Is anybody else going to miss HAL's smaller ships?

[JeffElizabeth]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

My last sailing on Rotterdam V was in 1996 not long before she left the fleet.

 

The ship that was recently sold to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines was Rotterdam VI.  

We were on the last complete voyage of the Rotterdam VI in March 2020. Great trip through the Panama Canal.  

[0106]

We will only sail on the smaller ships. When on the Veendam, loved the smaller crowd when visiting Alaskan ports and was able to board in Montreal where the larger ships can’t visit.

[crusinbanjo]

Her is a picture of the Ryndam from a few years ago.  Mrs Banjo and I were on a Western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa.  Great memories of cruising that was convenient to get to and board, good itinerary, great service, good entertainment and a great ship.    

[jimgev]

Our first cruise was on the Veendam - we were instantly hooked. Another of our favorites was Alaska and the Ryndam. Loved those smaller ships.

 

[T8NCruise]

Love the smaller ships.  My last cruise was on the Zaandam after many previously being on the large ships, and I realized how much more I enjoyed the small ones.  

[Hflors]

I missed Rotterdam the day I heard she was sold.  We celebrated out 40th anniversary on her in Tahiti.  Celebrated our 45th anniversary on her in the Med, and had hoped to celebrate our 50th on her this year.  We thought she was just the right size.  Dh and I loves her Lanai cabins.  We liked it so much better than our balcony cabin.  We loved, loved her crows nest.  Such a wonderful place to go and watch the world sail by.....   The art work and atmosphere aboard always made us think of being some place special when ever we sailed her.   Great memories....

[rkacruiser]

On 5/25/2021 at 10:52 PM, JeffElizabeth said:

We were on the last complete voyage of the Rotterdam VI in March 2020. Great trip through the Panama Canal.  

 

I have found that my memories of my first and last voyages on a ship before another one cannot be done are the most poignant for me.  

[St Pete Cruiser]

On 5/29/2021 at 2:06 PM, crusinbanjo said:

Her is a picture of the Ryndam from a few years ago.  Mrs Banjo and I were on a Western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa.  Great memories of cruising that was convenient to get to and board, good itinerary, great service, good entertainment and a great ship.    

Thanks for sharing your pic of you with the Ryndam.  Compare that side profile to any ship sailing today.  I always hoped as the years go by, my last HAL cruising days would be out of Tampa.  Sadly, it doesn't seem to be now.

[Sue from Canada]

I've been looking at Fred Olsen cruises on the Bolette and Borealis (prev. HAL ships).  The prices are higher than what I would normally have paid going solo on HAL.  Even though they do have some 'solo specials,' the cabins are either on the dolphin deck or in the bow of the ship.  I'll keep looking as Air Canada has reasonable flights to the UK.

[sevigny]

Yes, we definitely miss the smaller ships.  The Prinsendam was it for us; as soon as we stepped aboard we felt as if we were home.  We sailed on all of the S and R ships, but the Prinsendam was home.  We are sailing again, but not on HAL.  We have tried Oceania, but are now looking seriously at Azamara.   Also looking at Seabourn and Silversea.  We did one long cruise on  a Celebrity ship, which we didn’t think we would really like, but it turned out to be fantastic.  One of the main differences?  Everything worked, no problems with a/c in very hot climate, no bathroom issues, in contrast to several of the smaller HAL ships that just seemed to no longer be taken care of.   We will miss HAL, but we don’t seem to be a match for them anymore.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I think the real question is , Are people willing to pay more dollars  per day  to be on a smaller ship ? 

[KirkNC]

26 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I think the real question is , Are people willing to pay more dollars  per day  to be on a smaller ship ? 

Absolutely, we (and you as well) did on the Prinsendam.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

42 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Absolutely, we (and you as well) did on the Prinsendam.

I am hoping one day Holland America adds a  new small 800 passinger ship  and charge's extra per day . 

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I am hoping one day Holland America adds a  new small 800 passinger ship  and charge's extra per day . 

I would love to see it but don’t think it will.

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I think the real question is , Are people willing to pay more dollars  per day  to be on a smaller ship ? 

I know I would. 

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I think the real question is , Are people willing to pay more dollars  per day  to be on a smaller ship ? 

