Prinsendam Signature Suites - CAUTION!

Hi,

We're currently on the P-dam in a Signature Suite - have been for 3 weeks and 4 weeks to go.

Just a caution if you are thinking of booking a Signature Suite - the noise from the moving of chairs (and tables, I guess) on the Lido Deck directly above are at times excruciatingly loud - really loud when sitting out on the deck. Very annoying. As soon as somebody moves a chair above you, it resonates below. Louder out on the deck than in the room, but still annoying in the room. There must be some insulation in the ceiling of the room, but out on the deck, there is the steel deck above (covered by teak) and that's all there is. It really dampens the fun of using the deck.

Our room is pretty much mid-ship, directly under the outdoor dining area on the Lido deck. This noise problem might not be so bad if you are back under the restaurant part of the Lido, or under a stateroom further forward.

Other than that, it is a great stateroom and we enjoy the extra space, both closet and bathroom, as well as the room.

Just wanted to alert people if they were thinking of booking a Signature Suite that this could really dampen your trip.

Al and Nona Carter

Thank you for the heads up.

Thanks for this warning. We were on the Prinsendam recently, and originally we had booked a signature suite on Deck 10. We made sure to secure one of the SS cabins underneath the Neptune suites, so as to avoid the Lido deck chairs. As it turned out, we eventually got an upsell to a Neptune.

Regardless of ship or cruise line, we are careful about selecting cabins directly under the Lido deck chair/lounge/table areas.

WE had a stateroom directly under a smoking area (on a different ship) and had the same problem. These areas are very busy with people coming and going and the shifting of chairs and tables all day long!

sorry to hear, but that's why viewing the deck plans is always an important part of the room picking process.

Thanks so much for the caution. We are still hoping for an upsell for our Aug 23 cruise. I had checked the deck plans and noted the SS cabins under the pool area. Good to know it could be an issue.

So how is the ship? We have never been on her but lots of other HAL ships. Is there anything else we should be aware of?

Can't wait- really looking forward to this! Hope you are having a fantastic cruise!

Sue

sorry to hear, but that's why viewing the deck plans is always an important part of the room picking process.

I agree 100%. I would rather spend a bit more to pick my cabin (in most cases).

Thanks so much for the caution. We are still hoping for an upsell for our Aug 23 cruise. I had checked the deck plans and noted the SS cabins under the pool area. Good to know it could be an issue.

 

So how is the ship? We have never been on her but lots of other HAL ships. Is there anything else we should be aware of?

 

Can't wait- really looking forward to this! Hope you are having a fantastic cruise!

 

Sue

The Prinsendam is a quirky lay out ship with an inconsistent decor - it has few of the typical HAL deck layout features, but it has a lot more features to make up for the differences. Small size, nice layout cabins with walk in cabins for the most part, intimate Pinnacle dining room and great itineraries with a more flexible command decision process that allows some deviations to the program if they can safely and timely made.

Worst feature we found was the very small, clunky and slow elevator that we had to use to get to our Crows Nest deck suite. There may have been others that were better but this was a real nuisance compared to the effortlessly smooth and rapid ones on other HAL ships.

No question we would sail her again, quirks and all, and are looking right now at her Amazon cruise this fall. Small old ships remain small old ships and long may she continue to sail.

Just got off her less than a week ago. First time on this ship and we really liked her (except as noted the elevators-so we walked up and down stairs more). I loved the walk in closet. Here is what happened to us regarding room assignment. We originally (over a year ago) chose a mid ship ocean view cabin. I specifically chose that cabin for its location. Along come the options to upgrade starting about 2 weeks before the cruise. We liked the cabin and really didn't have the extra money to upgrade so I ignored them. They kept coming (price dropping a bit each time to upgrade to balcony) and I thought wow they must have empty rooms to get rid of.....not really. This cruise was the 2nd part of a longer 28 day cruise (our segment was 14 days). Off we went to Amsterdam to enjoy 4 days precruise with my boarding passes and luggage tags printed and ready. The day after we arrived I checked my emails to see that our room was changed (WHAT??) They moved us to a vista suite (balcony basically) but further forward. What could I do? I reprinted everything at the hotel and hoped for the best. What must have happened was the cabin I picked was occupied by someone who was on both segments and didn't want to move. In a way I was glad I didn't pay for the upgrade since I now got it for free. The balcony was great but unfortunately the cabin was above the showroom so every night we heard the bass of the drums from the shows. I guess HAL thought they were doing us a favor by upgrading but I would never have picked this location. The fact I had no say in it didn't make me happy. I always say no upgrades but that didn't help here. I had already booked a transatlantic next year on the same ship in the same ocean view cabin. We will see if they let us stay there this time. Overall the trip was great, just a little upsetting we got changed at the last minute with that location.

