Prinsendam Baltic cruise

[cruisinjudy]

Localady, it sounds wonderful! We have just put our house up for sale so I haven't had time to keep up here, but I just had to take a few minutes to take a peek tonight! Happy sailing! TheAustralia thread misses you!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

localady, I am so enjoying your report. It sounds so wonderful and you have escaped all the heat:) Please say Hi to Bill and Virginia and tell them it is starting to cool down here except we are now getting are usual Monsoon weather with thunderstorms every afternoon. No major flooding yet and no big new of any kind in Las Vegas.

 

I too hope you took a picture of the CC group. Thanks for reporting in.

[localady]

Lisa-

We spent the day with Bill and Virginia in St. Pete's today. He says hello to all and said he's tried to post numerous times on the thread and he keeps timing out. He asked me to send regards to all and say they are having an awesome cruise!!

Grumpy- I have to say that I do notice talk from next door a bit more than normal in the back cabin but the oversized room, deck and fabulous "backyard" with hot tub MORE than ake up for it.

We are totally exhausted tonight after touring from 7:30 to 5:30 today. I will post my day in Helsinki yesterday and part of today.

Saturday, July 30th

 

Helsinki Finland

 

Last night we had a lovely formal night meal. We are seated at a table for 10 and almost everyone seems to be enjoying themselves...... The food on te ship has been wonderful. The rack of lamb last night was just delicious!

 

This morning we awoke to the most wonderful sight- clear skies!! Our day in Helsinki was absolutely wonderful and both Bob and I agreed that we really enjoyed our ship excursion to Helsinki, then Porvoo, a 13th Century town, the 2nd oldest in Finland.

 

The Finnish are a proud people and our tour guide, Tolla, was a wonderful ambassador for the Finnish. When discussing the history of Finland, she made a point of stating that at no time was Finland occupied during WW2. The Finnish fought the Russians who sought to take key lands along the Baltic and succeeded. She talked about the agreement that the Finnish made with the Russians and the staggering reparations the Finnish paid to Russia after the war as a result. She also notes that almost an entire generation of young Finnish men were killed in WW2. Our guide attributed the loss of so many young men with the fact that many women now hold positions of power in Finland. Even the Finnish President is a woman at present.

 

The Finns have 100% literacy. All students enter the school system at age 7, and can be educated up to a Master’s at the governments expense and receive a governmental stipend while studying. So far their medical system is sound, though with the aging Finnish population she said there are concerns for the future.

 

It was interesting to note that it’s very hard to immigrate to Finland so immigration issues are not something the Finns face.

 

What impressed me is what a clean country it is. The have a very low crime rate, and I saw no graffiti or trash anywhere. Everywhere here there are flowers....as with most Scandinavians, the Finnish relish the summertime and spend as much time outside and at their summer cottages as much as possible.

 

We visited the Rock Church here in Helsinki and managed to slide in between weddings. Being that it was Saturday there were many weddings scheduled. Lutherans here in Finland elect to pay 1% of their salary to the church, which allows them to be wed etc. in the church.

 

Sunday July 31st

St. Petersburg, Russia

Navy Day

 

When we awoke this morning it was dark, very dark, which is odd because it’s not suppose to be dark at this time of year. We then realized that it was dark because it was raining heavily.....it was a bleak start to the day.

We elected to use Red Ocotber for a group of 6, 3 CCer’s and DW/DH’s. We started the day right at 7:30 and right from the get go we knew we were for a very special day. We first visited St Andrew’s Cathedral this morning very early. A Greek Orthodox service was going on and it was wonderfully moving to observe the service for a bit. The services last in excess of 2 hours for a regular service and 4 hours on special occasions. During that entire time the congregation stand or kneel. The choir at the particular church included some local opera singers and the singing was so beautifully moving, we knew that despite the rain we were about to have a lovely day.

We toured the embankment early as today is Navy Day here in St. Petersburg and there should be a great deal of people and closed roads on the embankment of the river Neva for the parade of war ships we saw lined up along the river. Our next stop was the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood, the place where Alexander the Great was assassinated. The Cathedral is incredibly ornate on the outside, with it’s large golden ‘Onions’ and wildly colored roofs and steeples. The inside is even more outrageous with beautiful mosaics of bibical images and intricate mosaic patterns.

We then visited and toured St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest Cathedral in Russia. It is quiet beautiful with frescoes on the ceilings and columns of blue made of lapis and of green malakite (sp?) . It was also quite impressive.