 

I would, but the cost increase should be relative to what else is offered in the small ship market -- for example HAL could not (or should not) charge as much as Viking or Azamara if they don't also offer the inclusions of those lines. And while I know opinions vary about the food on Oceania (especially on this board!) a majority agree the food on Oceania is above par for what is offered on HAL per diem.

[esther e]

I definitely miss the smaller ones and will pay for Oceania or Regent with less passengers.  Never would consider those  behemoths that hold 4,000 or more.

[drowelf]

3 hours ago, KirkNC said:

Absolutely, we (and you as well) did on the Prinsendam.

And we did too. Especially loved the itineraries and smaller ports that the Prinsendam could get into. 

 

2 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I am hoping one day Holland America adds a  new small 800 passinger ship  and charge's extra per day . 

As for a new small ship. I just don't see that happening. 

Edited May 31, 2021 by drowelf

[crusinbanjo]

1 hour ago, KirkNC said:

I would love to see it but don’t think it will.

I have to agree.  Mrs Banjo and I have cruised on Silversea, Regent and in 2019 on  Seabourn in the past and will be trying out Oceania in the near future as a replacement for HAL.  

[KirkNC]

Just now, crusinbanjo said:

I have to agree.  Mrs Banjo and I have cruised on Silversea, Regent and in 2019 on  Seabourn in the past and will be trying out Oceania in the near future as a replacement for HAL.  

We are headed to Oceania and Azamara, hopefully they will prove satisfactory.  We did one cruise on O and like it but have yet to try Azamara.

[Mary229]

HAL's crew, HAL's itinerary and a mid size ship, that is what we are looking for.  That is what we are happy to pay for.  We don't want butlers, we don't need special restaurants, modest entertainment is nice but we don't need amusements.    I will use a larger ship, around 2000,  for crossings as it is better than flying but for port to port I don't want to be herded and hurried.  

 

I had high hopes for Oceania as small NCL ships were our first love but it did not pan out.  The ship is great but the crew needs massive improvement

Edited May 31, 2021 by Mary229

[kazu]

10 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I think the real question is , Are people willing to pay more dollars  per day  to be on a smaller ship ? 

 

Absolutely.  Prinsendam was usually pricier than the other ships in the fleet, understandably and we were willing to pay for it numerous times 😉 

 

It was well worth it 👍 

[rkacruiser]

17 hours ago, sevigny said:

looking at Seabourn and Silversea

 

As am I.  Seriously.  

 

10 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Are people willing to pay more dollars  per day  to be on a smaller ship ? 

 

I am.  As one becomes more senior, it becomes much more difficult to walk the distances required to get from one part of the ship to another.  If I am able to move about a smaller ship more comfortably--and cruising is that important to me--I will pay what I must do so.  

 

8 hours ago, RuthC said:

I know I would. 

 

Neither one of us would choose to pay whatever "premium" might be needed to sail on a smaller ship, I think.  But, if that ship met our needs, as we understand them, then, at least, I would pay the bill.

 

3 hours ago, Mary229 said:

HAL's crew, HAL's itinerary and a mid size ship, that is what we are looking for.  That is what we are happy to pay for.  We don't want butlers, we don't need special restaurants, modest entertainment is nice but we don't need amusements.  

 

I'd miss the HAL crew.  Their itineraries in recent years have been uninspiring.  Special restaurants?  Yes, they provide variety in dining/cuisine.  Butlers?  I never did figure out how to best use my Yacht Club Butler on MSC Meraviglia.  Entertainment?  The wide range of entertainment that I experienced on MSC was the BEST that I have experienced recently.  The 2nd best was my Coral Princess Seward to Vancouver cruise in 2019.  

 

If I would migrate to Silverseas or Seabourn, what might I miss the most?  The HAL crew.  But, reading the postings on both of the CC Message Boards, reports of CC members about their crew interactions have been very positive.  Nationalities of crews seem to be, for the most part, the same as HAL's crew nationalities.  

[JeffElizabeth]

13 hours ago, KirkNC said:

Absolutely, we (and you as well) did on the Prinsendam.

Agree. You always paid a premium to sail on the Prinsendam.  We were more than willing to pay it. Example: sailing the Kiel Canal. Very few cruise ships can sail there. 

[DeeDee Groff]

12 hours ago, esther e said:

I definitely miss the smaller ones and will pay for Oceania or Regent with less passengers.  Never would consider those  behemoths that hold 4,000 or more.

 

Every time I see an image of one of those behemoths I shudder!