Seaworthy Comparison: Prinsendam Vs. Vista Class Ships

[Classiccruiser777]

We are considering a cruise on the Prinsendam. We would like to know how the ship "rides" in less than perfect seas. More specifically, how does it compare to the Vista class ships (i.e., Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam, Eurodam & Nieuw Amsterdam)? Any and all opinions are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[bepsf]

Prinsendam has a classic, fine hull - It was designed at the outset for World Cruising and heavy seas.

Vistas - Not so much. They're solid, safe and seaworthy, of course, but they're just not the same.

[RuthC]

The Prinsendam rides just fine.

It's not the size of the ship, it's the shape of the hull that makes the difference in how the ship rides. The Prinsendam was built to ride all the seas of the world, and she does it nicely. She tends to cut through the water, as opposed to riding up and down the waves.

I thought the ride was very smooth on both cruises I took on her. I've also taken several cruises on Vista/Signature ships, including Caribbean cruises to/from NYC, so I have a basis of comparison.

[kazu]

We are considering a cruise on the Prinsendam. We would like to know how the ship "rides" in less than perfect seas. More specifically, how does it compare to the Vista class ships (i.e., Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam, Eurodam & Nieuw Amsterdam)? Any and all opinions are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

Happy to answer this question as I had the same one before I sailed on her last year. IMO she rides better than the ships you are comparing her to:)

 

The Prinsendam was built to sail the oceans. She is not an original HAL ship and she does not have the same hull as the other ships (hope I used the right word). Basically, she cuts through the waves while the others tend to ride them. We sailed on her last year on a transatlantic and we had high waves several days. You would have never known it if you hadn't heard the captain.

 

We loved the ship - in fact, so much we've booked another transatlantic on her next year (in my signature).

 

I'd definitely recommend sailing the Elegant Explorer:)

[janmcn]

Prinsendam all the way…any sailor can tell you that the "windage" of a ship (how much is above water exposed to the wind) is a factor in how it rides. The P'dam is slim and low…and rides beautifully. The "apartments of the sea" are going to have more problems with wind on their beams if in a storm. I'd rather be in the P'dam.

[serendipity1499]

No comparison at all..We've sailed on the Prinsendam around the Horn, several Vista Ships (Westerdam, Noordam & Statendam) & the Nieuw Amsterdam which is a Signature class ship..

The Prinsendam is our favorite..:):) She's beautiful, is a world class ship & the service & crew is fantastic!

Book her & enjoy your cruise..

 

BTW The Eurodam is also a Signature class ship..

 

Cheers..Betty

[NoWhiners]

Can anyone say if this nice ride is true of even the lower (Dolphin and main decks) forward cabins? I mean the ones right in the very front. We are booked on the Prinsendam for oct 2013 and we are wondering how risky these forward cabins are in high seas.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread but it seemed related.

 

ML

[serendipity1499]

Can anyone say if this nice ride is true of even the lower (Dolphin and main decks) forward cabins? I mean the ones right in the very front. We are booked on the Prinsendam for oct 2013 and we are wondering how risky these forward cabins are in high seas.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread but it seemed related.

 

ML

 

You are not hijacking the thread..It is definitely related..On the Prinsendam we had cabin E322 & our Friends had E320, both on Main deck..If you have the deck plans It was a bit forward of mid ship..

We probably are not the best judges as we & our Friends are sailors & have been caught in two big storms while overnighting in the Gulf & also in Mississippi Sound..Those times we couldn't see where the other boat was, which was scary & could only communicate with them by radio... :eek::eek:

Then when we sailed on the Prinsendam around the horn the seas were like glass..Our spouses were very disappointed as they wanted to have lots of sea action..LOL

We normally book midship, on Main or Dolphin deck, however on The Maasdam in 2008 we booked approx 3 weeks before departure & took the only cabin avail on Dolphin Deck which was far aft & noisy..IMO the lower decks ride better than the upper decks & perhaps being far forward you might hear the anchor when it's being deployed..

 

Cheers...Betty

[kazu]

Can anyone say if this nice ride is true of even the lower (Dolphin and main decks) forward cabins? I mean the ones right in the very front. We are booked on the Prinsendam for oct 2013 and we are wondering how risky these forward cabins are in high seas.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread but it seemed related.

 

ML

 

We were very forward ML - would be more true of the lower decks I would think (smooth sailing that is), but we were at the top:eek: on the sports deck. Boy was I nervous - all for naught. dh is NOT a sailor. he gets woozy easily. He enjoyed his transatlantic cruise:)

 

btw - not a hijack at all - I had the same questions before I sailed and have to say I was VERY pleasantly surprised. I think because of the size of the ship and the way it's built there isn't much difference where you are on her:)

 

Have a great cruise:)

[NoWhiners]

You are not hijacking the thread..It is definitely related..On the Prinsendam we had cabin E322 & our Friends had E320, both on Main deck..If you have the deck plans It was a bit forward of mid ship..

