Is the Statendam fit for Purpose

[Dee James]

Having just returned from a cruise on the Statendam - the question that needs to be asked is "is the Statendam fit for purpose?"

 

It is a tired/worn out ship with too many problems that have a direct effect on its paying passengers ie toilets not working for days at a time, sewerage leaking into stateroom corridors, no water available to shower, broken deck furniture and stateroom maintenance being well overdue, to name just a few.

 

She may be a gracious and well loved old lady but its time HAL were upfront and did not sell this as a premium cruise product - we are all being ripped off in terms of both vacation time and money...once you are on board it is too late!

[hammybee]

I am sorry to hear this. The Statendam is my second favorite HAL ship. I have not however, sailed her in a few years.

 

Did you personally experince all of these conditions ?

[AAAAmerican]

So very sorry to hear this.

 

Did you talk with the HM etc..aboard?

 

What did he say?

 

Well since you were a paying guest you may now voice your facts, did you take pictures of the problems and areas of concern too?

 

 

She was a wonderful ship.

 

Hope your voice in pen helps you.. others will also benefit from there opinions as well..

 

 

 

Having just returned from a cruise on the Statendam - the question that needs to be asked is "is the Statendam fit for purpose?"

 

It is a tired/worn out ship with too many problems that have a direct effect on its paying passengers ie toilets not working for days at a time, sewerage leaking into stateroom corridors, no water available to shower, broken deck furniture and stateroom maintenance being well overdue, to name just a few.

 

She may be a gracious and well loved old lady but its time HAL were upfront and did not sell this as a premium cruise product - we are all being ripped off in terms of both vacation time and money...once you are on board it is too late!

[hammybee]

Well since you were a paying guest you may now voice your facts, did you take pictures of the problems and areas of concern too?

 

Take a picture. It lasts longer :) Tape at 10:00.

 

Good idea. Kind of hard for anyone to dispute the problem.

 

OMG, I just had a dreadful thought of TOMC flushing saga on his recent cruise. If only he had a video camera with date/time to record daylight flushing versus night time stoppage.

[AAAAmerican]

Pictures do speak many words..on the Web they speak millons!

 

 

St. Louis Cardinals WIN Game 4 of the US World Series at BUSCH (BUSH) Stadium!

 

Go Cards!:D :D

 

Take a picture. It lasts longer :) Tape at 10:00.

 

Good idea. Kind of hard for anyone to dispute the problem.

 

OMG, I just had a dreadful thought of TOMC flushing saga on his recent cruise. If only he had a video camera with date/time to record daylight flushing versus night time stoppage.

[Dee James]

I am sorry to hear this. The Statendam is my second favorite HAL ship. I have not however, sailed her in a few years.

 

Did you personally experince all of these conditions ?

 

Unfortunatly yes we did experience all of these conditions and more.

 

On embarkation our cabin had not been cleaned nor had the bed linen been changed from the previous occupants...fresh blood stains on pillow cases, bathroom filthy, floor not vacuumed and verrandah in such a state of disrepair it was unusable.

 

When we bought this to the attention of the Guest Relations Manager she freely admitted previous passengers had also complained but were not prepared to suffer the inconvenience and provide access for required maintenance!

[Dee James]

So very sorry to hear this.

 

Did you talk with the HM etc..aboard?

 

What did he say?

 

Well since you were a paying guest you may now voice your facts, did you take pictures of the problems and areas of concern too?

 

 

She was a wonderful ship.

 

Hope your voice in pen helps you.. others will also benefit from there opinions as well..

 

Yes agree she was a wonderful ship...was being the operative word!

 

Yes we did bring these matters to the attention of the HM who admitted that they had major plumbing problems and that the matter had been escalated as high as the VP of HAL.

 

However he was not sympathetic to our position and did not offer any compensation or practical solution to remedy the unaceptable situation.

On the next two occassions that we came accross the HM he completly ignored us.

He did not follow up with us at all although he had plenty of oppotunity to do so as we were on board another 20 days.

 

Unfortunatly did not think to take pictures, as we tried to spend as little time in the smelly places as possible!

 

Buyer beware!!!!!!

[jtl513]

ie toilets not working for days at a time, sewerage leaking into stateroom corridors, no water available to shower, broken deck furniture and stateroom maintenance being well overdue, to name just a few.

 

:eek: :eek: And I was just about to book an Alaska tour on her!! Can you tell us any specific cabins (including your own) that had the plumbing problems? Or what decks and ares had the sewage leaking into the hallways?

 

Can you (or anyone reading this) tell me if there are similar problems on the Ryndam, which is just 1 year newer?

 

Thanks

[amusea]

In terms of today's cruise ship inventory the "S" ships are getting old. Of course, constant maintenance and frequent drydock refurbishing can stall the aging process if a cruise line is willing to forego a few extra weeks of revenue. Is there any way to find our when all the HAL ships are scheduled for their next drydock?

