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Considering Maiden Voyage on Nieuw Statendam


CruisinNana
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I would love to hear from those who have actually sailed on a maiden voyage the pros and the cons. I can imagine some problems, but I would love comment from the actual travelers on these special sailings.

 

Also, there is a overnight in Ft Lauderdale at the end of cruise. What's that all about? Ceremonies in the US?

 

Thanks for your comments.

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I think I would have a bit of an uneasy feeling about this. The idea of sailing transatlantic on a ship that has zero prior cruises just seems like there's no way to get kinks out of the ship before sailing and the possibility of a problem showing up in the middle of the Atlantic scares me about this. My head tells me you will be fine but there's just a bit of a lump in my stomach.

 

Cruisetimetables has the ship arriving at 23:59. That does seem a bit strange.

 

Roy

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I did the premier sailing on the Koningsdam. There was some hiccups with some cabins not ready and crew still installing tv's at embark.

Also there was a lot of confusion with dining area. The biggest issue was commingling open and set dining times on both levels.

That being said, I've already booked for Nieuw Statendam premier.

I'm hoping they learned some lessons.

As far as the overnight in FLL , per the itinerary we are scheduled to arrive at 11:59 PM.

Come join us.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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All the propulsion technology is proven stuff, and all major systems are redundant in design, but here can still be foibles. I'd be more concerned about the premium HAL will charge for all her sailings, especially premiers. The fares on the K'dam are still higher on the same itineraries, so I'd expect the same and more on the NS.

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Not HAL -- but we have been on maiden cruises on Princess.

One was the original Star Princess -- 1989 -- only a couple of problems.

We decide not to ever go on a maiden cruise again. So we booked either the 3rd or 4th cruise on the Grand Princess. Because of delays in the shipyard, our cruise ended up being the maiden voyage. LOTS of problems.

Now we wait at least 3 or 4 months before we get on a neew ship.

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I was on the Princess Ruby after drydock..... love the price.

  • I lost toilet service for 3 hours on a 3 day trip. Some had no working toilet for 3 days.... I guess they used the public facilities if they couldn't get another cabin
  • we lost internet service on the last day for 15 hours.
  • some cabins had no sofa or unassembled furniture

You get what you pay for? Yes, I would do it again for the savings.

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All the propulsion technology is proven stuff, and all major systems are redundant in design, but here can still be foibles.
We were on the Nieuw A when it was about 6 months old. As we were preparing to leave Venice the Capt announced that there was a failure in some part of the navigation system, and there was no replacement part on board. It had to be flown in from Germany, so we had a second night in Venice. It's not as likely such a failure would occur mid-ocean as at 'boot up' but it is possible.
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I sailed a Transatlantic on RCCL immediately following a dry dock akin to a maiden voyage. There still were shipyard workers on board finishing jobs and a section of the ship was out of bounds, the library was void of books and the crew was shorthanded and many inexperienced. My rule of thumb is to avoid ships in their 1st year of commissioning, not to say there probably are many exceptions to this rule.

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Over the years I've read way too many times on CC about problems with a maiden voyage. The above comments are not unusual. There is also a chance the departure date of the maiden voyage could be delayed. That said, if you want to be on a ship's maiden voyage just so you can you did it, then go for it!

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My HAL PCC was on the four-day pre-inaugural Koningsdam cruise to Italy and reported a lot of stuff not yet finished. When I called to book the premiere cruise of the Nieuw Statendam from Italy to FLL, she talked me out of it. Not wanting to pay the holiday pricing for a solo, I opted for Jan 5 for 14 days.

 

My Noordam cruise last month had to FCC reps (husband and wife team) that sailed on the inaugural Konigsdam transatlantic. When I told them that I had booked the Nieuw Statendam one month after the inaugural voyage, I was told that I made a good choice. They went through a list of some of the things that were still being installed during the transatlantic voyage as well as lots of staff training issues.

 

Being on a premiere voyage is a great thought as long as you are willing to accept some issues.

 

Crossing the Atlantic in December was another condition that I considered.

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Like 1ANGELCAT we did the Koningsdam Premiere voyage and we are booked on the Nieuw Statendam.

 

The pros are simply being the first paying passengers to experience a new ship. This might be slightly diminished on the Nieuw Statendam given that she is the second Pinnacle Class vessel. But nonetheless there is still the "new ship smell." And typically HAL will ensure that they have their best crew on hand to work out the kinks, so there's always a good chance of seeing familiar faces in the dining room and around the the ship.

 

The cons are that there's always something that needs tweaking or finishing. Our cabin on the Koningsdam had a poor seal around the shower, and didn't get chairs until the second day, for example. (But there are many hands on deck to do the little jobs.) This particular premiere voyage has a lot of sea days, too, which may or may not interest you. (But certainly provides lots of time to explore a new ship.)

 

For me, the cons add to the charm of being on a premiere voyage. You get to experience those first little hiccups before it becomes smooth sailing. You'll always be able to say that you were there for her first voyage. :)

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Like 1ANGELCAT we did the Koningsdam Premiere voyage and we are booked on the Nieuw Statendam.

 

The pros are simply being the first paying passengers to experience a new ship. This might be slightly diminished on the Nieuw Statendam given that she is the second Pinnacle Class vessel. But nonetheless there is still the "new ship smell." And typically HAL will ensure that they have their best crew on hand to work out the kinks, so there's always a good chance of seeing familiar faces in the dining room and around the the ship.

 

The cons are that there's always something that needs tweaking or finishing. Our cabin on the Koningsdam had a poor seal around the shower, and didn't get chairs until the second day, for example. (But there are many hands on deck to do the little jobs.) This particular premiere voyage has a lot of sea days, too, which may or may not interest you. (But certainly provides lots of time to explore a new ship.)

 

For me, the cons add to the charm of being on a premiere voyage. You get to experience those first little hiccups before it becomes smooth sailing. You'll always be able to say that you were there for her first voyage. :)

 

Thanks for your thoughtful response. We actually love sea days and Transatlantic cruises. I still think that if the ship is not ready on time, that will impact our plans greatly so I think we will find another cruise but sail on the NA at a later date. I have been on Koningsdam and loved the ship so I am sure I will like the NA as well.

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We have done two maiden voyages (none with HAL) and never will do it again. To be honest, we cannot think of a single pro (other then bragging rights) and many cons. Some ships are not completed in time, so maiden voyages can be canceled/rescheduled. But assuming the ship is ready, it does not mean that the ship is totally completed in time. On both of our maiden voyages....there were still workmen finishing up various projects (during our cruise). And then there is the issue of the crew. A good crew is like a well honed team and most members work very well together. But on a new ship the crew is put together with a group of experienced crew (from many other ships) and some new crew members. It usually takes time (weeks or even months) for a crew to learn how to function as a team. If we were to ever book another new ship...we would want it to have been cruising for at least 2 months.

 

Hank

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To be honest, we cannot think of a single pro (other then bragging rights) and many cons.
Some people enjoy being the ones answering questions on CC rather than the ones asking. I guess that's part of bragging rights!
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