Favorite Ship

[catl331]

1. Amsterdam - partly because it was our first HAL ship

2. Nieuw Amsterdam

3. Eurodam

4. Noordam

5. Oosterdam

6. Koningsdam - too far from traditional HAL. Only scores this high because of some new features.

7. Zuiderdam

8. Maasdam

9. Prinsendam - too pricey

10. Veendam - too many problems the last time we sailed her

Ryndam would beat Veendam if it was still in the fleet. Haven't sailed Rotterdam, Zaandam, or Volendam.

Edited June 4, 2018 by catl331

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Hands down, the Eurodam for many reasons......loved it.

 

Least favorite? The Veendam....also for many reasons. Never again.

[sail7seas]

S. S. Rotterdam V

 

My first cruise experience in 1970; my traveling companion and I chose her after considering many others: North German Lloyd's Bremen was the runner-up followed by Grace Line's Santa Rosa or Santa Paula. We seriously considered Commodore Cruise Line's Boheme as well which is still sailing, interestingly. I have long wondered: if we had not chosen Rotterdam V, what would our cruise experience have been? Would I still be a cruising aficionado?

 

 

We sailed Rotterdam V I her first New Years Eve and also for Millenium Christmas and NEW y years. : )A bea utiful ship and shame they ruined her a ft pool.

[sail7seas]

S. S. Rotterdam V My first cruise experience in 1970; my traveling companion and I chose her after considering many others: North German Lloyd's Bremen was the runner-up followed by Grace Line's Santa Rosa or Santa Paula. We seriously considered Commodore Cruise Line's Boheme as well which is still sailing, interestingly. I have long wondered: if we had not chosen Rotterdam V, what would our cruise experience have been? Would I still be a cruising aficionado?

We sailed Rotterdam V I her first New Years Eve and also for Millenium Christmas and NEW y years. : ) A bea utiful ship and shameful how they ruined her a ft pool. IMO

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

 

But of the current fleet, I would have to say the Prinsendam is my favorite. She, too, was beautifully designed, with well thought out touches. The atmosphere on that ship lets you know that you are special, and everything will be taken care of for you.

 

The Prinsendam for all the reasons RuthC said. We've spent 285 days on board the EE, so it feels like home.

 

Our other favorites are the R and S class ships as we prefer the smaller ships. So far we have only sailed the Westerdam of the larger ships. It just does not have that HAL feel for the smaller ships.

[navybankerteacher]

I’d say Prinsendam - for size and layout - yes, I suppose she is “too pricey”, but quality does not come cheap.

 

After her comes Maasdam - also for size and layout —she has everything the Vista’s have, just a bit more compact. Other than these the Vistas are the only ones I know - I like them all, but cannot recall any real distinctions among them.

[Tennessee Titan]

16 ships, 18 favorites.....

[chrisbu315]

I was reading a thread where someone commented that Nieuw Amsterdam was a nice ship, but not their favorite. It got me wondering. What is your favorite HAL ship and why?

 

I feel like my response is inadequate because I've only sailed on 3 HAL ships, but I'll give it a go anyway. :D

 

We did enjoy the Nieuw Amsterdam especially the Tamarind. But we really enjoyed the Westerdam and would count it as the favorite. The size of the ship just seemed perfect for us.

Prinsendam by a wide margin. Her size enables her to visit very unique ports where larger ships cannot call. Also, because the number of passengers is small you get to know them and the crew much better than larger ships.

[freestyling]

To date on the ships we have sailed on I would say Maasdam...perfect size however we love the Tamarind and good beer ( grand Dutch Cafe ) so the Koningsdam would be second.

[MajMom96]

Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam because they have the Tamarind restaurant and a separate Silk Den for cocktails.

 

 

 

Next favorite -- Ryndam -- did quite a cruises on her. Sad when she left the fleet.

 

 

 

I’ll have to agree with KK, Koningsdam first, then the Nieuw Amsterdam because of the Tamarind! That is a very special restaurant. The Koningsdam gets a slight edge over the Nieuw Amsterdam because of the “help yourself” snacks and apps at Billboard Onboard starting in the afternoon.

[MajMom96]

Prinsendam by a wide margin. Her size enables her to visit very unique ports where larger ships cannot call. Also, because the number of passengers is small you get to know them and the crew much better than larger ships.

 

 

 

I would like to try the Prinsendam some day, it’s just so expensive. I can do two-three cruises for the price of one on the Prinsendam. [emoji12]

 

 

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[KroozNut]

1. Amsterdam - partly because it was our first HAL ship

2. Nieuw Amsterdam

3. Eurodam

4. Noordam

5. Oosterdam

6. Koningsdam - too far from traditional HAL. Only scores this high because of some new features.

7. Zuiderdam

8. Maasdam

9. Prinsendam - too pricey

10. Veendam - too many problems the last time we sailed her

Ryndam would beat Veendam if it was still in the fleet. Haven't sailed Rotterdam, Zaandam, or Volendam.

 

Curious as to your particular reasons for placing Niew Amsterdam over Eurodam on your list since they're sister ships in the same (Signature) Class and are nearly identical in terms of capacity and design.

 

Is it perhaps because NA is a few years younger and a little fresher, or maybe the different decorating themes... the food?

 

Happy to see though that they're both near the top of your list. We haven't sailed either ship, but will be sailing Eurodam later this year. :)

[RuthC]

I would like to try the Prinsendam some day, it’s just so expensive. I can do two-three cruises for the price of one on the Prinsendam. [emoji12]

Ah, but you can't go to all the ports the Prinsendam goes to on the other ships. The Prinsendam gets into small ports that are too far away from the coast, or don't have adequate infrastructure for larger ships.

