This is by far the most charming and intimate Holland America ship we have seen. The Prisendam reminds me of the grand old days of cruising. By today's standards, she is a small ship with a capacity of only 794 passengers. The ship's gross tonnage is only 38,000 as compared with many newer ships of 80,000+ tons. The Prisendam was built in 1988 and operated until earlier this year as the Royal Viking Sun and then the Seabourn Sun. Holland America bought the ship from Seabourn in 2001 and refurbished it to the typical HAL dEcor. Fortunately, HAL did not remove many of the finest features of the ship. I classify the current dEcor as understated elegance. Most of the cabins are outside. Many have balconies. There are some spacious suites. The outside cabins are relatively large with a walk-in closet, lots of drawer space, a mini-fridge, and actually, a large bathroom with oversize tub. Some of the outside cabins have only a shower so if a bathtub is important, select your cabin carefully from the deck plans. Hair dryers, a keyless safe, TV/VCR with remote control, telephones with voice mail, lots of mirrors, and a well-stocked mini-bar round out the cabin amenities. We were amazed to find that there were only about 360 passengers on this cruise. In fact most of the past several months have seen the ship just over half full. I am sure that as soon as word gets out about the elegance of the ship, the friendliness of the crew, the intimacy of the lounges, and the opportunity to recognize many of one's fellow passengers after just a few days, the popularity of the Prisendam will greatly increase.
One of the reasons for the small passenger loads is the distance one must travel from the U.S. to get to Australia, New Zealand, or other parts of Asia where the ship has been cruising. HAL has changed the summer itinerary to do 14 day Alaska tours out of San Francisco. We were pleasantly surprised that in spite of the small number of passengers, the menus remained varied with lots of selections and continued excellent quality and presentation. Brian, the Food and Beverage Manager, did a super job of assuring that all of the fruits and vegetables were high quality and fresh. Most of the meats and seafood was shipped from the U.S. but the numerous lamb dishes during the cruise came from New Zealand.
The ship retained two seatings for supper in the La Fontaine Dining Room in spite of the small number of passengers. The Odyssey Restaurant managed by Stephene was a pleasant evening alternative to the La Fontaine Dining Room. Reservations are required for the Odyssey and the dress is always at least semi-formal. We ate there three times. The menu is somewhat limited but it changed mid-cruise and the food preparation and presentation are superb. There is no additional charge for dining in the Odyssey. The Lido also offers a casual dining venue, especially for supper. We enjoyed the vast variety of foods offered in the Lido at breakfast and lunch. We had supper there once. Eating there was quicker and one could nibble on a variety of cold and hot dishes. One unique feature of this Lido at breakfast was that all orders for eggs, omelets, pancakes, waffles, etc. were prepared on the grills right in front of you as you waited; always fresh and hot. Lots of juices were always available including fresh squeezed orange juice every morning. Late night snacks [formerly the midnight buffet] were also offered in the Lido.