Celebrity Cruiser Tries HAL

[Tante Amalie]

yes

[Mary Ellen]

Actually, your picture proves her point. You need to look closely, but the tables to the far left (closest to the camera) are a 4-top just inches away from a 2-top. We've had that 4-top. At the 2-top were a couple who assumed none of us were fluent in their native language. They were wrong. ;)

Are you sure you're talking about the same ship?

 

[Topsham]

 

My recommendation would be NOT to book it for a 56 day cruise. Try it for a shorter period in order to 'hedge' your bets so to speak. 56 days can be a long time if the ship is not to your taste/personal preferences.

 

 

I have two friends who have done nothing other than World Cruises... 11 of them. A bit picky. Anyhow, they thought they might try the AMSTERDAM. Knowing how they are, I suggested they should try PRINSENDAM for a shorter cruise... like 55 days... rather than booking the whole 120 days.

 

They took my advice. Took the Penthouse and were very happy and with HAL. They came back again and did the same again.

 

Why not? If you find you don't like HAL and don't like the PRINSENDAM... what the heck.... it is just 56 days. You don't have to again. There is no guarantee that ANY ship is going to be perfect... even the most modern and even with the best crew. No guarantee.

[Topsham]

The wing dining room... shown in photo... my favourite. Table for two at the window! Best way to go. The round tops next to you... is no closer than any table in the other room. Never found it a problem with that.

 

Canaletto... by far is the bet in the fleet... décor I mean.

 

Pinnacle Grill.... again, a beautiful room.

 

 

PRINSENDAM is the best type of ship for long cruising.

[catl331]

Save space when you pack as you will get presents during the cruise.

But near the end they gave us two very nice 20"x12"x12" rolling bags to hold the rest of the stuff!

 

Regarding the dining room, I found the large aft dining room much more noisier than the more forward dining room normally used for fixed seating.

I agree - the low, hard ceiling makes it very noisy compared to other HAL MDR's. It didn't help any that we were next to a loud table and a server station.

[LindaM]

I beg to differ that AB cabins are the only ones with noise and vibration issues. I don't remember our cabin category or cabin number but we were not AB. We were toward the rear but not in the section all the way aft. Port side. We listened to engine racket fourteen straight nights. We had significant cabin vibration, causing secondary racketing noise from table and chair legs, a couple drawers and the sliding bathroom door. We kept a stash of washcloths in our room to shove under table legs each night. ( the cabin steward was required to remove them each morning). We never solved the bathroom door racket.

We also experienced tremendous noise and vibration a couple times in the aft dining room during sail outs. One night the captain had to turn the ship around to get out of a tender spot in Fowey, UK. We were at a four top with another couple, conversation ceased while the ship turned, we could not hear each other across the table.

 

On our 5 cruises on P'dam, we experienced vibration in the dining room only twice. In England, it had to do with the bed of the Thames at one point. It certainly doesn't happen often and the cause is probably one that has to do with what the ship is sailing over.

 

As far as cabin noise, we did experience it in 463, but not in 443, both on dolphin deck. I would stay away from those in the area of 463 to the back of the ship. The ship isn't perfect, but you have to know which cabins to choose. I would stay away from the "stack".

 

This is going to get me in trouble, but if people are going to post, be honest! This forum is for answers, not for those holding grudges. The whole ship does not vibrate....if it did, people wouldn't sail her! And, there are many,many who are not bothered by the vibrations, but we were in a cabin near the back of the ship. But, certainly not in those from midship forward.