Converting tubs to showers - Zaandam

[JennysUncle]

I think that on the R-class ships all the veranda and oceanview bathrooms had tubs - only the inside rooms had real showers.  Just now we are back from a B2B on the Zaandam and got to look at several different cabins while they were being made up for the turn-around.  To our surprise, we saw oceanviews with nice new real-shower bathrooms.  I was able to ask the Hotel Director about this.  He said that HAL has realized that people's attitudes have changed and that tubs were no longer liked, so HAL will be converting most tub bathrooms to showers.  The Zaandam plan is to do about a quarter at each drydock, so that in ten years they will all be updated.  The first phase is done.  This is now apparent in the fine print on the deck plan on the HAL website - the C-class is now listed as 'shower', instead of 'tub and shower'.  I'm sorry that I didn't follow up with the HD as to whether this was the plan for all the older ships, but the Amsterdam and Volendam (but not Rotterdam) deck plans now list C-cabins as 'shower'.

 

However I have found that the deck plans featured on several cruise agent websites have not been updated.  So beware when browsing or booking - check with HAL.  The Cruise Atlas probably cannot be trusted since it is only updated annually and might not reflect the latest drydock.  And even the website might not be trustable, given all the user complaints.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Did these new showers have the same footprint as the tubs they replaced? I'd rather have a decent size shower than a tub. 

 

[AV8rix]

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Did these new showers have the same footprint as the tubs they replaced? I'd rather have a decent size shower than a tub. 

 

Yes, they do.  All of the replacements are the Pinnacle-class-style showers with the glass doors and are the standard-tub 5' footprint.  I guess that the interiors probably still have the old small corner showers with the curtains.   

 

And yes, I really keep up with this stuff 😀.  I'm just 5' tall and those high-sided deep European-style tubs have been the bane of my existence for years.  Doubt that they'll ever replace the ones in the balcony "suites" on the R-class and S-class ships because the jetted tubs are marketed as a perk.  Personally, I'm not happy about that.

[idiebabe]

Our Friends had an OV with the new Shower last month on Amsterdam.  They were in Room #2548.  Yes, same as on Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam.  

[sevenseasnomad]

1 hour ago, JennysUncle said:

I think that on the R-class ships all the veranda and oceanview bathrooms had tubs - only the inside rooms had real showers.  Just now we are back from a B2B on the Zaandam and got to look at several different cabins while they were being made up for the turn-around.  To our surprise, we saw oceanviews with nice new real-shower bathrooms.  I was able to ask the Hotel Director about this.  He said that HAL has realized that people's attitudes have changed and that tubs were no longer liked, so HAL will be converting most tub bathrooms to showers.  The Zaandam plan is to do about a quarter at each drydock, so that in ten years they will all be updated.

Yes, I'm excited about the new renovations in the bathrooms, but what really perked my interest was the comment about the 10 year plan.  Does this mean HAL intends to keep these smaller ships?  Last April, the officer who hosted our table confirmed our worst fears that HAL does indeed have all its smaller ships for sale in an effort to bring the line "into the 21st century."  Of course, while they're waiting for a buyer, they must maintain the fleet, even the small, older ships. 

 

My hope is that they can strike a happy medium and boast of a fleet which includes small and large vessels (decades from now) to accommodate passengers' preferences.  Let's face it, some of us love bigger, better (at least to some minds) ships.  At the same time, some of us enjoy smaller, more intimate vessels.  This drive toward eliminating the small ships leaves many loyal HAL fans rushing to book other lines that cater to those tastes.  

[JennysUncle]

Zaandam was built in 2000 so it is approaching 20 years old.  I have seen it mentioned that ship life is about 30 years.  A plan for updates in four quarters drydockings, with one done, would imply completion around 2026, so a few years before obsolescence - but with plenty of time to keep attracting passengers.  And the bathrooms might be due for major maintenance anyhow - we have been in cabins where it looked like the tubs had been renovated, but staying tubs.  Also - it might be easier to sell off a ship with new bathrooms - I think in the recent overhaul of the Prinzendam the cabins were gutted but the bathrooms retained.

[Boatdrill]

Love the tub. Sorry to see it go.