[roberts2005]

Why is it that the most negative posts always come from people with less than 10 posts""

[Lightsluvr]

I think the answer to the previous question:

 

When someone has a complaint about an unsatisfactory cruise, they go online and google "cruise compaints" or something similar.

 

Guess where google transports them? (here)

 

Voila! A sounding board for their gripes...happens every day.

 

LL

[happy cruzer]

Having just returned from a cruise on the Statendam - the question that needs to be asked is "is the Statendam fit for purpose?"

 

It is a tired/worn out ship with too many problems that have a direct effect on its paying passengers ie toilets not working for days at a time, sewerage leaking into stateroom corridors, no water available to shower, broken deck furniture and stateroom maintenance being well overdue, to name just a few.

 

She may be a gracious and well loved old lady but its time HAL were upfront and did not sell this as a premium cruise product - we are all being ripped off in terms of both vacation time and money...once you are on board it is too late!

 

dee to help the other people looking at the Statendam would you please provide some details?

When and where did you sail?

Regarding the problems with you cabin cleaniless, who did you address them with? and were they ever resolved? Did you cabin steward ever start performing? what cabin did you have?

How many decks did you see the leakage on? That can be a common problem caused by passengers. I have seen weak carpet on almost all of my cruises in one place or another.

do you have the name of the HM that ignorred you?

 

If you could provide the details, then others can share their experiences on the same ship around the same time.

 

Wow.

[dougnewmanatsea]

The poor cleanliness of your cabin was more likely a function of a bad cabin steward than a ship-wide problem. However, once brought to the attention of on-board management, it should have been rectified.

 

As for the plumbing problems... The vacuum plumbing systems aboard all modern ships (built since the 1970s or so) are very sensitive. Even brand-new ships have lots of plumbing problems. Not pleasant... But it does happen.

 

If this is really a chronic problem with this ship I am sure HAL will do something about it.

 

Anyhow, as you obviously did not get satisfaction from the on-board management, I highly recommend writing HAL a letter. (Of course, posting here is a good idea too :) .)

 

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise more.

[Stevedan]

I have never been on the Statendam, but I read similar threads on the boards. I think the problem is a general problem regarding maintenance. Here are a few thoughts:

 

1. Until about 10 years ago, ships went into drydock annually, and for more than a few days. This gave the line the chance to address major issues that cannot be taken care of in a few days and without waiting a long period of time before the next drydock.

 

2. Ships are built very quickly these days (what isn't?) and perhaps the rush compromises the quality of the construction.

 

3. There is little time in between sailings for ships to be properly cleaned and small repairs made. The new group of passengers is often boarding just minutes after the last group disembarked. The crew has to rush to get ready and no longer has even the few spare moments to rest that it may have had before. Why do you think there are so many outbreaks of norovirus? I am sure improper cleaning has alot to do with it. The lines are just too anxious to get revenue from the bars, etc. as soon as possible.

 

I think the cruise lines should consider ways to improve maintenance. Just my 2 cents.

[jtl513]

Why is it that the most negative posts always come from people with less than 10 posts""

 

I was thinking it might be a new "pseudonym", which is not allowed by CC board rules of course.

 

I went looking at Statendam reviews that people have posted 3 or 4 months ago and no plumbing problems were reported.

 

I'm going ahead and booking on the S'dam for next Sep ... but will watch for more postings of problems before the 75 day final payment is due and the cancellation penalties start!! :)

[Sea King]

have "some" problems with the thrust of Dee's comments

 

yes, the Statendam is old .. she's the oldest S class ship in the fleet

 

however, mechanial problems (including air conditioning, toilets and the like) aren't exclusive to only the S class vessels .. you only have to look at what happened to Oosterdam within the past 2 weeks

 

mechanical is one thing: filth and lack of attention is an etirely different propostition

 

that's what I have difficulty accepting

 

in the more than 25 cruises I've taken with HAL, I have never found my cabin in less than "spotless condition" when I boarded .. I never once found dirty laundry, beds unmade let alone blood on sheets ..

 

sorry .. just can't "buy" those comments:(

 

what I found interesting, though, was the reference to compensation

 

why is it that when something is less than perfect, the first reaction so may have is to expect compensation

 

my toilet doesn't work .. I expect

 

the air conditioning isn't just quite right .. I expect

 

my luggage didn't get delivered until after lifeboat drill .. I expect

 

my room wasn't made up fast enough .. I expect

 

my steak had too much fat .. I expect

 

the coffee wasn't hot enough .. I expect

 

the martini wasn't cold enough .. I expect

 

wonder if this report would even have been posted if the expectations were met:rolleyes:

 

the question I can't get out of my mind is this: if things were that bad including the attitudes of the grm and HM, why wasn't there a post from on board .. why wait until now

 

maybe it's me but I think something may have been missed along the way here:confused:

[seniormiss]

Why is it that the most negative posts always come from people with less than 10 posts""

 

Does that really matter? I am taking my first HAL cruise in March and I want to hear the negative and the positive.

