An Introduction to the Ships and Classes of the HAL Fleet

[kazu]

2 hours ago, KarefreeKaren said:

Does anyone have a current list showing past and future schedules of HAL’s dry docks? I am guessing this year’s plans will be scratched. Thank you for any input. 
 

There is a thread by VMax1700 titled something along the line of Dry Docks and Charters which is updated on a regular basis and lists the known drydock s for the fleet.

Dry Docks are scheduled long in advance so I’m not sure how it will work this year but most dry docks are NOT scheduled in the summer.

[KarefreeKaren]

3 hours ago, kazu said:

There is a thread by VMax1700 titled something along the line of Dry Docks and Charters which is updated on a regular basis and lists the known drydock s for the fleet.

Dry Docks are scheduled long in advance so I’m not sure how it will work this year but most dry docks are NOT scheduled in the summer.

Thank you, Kazu. Just noted the VMax thread. Very helpful. 

[drsel]

Is it true that Maasdam and Veendam are up for sale.
I saw a video on WhatsApp showing 40 cruise ships which are up for sale including these two.

[kazu]

4 hours ago, drsel said:

Is it true that Maasdam and Veendam are up for sale.
I saw a video on WhatsApp showing 40 cruise ships which are up for sale including these two.

 

Veendam has been up for sale for more years than I can count.

So was the Prinsendam and finally she was sold.

 

If the price is right they will sell anything .

 

This is not new.  It’s been going on for a long time.

 

 

[ski ww]

On 5/22/2006 at 6:27 AM, dougnewmanatsea said:

One of the most common questions we get on these boards, particularly from new members, is about the different "classes" of HAL ships - the Vista-class, S-class, and so on. Naturally, everyone wants to know which ships are in each class, and what the differences are.

 

With that in mind, I decided to post this "sticky" post explaining the different "classes". I hope this clarifies the situation.

 

Now, let's meet the different HAL ships, starting with the smallest and oldest:

PRINSENDAM

 

PRINSENDAM - Built 1988 - 37,983 Gross Tons - 793 passengers

 

The smallest and oldest HAL ship, she is in a class by herself. She generally does the longest and most expensive cruises. She is the only HAL ship not built for the line, she was built in 1988 as the ROYAL VIKING SUN, became SEABOURN SUN in 2000 and then PRINSENDAM in 2002. Among things that separate her from the rest of the HAL ships - she does not have a two-deck dining room or main lounge, an indoor/outdoor pool, or dedicated children's facilities. Her smaller, more intimate size and off-the-beaten path itineraries are appreciated by her increasingly loyal following.

 

S-class

 

STATENDAM - 1993 - 55,810 GT - 1,251 pax

MAASDAM - 1993 - 55,451 GT - 1,251 pax

RYNDAM - 1994 - 55,819 GT - 1,251 pax

VEENDAM - 1996 - 55,451 GT - 1,251 pax

 

These four ships are the "backbone" of the HAL fleet. They are virtually identical except for color schemes and artwork. They were the first new HAL cruise ships to have features like the atrium, the two-deck high dining room and main lounge, and the indoor/outdoor Lido pool. These very versatile ships have done everything from 7-day Caribbean and Alaska cruises to full World Cruises. Recently they have been upgraded with features like the Pinnacle Grill alternative restaurant and the Neptune Lounge concierge lounge (for suite passengers).

 

R-class

 

ROTTERDAM - 1997 - 59,652 GT - 1,316 pax

VOLENDAM - 1998 - 60,906 GT - 1,440 pax

ZAANDAM - 1999 - 61,396 GT - 1,440 pax

AMSTERDAM - 2000 - 61,484 GT - 1,380 pax

 

The R-class ships are very similar to the S-class, but a bit longer and wider. Unlike the S-class, they are not all identical. The first of the four was ROTTERDAM. Specially designed for longer cruises, she is the fastest ship in the fleet. She also introduced new features like an alternative restaurant, concierge lounge, and Internet Cafe (all since retrofitted to the older ships as well). VOLENDAM and ZAANDAM followed; they are similar to ROTTERDAM but slower (the same speed as the S-class ships) and are a bit larger because the aft pool was moved up one deck, creating more indoor space on the deck below. Unlike ROTTERDAM, they were designed for yeoman duty in the Caribbean and Alaska though they also are suitable for longer cruises. Like the S-class ships, only decor separates these twins. The final R-class ship, like AMSTERDAM, like a hybrid of ROTTERDAM and VOLENDAM/ZAANDAM. She is faster than VOLENDAM or ZAANDAM but not as fast as ROTTERDAM. Like ROTTERDAM, she was built specially for longer voyages. ROTTERDAM and AMSTERDAM, together, are considered HAL's "flagships" and along with PRINSENDAM they usually do the longest and most prestigious cruises - the World Cruise along with the various Grand Voyages.

 

Vista-class

 

ZUIDERDAM - 2002 - 81,769 GT - 1,848 pax

OOSTERDAM - 2003 - 81,769 GT - 1,848 pax

WESTERDAM - 2004 - 81,811 GT - 1,848 pax

NOORDAM - 2006 - 82,318 GT - 1,918 pax

 

These are the biggest and newest HAL ships currently in service. They were designed mainly for shorter (less than two weeks) cruises in the Caribbean, Alaska, and Europe. Like the S-class, they represented a departure from previous HAL ships in size and design. While bigger than HAL's other ships, they are still much smaller than some competitors' ships which are now sometimes bigger than 150,000 GT and can carry over 3,500 passengers (Royal Caribbean have now ordered a ship that will be 220,000 GT and carry over 5,000 passengers). These ships are notable because of the exceptionally high number of private balconies - over two-thirds of cabins have them. They are called the Vista-class because they are named after the points of the compass in Dutch - Zuid (South), Oost (East), West, and Noord (North). The first three are identical; NOORDAM incorporates a few design changes which make her larger and have a slightly higher passenger capacity.

 

Signature-class

 

This will be two (or more) ships which will be larger, improved versions of the Vista-class, much as the R-class can be considered improved versions of the S-class. Right now there are few details but they will probably be about 90,000 GT with a passenger capacity of about 2,000.

I guess it's time for a major up date to this as we now have  two Signature & one Pinnacle class ship and that Prinsendam, Maasdam, Veendam, Statendam, Ryndam, Rotterdam and Amsterdam have been sold. Wonder what cruising will look like in the next couple of years. Until we all meet again on another 'dam ship.

[drsel]

With so many HAL ships gone, do you think the prices of HAL Cruises will go up in the near term and /or long term?

 

I read that the entertainment, shows and activities on HAL do not match up to that on Princess or Celebrity

[SWeaster]

4 hours ago, ski ww said:

I guess it's time for a major up date to this as we now have  two Signature & one Pinnacle class ship and that Prinsendam, Maasdam, Veendam, Statendam, Ryndam, Rotterdam and Amsterdam have been sold. Wonder what cruising will look like in the next couple of years. Until we all meet again on another 'dam ship.

We are a bit concerned with what we read online today about the sale of the remaining S-Class and R-Class ships.  It looks like the Veendam that we had booked for a British Isles cruise in June 2021 will no longer be in the fleet.  We spent a week on the Veendam on a Bermuda cruise and docked across Front Street from Hamilton the last year that she sailed there.  We have also sailed on the S-Class Ryndam in the Caribbean two weeks before she got transferred to P&O Australia.  Have we managed to jinx these two ships?

 

We got a super fare and a ton of perks by booking this 14 day Veendam cruse onboard the Zuiderdam in February/March 2020.  If they substitute a different ship and/or itinerary I'd hope that HAL would honor us with the same arrangement.

[Noodles84]

On ‎7‎/‎16‎/‎2020 at 10:41 AM, SWeaster said:

We are a bit concerned with what we read online today about the sale of the remaining S-Class and R-Class ships.  It looks like the Veendam that we had booked for a British Isles cruise in June 2021 will no longer be in the fleet.  We spent a week on the Veendam on a Bermuda cruise and docked across Front Street from Hamilton the last year that she sailed there.  We have also sailed on the S-Class Ryndam in the Caribbean two weeks before she got transferred to P&O Australia.  Have we managed to jinx these two ships?

 

We got a super fare and a ton of perks by booking this 14 day Veendam cruse onboard the Zuiderdam in February/March 2020.  If they substitute a different ship and/or itinerary I'd hope that HAL would honor us with the same arrangement.

We just got notified that our Maasdam cruise had been cancelled for Feb. 2021 because of her sale. We were offered double our down payment for a FCC, or we could request a refund. No other perks were offered.  Nicole

[KirkNC]

On 7/18/2020 at 5:51 PM, Noodles84 said:

We just got notified that our Maasdam cruise had been cancelled for Feb. 2021 because of her sale. We were offered double our down payment for a FCC, or we could request a refund. No other perks were offered.  Nicole

I hope you had made a big deposit!

[carolcp]

In case anyone is interested, I took pictures of the Prinsendam on its last cruise.  I got up at 1 am and wandered around the ship taking as many pictures as I could.  I did avoid taking pictures of sleeping staff in the Pinnacle restaurant seat.  

 

 

 

[RuthC]

20 minutes ago, carolcp said:

In case anyone is interested, I took pictures of the Prinsendam on its last cruise.  I got up at 1 am and wandered around the ship taking as many pictures as I could.  I did avoid taking pictures of sleeping staff in the Pinnacle restaurant seat.  

I was more than interested. Thank you for posting the link to all those fabulous pictures of what was a great ship. They brought back many memories, and allowed me to take a peek at a couple of places I never saw on board. 
What a nice trip down memory lane in a year when there will be no real trips. 

[ski ww]

Thanks for posting, brings back many good memories, we were lucky enough to do three cruises on her. 

[kazu]

18 hours ago, carolcp said:

In case anyone is interested, I took pictures of the Prinsendam on its last cruise.  I got up at 1 am and wandered around the ship taking as many pictures as I could.  I did avoid taking pictures of sleeping staff in the Pinnacle restaurant seat.  

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much 🙂 

My favourite ship and you got some great different pics 🙂

[Shmoo here]

Could someone post an updated listing of classes/ships, please?  

[kazu]

6 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Could someone post an updated listing of classes/ships, please?  

 

R Class - Volendam & Zaandam

 

Vista Class - Westerdam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam & Noordam

 

Signature Class - Eurodam & N Amsterdam

 

Pinnace Class - Koningsdam, N Statendam & (coming) Rotterdam

[Shmoo here]

5 hours ago, kazu said:

 

R Class - Volendam & Zaandam

 

Vista Class - Westerdam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam & Noordam

 

Signature Class - Eurodam & N Amsterdam

 

Pinnace Class - Koningsdam, N Statendam & (coming) Rotterdam

Thank you.

[Rose2981]

What happened to the Princindam?

 

[ski ww]

Sold to a German cruise company, can't remember their name. 

[StLouisCruisers]

2 hours ago, ski ww said:

Sold to a German cruise company, can't remember their name. 

 

Phoenix Reisen.  

[Himself]

I did not mind seeing the two remaining S Class ships go (Maasdam and Veendam) but ireally hated to see the AMSTERDAM and ROTTERDAM VI go. 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Himself said:

I did not mind seeing the two remaining S Class ships go (Maasdam and Veendam) but ireally hated to see the AMSTERDAM and ROTTERDAM VI go. 

there are still 2 R class ships in the fleet.  Volendam and Zaandam. Enjoy them while you can.

[Di22]

Hello.  Anyone have info on cabin 6133 on the Nieuw Amsterdam….mainly the balcony size.  Looked to see if there was a review of cabins…but could not find.  New to HAL usually go Celebrity.  Thanks.

 

[Cruise Suzy]

Try halfacts.com  There are 4 photos of Eurodam's 6126. Should be the same as Nieuw Amsterdam's 6133.

[Di22]

Thank you.

 

[RGEDad]

One of the things we have really enjoyed is after dinner (we dine early) - and all the nights festivities - is to go to the Pizza place on the ship and get a late night custom made/custom cooked pizza. Unknown to me - and this only came to light when booking the myriad of post-COVID cruises - not every HAL ship has a Pizza (NY Pizza/Slice) place. It appears to be only the Signature & Pinnacle class have them on-board and all my previous cruises have been on these two classes, except for one. Early in our cruising life we did sail on the Westerdam - but that was before we understood the finer things in late night cruising life...

The (first world) problem is, now I have to consider the NY Slice/Pizza availability when booking cruises. Just makes things a bit more complicated in these troubled times.

I use a Web site called CruiseDeckPlans now to find what & where various things are available, along with Cabin location, and a variety of ship/cabin photos also.

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com

Edited July 22, 2021 by RGEDad
Add annotation of Deck Plan tool to find ship facilities