Statendam Thanksgiving Cruise for the lurkers

[PACD_JG]

Didn’t see anybody start a live thread, but I wanted to drop some facts.

 

2900 passengers.  350 kids between the ages of 2-18.  Definitely different vibe than Koningsdam, June/July 2022, Alaska with only 1800 passengers.  It’s too busy for my liking.  Ask a question if you’d like…there are other Cruise Critic regulars on here.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

2,666 passengers in more than 1,377 cabins.

[PACD_JG]

1 minute ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

2,666 passengers in more than 1,377 cabins.

You’ve been around long enough to know they only count double occupancy.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

2,666 passengers in more than 1,377 cabins.

It's the same on the koningsdam.  I've heard it over 2900 and you feel it. I see many, many kids with parents. It seems everyone has at least 3 kids.its way, way to busy.  It can be over capacity.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

1 minute ago, PACD_JG said:

You’ve been around long enough to know they only count double occupancy.

You are 100% correct .. Sorry 

[Oceansaway17]

aw enjoy your cruise.  I did the Zuiderdam in 2011 for Thanksgiving and in the buffet area everyone had to keep begging for larger portions of potatoes and stuffing on Thanksgiving.  I assume it could be same in MSR so tell the waiter that Americans like large portions.   good luck

[PACD_JG]

So we’re parked next to the Carnival Spirit in Grand Turk.  If Carnival is the Wal-mart of cruising, then the Spirit is the Dollar General.  So much rust in the cabin balconies, and even the guard rails are weather-stripped.

[Djptcp]

Did the OP not think in advance that Thanksgiving week would have a lot of families with a lot of kids??

[PACD_JG]

3 hours ago, Djptcp said:

Did the OP not think in advance that Thanksgiving week would have a lot of families with a lot of kids??

If only I was lazy enough to take 70 cruises,  I would have known better.  Now I know holiday cruises aren’t my cuppa.

[PACD_JG]

Captain Noel just announced that today’s weather at Half Moon Cay was the best he’s ever witnessed.  I’ll take it.

[ScottishMaid]

We are wondering what the capacity is of Club HAL, especially for the youngest kids. Can we can sign up in advance or is it first come first served for every three hour session? We are traveling with our 5 year old grandson for the fist time, and also son and DIL on December 17th Koningsdam.

We usually cruise during school time so any other comments re cruising with hordes of kids are welcome. For example do you see kids in the MDR and in the show lounge?

Thanks!

[PACD_JG]

On sailaway we were told there were 2900 people on board, and 350 of them were under the age of 18.  As far as Club HAL, I couldn’t tell you how it works.  As far as teens, they had daily meetups but my teens only went on the first day (they are ambiverts like their parents).  Yes to kids everywhere…MDR, shows, lounges, and especially the pool.

 

Just to add, there were 1800 folks on the Koningsdam in June and about 100 under the age of 18, about 30 teens total.  I see 30 teens on this cruise walk by me in the Grand Dutch Cafe every 10 minutes.

Edited November 26, 2022 by PACD_JG
I hate typing on my phone.

[USN59-79]

We sailed on the Statendam in 2004 and 2006 and it was obviously not the ship the OP mentioned.  

[VennDiagram]

On 11/20/2022 at 12:27 PM, PACD_JG said:

It’s too busy for my liking.

 

I can sympathize. We made the mistake of taking a cruise over American Thanksgiving too.  It was very busy.  Now I check the dates for American Thanksgiving before I book a cruise.  We do not want a repeat of that one experience.

[FlorenceItaly]

We sailed on the Nieuw Statendam November 5-12.  We loved everything about it except all the people, lol.  The crew, entertainment, cuisine; all outstanding.  It is a well run ship in our opinion.  For awhile HAL was running a "kids free" promotion and I suspect this is another reason it is busy this week.

[PACD_JG]

I just completed my survey, so here are some more thoughts.

 

HAL actually saved me a bit of money on this cruise.  I was refunded $9.71 X 4 for "taxes, fees, and port expenses adjustment."  That was nice because I'm going to assume that almost everybody onboard would have never noticed if HAL kept the money.  Also, I had OBC to burn, and I planned on buying the drink package for us at Half Moon Cay.  That was never an option online prior to boarding and while on board.  I ended up only spending $32.45 during our stay there.  Because of OBC to use or lose, we ended up booking at the Tamarind on our final night at $136.88 (ate there two nights prior).  We all ordered the Wasabi & Soy Crusted Beef Tenderloin as our entrees because yes, it is the best meal on the ship.  Speaking of...the wife and I ate at the Pinnacle Grill.  My cut of ribeye was not very high quality.  So if you're a carnivore, you are better off spending less money to dine at Tamarind to enjoy the Wasabi & Soy Crusted Beef Tenderloin and the Thai Beef Salad.  Also, on at least one of the MDR dinner menus, the same ribeye on the Pinnacle menu was available for only $15.  You'd save a lot of money just purchasing that.

[Sea42]

4 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

We all ordered the Wasabi & Soy Crusted Beef Tenderloin as our entrees because yes, it is the best meal on the ship. 

Is that really spicy? We will be eating there our our next cruise but my husband has a very low tolerance for heat.

[PACD_JG]

1 minute ago, Sea42 said:

Is that really spicy? We will be eating there our our next cruise but my husband has a very low tolerance for heat.

Not at all.  But tell him to stay away from the Thai Basil Szechuan Shrimp.  We were told items can be ordered mild, medium, or spicy.  We told our waitresses that we'll eat it how it's supposed to be (so medium?)

[Sea42]

2 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

Not at all.  But tell him to stay away from the Thai Basil Szechuan Shrimp.  We were told items can be ordered mild, medium, or spicy.  We told our waitresses that we'll eat it how it's supposed to be (so medium?)

Thanks for the information! The shrimp sounds like something I would like.

[PACD_JG]

Make sure you get the Yuzu cheesecake, in my opinion the best dessert on the ship.  Speaking of desserts, why is it the only great desserts I've had with HAL have been in their specialty restaurants?

[rslinky]

FYI. From our experience, sailing the longer itineraries over Thanksgiving will result in far fewer children/teens.  We did a ten day Panama Canal and there were very few.  

[RuthC]

39 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

Is that really spicy? We will be eating there our our next cruise but my husband has a very low tolerance for heat.

He can order the filet without the wasabi and soy. Not a problem. 

[robotpony]

There was a vastly different vibe between the Thanksgiving week (~2900) and the next week (~2400) on the NS. In that first week we saw emotional breakdowns, medical emergencies, and a couple of minor altercations. We had a cabana booked for both week, so we spent a lot of time there which was much quieter.

[RedneckBob]

Currently on NS. +1900 passengers.

[PACD_JG]

3 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

Currently on NS. +1900 passengers.

Lesson learned….no more holiday cruises for me.