[RuthC]

We sailed Rotterdam V I her first New Years Eve and also for Millenium Christmas and NEW y years. : )A bea utiful ship and shame they ruined her a ft pool.

Rotterdam V was a very different ship from Rotterdam VI, though. Other than the same name, and that both were flagships of the fleet, they really didn't have much in common.

Rotterdam V was unique.

[rafinmd]

Haven't yet sailed or booked Zuiderdam, Noordam, Eurodam, or Nieuw Amsterdam, and am yet to sail on Volendam or Westerdam (both in July).

 

 

1. Prinsendam\

2&3. Amsterdam and Zaandam (perhaps SLIGHT edge to Zaandam)

4&5. Statendam & Ryndam

6. Rotterdam V

7. Rotterdam 6

8. Maasdam

9. Veendam

10. Koningsdam

11. Oosterdam.

 

 

Roy

[rkacruiser]

Rotterdam V was a very different ship from Rotterdam VI, though. Other than the same name, and that both were flagships of the fleet, they really didn't have much in common.

Rotterdam V was unique.

 

Having sailed on both Rotterdam V and VI, I agree mostly with RuthC's comments. Rotterdam V was unique in many ways.

 

Rotterdam V's La Fontaine's Dining Room Ceiling and the sculptures adorning the Dining Room walls were memorable. RuthC previously mentioned the unique staircase separating First/Tourist Class when the ship was in trans-Atlantic service. It was artfully designed. The entrance from the foyer into the Smoking Lounge with that large globe is memorable. The Ritz Carlton's murals which have been replicated on the forward wall of Rotterdam VI's Upper Level Dining Room add to Rotterdam VI's connection to Rotterdam V.

 

I don't understand Sail's comment about the alteration of the aft deck of Rotterdam V. I last visited Rotterdam V a couple of years ago when she was docked in Rotterdam and serving as a hotel ship. Its condition is as it was when I last sailed on her in 1996. I'm thinking that she is thinking about the aft Rotterdam VI's aft pool deck.

[RuthC]

I don't understand Sail's comment about the alteration of the aft deck of Rotterdam V. ... I'm thinking that she is thinking about the aft Rotterdam VI's aft pool deck.

I agree, since Sail's post also mentioned being on the ship for the Millennium, and for her first New Year's Eve. Rotterdam V of course left the fleet on September 30, 1997, and had her first NYE back in the 1950s.

[bennybear]

Nieuw Amsterdam for the Tamarind and the aft wrap Neptune, sigh.

Loved the Noordam first time sadly she needs work now and the Zuiderdam looks lovely after her refresh.

We also enjoyed the Rotterdam and are looking forward to trying the Maasdam. We will have to try the pinnacle class but are a bit reluctant as the promenade looks disappointing now.

[Aruba]

But of the current fleet, I would have to say the Prinsendam is my favorite. She, too, was beautifully designed, with well thought out touches. The atmosphere on that ship lets you know that you are special, and everything will be taken care of for you.

I agree with Ruth. Although we only had the opportunity (so far) to sail on Prinsendam once, it has always remained our favorite.

PS - our cruise paths have not crossed, Ruth, since we met you on Ryndam but hope to sail with you again some day on another dam ship :)

[RuthC]

PS - our cruise paths have not crossed, Ruth, since we met you on Ryndam but hope to sail with you again some day on another dam ship :)

Oh, I would love that! I'm still sailing, so it's possible we'll meet again.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Any Holland American ship

 

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[Aquahound]

Celebrity Eclipse.

 

Oh wait..HAL ship...sorry. That would be Nieuw Amsterdam.

[Fouremco]

Celebrity Eclipse.

 

Oh wait..HAL ship...sorry. That would be Nieuw Amsterdam.

My picks exactly! (y)

[CruiseMob]

This has been so interesting. Our next ship is the Amsterdam, which is new for us, and very exciting.

[catl331]

Curious as to your particular reasons for placing Niew Amsterdam over Eurodam on your list since they're sister ships in the same (Signature) Class and are nearly identical in terms of capacity and design.

 

Is it perhaps because NA is a few years younger and a little fresher, or maybe the different decorating themes... the food?

 

Happy to see though that they're both near the top of your list. We haven't sailed either ship, but will be sailing Eurodam later this year. :)

N.A. and E are really a toss-up, with N.A. getting a slight edge for decor and being newer. We've sailed E three times, NA twice. Similarly Noordam and Oosterdam are a toss-up, with N getting an edge for having the Explorations Cafe/Library down on deck 3 rather than in the Crows Nest. Haven't been on N for 9 years though, so I don't know about the condition now.

 

I’d say Prinsendam - for size and layout - yes, I suppose she is “too pricey”, but quality does not come cheap.

The P-size is nice, and we liked the Lido/Canaletto better than other ships of her vintage, but we did not feel the ship was sufficiently different from Ryndam or Maasdam to justify the price differential. We didn't have a suite, so the only area that we thought was more "elegant" than the S-class ships was the Oak Room. Did not like the very noisy MDR or having the noisy bathroom door right next to the bed so that when either of us used it at night we woke the other. Did not think the walk-in closet was a plus. Maybe the problem was that we were expecting much more after all the hype we had read beforehand. Edited June 6, 2018 by catl331