Thanks for the info on the upsell offers and ship layout. We are a little over 3 weeks out and still hoping. Really looking forward to the ship after studying the deck plans. [emoji4]

We had a bad experience with our Signature Suite on the Westerdam a few years ago. The cruise was a last minute booking for us, and I took a Suite guarantee thinking I didn't have a lot to lose. We ended up in a suite that was right under a part of the Lido Deck that had a LOT of early morning cart rolling overhead. For a light sleeper, the cabin wasn't a good choice.

We had only done one previous guarantee and that one ended up fine, but the Signature Suite on the Westerdam probably cured us of guarantees forever! I now almost always pick exactly the location I want and then mark it "Do Not Upgrade." I've found that things the cruise lines might consider an upgrade don't have the same value to me. For example, on the Westerdam next April, I have corner aft 5191. I wouldn't think the move from an SB to an SA was an upgrade, but the cruise line sees it differently. I realize I can still be moved, but at least I feel like I've done what I can to prevent it.

MIL called me this morning to see what I thought about switching to a Prinsendam 14 day North Cape cruise next June that I missed seeing when we booked our Rotterdam trip this past weekend. She really wants to sail the P'dam and she thought it was unusual to see a shorter itinerary. I'm so glad that I saw this thread earlier today, because it really made me look at the available rooms, even though we are looking for Vista Suites -- the Signatures are just out of our price range.

Given all the info here, we couldn't find a Vista with a location we liked. We'd prefer to be either fore or aft and all of the Vistas available were under or above something that was not optimal. MIL decided she'll wait for another trip for P'dam. Now she knows to book early for the best cabin choice!

Seems a shame they can not engineer better sound buffering between certain cabins and known noisy ship activities.

Particularly when the impact cabins are the premium costs ones. However, lower deck cabins expect to get the engine noises and the anchor drops that come with the less premium cost locations. Ships make noise and vibrations come with the territory. But how much should any passenger expect and is this the real story about the various grades of cabin pricing within one class?

But chronic daily activity coming down from the floor above should have a simpler solution with ceiling panel sound buffering. Any ship engineers who can help with this challenge?

We have been on most of the HAL ships in suites and recognize that this comes with the territory. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to reduce this noise. We cope with it .. but on certain HAL ships such as Zuiderdam, the suites are two decks below the Lido and thus have zero problems like this. Choose your ships and suite locations carefully.

harry

Thanks so much for the caution. We are still hoping for an upsell for our Aug 23 cruise. I had checked the deck plans and noted the SS cabins under the pool area. Good to know it could be an issue.

 

So how is the ship? We have never been on her but lots of other HAL ships. Is there anything else we should be aware of?

 

Can't wait- really looking forward to this! Hope you are having a fantastic cruise!

 

Sue

Hi, Sue,

Sorry for the late reply - Just got back on the internet.

The only other notable concern (to us), as mentioned by OlsSalt is the slow and clunky (and small) elevators. A bit frustrating, especially when there are a number of folks in wheelchairs and walkers, etc. I usually take the stairs, buy my wife has a bum knee and prefers the elevators. This can slow you down quite a bit, obviously. Plus, they are (to me) quite claustrophobic.

The Main Dining Room can be, as mentioned in other posts, quite loud when there are a lot of diners. Hard to converse when at a larger table. Not a problem in the morning for b'fast, though. I understand the adjacent "overflow" part of the dining room is not as loud. We're going to try it on the next part of our B2B2B cruise.

All things considered, we're glad we tried the P-Dam for various reasons (one of which is the ability of the ship to get into tighter places). But for the next cruise, we're going back to a Verandah (balcony) cabin on a mid-sized ship.

Al Carter

Thanks for all the info on the Prinsendam. 25 days to go!

Just in case anyone cares- we got an upsell offer yesterday. Outside to a choice of next 3 cabin types. Awful prices but we took the cheapest to a Vista/ veranda. Nice to have a balcony.

Thanks for all the info on the Prinsendam. 25 days to go!

 

Just in case anyone cares- we got an upsell offer yesterday. Outside to a choice of next 3 cabin types. Awful prices but we took the cheapest to a Vista/ veranda. Nice to have a balcony.

Well done :). Happy to hear it :)

Prinsendam remains our favourite ship in the fleet. Hope you enjoy her as much as we have.

Thanks for all the info on the Prinsendam. 25 days to go!

 

Just in case anyone cares- we got an upsell offer yesterday. Outside to a choice of next 3 cabin types. Awful prices but we took the cheapest to a Vista/ veranda. Nice to have a balcony.

Having sailed Prinsendam many times, that was a good decision .. you will love it.

harry

I thought I read somewhere that the aft configuration of the ship was changed/enlarged and that the aft cabins have a lot of vibration. We're thinking about a P'dam cruise for next year. I love the view of the wake, so I'm thinking about a Vista. Or maybe a forward Signature (under the Neptunes).

Any advice or experience with the aft Vista suites?

