Prinsendam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Had sailed on Prinsendam 10 years ago and many other HAL ships since, but always intended to come back to the Prinsendam. When we heard it had been sold we got on with booking (travelling with friends we had met on the ship 10 years ago and travelled with many times since). We enjoyed the trans-Atlantic and western Mediterranean cruise, especially 3 ports in Morocco.
Pretty much everything was up to the usual HAL standard though there were obvious aspects of changes already underway for the ship's handover on July 1st. The food was almost invariably excellent and on the sea days there was no shortage of things to do, so much so that they were decidedly busy at times.
It's sad to see the Prinsendam leaving the HAL fleet, her small size has plenty of appeal as she's small enough to feel intimate but big enough to include most activities (as long as you don't want a climbing wall or an ice rink). That said, the demographic on particularly the TA was decidedly in the over-70s group.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Verandah Ocean-View Stateroom
The room itself was very comfortable but the trip was spoiled most afternoons by the loud sound coming from the Showroom at Sea, when the entertainers for the evening's show were rehearsing at what seemed like full volume. On one occasion the bathtub was vibrating and the music audible even with the shower running!
It was frustrating that there was no remedy for the noise but we wished we had known that these forward vista suites on deck 9 (above the showroom) would have the noise problem. After a morning in port and lunch, most days you could forget about quiet time in your room (maybe a nap) in the afternoon as the rehearsal usually started between 3 and 4 pm. No such thing as an early night either, as the noise continued until the 10pm show finished. Yes, I did complain but nothing was done. The ship was fully booked.