We then had lunch at a local Russian restaurant as set up by Red October. The food was great, Borscht and Stoganoff. We were also able to shop at a local shop that had lovely (and expensive) lacquer boxes and stacking dolls. I picked up a beautiful blue de Havalland china tea pot, it is so lovely. We also visited the Hermitage...more about that later.

 

This ship continues to please at all turns. The staff is just lovely and size of the ship just about perfect!

[Cuttle]

Thanks for the very interesting travelogue. I dug out my Europe Atlas and have been following along with you, every mile of the way. What a trip!

 

Waiting eagerly for the next episode.

 

Regards

[jasl]

Well my Friend, I was worried about you, no post yesterday and had visions of you & Bob left at the dock waving bye, bye to your lovely ship. You have put my mind at ease again and as I stated it was only a "vision", I know you just wouldn't let it come to that.

Great report, interesting you should mention about immigration to Finland, we encountered a bus driver from Fuji (of all places) when we were in Stockholm on a similar itinerary.

Hope the weather clears for you so you'll encounter Peterhof in it's full glory, I do wish for you that it is on your Red October's itinerary.

Take care and many more exciting days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[localady]

Hello to all from Estonia!

 

Sorry I didn't post last night but after yu read of the last 2 days you'll pardon I hope!;) We had very fully days in St. Pete's and really want to thank RuthC for her Red October recommendation. They are the only way to see as much as possible in St. Pete's IMHO.

 

My impression of Russia as we completed our first day was that this was a country that has made progress. Where there were no manicured gardens in 2000, there are now gardens that seem to be well maintained. While we were sightseeing we noticed many wedding parties driving through the center of the City taking pictures at many of the beautiful monuments and places such as the Hermitage. The girls were dressed in very beautiful wedding dresses and most were in Limousine. It as interesting to note that we saw many bridal parties on Monday afternoon too. Also it did not seem that the attendants in the museums or the immigration officials were as drab and angry. Many buildings were freshly painted and the stores were filled with products we know and use every day. Last time I did not meet a people with much hope, ths time it is different in a very positive way.

 

Monday August 1st

 

St Petersburg- Day 2

 

The next morning we again woke to wet patios and big drops of rain falling. This seems to be the pattern so far...morning rains which clear in the mid-morning leading to relatively lovely days. We met our guide Helen right at 9:00 am and set out for Peterhof, which was Peter the Greats’ Summer Palace situated on the Gulf of Finland. Peter was quite the "Renaissance King", talented in boat building, with the foresight to develop the City of St. Petersburg. He also assisting in developing the Peterhof Gardens, which we visited. It is one of the most fabulously ornate gardens I have ever seen. Peter the Great and his architect/engineers designed a direct flow system to run the majestic statues, managing to synchronize the fountains to within millimeters with no computers or pumps or anything. It is a rather astonishing engineering feat.

 

We also toured Peter’s small palace, Monplasir, that he lived in when at Peterhof. It sits on the Gulf of Finland and all rooms have stunning views of the lovely garden and marble railings with the sea beyond them, or ornate gold statues amid ponds and formally designed gardens. As opposed to all of the classic design we had seen, this was a pleasant change, with halls of Peter’s Art and glass on both sides showcasing the incredible scenery and letting the sun warm the rooms.

 

Oh the way back, we visited so of the other fountains. Evidently Peter the Great, a large man, standing 6 foot 6, has a wicked sense of humor. He created trick fountains. Our guide let us experience one of these..when you walk into the area their appears to be a solitary fountain flanked my some lovely benches with sitting on a cobble stone base. As ladies would head over to sit down on the bench certain rocks triggered a huge spray of water out of the bench throughly drenching them. My husband strolled across the rocks without one drop on him...I scurried across and was drenched in the process. I had t wonder what the Russians thought as we continued to stroll through the magnificent gardens with my shirt soaked and hair dripping.....

 

The day was still young as we headed back into St. Petersburg and went to visit the Fortress of Peter and Paul, which sits on an Island in the middle of St. Petersburg. There we viewed the grounds that have been used as a prison for political prisoners up to the new times. Many famous dissidents served time there. While there we also visited the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, the palac where most of the famous Russian Tsars and Tsarinas have been entombed in Marble tombs.

 

After that we travelled to Red Octobers’ offices and store were another small cream and sugar service in the de Havalland pattern told me I had to buy it. I know it’s something I will use and remember this lovely cruise. We then had a nice lunch of Chicken Kiev.

