Confirmed! Prinsendam has been sold! (4 threads merged)

[Ken the cruiser]

No, I don't want to subscribe. Since you're interested, why don't you subscribe? ;p

No big deal. I just noticed that the beginning of the article said they were basically interested in 2 ships owned by Carnival rather than saying Carnival sold them two ships. Big difference.

[Sir PMP]

No big deal. I just noticed that the beginning of the article said they were basically interested in 2 ships owned by Carnival rather than saying Carnival sold them two ships. Big difference.

 

Well, which one would be the other one: Maasdam or Veendam? Will try to find out...

[catl331]

Well, which one would be the other one: Maasdam or Veendam? Will try to find out...

The article starts "Two midsize cruiseships ..." Is P-dam considered midsize?

[Sir PMP]

The article starts "Two midsize cruiseships ..." Is P-dam considered midsize?

 

Yes, between 400 and 1700 pax are midsize ships...

[Ken the cruiser]

Well, which one would be the other one: Maasdam or Veendam? Will try to find out...

I sure hope it's not the Maasdam. Their new EXC In-depth voyages concept, which includes zodiac excursions and higher quality seminars, being implemented on the Maasdam has really got us excited again about HAL. In fact we just booked the new Oct 2019 Maasdam voyage which goes to some cool New Caledonia islands as well as circumnavigates Australia.

[Btimmer]

I sure hope it's not the Maasdam. Their new EXC In-depth voyages concept, which includes zodiac excursions and higher quality seminars, being implemented on the Maasdam has really got us excited again about HAL. In fact we just booked the new Oct 2019 Maasdam voyage which goes to some cool New Caledonia islands as well as circumnavigates Australia.

 

 

 

We did the circumnavigation on the Maasdam in 2016 and it was fabulous; so we’re getting off in Sydney this trip. We’re booked for about 120 days on the Maasdam because of the EXC format. We’re on the first sailing under the new format.

 

 

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[Sir PMP]

We did the circumnavigation on the Maasdam in 2016 and it was fabulous; so we’re getting off in Sydney this trip. We’re booked for about 120 days on the Maasdam because of the EXC format. We’re on the first sailing under the new format.

 

 

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Let's hope then that she'll stay, but there are no bookings after April 2019, while the Veendam has bookings until April .2020

[Btimmer]

Let's hope then that she'll stay, but there are no bookings after April 2019, while the Veendam has bookings until April .2020

 

 

 

The Maasdam has bookings available through May of 2020 when it arrives in Vancouver. I would guess that they’ll employ it to do the EXC cruises in Alaska for the summer before repositioning it somewhere warmer during the North American fall and winter.

 

 

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[Ken the cruiser]

Let's hope then that she'll stay, but there are no bookings after April 2019, while the Veendam has bookings until April .2020

… and HAL has posted Veendam's itineraries on their new website through Apr 8, 2020.

Edited June 1, 2018 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

The Maasdam has bookings available through May of 2020 when it arrives in Vancouver. I would guess that they’ll employ it to do the EXC cruises in Alaska for the summer before repositioning it somewhere warmer during the North American fall and winter.

 

 

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I can see on new HAL website the Maasdam's Australian itineraries through Nov 16, 2019. How are you able to see them all the way to May 2020?

[Sir PMP]

… and HAL has posted Veendam's itineraries on their new website through Apr 8, 2020.

 

Then both ships will stay, can't think of another Hal ship that's for sale..

[Btimmer]

I can see on new HAL website the Maasdam's Australian itineraries through Nov 16, 2019. How are you able to see them all the way to May 2020?

 

I just went to the HAL site, clicked on PLAN, then Find a Cruise, then in the More Filters tab selected the MAASDAM and 6 pages of cruises popped up. We're booked on 4 or 5 of them.

[JB&JLG74]

I can see on new HAL website the Maasdam's Australian itineraries through Nov 16, 2019. How are you able to see them all the way to May 2020?

If you filter by ship Maasdam, then use the Departure Date filter you will see it goes into April 2020.

 

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[Btimmer]

Doing the same type search for the PRINSENDAM yields the last cruise ending in FLL on 12/20/19 and we're booked on it.

[JB&JLG74]

Doing the same type search for the PRINSENDAM yields the last cruise ending in FLL on 12/20/19 and we're booked on it.

 

Enjoy. We're doing the Amazon in Nov 2018 and couldn't see doing it again in 2019. But we did book from Sept 21 thru Nov 20, 2019. We will be sad to see her go.

[Ken the cruiser]

If you filter by ship Maasdam, then use the Departure Date filter you will see it goes into April 2020.

 

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That was the missing link. Thanks!

[rkacruiser]

Doing the same type search for the PRINSENDAM yields the last cruise ending in FLL on 12/20/19 and we're booked on it.

 

Your news surely does suggest the end of Prisendam's HAL service.

 

Just a bit surprised, however, that HAL did not schedule the 2019 Christmas/New Year's Cruise for her if her HAL career will end that late in 2019. It would be a sell out at what are already premium prices for such a Holiday cruise.

 

My favorite holiday cruise. so far. during the Christmas/New Year's season has to be on the Prinsendam. Captain Dag was the "perfect" host and the crew, hotel staff, and entertainment staff provided a "cruise I'll never forget".

[KAKcruiser]

None of the Christmas/holiday cruises have been posted for December 2019.

