prinsendam sy suites are they worth it?

[rakrak]

We are sailing on 9/22/08 on the prsinsendam we are thinking about booking a sy suite #023 any info would be greatly appreciated. also I notice the xperts only rate this ship 3 stars but most passengers rate it much higher. please any info on this ship or cruise would be extemely helpful.

[TedC]

Prinsendam suites are warm and welcoming - some of the nicest we've been in. The rich, dark furnishings give the suites an Old World ambience.

 

We've been in larger suites, but liked our Prinsendam suite more. They're consideraby larger than the regular verandah cabins but not quite as large as suites on HAL's other ships.

 

Go for it!

[rakrak]

Thanks for your reply what was your overall impression about the ship

[arzz]

We loved the Prinsendam -- all 27 days on board -- we would give the ship as many stars as are available. The crew on board were magnificent and the "club like" atmosphere was personal, warm and welcoming.

 

My guess as to why she is rated as only three stars: first she was built in 1988 and it is no secret that she will have a major dry dock later this year -- there are places on board where the age shows -- e.g. the bathrooms -- the tile and shower stall in our Dolphin deck outside are well past due though kept spotless by our cabin steward -- there were some reports of difficulties with the plumbing while we were on board although that was not, in any way, our experience -- I assume all of that will be fixed soon. The public areas, however, are exquisite and in great repair. Major reason, however, that the stars are not handed out to her by the "professional reviewers" is that she lacks in many of the multitudinous (and in my opinion unnecessary) amenities that the newer, bigger ships have. e.g. she has fewer balcony cabins, no disco, no rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, artifical surf, no "movies under the stars" (thank goodness for that!)etc. Only one major pool. Only one alternative restaurant, no children's facilities, a smaller gym and spa area, etc.

 

Her strengths are in her outside decks, her cabin design, and her great lounges.

 

In our opinion though the cabins are a little smaller than on the other HAL ships that is more than compensated by their intelligent design. The standard outside cabins have the bed on the side wall, with the sitting area (couch and table) under the window so that you can sit and look out -- far superior in my opinion than the standard HAL outside that has the bed under the window (what is that all about anyway if you want to look out at the view?) The walk in closets are to die for!. We had no trouble storing everything that we brought with us to take us from the tropics of Peru and Argentina to the chill of Antarctica. The arrangement of the cabin door opening onto a short hallway rather than the main hallway, as well as the placement of the closet and bath on the hallway wall (a lot of the older ocean liners had this arrangement) keeps the cabins very quiet and insulated from hallway disturbances. DH and I spent 27 days living in this cabin and we never felt claustrophobic or crowded.

 

There may be a smaller number of lounges on board, but then the passenger compliment is also smaller. The lounges that are there are warm, inviting and intimate. I am not sure whether I prefer the classic ambiance of the Ocean Bar, or the view up in the smaller (than found on the other HAL ships), more intimate Crow's Nest. The Pinnacle Grill on board is an absuloutely beautiful space.

 

Unless all those "extra star" amenities are the things that make or break the cruise for you, you will love the Prinsendam.

[trubey]

Susana and I also love the Prinsendam. Everything about the boat is warm and rich, what we would have expected from the old stories about luxury cruising.

 

We've been on her about a month total, a long transatlantic and a long eastern Mediterranean, and we found no need or desire for a suite at all. We adored the public areas of the ship so much that all we did in our cabin was shower and sleep. Who would want to miss the people watching and talking with your new friends on the lido or in the dining room? Great passengers, mostly older (late 60s to 80s) intelligent, well educated erudite professionals.

 

Our cabin of choice? An inside cheapo. Lots of folks win the "Upgrade Lottery" from those cabins!

 

Lane

[rakrak]

thanks again for your replys we are really looking forward to our sept cruise. by the way did you try room service and did they serve a hot breakfast

[arzz]

We did breakfast a few times through room service -- they do serve a hot breakfast and the trays were always accurate to our order and extremely well appointed including a small vase of fresh flowers. I have to admit that we noticed a definite difference here as compared to our average HAL breakfast room service experience. Better and fresher food, everything that we could possibly need and no mistakes.

 

I did one lunch through room service one day when I was a bit under the weather -- it arrived promptly and again was exactly accurate to my order.

[Grumpy1]

Back to the original question, are sy suites worth it? My answer would be a resounding yes! We booked the 2005 Grand World Voyage in a Cat A cabin, and shortly after final payment we were offered a chance to upgrade to SS035 (reclassified to SY at the end of that cruise.) That was our home for 113 days and we loved it. I'm sure we would have enjoyed our cruise in a Cat A, but the SY was really nice and allowed us to each have our own space and not feel crowded at all.

 

We were back on Prinsendam last September and were booked in SS040. When we got to the pier we found that we had been upgraded to SA018. Now I'd certainly be lying if I said there isn't much difference between an SY and an SA... there certainly is. That 16 days was fantastic. That said, we booked SY035 again for the 66 day South America/Antartic cruise. Unfortunately, health proplems forced a cancellation, so we didn't get a chance to return to our other home.

 

Choice of cabin is an individual decision for each person. Some base decisions on cost, others on cabin size, others for many other reasons. We prefer at least a balcony category. We enjoy the SA, SB, SC categories and usually book them on shorter cruises. On the longer cruises on Prinsendam, we book an SS or SY as those cabins offer more comfort than the A and B categories at what, for us, is still a reasonable price.

 

My personal preference is a cabin a little further aft than 023, but we know that the passengers in that cabin on the world cruise were quite pleased with it.

 

There are some pictures of 035 in the webshots albums that are linked in my signature.

[amusea]

In our opinion though the cabins are a little smaller than on the other HAL ships that is more than compensated by their intelligent design. The standard outside cabins have the bed on the side wall, with the sitting area (couch and table) under the window so that you can sit and look out -- far superior in my opinion than the standard HAL outside that has the bed under the window (what is that all about anyway if you want to look out at the view?) The walk in closets are to die for!.

 

I sailed on the ship when she was called the Seabourn Sun. I think the regular outside cabins are actually about 200 square feet. However, the bedroom area is smaller than standard HAL cabins. That is because the walk-in closet and bathroom are extra large. I totally agree that the location of the beds on the side wall and the love seat under the window is the better configuration. I don't understand why HAL continues to design their standard bedrooms with beds under the window and the sofa in the middle of the room. IMHO that is less desirable than the design which most ships use that is similar to the Prinsendam. Of course, if you book a balcony cabin on any HAL ship, then the sofa is next to the sliding door and the beds are on the side wall.

[rakrak]

again thanks for your imput. we are really looking forward to this cruise. Any other tips concerning the prsinendam would be greatly appreciated.