 

By this time it was 2:30, so our final stop was through Yusupov’s Palace, the place that Rasputin was killed. It’s a marvelously ornate building that were owned by the Romanov’s, who were the richest non-royalty around. The story itself is really a hoot as the co-conspirators really botched the job, first trying to poison Rasputin with cyanide, then when he’d not died they shot him and walked away.....well he crawled out of the house after being shot and poisoned. When they discovered the "corpse" missing they found him out in the street and shot him again, then wrapped him in a curtain from the Romanov Palace and tossed him into the Neva. The autopsy later found that he had drown to death, after they found him wrapped in the curtain. The co-conspirators were sent to Siberia or put to death for the crime.

 

By this time it was getting toward 5:00 and we wearily returned to the ship all agreeing that we’d made the right decision to go with Red October.

 

We returned back to the ship to have a real traditional HAL dutch night. We ave a large contingency of Dutch on the cruise and it was a delight to see Dover Sole and Bami Goreng on the menu!! Bravo HAL!!!:D

 

P.S. This ship continues to be the gem of the HAL fleet!

 

More later......next stop, Tallinn!:cool:

[ldog]

I'm really enjoying this trip with you. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy days to tell us about it.

 

jan

[jhannah]

Thanks for the wonderful narration. Brings back great memories of our journey there a couple of years ago. St. Petersburg is truly a stunning place so very rich in history. I'm sure you'll enjoy Tallinn. It's a great "strolling around" city.

[localady]

Hello from the middle of the Baltic sea on the calm Thursday morning!:)

 

Today (finally) we have a day of rest. It is greatly welcomed after the fast pace we have been touring at for the last week. The Prinsendam is the "gem" of HAL's fleet IMHO!! It is the coziest ship I have ever cruised on and I have quickly fallen in love with the ship and the crew. Despite the fact that this ship is older than the Statendam, it seems to me to be in at least as good of shape if not better. I'e heard no complaints about broken plumbing, unflushing toilets etc. and no one I have chatted with has had one complaint.

 

August 3rd

 

Stockholm, Sweden and Stockholm Archipelago.

 

This morning we awoke very early (4am) to the sound of the Prinsendams "after-burners" kicking in. We looked outside to find that we had entered the Stockholm Archipelago. Bob made a beeline for coffee and we grabbed some clothes and proceeded to watch the beautiful islands with the seemingly perfect cottages and summer homes on them. Bob says it reminds him of Alaska, but I think that there is a vast difference between them. We sat on our veranda and enjoyed the beauty as we slid into Stockholm docking with a view across the harbour of Skansen, the Vasa Museum and Groenland with a huge brick complex called Saltsjoqvarn behind us.

 

We took a panoramic tour of Stockholm and then went to tour the Vasa Museum. I had signed up for this tour mainly because I figured that Bob would like it. Well surprise, this is an absolute treasure! It’s the only 17th Century vessel in the world. In was built during the 1620's, and thousands of workers, including many who set about carving intricate figurines into the body of the ship. During it’s maiden voyage in 1626, it was launched and sailed a short way, tipping to the side but then coming upright again when a larger gust of wind hit her sails and over she went. It was later determined after official inquires that the ship was actually designed with adequate ballast, but then King ordered a second row of canons to be added right before the ship was finished. Each canon was in excess of 2 tons, and the additional weight riding so high caused the Ship to be top heavy, sinking it as soon as there was sufficient breeze.

 

After seeing a good deal of the beautifully maintained city we returned to the ship and decided to walk back into the Gamla Stan, the old part of town. We enjoyed a nice walk thru a busy Gamla Stan, finding some CD’s to copy the almost 700 pictures I have taken so that I have the backed up. Having lost all my pictures on a previous Baltic cruise I am taking no precaution. There is little to no litter in the City, the Scandinavians are quite tidy folks.

 

Tonight we have the Mariner award ceremony and tomorrow, Warnmunde with many taking the long track to Berlin!:cool:

[trubey]

I am so jealous. I just want to be with you on your cruise. Right now. susana.

[dakrewser]

It does sound fantastic! I'm so glad I booked this cruise for next year.

[jhannah]

Did you not make it to the open air museum? It's just down the road from the Vasa. We found that very interesting ... and it made for a great stroll.

[localady]

Hello again!!

 

Yesterday was a well deserved day at sea her on the Prinsendam. We enjoyed just cruising and I enjoyed shopping for a bit of art for our new addition and a new fabrege' egg necklace with an angel inside from my DH.

 

Last night we attended the Mariner party where BillS, his DW and I received our 100 day medallions.:) It was also Peter Daems 10th anniversary with HAL and the Captain presented him with a HUGE medallion (2 x4 feet) !! It was all in good fun and it's clear that the crew and officers on this ship enjoy each others company.

