable to town, with the only response being that I should book an excursion (at the time, I was trying to get to a town to get medicine for a sick child). Anyway, I've read that the Prinsendam doesn't have art auctions (good riddance), but can I expect the constant sell in other respects? For instance, are there port talks that actually tell you anything about the port other than where to go shopping at their 'partner' shops?

2. Education: Are there lectures on board to tell you about the area, or other learning experiences? I read that there is a cooking demo area, but can't seem to find current example daily schedules to see how it is used or what else is offered.

Appreciatively,

Susan

Thank you all. I'm excited now to go aboard.

 

It appears that perhaps the Wintergarden/Caneleto area has changed recently since info below conflicts some. I'm less than thrilled that they have enclosed it all, but certainly understand - better for those cold weather jaunts.

 

-Susan

We were on shortly after the Winter Garden was enclosed. Captain used this as an example of the continued investment HAL was making in the Prinsendam. Though he predicted only five more years for her at that time - that would be 2018 now. (!). It was a nice space and he related how unusable it was for many itineraries as exposed open space.

We found many quirks to the Prinsedam deck plans - things did not flow easily for us, but in a way it made the small ship more intriguing since A did not necessarily lead to B to C in the public spaces. But more a collection of detours, secret passageways, and dead ends.

There was an odd very large open space deck that was in front of the main dining room with some loungers as I recall as we did our laps around the deck.

It was semi-closed due to the overhanging deck above it, but appeared gloomy and uninviting yet very much open deck space where one would see and feel the sea. Again like the previously open Winter Garden area, it seemed like a large bit of under-used real estate.

However, we were so happy with our special Amundson Neptune suite on the upper deck we rarely left it, so I never did get the feel for this ship other than the occasional passing by on our way to something else.

Unfortunately I do remember our meal at Caneletto was very disappointing but this seems to be a menu that is also evolving. Not sure what they are offering now. On a later ship we had a fabulous Canaletto experience but reports of late indicate it is back to being a bit dreary.

We did not think the food on the Prinsendam was of better quality and they were in the midst of new service operation systems at the time so nothing really clicked in the MDR, which was okay but nothing special considering the reputation of the ship.

However, because we had Neptune Pinnacle breakfast privileges, we spent many happy times starting our day in that very lovely and welcoming dining venue.

Overall, it was an exceptional HAL cruise - Mediterranean and Black See - memories of it continue to haunt us, particularly now that Turkey has been taken off the travel lists for the time being. Being docked overnight in the Istanbul harbor with direct access to the downtown areas and waking up to the most fascinating water way we can think of, viewing it all from our little private high perched balcony - priceless.

Since you all were so amazingly helpful regarding ship layout, I'll try another set of queries.

 

1. Selling: We usually sail on NCL in part because I have frequent cruiser perks, in part because I took a cruise on Carnival and hated it so much I ended up sticking with the familiar since then. One thing we dislike on NCL (and hated on Carnival since it was nonstop) was the selling and upselling. At one point I couldn't even get the staff to share whether a port was walkable to town, with the only response being that I should book an excursion (at the time, I was trying to get to a town to get medicine for a sick child). Anyway, I've read that the Prinsendam doesn't have art auctions (good riddance), but can I expect the constant sell in other respects? For instance, are there port talks that actually tell you anything about the port other than where to go shopping at their 'partner' shops?

 

2. Education: Are there lectures on board to tell you about the area, or other learning experiences? I read that there is a cooking demo area, but can't seem to find current example daily schedules to see how it is used or what else is offered.

 

Appreciatively,

 

Susan

We didn't notice many of these annoying selling practices which now seem to be regular on other ships ( except Azamara which we love even if they still HAVE art auctions ;))

Twice or three times during the day we had an update and/ or a reminder of the cruise director and the captain. I remember the CD tried to convince people to buy Bingo cards.... There was one small shop that had "specials" every single sea days - mostly that same stuff you'll find on each and every ship.

We liked the lecturers and lectures on the ship. One talked about the ports and gave quite a lot of really helpful information for people wanting to do things on their own. There were also two lecturers who gave information about interesting topics - for example marine life - and both of them were very good.

I loved the cooking shows which were funny and we quite often got a sample to try. I know, there's always too much food on a ship, but still ... Quite often there were two or three shows on sea days. There were a lot of other activities from a towel animal competition to different trivia, the usual fitness classes, dance classes. There was a lot going on and most were complimentary. We have been on Celebrity ships quite often and fount the constant attempts to get your money off you for things which have been free annoying. We liked this on the Prinsendam . On port days there were still a lot of activities, obviously there were many that didn't leave the ship much.

There should be lecturers on board and P'dams are usually quite good (at least on the cruises we have been on).

There is also a port guide who discusses the different ports etc. They are usually at the dock as well when you get off for the first hour or so for any last minute questions as well. Plus, they usually have certain hours for questions, which you will find posted in the On Location on board.

There will be some junk mail of course with some "sales" but I have never found any pushing of sales. The only exception would be the polite suggestion to order a bucket of beer to save $ (if you are ordering beer), suggestion to buy a bottle of wine versus a glass to save $ and an inquiry from the beverage steward if you are a wine drinker about the Cellar Master's Dinner/Sommelier Dinner/whatever term they are using these days. Those are not made in a pushy manner by any means, but to let you know.

Enjoy the Prinsendam :)