I think you "old timers" like to intimidate the newer people on this board.

[RevNeal]

yes, the Statendam is old .. she's the oldest S class ship in the fleet

 

however, mechanial problems (including air conditioning, toilets and the like) aren't exclusive to only the S class vessels .. you only have to look at what happened to Oosterdam within the past 2 weeks

 

mechanical is one thing: filth and lack of attention is an etirely different propostition

 

that's what I have difficulty accepting

 

in the more than 25 cruises I've taken with HAL, I have never found my cabin in less than "spotless condition" when I boarded .. I never once found dirty laundry, beds unmade let alone blood on sheets ..

 

sorry .. just can't "buy" those comments

 

I understand your hesitancy on this matter ... I, likewise, have found HAL's reputation for maintaining "The Spotless Fleet" well earned. I have NEVER had a cabin in this condition. HOWEVER ... I am also aware that, sometimes, mistakes do happen, a cabin is missed in the turn-around process, and there are -- once in a blue moon -- "bad" stewards even on HAL. I would not have stood for it, and if I were aboard for 20+ days (as the OP was) I would have been at the HM's office door every day that the cabin wasn't properly cleaned. It WOULD have been taken care of. I'm not laying blame at the OP's feet ... I'm just saying that the problems the OP identified could be easily limited to a cabin steward and the prior cabin occupant's unwillingness to let maintenance do their job.

 

Is the Statendam "old"? Not really ... not if she's well maintained, and based upon her reviews over the last few months AND HAL's long-standing reputation on such matters, she IS well maintained. Periodic staffing problems are to be expected ... toilet problems are too (RuthC had an unruly toilet on the Zaandam on our recent Hawaii cruise ... she kept bringing the problem to the Front Desk until it was fixed). In my opinion the conclusion of the OP -- that the ship isn't "fit for [her] purpose" -- is unwarranted. I buy the OP's experience ... I believe that everything reported is true ... I just don't "buy" the judgement levied in the conclusion.

[RevNeal]

Does that really matter? I am taking my first HAL cruise in March and I want to hear the negative and the positive.

I think you "old timers" like to intimidate the newer people on this board.

 

Does it matter that the OP's first post to the board was a complaint like this? Not to me. I think that the OP sought out the board to post the complaint. We've seen this before ... we'll see it again ... and I think it's entirely appropriate.

 

I WOULD like to hear more from the OP regarding what the OP observed and where the OP observed it, etc. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry that it happened to the OP and hope (and would expect) that the problems have already been addressed and corrected aboard ship.

 

The last time the Statendam was in drydock was Apr 24 - May 12, 2005 ... when was her last "Wetdock" and when are the next Wet and Dry Docks scheduled? She's currently in Australia/New Zealand. Is that where this occurred? Was the OP aboard for the Transpacific repositioning?

[Roz]

On the Maasdam a few years ago, I arrived in my cabin the first day and found some dirty glasses and a sticky surface on the dresser. I poked my head out into the hallway looking for the steward, but he was nowhere to be found.

 

Decided not to dwell on it and just headed on up to the Lido, figuring I'd deal with it later on a full stomach :D .

 

When I got back from lunch, the dresser top was spotless - stickness removed and dirty glasses gone without me saying a word to anyone. A few seconds later the steward was knocking on my door, apologizing profusely that I'd been allowed to enter a cabin that wasn't quite ready. Just as he had been finishing up my room, he got called away to help handle a situation in another cabin.

 

It's very difficult for me to believe that on any cruise line, passengers would be deliberately given a cabin that hadn't been cleaned. Rather than reflecting the overall cleanliness standards of HAL, it was more likely an oversight and would have been promptly taken care if it had been brought to someone's attention.

 

I can't say enough about the great cabin stewards I've had on my HAL cruises. They're the best!

 

Roz

[LemonZest]

the question I can't get out of my mind is this: if things were that bad including the attitudes of the grm and HM, why wasn't there a post from on board .. why wait until now

 

Perhaps because the OP didn't have internet access on board? Chose not to pay the (IMO, ridiculously expensive) cost of on-board internet access?

 

The smallest internet access package available would TRIPLE my normal shipboard account total for a two-week cruise (not counting the AutoTip). No WAY am I about to pay that much money for what has been, in my experience, marginal internet service in the first place. I can easily locate an Internet Cafe in almost any port, for the purpose of checking in with family....and when I'm on a cruise, I'm not inclined to spend hours on the message boards anyway...I set up a separate email address for NECESSARY messages from home and work and I only check that one, from a land-based access - forums, newsgroups and email lists can all wait until I get home.

