Prinsendam Review
Black Sea and the Eastern Med on the Prinsendam in the Fall
Rating by category
Additional details
We had a wonderful month on the Prinsendam during October-November 2010. Our experience was luxurious from superb dining to excellent shows and port lectures. To top it all off we had two excellent bridge instructors and we were able to play duplicate bridge during sea days.We almost always ate in the dining room with a late fixed seating as we much enjoyed the camraderie of our table of 8, although during the first segment we were 6 people joined occasionally by a ship's officer or lecturer to fill out the extra space. These lovely people generally ordered wine which added to our merriment.
On port days we went ashore with a small group of people who got together on Cruise Critic and hired private guides from reputable companies. Our tours were fabulous.
We started in Istanbul with tours organized by Fevzi(Ephesus Shuttle.)The first night 4 of us did a walking tour of the Spice Market and a private boat tour on the Bosphorus sipping a mug of beer and listening to our guide who pointed out the sights as the lights came on around us.The next day we visited the major sights in Istanbul along with the Dolmanache Palace as the Topkapi was closed on Tuesday.The Underground Cistern was really interesting.
Cabin Review
Large Ocean-View Stateroom
We were upgraded to an outside cabin 476 (from a K guarantee) on the Dolphin deck in the main body of the ship but near the aft elevator which was an excellent location. In the evening when I wanted a cup of tea I walked a few yards to the elevator,zoomed up to the Lido and walked a few feet to the hot water machine to fill my tea cup. It took less than 5 minutes to bring the tea back to our cabin. Likewise the elevator took us right to the main entrance to the dining room. The cabin itself was very comfortable with lots of storage space including a walk-in closet. Extra suitcases that didn't fit under the king size bed were taken away.The cabin had only a shower with a French shower extension head that served very well.Hair dryers were provided.The cabin was quiet and we had a nice view from the window. The best thing was we bought the unlimited washing package and all clothes were returned clean, folded or on hangers within a few hours or the next morning. This kept everything very orderly as no storage space was crammed with dirty clothers.