Just back form the Prinsendam - I'm a believer!!!

[LILynn]

Wow - That was the best cruise I have ever taken. This was my first Holland America cruise - I have been on Princess, RCCL, Celebrity and Carnival, but I have never seen the level of service that I just experienced on this trip.

 

We had an amazing time. I loved the ports we went to (we started in Amsterdam and ended in Rome)but it was the people that worked on this ship that made the trip so special. The cruise director, Tom Faulkner was great. He was funny and entertaining. I loved the 2 cruise staff shows. After working so hard all day long, I cannot beleive how much heart and soul these guys put into entertaining us as well.

 

The food was the best I have ever had on any cruise. We did not go to the Pinnacle Grill as we really enjoyed the food in the dining room. There were tons of things to choose from and everything I ordered was great.

 

We wound up missing a port - Belguim, as there was and still is a mechanical problem with the ship. They tried to fix it by staying an extra day in Amsterdam but were not able to fix it. As a result the ship was not able to go as fast as it should have but we made it to almost every port on time (or close to it) and I guess they will fix it when the ship goes into drydock in a few weeks. For an older ship, it was in great shape and I loved the small size and therefore the intimacy as a result. I think I would be very hard to go on a big ship again after being on this one.

 

The entertainment was OK but after being port 12 out of 14 days I was really too tired to care. We had late seating and usually did not get out of the dining room till after 10PM. The only shows we made a point of going to were the 2 crew shows and the night they had a comedian.

 

One of my favorite moments was at the disembarkation talk when every crew member joined Tom the CD director on stage. I was really touched to see them all onstage and the audience was up on their feet cheering for them - and they so deserved it.

 

We did ship tours in a couple of ports:

La Corona - to Santiago de Campostela

Tarragon - to Montserrat

Sete - to Carcassone

 

They were all really good and I am happy that we did these.

 

We had private drivers in Amsterdam, Porto, Lisbon and Livorno - we found them from recommendations from people on the ports of call board. We were very happy with all of them. In Livorno we went to Siena, San Gimingnano and Volterra. I loved all three but we felt a little rushed so if I had to do it over I would have left out Volterra.

 

In London, Gibralter and Monte Carlo we did our own thing. In London, my cousin met us at the ship and showed us as much as she could (we docked in Greenwich so it was easy for her to meet us). That night she made dinner in her home and invited all of my cousins. I had never met them and that was truly one of the highlights of the trip. The next day we explred Greenwich as the ship left at 12:30 so we decided to stay close. In Gibralter we took a cab that was waiting at the port. I loved the monkeys! In MC we took the bus to Nice and St Paul de Vence. I loved St. Paul. If you have never been there and make it to this area it is well worth going to see - it was one of my favorite places on this trip.

 

If any one has any questions I will be happy to try and answer them, but I can see why those who sail this ship love it so much

 

Lynn

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home!!

 

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

 

Have been to all those places you mentioned -- loved them all!!

[Copper10-8]

Another HAL fan! ;) Great to hear you had a good time on Prinsendam!

[jhannah]

The Prinsendam has a flavor all her own. She's unique among the HAL fleet. Glad you enjoyed it.

[arzz]

So happy to read that you had such a superb time on my favorite HAL ship!

[earl_m]

Glad you enjoy your cruise! Hope you stay with HAL.

[Cruising-along]

Thank you for the wonderful review. I'm so glad you loved your cruise, HAL, and the Prinsendam. :)

It sounds like the cruise we had booked for next September, but then changed to a different cruise in May. Hopefully we'll get to take this one too some day, thanks again!

[cdkempton]

Thank you for writing a review. Sounds like you had an absolutely wonderful cruise. :):)

[RuthC]

For an older ship, it was in great shape and I loved the small size and therefore the intimacy as a result. I think I would be very hard to go on a big ship again after being on this one.

Ain't it the truth!:) I, too, loved the small size of the Prinsendam, and wonder how it will feel being back on the great, big Rotterdam. ;) And I agree---the staff is the best!

Welcome back. Glad you had such a good time.

[happy cruzer]

Tarragon - to Montserrat

Sete - to Carcassone

 

Hi, thank you for the review. Can you tell us some details about what you saw on these tours. I will have a chance to do a few land days at the end of my TA cruise that ends in Barcelona and I am thinking of what area to tour. So far Carcassone for 2 nights is winning.

 

Cruising is a nice way to see a bit of the area to know where you would like to go for a longer visit. Any ideas?

 

Glad you had a great time.

[LILynn]

Happy -

 

Both places were amazing. On the tour to Montserrat we first stopped at a cava (champagne) manufacturer and saw how it is made. It was interesting but I would skip it to spend more time in Montserrat. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The ride to the top is breathtaking. There is a beautiful church and monastry along with a museum when. There is also a cable car that you can take to the top - I would have loved to do that if we had more time. There is a boy's choir that sings every day at 1:00 - we got there in time but the church was very crowded and we could not get in to hear the choir but we spent the time walking around admiring the views. One day here is plenty but and from what I understand it is not very far from Barcelona.

 

Carcassone is very different. It is a medieval walled city. There are lots of shops and restaurants to walk around and see. Our guide spent a lot of time with us explaining the history of Carcasonne. Because there are 2 sets of walls around the city, it was virtually impregnable.

 

If you could spend one day at each place I think you willl have enough time to enjoy both places. I took some great pics if you want to see them let me know.

[happy cruzer]

thanks for the helpful info. Yes, I've seen pictures of both places but really wanted to know what a tourist gets to see and how it feels. Based on what you report, I really am leaning toward Carcassone. I think we will be brave enough to do a car rental at the end of the cruise and take off for 4 to 5 days. With one or two stops as well as 2 nights near Carcasone. I think we will save Montserrat for a time we stay put in Barcelona. Nice decision to have, eh? Just have to decide before Dec. when we book our airfare deviation.

 

do you have pointer to your pictures? Many people post then on webshots or other sites.

 

Thanks again!

[Grumpy1]

Thanks for such a glowing report on "our" Prinsendam. We also love the more intimate feel of the Elegant Explorer. Like you, Prinsendam was our first Holland America Cruise. We were on Prinsendam for 113 days on that cruise in 2005, 16 days in 2006 and we're scheduled for 68 days next year. In between, we've been on Rotterdam, Maasdam, Westerdam and Noordam. In our view, smaller is better, but if it's a Dam ship it's a good ship.