[Mary229]

I have always had mixed feelings about tubs.  I do enjoy a soak in my own tub but I have always been a bit queasy about tub soaks in hotels and cruise ships.  Just a little germ phobia,  I guess.   I am fine with the conversion.  Perhaps they will leave some cabins with tubs for those who prefer a tub.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, JennysUncle said:

Zaandam was built in 2000 so it is approaching 20 years old.  I have seen it mentioned that ship life is about 30 years.  A plan for updates in four quarters drydockings, with one done, would imply completion around 2026, so a few years before obsolescence - but with plenty of time to keep attracting passengers.  And the bathrooms might be due for major maintenance anyhow - we have been in cabins where it looked like the tubs had been renovated, but staying tubs.  Also - it might be easier to sell off a ship with new bathrooms - I think in the recent overhaul of the Prinzendam the cabins were gutted but the bathrooms retained.

 

QE2 and SS Norway (formerly France) made to almost 40. Some of the older ships that we no longer see with NCL or RCCL or X are still out there, but operated by less well known cruise lines. I don't think Tui or Pullmantour has ever had a newbuild.

 

[rkacruiser]

The bathrooms of the S- and R- Class ships surely are dated.  The new shower on the Nieuw Statendam was a delight.  My only thought was that the type of seal that was along the edge of the shower door seemed made of a substance that would not last many years and will sooner or later start to leak.  But, I am not an engineer.  So, what do I know?

[Radbooks]

We love the Maasdam and other ships of that era, but would love to have a shower instead of the tub. My mom is 82 and those are so hard for her to get in and out of each day.

[SetAnOpenCourse]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

I look for cabins that allow a bath.  Loss of bathtubs means one less reason to prefer HAL going forward.

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 hours ago, Radbooks said:

We love the Maasdam and other ships of that era, but would love to have a shower instead of the tub. My mom is 82 and those are so hard for her to get in and out of each day.

 

In addition to the high sides, the tub has a grab bar only at the end far from the shower head. There is no grab bar where you would stand to take a shower in the tub, so if you slip there's nothing to grab. 

 

[St Pete Cruiser]

We were very happy with the Volendam's Oceanview room's new shower last year.  It is much easier, and I feel safer, to have a shower with grab bar to step in and out of.

[Sue from Canada]

9 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I have always had mixed feelings about tubs.  I do enjoy a soak in my own tub but I have always been a bit queasy about tub soaks in hotels and cruise ships.  Just a little germ phobia,  I guess.   I am fine with the conversion.  Perhaps they will leave some cabins with tubs for those who prefer a tub.

Mary, I feel the same as you do.  I'm very happy with HAL switching to showers.  

[sail7seas]

On 9/21/2019 at 12:03 PM, JennysUncle said:

I think that on the R-class ships all the veranda and oceanview bathrooms had tubs - only the inside rooms had real showers.  Just now we are back from a B2B on the Zaandam and got to look at several different cabins while they were being made up for the turn-around.  To our surprise, we saw oceanviews with nice new real-shower bathrooms.  I was able to ask the Hotel Director about this.  He said that HAL has realized that people's attitudes have changed and that tubs were no longer liked, so HAL will be converting most tub bathrooms to showers.  The Zaandam plan is to do about a quarter at each drydock, so that in ten years they will all be updated.  The first phase is done.  This is now apparent in the fine print on the deck plan on the HAL website - the C-class is now listed as 'shower', instead of 'tub and shower'.  I'm sorry that I didn't follow up with the HD as to whether this was the plan for all the older ships, but the Amsterdam and Volendam (but not Rotterdam) deck plans now list C-cabins as 'shower'.

 

However I have found that the deck plans featured on several cruise agent websites have not been updated.  So beware when browsing or booking - check with HAL.  The Cruise Atlas probably cannot be trusted since it is only updated annually and might not reflect the latest drydock.  And even the website might not be trustable, given all the user complaints.

 

 

Welcome back.

 

Was Francois  Barrata the Hotel Director  on your  Zaandam cruises?  I think he is terrific

 

I was in a Neptune for B-to-B  in  May and I had  the tub shower combination.  I hope they are changing all  of them  over  to showers.

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by sail7seas

[JennysUncle]

"Was Francois  Barrata the Hotel Director  on your  Zaandam cruises?  I think he is terrific"

 

No, our HD was Bart Groeneveld