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

[bobpatj]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO:eek:

[Crew News]

It's not just out of commission...it has been SOLD!

 

This sale was confirmed by my HAL PCC after notifying me that my Rotterdam cruise Dec 2019 was cancelled. Delivery to the new owner will be July 2019.

[TAD2005]

There will be a ripple-down effect when a ship is taken out of the fleet. In some cases HAL has switched the P-Dam cruises over to the Rotterdam. Some ship will have to pick up the slack for that Rotterdam cruise, and another ship will have to pick up that slack, and down it goes. Somewhere in the big shuffle, some cruises will be outright cancelled with no alternative offered. One good thing is that the end date is July 1, 2019, which is too far away for anyone making non-refundable airline reservations.

[chengkp75]

No, it was a never expected bit of news, and this after I had been talking about it at my aerobics session this morning! I'm disappointed and now have to make a decision - do the cruise on a bigger ship that I'm not sure will be able to navigate the Amazon - or - book something else for the Fall.

 

I'm doing a Med. on the Koningsdam late April, 2019 and I won't be canceling that so an earlier Prisendam cruise unfortunately won't work out for me.

 

Will have to pour a glass of wine tonight and try to decide.

 

How far up the Amazon does the cruise go? I've taken loaded tankers up to Manaus, which is over 700 miles upriver. Our length, beam, and draft were similar to the Rotterdam, and I saw larger tankers there at the time. We didn't have multiple propellers or thrusters, so any cruise ship would be better at getting out of trouble on the Amazon than any cargo ship. All ships have difficulties in the Amazon, the river shifts so much, that the pilots are more like the Mississippi riverboat captains of Mark Twain's era, shouting advice between ships about where the sand bars have moved to. Our electronic charts were so out of date, that we had the screen showing us plowing through the middle of an island, or a mile aground going around a bend.

[CruiserBruce]

Several threads already in progress on the topic:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2651477

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2369583

[chengkp75]

The 'Dry Docks' thread lists Prinsendam as scheduled for dry dock in Freeport 12/7-20/18. Since Riesen will presumably want to redecorate' date=' maybe HAL will cancel the dry dock and squeeze in 12 more days of cruising ?[/quote']

 

I can't envision the dry dock being cancelled. There are mandatory things which must be done and she is due for some very key 30 year inspections.

 

I suspect this may be part of the sale agreement? But, in any case I don't think that the dry dock can be avoided.

 

I've been wrong before of course ;)

 

 

Absolutely right, kazu. The drydocks are for way more than "redecorating". And at 30, Prinsendam will have major tests of hull plating thickness, and weld condition, which is one reason cruise lines tend to unload older ships, the shipyard inspection and repair costs go up exponentially. The drydock interval is statutory, and without a drydock in the mandated time, the ship doesn't get her "certificate of class" from the classification society (insurance underwriter), and without that certificate, the ship cannot enter or leave port. The drydock will happen on schedule, but the renovations to the hotel will be curtailed.

[sppunk]

Sorry to her fans.

 

They can’t sell Veendam or she would’ve already been gone. Maasdam I doubt survives when the 3rd Pinnacle very likely comes online in 2022.

[Stakeout]

never been on the Prinsendam.. had no desire to be on it in the 72 cruises we've taken with HAL.. we were told last October that the Veendam and Maasdam have a 5 year commitment to be kept around.. we shall see..

 

now if HAL could only spend a few bucks where its needed most and FIX the horrendous NEW HAL site and make it work properly I'd be happy.. a nitemare:evilsmile:

Edited July 3, 2018 by Stakeout

[Loreto]

This is bad news today:')! We are booked on the 30 day Amazon Nov. 20 2019 for our 50th wedding anniversary. We have done this cruise in the past and it is amazing! Want to use the Brazil Visa/Yellow Fever Vaccination again too. I am not happy about paying the Prinsendam price for the Volendam. We were on the Volendam last year and she is a lovely ship, but not the Prinsendam. I would cancel, but I already bought the pre existing condition insurance. We will still go on the cruise, I called my TA and they hadn't been notified. She was on hold for a long time with HAL and suggested calling back later in the week. I see on CC some have been offered a pittance of OBC...I wonder what we will get. We are in a Vista Suite. Glad I didn't book an SS suite as they don't exist on the Volendam.

 

 

 

chengkp75: the ship sails to Manaus, overnights then heads back out to the Atlantic.

 

 

Karen

[Wehwalt]

I also got two of the emails as I had booked from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale next fall. I quickly booked the final voyage, paid the deposit and will talk to HAL about transferring over one of the FCDs (and the goodwill OBC) later in the week after the rush calms down.

 

I'm not a huge Prinsendam fan, only been once, but the final voyage is very special as I found out three years ago on the Statendam.

[Storylady]

We just happen to have two cruises planned for next year 2019 and both are impacted. We were sailing on the Rotterdam in July 2019 trans Atlantic to Boston via Iceland and Greenland and that will now be done by the Zuiderdam. Our other cruise was the European River Explorer on the Prinsendam which now is being done by the Rotterdam. Luckily they both look like the same dates and only slight changes in itinerary. Now to see what they do regarding room assignments.....maybe I will just call. We are lucky to have sailed on the Prinsendam twice in the last few years and were looking forward to what we assumed would be the last time next year....oh well. We have not sailed on the Rotterdam or Zuiderdam either (pretty much the only two of HAL ships we haven't) so we will get to try out two more ships :)

I will be interested to hear where the Rotterdam will dock in Bordeaux and whether they can go all the way into Rouen. The Prinsendam docked in downtown Bordeaux.

