Statendam Review in Members Review Section

[RuthC]

All HAL ships have coolers in the Neptune and Pinnacle Suites and the newer ships which are Vista and Signature Class have a cooler in every cabin.[/b]

As well as the Prinsendam, which is the oldest ship in the fleet.

 

Seven of the HAL ships have a cooler in every cabin; eight of the HAL ships have a cooler only in the cabins with balconies.

[sparky-elpaso]

The item that got me was the lack of someone to "escort" them to their cabin. :D:D That set the tone for them and they spent the rest of the cruise looking for things to complain about. Even if I was in the most expensive suite I wouldn't expect someone to be there to lead me anywhere - the crew has enough to do on turnaround day and I can read a deck plan.

 

We were on the Statendam for the Panama Canal cruise before the first Alaska run. Had a great time. Food was good to excellent - and we ate in the Lido most of the time (really aren't into 2 hour dinners). I thought the entertainment was excellent. The staff entertainers all had great voices and the shows were well done. I got a chance to talk to one of the guys in San Diego - he was leaving the ship and going to wherever they do all the rehearsals for new shows to get ready for some new ones.

[kazu]

Wow, I have been reading this forum for a couple months now, and now have decided I needed to comment.

 

I was on that Statendam last week along with 3 other couples and my husband, and if you ask any of us, we would have a very different review of the cruise than the review in question. We all had a great time, found the food in the Lido very tasty, lots of food choices to pick from. We found the staff very helpful and eager to help and to please us.

 

Yes, it was our first cruise and maybe we are too easy going....but would we do it again? Yes in a heart beat and I would travel on the Statendam again.

 

P.S. The weather in all ports was beautiful. Sunny and no rain. The day in Glacier Bay was picture perfect, and yes they did open the swimming pool roof to let some of the heat out, plus they were grilling the salmon bake by the pool. Only drawback, the days at sea were a bit rough, the ship did bounce around a bit.

 

Any questions or comment please ask.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to the HAL board:D:D

 

So good that you enjoyed your cruise. thanks for sharing your experience:D

[chrispb]

All HAL ships have coolers in the Neptune and Pinnacle Suites and the newer ships which are Vista and Signature Class have a cooler in every cabin.

 

Those ships that do not have a chiller in every cabin, you can arrange to rent one for $2 /day. There is a limited quantity so it is recommended you make arrangements in advance or soon after boarding.

 

 

[/b]

 

Thank you, but that wasn't what I was asking. I'm interested in knowing if there are other lines who don't provide a fridge or is it only HAL?

[kazu]

Thank you, but that wasn't what I was asking. I'm interested in knowing if there are other lines who don't provide a fridge or is it only HAL?

 

I don't believe that RCCL has coolers/mini bars/fridges in all of their categories of cabins on all of their ships. I don't know about the rest.

 

For the small ships that do not have a cooler/fridge - HAL does have them available for a small fee.

[boulders]

We'll be sailing in a cabin that doesn't come with a refrigerator in 3 months. Can anyone rent a fridge/cooler? I thought you had to have a medical need.

[dan-c-man]

How about the condition of the Staatendam? She is an older ship. Can anyone comment on this?

 

Dan

[sparky-elpaso]

How about the condition of the Staatendam? She is an older ship. Can anyone comment on this?

 

Dan

 

While she's obviously not a brand new ship I thought she was in fine shape. Crew members were always busy - painting, cleaning, etc., both inside and out. They replaced some portions of the wood top on the railing on the Promenade deck while we were on board.

[startwin]

Well, having just read it, yes it was nit-picky, but there were some valid concerns in there, when compared to other cruiselines. Such as the very limited times for the Lido buffet, and breakfast in the MDR. Before you jump down my throat, our experience on one other cruise line (we only use two these days) is much more flexibility in these times, plus a cafe that is open 24/7.

 

Having a private party in the Crows Nest and blocking much of it off on a scenic cruising day is a dumb decision, but I'm sure it didn't last long.

 

Room temps have been reported as an ongoing issue by many other members.

And his issues with HAL's website have also been reported by others.

He had some fair comments about the entertainment.

 

We had a cooler/fridge (very small) on our RCI cruises.

 

Apart from that, I think the review was rather harsh.

[RuthC]

We'll be sailing in a cabin that doesn't come with a refrigerator in 3 months. Can anyone rent a fridge/cooler? I thought you had to have a medical need.

Anyone can rent a cooler; there's no medical need requirement. The price is $2.00 per day. However, there is a limited number of coolers available, so you should have your TA put in the request asap.

[hal lover]

We all have our expectations. Some are just too high. To have so many complaints, I think one would have to look for them. The Alaska cruises this year for 7 nights were not that expensive. However, passengers expect Crystal luxuries for the Carnival price. The MS Statendam is not one of the new and gleaming ladies of the fleet but she a wonderful, timeless classic.

[emilygrace]

If this review has left you with a bad feeling, be sure to read the one by Fred & Lily for the exact same cruise. They were definitely happy campers and enjoyed everything about the cruise.

 

We were on the Statendam before the refurb and I thought it was a lovely ship. I had been on another cruise where the ship was the same vintage but it had twice as many passengers, so I enjoyed being on a ship that had fewer passengers in the same amount of space.