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Unfortunately you heard right. The 2019 Grand South America/Antarctic is 80 days instead of the usual 68 because there is no Grand Med to follow. I don't know if the ship's schedule for after the Grand SA has been released but I suspect it will be northern Europe.

 

Susan

 

Has anyone heard why no more Grand Med? Did the 80 day SA cruise kill it, was it not full, were people tired of it?

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Thank you! Will pack umbrella, rain coat and hat

 

I believe the smoker's section is on the other side not shown in this pic.

 

There is a protected area (unless my memory has gone completely). I don't think you need all that equipment unless your ports of call require it ;)

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I believe the smoker's section is on the other side not shown in this pic.

 

There is a protected area (unless my memory has gone completely). I don't think you need all that equipment unless your ports of call require it ;)

 

There is also a designated smoker section on the lido deck, port side far forward. It has been popular the past three weeks due to the weather in Norway and the Baltics. It is covered and generally blocked by the wind.

 

Kazu is correct as the smoker section at the aft pool is on the opposite side from the bar.

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Love choices! Thanks for the info. DH will be happy. How is the library? I have read different threads...no new books...no one to keep the area in order...a cut because of so many electronic choices.

Cigar, books and nightly martini and all is perfect for DH. We can check out book downloads if necessary.:o

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This thread raises a couple of interesting questions. I would expect that the info about the Grand Med may be half right. I suspect it's right that there will be no Grand Med in 2019, but we had a couple of years without a Grand Asia and then it returned, so 2019 may just be a break for a year or 2 while some demand builds up.

 

A more ominous concern to me is the future of the Prinsendam. I am delighted to have 2 more cruises booked on her but we all know the ship won't be around forever. I just wish for a few more years.

 

I also wonder about the future of Grand Voyages once the Elegant Explorer is gone. It's kind of odd that HAL has 2 flagships but one of flagships is not the one that does Grand Voyages. I wonder if Rotterdam might do some Grand Voyages once Prinsendam is gone but it seems likely that Maasdam and Veendam will go soon after Nieuw Statendam comes on line. After that Rotterdam is the next oldest of the HAL built ships.

 

I've been told that some of the features (or lack of) on the Vista and later ships are because the ships were designed for shorter voyages. What will happen to Grand Voyages once Amsterdam and Rotterdam are gone?

 

Roy

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Love choices! Thanks for the info. DH will be happy. How is the library? I have read different threads...no new books...no one to keep the area in order...a cut because of so many electronic choices.

Cigar, books and nightly martini and all is perfect for DH. We can check out book downloads if necessary.:o

 

The library on the Prinsendam is the nicest in the fleet IMO :). It is actually two rooms as the Oak Room also has books (mostly large print IIRC) and very comfy chairs to read in.

 

Haven't been on since the librarian was gone, but our recent experience on the Rotterdam was that the books were put away and in reasonably good order ;)

 

Whether they buy new books or not, there are so many on the P'dam that I am positive you will be able to find something.

 

There is also a ton of really good travel reference material (not to be removed from the library) and plenty of chairs to read them in :)

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Wonderful Prinsendam Memories - Inside cabin,

The most quirky thing about my experience on a WONDERFUL long, unique itinerary Prinsendam cruise were our next door neighbors onboard. WONDERFUL , very interesting couple I must say. As they cruised (Europe, numerous west African countries, South Africa and then to northern South America ending in Florida, they gathered an amazing collection of items, including a desk, a large chair, many other rather large boxes, and a "long shaft outboard motor", and they fit all of this into their cabin (hardly any floor space left) . Only one corner of the bed appeared to be available to get into the bed, apparently requiring them to then crawl into their chosen sleeping positions from the corner. The cabin was packed with stuff by the end of the cruise! (Interesting exit if a nighttime "urgent" trip to the loo was needed ;).) How do I know all this - read below for cabin configuration info. for those unfamiliar with the Prinsendam. I would guess the cabin stewards liked their cabin as there is no way they could "clean" anything but the bathroom. (But then, maybe that was packed as well I could not see that area, nor the closet area, nor was I that interested in knowing that answer.)

 

Now, The inside cabin was perfectly fine for my husband and I, although a bit more cozy than other HAL ships insides as I recall. We had a cabin designed so that there were two door configurations to enter. IF you wanted a family type situation you could close the door off the corridor and when it opened you could enter either a cabin to the left or right. In our case you the corridor door was kept opened so you enter a very small entry space and went either right or left into your cabin. Actually a nice arrangement for folks traveling together. Anyhow, this meant that when I exited our cabin I first looked directly to the neighboring cabin door, before turning left to meet the main corridor. Now, when our neighbors were in their cabin resting some afternoons, they would leave the door open so that whenever I left our cabin I looked directly into their cabin. (Nothing exciting there - they were snoozing on the bed fully clothed!) But, it gave me opportunities to see their collection grow. I was amazed at what they purchased. (Quality stuff from what I could see.) They said that they planned to rent a truck to take the stuff home after the cruise. They were thrilled with their purchases. Their disembarkation must have been interesting.:D