I believe, but maybe I am mistaken, but all the larger ships have to dock 15 miles out of town. I like the Rotterdam and the Volendam, but they can’t replace many of the Prinsendam’s unique itineraries.

[sevigny]

So incredibly disappointed. There is nothing in the fleet like the Prinsendam. We will be looking at other lines now, that have smaller ships. The Prinsendam is one of a kind. We had so many wonderful voyages on her. We were going to book the 34 day cruise next August. So disappointed at this news.

[cruisemom42]

I will be interested to hear where the Rotterdam will dock in Bordeaux and whether they can go all the way into Rouen. The Prinsendam docked in downtown Bordeaux.

I believe, but maybe I am mistaken, but all the larger ships have to dock 15 miles out of town. I like the Rotterdam and the Volendam, but they can’t replace many of the Prinsendam’s unique itineraries.

 

It's true that larger ships cannot dock in downtown Bordeaux. As far as I can determine from searching, the largest ship I've heard of that has docked in town is the Crystal Symphony, which is about 51,000 tonnage. Rotterdam is ~61,000. I'm not sure it would work...

[Cruise Junky]

It's true that larger ships cannot dock in downtown Bordeaux. As far as I can determine from searching, the largest ship I've heard of that has docked in town is the Crystal Symphony, which is about 51,000 tonnage. Rotterdam is ~61,000. I'm not sure it would work...

 

 

Oceania Marina can get in with the tides and she’s 66,000 gt, so she might be able to

[cruisemom42]

Oceania Marina can get in with the tides and she’s 66,000 gt, so she might be able to

 

Thanks; I'm glad to hear that.

[RuthC]

Just when I had decided to cut back on the number of cruises to focus on sailing Prinsendam more often, HAL goes and sells her off. :loudcry: Sad day.

At least I have one more chance to sail her, and say goodbye.

 

It was always grand, Prinsendam. You have been a fine ship.

[colbe]

Not according to the email we got. Just a special OBC (for our category - OV) of $50 each .... not a great deal as far as we are concerned.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Check your email. It says -

 

You will be re-accommodated to the below voyage in the same stateroom category at the rate already paid, or best available fare.

[Seattitude]

We were booked on the Prinsendam for the 14 day Kiel Canal & Baltic Explorer. The email came this morning saying that we would be switched to the Rotterdam. I had booked the Prinsendam because we wanted to do the Kiel Canal and cruise the Elbe River to Hamburg. The Rotterdam does not do this. :o As a gesture of appreciation they will give us a $50 pp SBC to be used on the Rotterdam. WOW! how generous. Seriously? We will not book the Rotterdam. So very disappointed.

[Happily@Sea]

Yes, we knew the day would come, I wonder if she still will go into dock this coming December...

 

Thankfully, I already had a Holiday cruise booked on her, but I thought it would be following a drydock - now I'll have to wait and see, but at least my ship for my cruise hasn't been sold from underneath me.

[Storylady]

Thanks; I'm glad to hear that.

 

In order to dock at La Luna in the downtown, the ship’s max can be no longer than 255M. The Rotterdam is shorter than that.

 

But there is also a max air draft. And that is 49 M according to the Bordeaux website. I believe the reason the Prinsendam could dock downtown was due to her height. One of the bridges, you must go under has a height of 174feet. Could not find out what the max air draft of the Rotterdam is.

[knitter]

We booked the Scotland/Ireland itinerary for June 3, 2019, her next to last cruise. What a sad surprise! We sailed once around Ireland and I love her size!

[chengkp75]

In order to dock at La Luna in the downtown, the ship’s max can be no longer than 255M. The Rotterdam is shorter than that.

 

But there is also a max air draft. And that is 49 M according to the Bordeaux website. I believe the reason the Prinsendam could dock downtown was due to her height. One of the bridges, you must go under has a height of 174feet. Could not find out what the max air draft of the Rotterdam is.

 

As well as air draft, there is the water depth at the dock, and the draft of the vessels. The port of Bordeaux states the max draft to be 7.5m. Prinsendam is 7.2m, Marina is 7.3, and Rotterdam is 8.1. So, regardless of Gross Tonnage (which remember is only a volume measurement), the Rotterdam (at 61,000 gt) sits deeper in the water than the Marina (at 66,000 gt), and the Prinsendam (at only 39,000 gt) sits almost as deep as Marina.

 

Air drafts are notoriously hard to pin down, but I suspect that with the much greater GT (volume), that Rotterdam is significantly higher than Prinsendam.

[Kilkennygirl]

I will be interested to hear where the Rotterdam will dock in Bordeaux and whether they can go all the way into Rouen. The Prinsendam docked in downtown Bordeaux.

I believe, but maybe I am mistaken, but all the larger ships have to dock 15 miles out of town. I like the Rotterdam and the Volendam, but they can’t replace many of the Prinsendam’s unique itineraries.

 

I rebooked on the replacement Rotterdam Bourgundian Explorer cruise Oct 5/19 yesterday. The itinerary is slightly different, will not go up to Rouen, but instead over to Dover and Portland/Weymouth before heading back to La Rochelle, Bordeaux etc. Overall price slightly less than the Prinsendam.

[Rumloco]

Unfortunately, the Newbies will never know what they have missed!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[MarKandi]

Although in operation until July 1 2019, the Prisendam has been sold to a German Cruise company Phoenix Riesen.

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/holland-america-lines-prinsendam-leave-153000336.html?.tsrc=applewf