Second trip on Prinsendam from Ijmuiden. This time (after a cruise to Northern Europe and the Kiel Canal previously), a cruise to Norway, Iceland, and Scotland. After days at sea, we came to Norway and were astonished at the beauty Norway offered. If you don't like hills, mountains, and the culture of the Vikings, as seen in the many stops, excursion opportunities, museums, and gift shops along the way, this is not a trip for you. Don't expect balcony weather. There is always a brisk wind for passengers who want to walk from the far front end of the 11th floor across the Lido Deck to the Lido restaurant and more than occasional rain to avoid almost all the time till we arrived in the British area.

But the suite accommodations made up for the cruise weather conditions. We stayed in one of the Neptune Suites and found it superior to a similar suite on HAL's Volendam. True, the Lounge was smaller and not easy to accommodate people. But the staff on both ships was exemplary, The suite had two HD television sets, and there was sufficient separation for one person to see the TV while the other slept. The ship provides ample elbow room for the suite passengers, including a large walk in closet; and though there was only one bathtub with no separate shower facility there was a sense of space in the bathroom where two people could stand if necessary. A toilet facility was enclosed with a sliding door nearby.

The ship provides limited entertainment. Don't expect what you see on the 3000 plus passenger ships. The jollies are limited. There are at least five trivia games going on every day or every other day depending on the port excursion schedules, and there are cooking demonstrations, and the usual bingo games that all frequent cruisers have seen. The lounges, library, casino, showplace, and the web terminals are very crowded especially during sea days. This ship is a relatively intimate ship, the smallest in HAL's portfolio, born under another cruise company's guidance some years ago, but still kept "new' through HAL's renovations. An easy ship to get around without getting lost, and it's comfortable. Yes, key word: comfortable.