I thought I read somewhere that the aft configuration of the ship was changed/enlarged and that the aft cabins have a lot of vibration. We're thinking about a P'dam cruise for next year. I love the view of the wake, so I'm thinking about a Vista. Or maybe a forward Signature (under the Neptunes).

 

Any advice or experience with the aft Vista suites?

Your memory is good. The issue is the AB cabins. First of all they are new "boring"cabins and not the original Prinsendam cabins. Secondly there have been issues with vibrations, noise and pool sloshing.

After the last dry dock,some roll call members said it was not a major issue BUT the aft pool was 1/2 full (smart!) and we came into dock at the "right" times which probably helped, but there was still noise. And others on board found it an issue.

The two previous cruises I met people who had finally gotten "sleeping" cabins because of the noise. They couldn't get that until some people got off as the ship was sold out.

I love this ship, but I would NOT risk booking an AB cabin.

the Signature & Neptune Suites are beautiful if you get an offer or can spring for it. Totally different than on the other ships.

Your memory is good. The issue is the AB cabins. First of all they are new "boring"cabins and not the original Prinsendam cabins. Secondly there have been issues with vibrations, noise and pool sloshing.

 

After the last dry dock,some roll call members said it was not a major issue BUT the aft pool was 1/2 full (smart!) and we came into dock at the "right" times which probably helped, but there was still noise. And others on board found it an issue.

 

The two previous cruises I met people who had finally gotten "sleeping" cabins because of the noise. They couldn't get that until some people got off as the ship was sold out.

 

I love this ship, but I would NOT risk booking an AB cabin.

 

the Signature & Neptune Suites are beautiful if you get an offer or can spring for it. Totally different than on the other ships.

Thanks for the info. Vibration by itself doesn't bother me, but noise would be a problem, and pool sloshing doesn't sound good!

The Neptunes are so expensive that I'd rather go in a Vista or a Signature and spend the difference on tours. (And cross my fingers for an upgrade)

Thanks for the info. Vibration by itself doesn't bother me, but noise would be a problem, and pool sloshing doesn't sound good!

 

The Neptunes are so expensive that I'd rather go in a Vista or a Signature and spend the difference on tours. (And cross my fingers for an upgrade)

The cabins were noisy. Not sure if it has been fixed or not.

I did say Signature Suites too. I hope you do get an upgrade :)

Well I guess we are going to find out on our Celtic Explorer Cruise. We just took an upgrade to a Signature Suite. We had our choice of 4 and we took the one that was closest to being under the Neptunes on the deck above. From the deck plan layout it appears to be at the very edge of the pool deck toward the front. The other available rooms were towards the back either really under the pool or Lido.

We've rolled the dice and will just have to see if we have chosen wisely.

Cheers,

Well I guess we are going to find out on our Celtic Explorer Cruise. We just took an upgrade to a Signature Suite. We had our choice of 4 and we took the one that was closest to being under the Neptunes on the deck above. From the deck plan layout it appears to be at the very edge of the pool deck toward the front. The other available rooms were towards the back either really under the pool or Lido.

 

We've rolled the dice and will just have to see if we have chosen wisely.

 

Cheers,

Congrats on the upgrade/upsell!!!

I think you made a good choice and don't think that noise above should be a serious factor ;)

An Update....

I started this thread regarding the Signature Suites and the noise from above. We've been home a week or so now and have had time to reflect on the Prinsendam, the Signature Suites, and the cruise(s) (3 B2B) in general.

First off, the loud banging and scraping sounds from above are definitely a problem. We reported it, of course, and also to the 1st officer who joined us at dinner one night. He seemed genuinely concerned and wondered if adding rubber caps to the chair legs would help. They would help somewhat, of course, but the fact remains that the teak deck lays right on the steel deck, which is the "ceiling" of the balcony area in the cabin. BTW, I went up and surveyed almost all the chairs on the Lido deck (outside) and noted that most had maybe one or two rubber caps left on them; many had none. I even considered going up there at night and trying to put rubber caps on the chairs over our cabin, but realized that wouldn't accomplish much.

Second, we had a really serious problem with "whistling" noise from the slider to the deck. I reported it right off and within a day some weather stripping was added. However, this "remedy" really didn't work and the whistling returned. It was especially bad on windy days (duh!). So I "fixed" that by not closing the door tightly, then stuffing rags and dirty laundry into the gaps.

Bottom line, for the money paid for that stateroom, we shouldn't have had to put up with those conditions.

As an earlier poster said, be careful where you select your room, which we know, but we never would have thought this would have been a problem. Hence the reason for this posting.

Other than that, we were happy with the ship. As mentioned previously, it can go where other ships cannot (Ny-Alesund and the Keil Canal, for example). But all in all, we think we prefer the next sized up ships, like the Maasdam and similar. Just our opinion, of course.

Al Carter

P.S. Yes, we did thoroughly explain the two problems in the HAL survey, but I have my doubts that those even get read, much less acted upon...