Finest, fanciest, newest Hal ship!!! Help!!

[Typhoon1]

I consider any HAL ship to be fine and fancy. Especially, after cruising Carnival and Princess.

[kazu]

Appreciate all the reponses. By "cool" I guess I mean modern, luxurious! And I thought maybe a newer ship might classify easier. And I knew this subject would elicit varied responses, but that's what I wanted. We aren't partiers/drinkers/gamblers. Just like elegance, efficiency and quality! (not asking for much, huh?) Spoiled, probably, but as long as we have health we plan to enjoy what we can!! Celebrated 50 years on the "O" and enjoyed every second!!

 

I like classy - but it doesn't have to 'new'. Frankly (but I am one of the few) i was not bowled over by the Nieuw Amsterdam. if you are not in a hurry, wait three weeks and I will be posting on the prinsendam. So we have gone from the newest ship to the oldest. she is the 'elegant explorer'.

 

So, it depends, if you want to be on a floating hotel then you want the newer ships = if you want to be on a ship then you want the older ones. Don't get me wrong - all of the HAL ships are ships - they are not like the 'big floating hotels' but there is a difference between the smaller ones and the larger ones. JMO

 

I will attempt a live thread (for what that's worth) and feel free to see what a newbie thinks of the ship (most of passengers are repeaters and I do mean MOST).

 

I don't know what our impressions will be - I've tried not to set unreasonable expecatations - but we're going on her for 20 days and we chose this for both the itinerary and DEFINITELY the ship:D

[scopewest]

Start by figuring out which cabin category you want, and then look at the cabins on the various ships to see how they compare since you're talking new, luxury, etc.

[kazu]

Good for you. Keep in mind most of the time in your cabin is spent sleeping or changing clothes. Less time is spent actually sitting in it and just enjoying the decor. Here again is where HAL wins, nice sized bathroom and the most divine beds you will love diving into after a long day having high adventure and entertainment. HAL delivers where it really counts - comfort.

 

 

How much time you spend in your cabin depends upon two things - your itinerary and the class of cabin you have. If you are in a larger room and you have days at sea - you definitely spend some time there drinking your own wine/entertaining/enjoying your verandhah.

 

If you are in the smaller ones, then yes, you won't spend much time there as you don't have as much space. It just depends upon where you are and your itinerary. ;)

[RetiredMustang]

... We aren't partiers/drinkers/gamblers. Just like elegance, efficiency and quality! (not asking for much, huh?)...

 

I think you would like HAL, then -- those are some of the qualities that bring us back time after time.

 

We have not sailed all the fleet (but are trying!). Of the ships still in the fleet, we have sailed Eurodam, Noordam, Westerdam, Maasdam, Statendam, Veendam and Ryndam.

 

Others have pointed out that Nieuw Amsterdam is the newest; she is the same class as Eurodam, which we have sailed twice and enjoyed very much. Captain Bowland has made both cruises very memorable.

 

We have not sailed Prinsendam, but hope to one day. The per-day cost is higher than others, as you would expect with a small ship, but I like small ships. I have also found that I like many of the same things RuthC likes, so am sure I would love Prinsendam.

 

I also agree with sail7seas, as I often do. We have sailed Maasdam twice before and are booked in February, and agree she is special among the smaller, and admittedly older, HAL ships. We also think Noordam is the Vista class done right. But, I would add that the two Captains, Scott and Mateboer, have done a great job of melding the usual great HAL crew into something that is superlative. I can't compare to the whole HAL fleet, but I would sail Noordam any time it's going where I want to go.

 

Dave

[Himself]

In my opinion the nicest ships on the HAL line are:

1.Nieuw Amsterdam

2.Amsterdam

3. Eurodam

4. Volendam

[blue whale]

We prefer Amsterdam, especially for longer cruises.

 

DH had a problem with Prinsendam. There are four slow elevators. The two in each bank are not keyed together. Both can go right by you going up, if you want to go up.

 

On our SA cruise we found that one of the four was often being repaired.

 

Previously before my DH had to use a cane, the elevator situation was not an issue. We walked up and down—used the stairs and enjoyed Prinsendam. But when this was just not feasible, the elevator situation became a problem.

 

I just took a long time for an elevator to come. And if one has problems standing, that can be tough.

[jayteeaitch]

No one ever mentions - or raves about - The Zaandam:(

 

Why is this ??:confused:

[kazu]

No one ever mentions - or raves about - The Zaandam:(

 

Why is this ??:confused:

 

Maybe because we haven't sailed on her ;) at least we haven't

[Keith Rita]

No one ever mentions - or raves about - The Zaandam:(

 

Why is this ??:confused:

 

Well, we liked it twice!:cool::cool:

[RuthC]

No one ever mentions - or raves about - The Zaandam:(

 

Why is this ??:confused:

I'm not sure. I know I had a great time on the Zaandam, and couldn't find a thing to complain about if I tried.

I'll also have to say that there wasn't any one thing that stood out on the ship, either. However, with the sad changes to the S-ships and the Rotterdam, the Zaandam is now one of my top 4 choices on which to sail.