|
Author
|
Topic: Prinsendam - Post Refit
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SSTRAVELER
First Class Passenger
Member # 15170
|
posted 01-21-2010 11:09 AM
I withhold judgment until the final pictures are out ....but I suspect this has impacted the ship's on board experience. In the name of finances more and more people are being packed aboard the ships. HAL has added more cabins yet again and taken away a lounge from the "as built" ship. Further they appear to now be creating an overhang over the dining room's aft windows. That aft dining room was one of the best features aboard the ship with its large windows. Royal Viking made a significant decision to block the windows of the lounges with the lifeboats so they could have unobstructed balconies. So now not only does the ship carry more people than she was designed for with less lounge space but they are further blocking the views of the sea and sunlight in the public spaces.
Posts: 757 | From: New York | Registered: May 2008
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maasdam
First Class Passenger
Member # 3858
|
posted 01-21-2010 12:46 PM
quote:
Originally posted by SSTRAVELER:
I withhold judgment until the final pictures are out ....but I suspect this has impacted the ship's on board experience. In the name of finances more and more people are being packed aboard the ships. HAL has added more cabins yet again and taken away a lounge from the "as built" ship. Further they appear to now be creating an overhang over the dining room's aft windows. That aft dining room was one of the best features aboard the ship with its large windows. Royal Viking made a significant decision to block the windows of the lounges with the lifeboats so they could have unobstructed balconies. So now not only does the ship carry more people than she was designed for with less lounge space but they are further blocking the views of the sea and sunlight in the public spaces.
793 passengers on a 38.000 grt vessel I cannot believe that the slightly more passengers will have a big impact on the available space. Greetings Ben.
Posts: 4695 | From: Rotterdam home of the tss. Rotterdam. | Registered: May 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
SSTRAVELER
First Class Passenger
Member # 15170
|
posted 01-21-2010 10:06 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Maasdam:
793 passengers on a 38.000 grt vessel I cannot believe that the slightly more passengers will have a big impact on the available space.
As built the Royal Viking Sun had 370 staterooms and a passenger capacity of 740 on 38,000 GT
HAL now says the Prinsendam has 419 staterooms and a capacity of 835 with the GT of 37,983. I could not find the staffing numbers to make that comparison and clearly the GT is off since they had added structure and not removed square footage. Using the 38,000 that shows her space ratio (GT to pax) has come down from 51.3 to 45.5. Clearly the ship is not on the same standard as when she was built, which is the bad news .... but the good news is she still has the best space ratio of the fleet. Generally HAL has a space ratio of the low 40s -- with the new Nieuw Amsterdam looking to be about the lowest at 41 on her space ratio. I agree the dining room did not have the best views from its center but it was a very bright space with a lot of natural light which must be lost with the overhangs now and since the room has not been expanded I assume they have had to find ways to put in additional chairs/tables to accommodate the extra passengers. That would be a shame as well because as built the room was fairly spacious with a high number of tables for two and small tables. As I said clearly HAL is not RVL and the RV Sun was not to the standard of the original Royal Viking trio.
Posts: 757 | From: New York | Registered: May 2008
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
dmwnc1
Cruise Director
Member # 3785
|
posted 01-22-2010 12:41 AM
Quiet a few interesting comments and observations from a passenger currently on Prinsendam including this:Yes there is no question, the new extended aft deck is a big asset to the Prinsendam and really does enhance the look and feel of the ship. Even the area below this deck where the newly installed cabins are housed has not diminished in any way, in my opinion, the classical look of the ship. Lots of nice pictures too. http://grandvoyageofsouthamerica.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-1-jan-13-fort-lauderdale_1 3.html [ 01-22-2010: Message edited by: dmwnc1 ]
Posts: 5650 | From: Clarksburg WV | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
SSTRAVELER
First Class Passenger
Member # 15170
|
posted 01-22-2010 02:30 PM
The RV Sun was more of a miss because NCL was already mucking around at RVL. Service aboard was still good and generally she was fun. I joined her starting with the first eastbound crossing and my last trip with her was a westbound crossing over the top of the world into Canada. Six weeks later I was aboard Crystal.The cabins on the RV Sun were great but a lot of the repeaters hated that she had no singles. Also the blocked view from the lounge deck was a big drawback. Lots of little design flaws as well plus I remember at least two complete blackouts while we were aboard when she was still fairly new. I think it is funny that the pics on the last link page are all the old ones and the photo of Lauderdale is ancient because the Ocean Breeze is on the dock. As for the Prinsendam not being finished HAL made the decision because I guess they sandwiched in the dry docking. They said at the beginning she would be finished while in service. I seem to recall the cabins they added do not go on sale until the spring. They got to be stretching the staff a lot thinner on the ship. The crew and staff accommodations were always tight. RVL added the staff on the stern below the dining room because of issues even then and I am sort of surprised HAL has not claimed some of that space for paying passengers .... but it would make the ship even tighter. I guess with the smaller dining room they reduced staff needs a little but those new cabins need crew .... unless they are starting a new concept "take care of your own cabin." They also stole officer space for the Neptune Lounge up top.
Posts: 757 | From: New York | Registered: May 2008
| IP: Logged
|
|