We probably are not the best judges as we & our Friends are sailors & have been caught in two big storms while overnighting in the Gulf & also in Mississippi Sound..Those times we couldn't see where the other boat was, which was scary & could only communicate with them by radio... :eek::eek:

Then when we sailed on the Prinsendam around the horn the seas were like glass..Our spouses were very disappointed as they wanted to have lots of sea action..LOL

We normally book midship, on Main or Dolphin deck, however on The Maasdam in 2008 we booked approx 3 weeks before departure & took the only cabin avail on Dolphin Deck which was far aft & noisy..IMO the lower decks ride better than the upper decks & perhaps being far forward you might hear the anchor when it's being deployed..

 

Cheers...Betty

 

We were very forward ML - would be more true of the lower decks I would think (smooth sailing that is), but we were at the top:eek: on the sports deck. Boy was I nervous - all for naught. dh is NOT a sailor. he gets woozy easily. He enjoyed his transatlantic cruise:)

 

btw - not a hijack at all - I had the same questions before I sailed and have to say I was VERY pleasantly surprised. I think because of the size of the ship and the way it's built there isn't much difference where you are on her:)

 

Have a great cruise:)

 

Wow--this is great info!! Thanks so much Betty and Jacqui. We booked F 433--just forward of forward stairs (on Dolphin deck??). We carefully studied the deck plans before picking this cabin. Finally, DH picked this one since it was close to stairs and to the deck with the Launderette!! We plan on using it so we don't have to pack as much. DH has already said that if it is busy, he will do laundry at 2 am--anything so we don't wash clothes in the tub again! (We used ships laundry once and were very disappointed with the results, so we are reluctant to do that again).

 

I am starting to feel pretty good about this location--I know our itinerary is great (Black Sea)!!

 

Thanks again,

ML

[RuthC]

We booked F 433--just forward of forward stairs (on Dolphin deck??).

I stayed on Dolphin deck on my first Prinsendam cruise; I was slightly aft of the forward elevator. Friends stayed in an outside forward of the elevator on the same deck.

It was fine down there. Nice ride. Although the aft elevators seem to come a lot faster than the forward ones do!

[serendipity1499]

Wow--this is great info!! Thanks so much Betty and Jacqui. We booked F 433--just forward of forward stairs (on Dolphin deck??). We carefully studied the deck plans before picking this cabin. Finally, DH picked this one since it was close to stairs and to the deck with the Launderette!! We plan on using it so we don't have to pack as much. DH has already said that if it is busy, he will do laundry at 2 am--anything so we don't wash clothes in the tub again! (We used ships laundry once and were very disappointed with the results, so we are reluctant to do that again).

 

I am starting to feel pretty good about this location--I know our itinerary is great (Black Sea)!!

 

Thanks again,

ML

 

You may not be able to do laundry after 10 or 11 at night..On most of the HAL ships we've been on, they close the laundry around 10 or 11, so as not to disturb those psgts who are close to the laundry..

We found that port days are easier than sea days to do laundry..It seems on sea days, everyone wants to get their laundry done..

 

BTW When we originally book with HAL we were in F430 & our Friends had F428..However when we transferred our booking to our Travel Agent he gave us E 320 & E322...IMO you picked an excellent cabin..

 

Have a wonderful cruise & hope you enjoy our favorite ship....

Cheers...Betty

[NoWhiners]

I stayed on Dolphin deck on my first Prinsendam cruise; I was slightly aft of the forward elevator. Friends stayed in an outside forward of the elevator on the same deck.

It was fine down there. Nice ride. Although the aft elevators seem to come a lot faster than the forward ones do!

 

Good to know this from a seasoned traveler! Thanks Ruth.

 

You may not be able to do laundry after 10 or 11 at night..On most of the HAL ships we've been on, they close the laundry around 10 or 11, so as not to disturb those psgts who are close to the laundry..

We found that port days are easier than sea days to do laundry..It seems on sea days, everyone wants to get their laundry done..

 

Wow, really? the one time we were on a ship with a laundry room, it was always open (and noisy)! What happens if you start a wash and then it gets to be 10 or11??? We might be able to do it on a port day (or night) but these ports will be very exotic so I think we will be off the ship seeing as much as we can.

 

BTW When we originally book with HAL we were in F430 & our Friends had F428..However when we transferred our booking to our Travel Agent he gave us E 320 & E322...IMO you picked an excellent cabin..

