RuthC

Oh, the insides on the Nieuw Statendam are so small there isn't even room to change your mind! And what good is the love seat when you can't even see the TV from it? I visited in an outside on Deck 1 on the Nieuw Statendam. I have always preferred inside cabins, but would never book one on the Pinnacle class ships. Even the tiny insides on the Prinsendam were preferable to those on the Pinnacle class ships! The Zaandam inside should have two full closets (convertible to shelving), plus the lower half closet with shelves and safe above. There will also be two nightstands with two drawers, three drawers in the desk, and an end table next to the love seat with shelves. The shower will be in the footprint of the sink/vanity area of outside cabins; the sink/vanity will be in the tub footprint. That gives a lot of counter space around the sink, and a long shelf underneath. There should be three small shelves on the wall for some toiletries or meds.

Notifications can be turned off. I've turned mine off to replies, but do get them when tagged. Please, don't anyone ask me how to turn notifications off! I did it so long ago, and just that once, and can't remember.

The lifeboats were most definitely used on Prinsendam I's last voyage. No lives were lost, and the ship burned and sank. I don't remember how long the last people were in the boats before they were saved. All of the evacuation and rescue took time, of course.

Cruising stopped the confetti and ribbon to shore tossing years ago as a way to reduce pollution. All that paper ended up in the water, and was unsightly at best. I do remember it on my first cruise, but don't remember it ever again.

Or, have seen it so often that they could be the presenters. They just don't need to go again to it. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I have seen it, thought it excellent once. I could even go again, and perhaps could stand to go once every few years. But every cruise? For an evening entertainment? Ah, too much, at the wrong time of day.

Actually, in the past at least, HAL 'Grand' cruises have been 'grand' on a more expansive scale than just the itinerary. The enrichment lectures have been many, varied, with presenters who were experts in their fields. The entertainers have been well known, top box office, performers. Food has been much more upscale than the typical 7-day cruises. The Activities staff has been busy with fun, interesting activities. It was much more than three or four trivia games to fill a day. Pillow gifts were frequent and of high quality. I still have bath sheets from one from many, many years ago. I have not seen, nor read reports of, one that has met the same standard in a long time.

Your cabin is a 'large inside'. All those cabins should still have a stool at the desk (it opens for storage, if you like), a chair (which can be switched for the stool), and a love seat. I have never stayed in one of the 'insides' not deemed 'large', so can't speak to how those are. I understand the new TVs are located across from the love seat, so you can sit comfortably, and not have to sit in bed to watch, like on the newer ships.

For example? What sorts of things were done. Lots of things could be done to make just about all of the ships a little easier for disabled passengers. I would love to know what has been started. Thanks.

I understand that. One cruise on the Prinsendam, table set for 7, one couple didn't come the first night, but the Dining Room Manager brought another couple who had a problem with their being assigned correctly. He asked if they could sit there tonight and he would fix everything the next day. I knew these people! We had shared a table on the Prinsendam on a previous cruise, and had gotten along famously! So, I suggested that they just be assigned to our table and the people who didn't appear be reassigned. After all, as a group we would already be one day ahead of them in the bonding process. Everyone agreed and our table was all set for the next three weeks. Moral of the story: You snooze, you lose!

I would have had a hard time being very welcoming to them. The very least they could have done was stopped by the table, or sent a message to those waiting for them, that they would not be coming and please don't wait for them.

I expect you can book now, as I saw it on the HAL website over the weekend. There's an interesting itinerary, and especially for those of us who live in New England, and those who don't mind going to the Caribbean, it's a decent cruise.

All wine, except that purchased on a HAL wine tour shore excursion, incurs a $20/bottle (750 ml maximum) corkage fee. This is true no matter where it is consumed.

Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm are two entirely different experiences. Glacier Bay is a lot of glaciers, with some pretty scenery as a frame. Tracy Arm is pretty scenery, which happens to have two glaciers at the end (North Sawyer Glacier, and South Sawyer Glacier). You may or may not get near enough to see much of either glacier, depending on how much ice there is. One time we were so far back, around a bed, that I had to strain my neck to get a glimpse of white. The opportunity to do Tracy Arm on a catamaran shore excursion is a much better experience, as far as seeing the glacier(s) goes. Glacier Bay is the better glacier experience of the two.

As someone who has used a scooter on every class of ship (except for the late Prinsendam), I can attest that the doors from the Lido to the deck aft of it are not always open. On the newer ships there are electric eyes, and on a couple of ships there was an electric eye on one set of doors, but not the other set (true on both sides). I could get through one set and then be stuck until a kind person came through and I could continue my journey. I would thank God for the smoking section right there, with its constant flow of people coming and going. Heading back in I could always ask one of them to get the doors for me. I was always cheerfully assisted.

On a 7-night cruise, you will have 2 dressy nights. Count on it.

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.

Thank you so very much!

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.

We can arm-wrestle for it.

I NEED that cabin the next time I am on that ship. Do you mind sharing the cabin number, please? I promise not to hold it against you if the HVAC is 'fixed' before I get there.

It was about 20 years ago that a steward told me they found that leaving the beds in the current configuration saved them time overall. They got the information as to what the new passengers wanted, but often the info was wrong. So, by not rearranging the furniture, then getting it wrong, they didn't have to rearrange the furniture twice. Saved them more time than making the bed twice by just waiting to confirm.

Thank you (and your wife, too). You have made my day!

Thank you for that info! It really is good to know. Very helpful if I ever have to pick another cabin on a Pinnacle ship.

Upper Promenade (deck 5), port side, near the aft elevator bank.

Pack it now. Keep it stored in your suitcase when you get back from your next trip. Much harder to forget it that way.