Any info on the Statendam

[Irina]

We are considering booking a New Year's cruise on the Statendam. We have never sailed with HAL before, but have heard good things. I just wondered if the Statendam is a good choice (the price is great), or if we are better off going with a newer ship. Any advice?

[Oca]

My husband and I were on the Statendam in February of this year for an Australia/New Zealand cruise and we loved it. We had previously been on the Noordam when it was brand spanking new -- so we were on HAL's newest ship (and one of its biggest) at the time and HAL's oldest ship (and one of its smallest) a year and a half later.

Personally, I prefer the smaller ships such as the Statendam. True she is about 15 years old and shows some sign of her age but she is a beautiful ship with a simple and easy layout -- no twists and turns. Perhaps the Statendam does not offer all the daytime activities and whistles and bells that the new ships offer but we are pretty quiet people who enjoy quiet days with good books and we do not need to be entertained very much during the day time. What the Statendam does offer is a very relaxed, warm and homey atmosphere and that is what we enjoy.

Some of the advantages that we found on the smaller ship compared to the larger was that there were not as many long lines when going to the Lido -- which is the buffet style dining area. That was a nice plus. Also with the smaller ship, you run into some of the same people from time to time and you do not feel quite so anonymous as you might on a larger ship.

We have loved our experiences with HAL and are booked on 2 more cruises -- one on the Volendam (a smaller ship) and one on the Oosterdam (a larger ship). We chose our cruises by the itinerary offered as opposed to the ship size.

I don't think you will regret booking a cruise on the Statendam. You may see a little more 'wear and tear' than you would on a newer ship but not much. The ship is in wonderful shape for an 'old lady' (as my husband tells me I am too!) and is immaculate.

I understand that HAL is not intending to build any ships larger than an approximate capacity of 2,000 passengers which is great in this day and age. However, I wish they would be back to making ships that have a maximum capacity of 1,200 to 1,500 people -- provided, of course, that I am one of them!

Hope this helps. In brief, I would suggest you book your cruise on the Statendam and enjoy!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have also sailed on the Statendam a few times -- she is a great ship!!

[Marie321]

My DH and I are going on that New Year's cruise. You are right! The price is great! We've been on the Westerdam and Oosterdam. We were booked on the Noordam for this cruise, but jumped ship to the Statendam when we compared prices. We are looking forward to trying this smaller ship!

[jtl513]

It's obvious that the Statendam is not a new ship, but she's well maintained. I like newer ships, but my DW prefers the S-class size.

[Irina]

Thank you for your responses! I think we are going to go ahead and book the Statendam. I hope my 22 and 26 year olds will be happy!