 

Have a wonderful cruise & hope you enjoy our favorite ship....

Cheers...Betty

 

Nice to have feedback on our cabin--thank you for posting this. We spent a lot of time before we picked and checked "Do Not Upgrade" but today there were some posts that this could happen anyway:D!!

 

ML

[ariawoman]

Not hijacking either but this is kinda related.

 

Prinsendam used to be a Seabourn ship correct? If so I'm just curious - is her hull the same as the sisters in the seabourn fleet, or is she totally unrelated to the seabourn fleet as she is the HAL fleet?

 

I ask because I've sailed on the Seabourn Spirit in pretty bad weather and boy was it rocky LOL. I'm guessing they are different. I've always wanted to try Prinsendam. When I was on the NA i said "I wish there was a HAL ship that had the cabins of a seabourn ship". Looks like my wish came true with Prinsendam...if only i get to ride her someday.

[rafinmd]

Not hijacking either but this is kinda related.

 

Prinsendam used to be a Seabourn ship correct? If so I'm just curious - is her hull the same as the sisters in the seabourn fleet, or is she totally unrelated to the seabourn fleet as she is the HAL fleet?

 

I ask because I've sailed on the Seabourn Spirit in pretty bad weather and boy was it rocky LOL. I'm guessing they are different. I've always wanted to try Prinsendam. When I was on the NA i said "I wish there was a HAL ship that had the cabins of a seabourn ship". Looks like my wish came true with Prinsendam...if only i get to ride her someday.

 

While Prinsendam was once a Seabourn ship, I wouldn't put too much stock in that. She was originally built as the Royal Viking Sun. She was built as a luxury ship but on a larger scale than a "yacht". When Royal Viking ceased to be an independent company she was first "adopted" by Seabourn, and later by HAL. I haven't yet been on Seabourn so I can't really make a comparison there but as a Crystal regular felt very much at home on the Prinsendam. The cabins are likely smaller than most of Seabourn's but are both very well laid out and very well equipped. Just as one example, every cabin has a fridge. It is just an incredible wonderful experience.

 

Just for the heck of it, I'll toss in a post I made while I was on the Elegant Explorer.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30020482&postcount=123

 

Roy

[kazu]

While Prinsendam was once a Seabourn ship, I wouldn't put too much stock in that. She was originally built as the Royal Viking Sun. She was built as a luxury ship but on a larger scale than a "yacht". When Royal Viking ceased to be an independent company she was first "adopted" by Seabourn, and later by HAL. I haven't yet been on Seabourn so I can't really make a comparison there but as a Crystal regular felt very much at home on the Prinsendam. The cabins are likely smaller than most of Seabourn's but are both very well laid out and very well equipped. Just as one example, every cabin has a fridge. It is just an incredible wonderful experience.

 

Just for the heck of it, I'll toss in a post I made while I was on the Elegant Explorer.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30020482&postcount=123

 

Roy

 

and what a post it was Roy:D Ariawoman - as Roy said this is not an original Seabourn ship - so don't worry about your experiences on Seabourn. this ship was built to travel the world and does very well:D

 

I don't know if this helps Ariawoman - but from what I have seen this ship has a lot of fans. You either love her or hate her - since she has the highest repeat passenger ratio of all of the HAL fleet, I guess I have to assume that most love her (and her itineraries)

[Typhoon1]

All cruise ships are seaworthy. They wouldn't be in service if they weren't.

[ariawoman]

and what a post it was Roy:D Ariawoman - as Roy said this is not an original Seabourn ship - so don't worry about your experiences on Seabourn. this ship was built to travel the world and does very well:D

 

I don't know if this helps Ariawoman - but from what I have seen this ship has a lot of fans. You either love her or hate her - since she has the highest repeat passenger ratio of all of the HAL fleet, I guess I have to assume that most love her (and her itineraries)

 

ms Prinsendam does appear to have a very loyal following, and at her higher prices, that says something. Someday...

 

My time on seabourn wasn't bad, though of course I didn't like the seasick stuff. The service was outstanding. Ridiculous really. They wont even let you carry your own plates at the buffet LOL. Of course everything is TINY in comparison to what I've been on in HAL and X. Heck, they didn't even have a "theater" like the other ships. They had more of a queens lounge type place for their "main stage". It was definitely interesting. It was a charter that we were on through my bf's employer (i'd never be able to afford an all inclusive cruise otherwise lol), but it hooked me on travel that way nonetheless. Having a walk in closet in the stateroom was definitely a major bonus though and yes, the cabin was a great size. Felt like my living room here at home.

 

I really do hope the Prinsendam has an itinerary that I can do sometime in the not too distant future. Would be nice to see her for myself to see if she really is the ship of my dreams lol.