 

Not everyone is addicted to posting/reading these forums. I only check here once or twice a week myself.

 

As to why we have new posters whose first post is a review, good or bad, of their shipboard experience, I think that's obvious...I first learned of CC seeing a fellow passenger on Statendam some years ago sporting a vivid blue CC lanyard, and made a mental note to check it out upon our return home from that trip. I've read here for years...it isn't necessary to 'join' to read, only to post. That would account for MY very small number of postings.

 

Meanwhile, I am very interested in any reviews of Statendam, good or bad, at this time, as we'll be boarding her in a few short weeks. I'll probably post a review myself after we return home. However, I won't be spending my time on Statendam on the Internet....that's for *between* cruises!

 

LemonZest

[Dee James]

I think the answer to the previous question:

 

When someone has a complaint about an unsatisfactory cruise, they go online and google "cruise compaints" or something similar.

 

Guess where google transports them? (here)

 

Voila! A sounding board for their gripes...happens every day.

 

LL

 

I have been an active reader of the CC board for approx 3 years - I enjoy the interesting comments and information.

 

However til now have not wanted to contibute - I find your comment interesting and wonder perhaps are you an employee of HAL?

 

Have been on a number of cruises and accept that on many occassions there are mionor problems that you come accross - what we have just experienced was not a minor proplem and the onboard management team were unhelpful and not willing to address the proplems I was facing.

 

Conversed with at least a dozen fellow passengers during the cruise trying to get help with similar issues...I did not broach the subject it came out in the course of our conversation.

[Dee James]

Does it matter that the OP's first post to the board was a complaint like this? Not to me. I think that the OP sought out the board to post the complaint. We've seen this before ... we'll see it again ... and I think it's entirely appropriate.

 

I WOULD like to hear more from the OP regarding what the OP observed and where the OP observed it, etc. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry that it happened to the OP and hope (and would expect) that the problems have already been addressed and corrected aboard ship.

 

The last time the Statendam was in drydock was Apr 24 - May 12, 2005 ... when was her last "Wetdock" and when are the next Wet and Dry Docks scheduled? She's currently in Australia/New Zealand. Is that where this occurred? Was the OP aboard for the Transpacific repositioning?

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

Yes we were on board fot the Transpacific repositioning.

 

Observed the problem on most passenger decks - most of the puplic toliets were closed at some stage due to the problems - also crew made comments direct to us that they also had blocked toilets not working.

[boards]

Isn't the blocked toilet problem due to some careless passenger flushing something in the toilet they shouldn't have. We had a little problem on the Veendam last year, but reported it and it was fixed. Never any flooding only it did not flush properly.

[Dee James]

have "some" problems with the thrust of Dee's comments

 

yes, the Statendam is old .. she's the oldest S class ship in the fleet

 

however, mechanial problems (including air conditioning, toilets and the like) aren't exclusive to only the S class vessels .. you only have to look at what happened to Oosterdam within the past 2 weeks

 

mechanical is one thing: filth and lack of attention is an etirely different propostition

 

that's what I have difficulty accepting

 

in the more than 25 cruises I've taken with HAL, I have never found my cabin in less than "spotless condition" when I boarded .. I never once found dirty laundry, beds unmade let alone blood on sheets ..

 

sorry .. just can't "buy" those comments:(

 

what I found interesting, though, was the reference to compensation

 

why is it that when something is less than perfect, the first reaction so may have is to expect compensation

 

my toilet doesn't work .. I expect

 

the air conditioning isn't just quite right .. I expect

 

my luggage didn't get delivered until after lifeboat drill .. I expect

 

my room wasn't made up fast enough .. I expect

 

my steak had too much fat .. I expect

 

the coffee wasn't hot enough .. I expect

 

the martini wasn't cold enough .. I expect

 

wonder if this report would even have been posted if the expectations were met:rolleyes:

 

the question I can't get out of my mind is this: if things were that bad including the attitudes of the grm and HM, why wasn't there a post from on board .. why wait until now

 

maybe it's me but I think something may have been missed along the way here:confused:

 

Gosh lucky you - 25 cruises and never experienced a problem...sounds almost too good to be true!

 

Find your comments around compensation interesting although somewhat off the mark - you can't compare a cold cup of coffee to the serious issues we had to face.

 

Compenstation should have been offered (we never asked for this) as we wasted days of our cruise dealing with the different tiers of gate keepers trying to get to the HM who we hoped would be able to make a decision and guide his team of people in how to solve the issues we were facing. You would have to be super human not to become frustrated and stressed with this process. To make a comparison if you order and pay for fillet mingnon and get served a hambuger patty would you be happy?! I think not.

 

Why would we waste 75c a minute and further boost the income of HAL.

 

I think you will find there will be more postings when people arrive home over the next few weeks.:confused: