Pros and Cons of 40 Nights Cruise on Small Ships, Amsterdam

[born-to-cruise]

We have cruised ten times sailing 7 to 14 nights mostly Royal Caribbean's Voyager, Radiance and Vision class ships. We are considering world cruise of 40+ nights but never sailed with HAL Amsterdam. Those that have completed long cruises with HAL please share pros and cons. I fear to put my wife and myself into a ship with limited ammeneties with deisrable ports of call considered. Would greatly appreciate your inputs. Thanks in advance.......:)

[RuthC]

I would never call the Amsterdam a "small" ship. It's not a behemoth, like some of the other lines have, but she's a lovely, sea-worthy ship.

The Amsterdam has most all the amenities that the other HAL ships have. There is excellent service and food, a teak wrap-around deck, plenty of outdoor space so you can be with the sea. There is gorgeous art work and fresh flowers. HAL has some of the largest cabins for every cabin category at sea. There is a full room service menu, and a large library.

What amenities are you looking for that you think the Amsterdam might not have?

[airlink diva]

I think that the one of the best pro is your fellow cruisers. After a certain point, you will gain new friendships and really get to know others very well.

[Wakepatrol]

40 days on the Amsterdam??

 

There are no cons they don't exist.

 

Go for it and have fun

[HamburgAvonLady]

You may want to check out the Amsterdam Roll Calls for the World Cruises and other longish ones --- (someday, on my bucket list) --- there are MANY repeat HAL passengers, if that is any indication. I think the itineraries are quite fascinating and HAL seems to be just about the only line that offers these trips.

[jhannah]

If you want climbing walls and the flow rider, then you'll be disappointed. But there is plenty to do aboard Holland America ships. Ship tour, kitchen tour, team trivia, bingo, casino, movies, cooking demonstrations, computer and/or photography classes, etc. Some of the most comfortable beds at sea. A crew that is eager to make your experience a wonderful one. Huge buffet selection. Lovely dining room. Room service 24 hours a day. The upscale Pinnacle Grill. Much to enjoy.

[SeaShoreX2]

We are doing 112 days on the Amsterdam and don't expect to be anything but delighted with the food, service etc.

Lasting friendships are made onboard and there is an air of friendliness that hasn't always been the case on shorter cruises.

 

We do miss the activities that used to be offered but with all the interesting ports of call it is good to have a break to rest in between.

 

The Amsterdam is a great ship - just don't book 1913 or 1915 as they are over the butcher shop and are very noisy - saw running for an hour every afternoon and equipment banging against the walls at night.

[BearInStPete]

Born-to-Cruise: In cruise ships, bigger is not always better, especially for longer itineraries, a better measure is passenger space ratios (PSR) which in effect is the amount of interior volume of the ship per revenue passenger. Of the series of RCI ships you have cruised, the PSR of Voyager is 44, Radiance is 42, and Vision is 39. The Amsterdam is 45 and the crew to passenger ratio is likely higher as well. With that in mind the Allure and Oasis are only 40! Most of the boutique luxury lines like Regent, Oceania, and Seabourn range from near 50 to 70, with some of those being quite small ships. Additionally RCI gets bumps in PSR by some of the very large public rooms that you can't necessary enjoy all the time - like conference centers, ice skating rinks, etc so the overall spaciousness of the vessel will seem lower than ships with a higher PSR.

 

Except for the Cunard Queens, the Amsterdam is likely the next largest ship in total size conducting a world cruise. All the other high-end lines are typically smaller ships.

 

Lastly, I think if you create a list of "amenities" that you find are must haves, and compare that to those available on Amsterdam, I would be surprised if you would find Amsterdam lacking.

 

Hopefully this will give you a bit different perspective in evaluating your options - at the end of the day - I don't think you could go wrong with any of the lines that conduct world or 40 day cruises.

[luvcruisn']

I was on the Amsterdam some years ago, and loved the cruise and the ship. If you are interested in seeing what those on the Amsterdam are doing now, there is a blog for the voyage the Amsterdam is now on:

 

http://2011asiaauvoyage.thestansfields.com/

 

The people who are doing the blog, Barbara and Orlin, seem to be having a wonderful time.

[surfsidemary]

I spent 69 days solo on the Amsterdam last year (Asia/Australia Grand Voyage) and would do it again in a minute!

 

I think her size is just right. I like to know I'm at sea, so a "floating hotel" has no appeal. About 1,300 passengers was big enough to get lost if I wanted to, or to socialize if I wanted to. I have been on larger ships and don't like them as well. On the Amsterdam for that long a period I felt like I was home in a small town with gracious, interesting, intelligent neighbors.

 

There is plenty to do, and plenty of room to do nothing. There are multiple dining options and entertainment options. Also plenty of places to "get away," indoors or outdoors. Personally, I prefer the Deck 3 promenade to the busier aft Lido deck. For indoors, there's usually plenty of quiet space in the Crow's Nest.

 

What I like about longer cruises is that I become very familiar with the ship and the people. HAL passengers on longer cruises are not pushing and scrambling to fit everything into their short vacation. They are friendly, interesting, experienced world travelers who know how to respect their fellow passengers and the hard working crew.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I too have sailed on the Amsterdam and think she is a delightful ship but have not done 40 days. I would suggest following the Stansfields' blog at

 

http://2011asiaauvoyagethestansfields.com

 

They are on the 70 or so day Asia Australia Grand Voyage and their descriptions and photos will give you an excellent idea of what it is like to be on a longer voyage.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Sorry, the URL is wrong for the Stansfields blog-- it should be

 

http://2011asiaauvoyage.thestansfields.com

[SwissMyst]

We did 42 days on a ship with far fewer amenities than the Amsterdam and loved it even though it posed very different cruising challenges than the shorter holiday ones.

 

For these types of trips the passengers who take them are a special breed - well-travelled, great life stories and an honor to share time with them for these longer voyages. And being on smaller ship will mean a lot more people will become familiar to you over a longer period of time - very different interactions at stake while on board together for these longer cruises.

 

I do think you need to be fairly self-contained on trips like this. Our particular ship was full of people who read (mainly British and Commonwealth passengers)- the library was the central meeting place and we also had superb enrichment lectures during the sea days so this was all we needed or wanted.

 

We kind of hit a wall at 3 weeks and the last two were hard, mainly because we had gotten sick and we were travelling back and forth across the equator so it was relentlessly hot and humid. And our room was very small and basic, but the experience was glorious and now all of that is so forgotten we signed up for another one with the same ship (MV Discovery and going back to the Indian Ocean again.)

 

One vignette from that trip that we will always be remembered after being so far away for so long is seeing a US ship come into the harbor in Mauritius way down in the Indian Ocean and seeing large groups of Americans again - only to learn it was the Amsterdam on her round the world voyage.

 

When we left the harbor we went off one way down to South Africa and the Amsterdam headed up north towards the Seychelles. For that brief time we were two ships passing in the night and I could not have been happier to learn it was a HAL ship to be greeting this far from home.

 

And envious of those Amsterdam passengers with their larger cabins and more ship board amenities than what we were sharing for our 42 days on the MV Discovery, but we were a much smaller ship (700 passengers)so we got the better docking locations often than the larger ships. But even the Amsterdam is "smaller" than most other cruise ships, so you will get into the closer port locations than the larger ships too.

 

Tips: I way over packed - take the advice given here, just pack for two weeks and repeat for the number of two week segments you will be sailing. Try and buy a lot of your major liquid (heavy) items at your departure port so you are not wasting your luggage allowance and space on items you can replenish abroad as most items and brands are now world wide. Even getting appliances (hair dryers etc) at your departure port is a good idea if you can use the alternate plugs.

 

You will be able to buy extra clothes items along the way - logo tee shirts from ports visited seemed to be the casual dress of the day. Next time I will bring more sparkle and festive tops than casual clothes so dinners can be special, where as day time wear just needs to be functional and washable.

 

I am looking forward to doing this similar type trip again because we learned so much from the last one - and we will know how to pace ourselves better too. We had some really rough seas for two weeks which I had not experienced on any of our prior cruises so I was not prepared for the sea sickness I experienced.

 

Since then I learned what combo works best for me so I am now prepared ahead of time for that unpredictable reaction that no one wants to happen, but if it does there are few options left but to simply find the best way through it. (Hope your itinerary does not go through the Mozambique Straights!)

 

We are now doing longer and longer cruises because over all we loved all the extra value that 42 day trip offered the entire travel experience. The shorter ones have us spending too much time getting over jet lag and then the trip is over and we feel like we are just getting the lay of the land.

 

Our trip was very port intensive in the beginning so if I had a choice I would look for an itinerary that has more sea days scattered in between ports if you can. That being said, we keep signing up for where we want to do first an then grumble about the intensity of it afterwards - I think both our next long cruises break our own rules on that one - lots of ports all together.

 

So jump in and hope you enjoy your time - you can always fly home from anywhere if you find this is just not working for you. Put that option somewhere in your travel budget ..... and enjoy your new adventure. The Amsterdam would be a wonderful choice of a ship for this type of cruise experience - just the right size and noble traditions for this type of longer voyage. Lucky you.

[SwissMyst]

40 days on the Amsterdam??

 

There are no cons they don't exist.

 

Go for it and have fun

 

Sure there are. They didn't mention they were going to be in the penthouse suite on the Amersterdam for 40 days. Sounds like a drawback to me. :p (Hee hee)

[Viesczy]

You're on a 40 day cruise, how could you have a bad time??!! ;)

 

I never minded the size of the boat until after being on the 900'+ boat. After that my rule of thumb is that if the boat isn't 2 x my longest home run shot, I'm not on it. That leaves out boats under 860'.

 

But again, you are on a 40 day cruise, boat size is the last thing you're going to worry on. First thing is "will I fit in any of my clothing"! ;):D

 

Derek

[born-to-cruise]

I feel like a dry sponge absorbing everything every input. It is very educational to me and I learned believe it or not. Am glad I solicited your opinions on long cruises. Watch out, I will be joining y'all......Cheers, Al:)

[born-to-cruise]

Few more questions I failed to ask. Is there nightly show or entertainment on long cruises. These entertainments are in a form of musical Broadway shows, magicians, comedians, jugglers or anything that is performed on the main stage/theater. Is there ballroom dancing at night? My wife and I love ballroom dancing. Once again, your responses are greatly appreciated. :)

[newfarmers]

Our one and only HAL experience was 25 days on Amsterdam's sister the Rotterdam and if I could have stayed on for another 25, and then another, and then... I would have

[MadManOfBethesda]

We have cruised ten times sailing 7 to 14 nights mostly Royal Caribbean's Voyager, Radiance and Vision class ships. We are considering world cruise of 40+ nights but never sailed with HAL Amsterdam. Those that have completed long cruises with HAL please share pros and cons. I fear to put my wife and myself into a ship with limited ammeneties with deisrable ports of call considered. Would greatly appreciate your inputs. Thanks in advance.......:)

 

I have taken a 30-day cruise on HAL's Ryndam (which has only about 100 fewer passengers than Amsterdam) as well as a 30-day cruise on RCL's Mariner of the Seas, which as you know is a Voyager class ship. There were many, many, many more things to do on Mariner than on Ryndam, especially in the evening. Whereas Ryndam was a virtual ghost ship by 10 or 11 every night, Mariner was hopping until the wee hours of the morning. In addition to entertainment in the show lounge, and dancing in the Dragon's Lair, there would usually be live entertainment in the Wig & Gavel Pub, Vintages (the wine bar), the Champagne Bar, and sometimes out on the Royal Promenade itself. And of course, you find people hanging out in the Promenade Cafe almost around the clock.

 

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy my cruise on Ryndam, but you need to know what to expect. If you and your wife are evening entertainment type of people, you need to know that you won't find nearly as much on a long HAL voyage as you will on RCL.

 

I would suggest that you take a shorter HAL cruise to see how the ambiance differs from RCL before you sign up for a 40+ night voyage.

[RMLincoln]

Entertainment shows every night. Dancing every evening, every night. Yes.

 

But hopping late night clubs until the wee hours? Not so much, but most folks on a long cruise aren't trying to pack it full of exhaustion. They're there to enjoy the enrichment presentations, classes and precious interactions with the other passengers.

 

Plus I splurged on a cruise-long pass to the Thermal spa on Amsterdam and loved resting in the heated loungers with a magnificient view of the sea. It's not the most elaborate Thermal spa but it has a fabulous view and elegant decor.

 

Loved Amsterdam, but was only on it 21 days, wish it could have been longer. The crew was fabulous and the food excellent, the beds are the best. Room service will bring you anything from the dining room menu during dining room hours. Perfect food, hot hot, or cold cold. Enjoy the always replenished with your preferred selections fruit basket in your room. Set your shoes out for a shine whenever you want. Watch the navigational monitor screens in the Crow's Nest as you come into busy ports, shipping lanes or maybe the Panama Canal.

 

Be charmed by the Indonesian and Fillipino crew, and their special evening shows that present their home cultures, and Dutch High Tea, Indonesian Teas and many lovely colorful and delicious pool deck international luncheons spread.

 

There'll be time for you to be treated better than you've ever experienced. And love it! m--

[jschm27]

We did a segment of the World Cruise in 2009 on AMSTERDAM's sister ship ROTTERDAM. To date, the best cruise I've been on. We had a fabulous itinerary and the crew was great per HAL's standard. What really made the trip were our fellow travelers. Many of these folks had been on more than TEN world cruises! We had late fixed dining in the MDR at at table for eight. We had so much fun that we were usually the last table to leave.

 

The ship never seemed crowded and embarking/disembarking were a breeze. Food was very good.

 

I had so much fun, I can't wait to go again!

 

John