 

This crew appears to be like family. The smiles I receive seem to be genuine as do the greetings I receive in town when we bump into crew members. This ship is so cozy, I can see why many love her and her Officers and crew so much. It's hard to believe that the Prinsendam was at one time a misfit....from the comments a I have received from the passengers on this cruise, the Prinsendam has found it's home in HAL and many HAL Mariners love her.:D

 

Dak- You will love this cruise and this ship, and really wish I could stow aboard for the next voyage..and next, and next.......

 

Jim- Unfortunately we didn't get to Skansen, but there is always next time!!

 

Today we were in Warnmunde, will write more about that later.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying your reports. We leave for our own Baltic cruise on ROTTERDAM tomorrow (cruise starts Sunday).

 

We are going to be in St. Petersburg and Stockholm with PRINSENDAM on her next cruise (and, though we will be in a hotel ashore by that time, in Copenhagen for the cruise after that). I'm hoping to visit her in Stockholm or Copenhagen (can't do it in St. Petersburg, obviously).

 

To be honest, PRINSENDAM would have been my first choice of ship, but I'm sure ROTTERDAM will be great too. PRINSENDAM is just the perfect size. I certainly hope to sail in her eventually, she looks and sounds just about perfect to me!

[JaniceB]

Localady it sounds like you are having a wonderful time. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I hope you will share some of your pictures.

[jhannah]

... the Prinsendam has found it's home in HAL and many HAL Mariners love her.

Count me as one. Each ship offers something different and enjoyable, but this Elegant Explorer is just something special.

[serendipity1499]

Sher..Just downloaded your wonderful travelogue & report from the Prinsendam..I want to re-read it & also have John & the others read it..You're making it sound so good...Have a folder on cruises I would like to take in the future & this one is going in it also..(along with your "down under cruise" in '07)..Thanks so much for sharing it with us..Regards to Bob & also Bill S & his wife..Will be on the lovely Prinsendam next April..Stay Healthy & have a wonderful time..:)

 

Regards Betty

 

p.s. three months to go for our "D" Day..Starting to decide on clothes now..

[Pete Jackson]

We (Marge and I) were on this cruise also, and saw quite a bit of both Localady and Bill S. and their respective spouses Bob and Virginia. It turns out that Bill S. was Mr. Prinsendam and Localady found him, and so they both got the 'boatload' of prizes!

 

We agree that the Prinsendam is the best dam ship we have sailed on! It is beautifully laid out, has a great cruise director Peter Daimes who really keeps the activities going, and is more stable in rough seas than the Maasdam or Ryndam (the captain, Hans Mateboer, had an interview where he fielded questions, and said that he though it was the sharper bow that pierces waves raither than bouncing off them). Although the Baltic cruise had few rough seas, we had done a back-to-back with the previous cruise which went around Iceland, and with some ferocious winds north of Iceland. Although there was some movement then, the Prinsendam handled it most admirably. It turns out that the captain has written a book "The Captain's Log" which is apparently available from online booksellers but the stocks in the Shops on Board had run out.

 

In St. Petersburg, we took the HAL shore excursions, rather than using a private operator like Red October since we didn't want to get too exhausted in extensive touring. The HAL excursions to the Hermitage (with Golden Room), Peterhof, and the Folkloric show were all great. One advantage of including the Golden Room is that it is one of the few places in the Hermitage that is air conditioned (actually, I doubt that the gold would mind if it got hot, and that all the Old Masters on the 3rd floor could use the AC instead), and so it gave a good break since the rest of the building was quite warm even though it was a fairly cool day. The Folkloric show in the evening was at a really nice auditorium in the St. Petersburg hotel north of the Neva river, so we got to see the city again from the bus, this time with the fabulous extended sunset! And the show itself was incredible; the young students really put out with many many glorious costumes, dancing, and choral singing.

 

Yes, the AC was ON all over Northern Europe! (Our house/dog sitters had to put up with a month a really hot weather in the DC area back home.). And we had very little rain, just at the arrival in St. Petersburg and the afternoon in Oslo.

 

The cabin and dining sevice on the Prinsendam was great with no signs of the staff being overworked. The wine steward Teofilo really like to ham it up and danced several numbers in the Phillipine cruise show. The crew in general seems like quite a happy group.

 

So book the Prinsendam and enjoy a great cruise. With the smaller size and great decor (even the hallways were nicely decorated as opposed to the endless tunnel look of other ships) and excellent service, it really offers upscale cruising at HAL prices!

[localady]

Pete-

Thanks for the comments, good to hear that you and Marge are home safe and sound.

 

We arrived home about 1:00am PST this morning, and within an hour of waking this morning I realized that someone had gotten ahold of my ATM/Visa card and charged over $$3400 while we were gone.:eek: !! I hope to finish my postings soon, as I ran out of minutes on the Prinsendam. First I need to deal with bank/police dept. etc as it appears it was a "local" job.:o

 

That said, we had an awesome time on the Prinsendam, will elaborate after I get unpacked etc.

[Grumpy1]

Welcome back, Localady... Sorry to hear about the credit card problem. When I read the first line, I chuckled because I thought you were referring to your cruise charges showing up... but now that I understand that it was indeed unauthorized charges, you have my sympathy. We're in the process of straightening out a similar situation right now, too.... NOT FUN!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Pete-

Thanks for the comments, good to hear that you and Marge are home safe and sound.

 

We arrived home about 1:00am PST this morning, and within an hour of waking this morning I realized that someone had gotten ahold of my ATM/Visa card and charged over $$3400 while we were gone.:eek: !! I hope to finish my postings soon, as I ran out of minutes on the Prinsendam. First I need to deal with bank/police dept. etc as it appears it was a "local" job.:o

 

That said, we had an awesome time on the Prinsendam, will elaborate after I get unpacked etc.

 

OH MY!!! What a terrible thing to have to deal with just when you get home and are probably already exhaused from the traveling. Isn't amazing that it ends up being local when anything could happen all over the world. I hope you get everything straighted out. When you get all that done and relax I will look forward to hearing all about the Prinsendam.

 

 

OK BillS where are you???:)

 

Welcome Home Everyone!!!

[Bill S]

I will echo localady's comments/descriptions, etc! We had a great time and I believe that the Prinsendam has become our favorite ship! The ship, staff and crew were all first-rate. We had cabin 197 and loved it! The picture window across the back wall gave us a lot of light and and airy/spacious feel to the cabin. We were hooked on the Prinsendam the first day (loved the walk-in closet)! The ship rode very well in rough seas-our last day, on the North Sea, was a bit rough, but I was impressed with how little roll we had.

 

Highlights of the cruise for us were the transit of the Kiel Canal, Visby, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm. Also, we arrived 5 days early and spent2.5 days in Bruges or Brugge, Belgium, which was the just awesome! I took about 800 pictures!

 

It was great meeting localady and her DH, Pete Jackson and Marge, Darell6T (who won a cruise at Bingo) and Joe and Carol.

 

Another high point was receiving our 100-day medallions, and seeing localady receive hers, as well. Similarly, being chosen as "Mr. Prinsendam" was an honor and fun---glad that localady discovered my other "identity".

 

I am still in jet lag this afternoon after arriving from Amsterdam last night at about 7:30. We were scheduled on much later flight from MSP to LAS, but at MSP we were able to get on an earlier flight, thanks to wx delays at MSP.

 

I will try to put together an expanded review later on after I start feeling "normal"! :)

 

localady: so sorry to hear about you credit card--ouch! Hope your bank will make it right!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Welcome Home Bill and Virginia, looking forward to seeing those pics and hearing all about it. And to think I thought you were only Bill S;)

[jhannah]

Welcome home, folks. We are so anxious to board the Prinsendam. Less than 2 weeks now! We leave a week from Saturday, the 20th. Northwest mechanics could strike at 12:01 a.m. on the 20th. Hopefully they won't ... but NWA says they have things covered in case they do. I can't help but recall a few years ago how strikes kept the airline idle for more than two weeks. I'm just glad I have insurance!

 

Localady, so sorry to hear about your ATM card. Had you left it at home and someone broke in?

[serendipity1499]

Sher ..so sorry to hear about your Credit Card fiasco..:( Hope you will get it setttled quickly..It's is such a pain when that happens as they have to cancel your card & you have to go through all the steps to clear it up...Try to rest in between & looking forward to your continued report..Regards to your DH..

 

 

Pete & Bill also thanks to you both for your comments..You all have made the trip & the ship sound so exciting & we are looking forward to our trip next April on the "Prinsendam"..Bill I so enjoyed following your South American Cruise..It made me re-live ours all over again...Looking forward to seeing your pictures..Isn't Bruges a beautiful place? Have been in Belgium many times (as retired from Sabena), & one of the most wonderful memories was when an ex-pilot cooked a very special dinner for my DH & me in his restaurant in Bruges..We had no idea what we were eating, but it was delicious! Some day hope to go back again..

 

 

Welcome home everyone and hope you all rest up & come back soon to tell us more about your wonderful trip.. :)

 

Thanks again,

Betty