[joekerstef]

Your news surely does suggest the end of Prisendam's HAL service.

 

No it does not, and this is why these rumor threads are getting old. All it suggests until someone can post an OFFICIAL word of a sale is that HAL has not yet posted any 2020 itineraries for Prinsendam. NOT that there will be no further cruises. They only just posted Maasdam's early 2020 itineraries in the the last what? week or so? I have only been on this board for a bit more than two years and I've seen the same logic employed to pronounce the impending sale or transfer of Prinsendam, Maasdam, and Veendam multiple times for all three ships. And look what's happened--Maasdam got the EXC program voyages and Veendam is getting more interesting Cuba and Med itineraries and P'dam keeps doing her thing. Part of the allure of Prinsendam besides/because of her smaller size is that each of her itineraries is unique, she doesn't repeat in the same year. Such a schedule might be a bit more difficult to put together and confirm before announcing it to the public than for say the ships sailing the same two or three itineraries over and over and over in the Caribbean in the early months of a year.

 

Until someone can post a link to a credible source, can we please stop the rumor mill about the impending doom for these ships?

[bUU]

While I agree that there isn't enough evidence to say anything is a done deal, I think it is healthy to consider inevitabilities.

 

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[boufa]

No it does not, and this is why these rumor threads are getting old. All it suggests until someone can post an OFFICIAL word of a sale is that HAL has not yet posted any 2020 itineraries for Prinsendam. NOT that there will be no further cruises. They only just posted Maasdam's early 2020 itineraries in the the last what? week or so? I have only been on this board for a bit more than two years and I've seen the same logic employed to pronounce the impending sale or transfer of Prinsendam, Maasdam, and Veendam multiple times for all three ships. And look what's happened--Maasdam got the EXC program voyages and Veendam is getting more interesting Cuba and Med itineraries and P'dam keeps doing her thing. Part of the allure of Prinsendam besides/because of her smaller size is that each of her itineraries is unique, she doesn't repeat in the same year. Such a schedule might be a bit more difficult to put together and confirm before announcing it to the public than for say the ships sailing the same two or three itineraries over and over and over in the Caribbean in the early months of a year.

 

Until someone can post a link to a credible source, can we please stop the rumor mill about the impending doom for these ships?

Honestly...no.

 

This isn't a site for a collection of press releases, that would be PRnewswire.com. This is a site of fans of various cruise lines discussing those lines and sharing thoughts and experiences. Maybe this thread isnt for you. I skip all threads about smoking.

 

The speculation is interesting, the business chatter is informative and I get a little insight from everyone's posts. Certainly nothing is done until it is official, and even then, companies have reversed course even after an official announcement.

 

My source was official, but I am not. So my addition to this thread would count as rumor. But the evidence mounts. We could be wrong, or maybe we are right at the moment but it could change tomorrow. Either way, to me, it's an interesting discussion.

 

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[AtlantaCruiser72]

HAL are not alone in their Fall 2019 - Winter/Spring 2020 deployments not yet being fully published for a good chunk of the NCL fleet. Sky and Sun only have dates through March 2019, Jewel and Pearl through September 2019 and Jade and Spirit through October 2019. That's 6 out of 16 ships in the fleet, or about 38% of deployments unannounced! Not all cruise lines publish 2+ years out like Celebrity and Viking are known to do. Even Princess has just in the last 2-3 weeks deployed the balance of itineraries for Winter/Spring 2019/20.

 

I'd say that if we get to September/October of this year and Prinsendam 2020 Winter/Spring itineraries are still missing then there is cause for concern, but let's all be a bit more patient. As others have said her more unique itineraries, and the moving to Maasdam to the eXc concept, may be more of what is going here. Then again it could be Carnival Corp quietly working on the details of the sale/transition of Prinsendam to another line, which can often take months to sort out all the details and ultimately the deal could also fall through.

[sppunk]

Prinsendam turns 30 next week. Her life expectancy is definitely short term from today.

[rkacruiser]

Prinsendam turns 30 next week. Her life expectancy is definitely short term from today.

 

Life expectancy with HAL, I think she is a short timer.

 

For those of us who love Prinsendam, the best news that we could hear would be that she is sold to Phoenix Reisen or C&MV. Both Companies have had much success in operating older vessels for many years after their projected life expectancies. Prinsendam, aka Royal Viking Sun, was built at the same shipyard as the three previous Royal Viking ships. The quality of construction must have been excellent because at least two-maybe all three-are still sailing.

 

The opportunity to continue sailing on her may not totally be lost. Be hopeful!

[grayjay]

First of all - As of now it certainly is only a rumour - in none of the German cruise boards I have been able to read anything about a possible sale to Phoenixreisen.It is not even mentioned as a rumour.

 

But - if it were true - and she really would fit nicely into their concept - she wouldn't be the Prinsendam we all love any more, her international crowd and a lot of her exceptional service personnel would be lost.

 

Phoenix-Reisen deals almost exclusively with passengers in the German cruise market, i.e. more German-speaking service in bars, restaurants, etc.is needed , German food and entertainment, German-speaking guest speakters, in general a very different concept of cruising. Those who sail onPhoenix Reisen's cruiseships love it - I wouldn't want to be seen on them - we very much prefer the many nationalities we meet on HAL ships, Azamara, Celebrity...

The only sure thing that would be kept are the high prices ( compared with HAL's larger ships)...