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Hi everyone.We will be sailing Prindendam and HAL for the first time to N. Europe late June,early July next summer.The special offer for this ship plus her size caught my eye. And the fact that she is spending 5 stops in Scotland is the biggest plus.We had a cruise all set for next month,but unfortunately a minor heart procedure in lat May turned into a full blown problem.So I will have a year to heal and not as big a ship to have to travel through. I'm excited to give HAL a try.:)

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Hi everyone.We will be sailing Prindendam and HAL for the first time to N. Europe late June,early July next summer.The special offer for this ship plus her size caught my eye. And the fact that she is spending 5 stops in Scotland is the biggest plus.We had a cruise all set for next month,but unfortunately a minor heart procedure in lat May turned into a full blown problem.So I will have a year to heal and not as big a ship to have to travel through. I'm excited to give HAL a try.:)

 

This is a unique ship in the HAL fleet.

 

While there are some things the same, there are many things that are not. The ship wasn't built by HAL and is the oldest ship in the HAL fleet.

 

Despite her age, she is still a beautiful ship. I hope you enjoy her as much as we have. She has the highest repeat passenger percentage in the fleet.

 

We get off on June 2nd, next year. We'll try to keep her in good shape for you :)

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We have our first Prinsendam cruise booked for fall next year. Does anyone have any experience with the inside cabins on the promenade deck. I've seen photos and they look amazing but I've also read that they have quirks. Any information would be appreciated.

Mary

 

The 6 newer inside cabins on the Promenade deck (they were put in when they moved the aft pool that others have commented on the "quirky" steps to get to) are GREAT! Huge. But, my advice is if you cannot get one of these (4 regular, two access), do not book an inside cabin on the Prinsendam. Book an oceanview or better.

 

I cruised on her last September and I adore the ship. But, I booked an inside guarantee and ended up in the tiniest, most unworkable cabin I have had in my 42 cruises. The beds are twins which run perpendicular to each other and there is not even enough room for a small table. One of the staff told me that when that ship was designed all the passenger cabins had ocean view and that this area was just used for "trunks, nannies and small children."

 

They moved me to one of the special promenade inside cabins and I loved it and loved the location.

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The 6 newer inside cabins on the Promenade deck (they were put in when they moved the aft pool that others have commented on the "quirky" steps to get to) are GREAT! Huge. But, my advice is if you cannot get one of these (4 regular, two access), do not book an inside cabin on the Prinsendam. Book an oceanview or better.

 

I cruised on her last September and I adore the ship. But, I booked an inside guarantee and ended up in the tiniest, most unworkable cabin I have had in my 42 cruises. The beds are twins which run perpendicular to each other and there is not even enough room for a small table. One of the staff told me that when that ship was designed all the passenger cabins had ocean view and that this area was just used for "trunks, nannies and small children."

 

They moved me to one of the special promenade inside cabins and I loved it and loved the location.

Thank you for the information. We do have one of the 4 regular newer inside cabins on the promenade deck and are looking forward to our Prinsendam cruise next year.

Mary

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The 6 newer inside cabins on the Promenade deck (they were put in when they moved the aft pool that others have commented on the "quirky" steps to get to) are GREAT! Huge. But, my advice is if you cannot get one of these (4 regular, two access), do not book an inside cabin on the Prinsendam. Book an oceanview or better.

 

I cruised on her last September and I adore the ship. But, I booked an inside guarantee and ended up in the tiniest, most unworkable cabin I have had in my 42 cruises. The beds are twins which run perpendicular to each other and there is not even enough room for a small table. One of the staff told me that when that ship was designed all the passenger cabins had ocean view and that this area was just used for "trunks, nannies and small children."

 

They moved me to one of the special promenade inside cabins and I loved it and loved the location.

What about closet space in the 4 regular inside cabins on Promenade deck?

Mary

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What about closet space in the 4 regular inside cabins on Promenade deck?

Mary

 

I consider the closet space in those cabins to be typical for a HAL ship. I found it perfectly adequate for my 30 day cruise. The actual cabin space, on the other hand, is cavernous. You could throw a party in one of those cabins...:-)

 

On another note, one of the posters mentioned the Canaletto restaurant aft of the buffet. As they mentioned it is used as additional seating for the buffet during the day (becomes the Italian restaurant at night.) I did not discover that until a week into my cruise. But, once I did, I ate breakfast there every morning. Beautiful ocean views, quiet, peaceful....nothing like typical chaotic, crowded cruise ship buffet dining.

 

As you can probably tell, the Prinsendam is my favorite ship...:-)

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I consider the closet space in those cabins to be typical for a HAL ship. I found it perfectly adequate for my 30 day cruise. The actual cabin space, on the other hand, is cavernous. You could throw a party in one of those cabins...:-)

 

On another note, one of the posters mentioned the Canaletto restaurant aft of the buffet. As they mentioned it is used as additional seating for the buffet during the day (becomes the Italian restaurant at night.) I did not discover that until a week into my cruise. But, once I did, I ate breakfast there every morning. Beautiful ocean views, quiet, peaceful....nothing like typical chaotic, crowded cruise ship buffet dining.

 

As you can probably tell, the Prinsendam is my favorite ship...:-)

Thank you for all the information.

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