Cruise Line: Holland America
Destination: Alaska
Date: May 16, 2004
Guest Contributor: John
johnasquith6@hotmail.com
The Statendam turned 12 this year (2004) but the ship is well maintained and modern. New mattresses had just been installed for this Alaska season and the beds were comfortable. We had a deluxe verandah suite which was roomy and with extra amenities and I recommend it to anyone with the budget to cover it. The other cabins on the ship are half the size and a bit cramped for space.
The Alaska cruises on the Statendam attract an older crowd and the average age on this cruise was perhaps in the high sixties. There were several people with roll around walkers, canes and one in a wheel chair. They seemed to navigate the ship adequately and the elevators accommodated their accessories well. One older lady did fall on the ship's stairs and had to be taken to the infirmary by stretcher.
Among the less favorable aspects of the cruise was the constant hustling of the passengers to spend extra money for on-board services and odds and ends. For instance, whenever you walk off the ship at a port you are confronted with the ship's photographer who wants you to pose with a stuffed polar bear or some such gimmick (prints are $15 or $20). Or when you walk into the Crow's Nest lounge after dinner you are closely followed in by a waiter/waitress to suggest a long list of drinks. Even if you purchase an after dinner drink you are pestered every five minutes to order another one. This gets tiring after a while.
If you want the really good dinner service then the Pinnacle Room is the place to go. Thick and juicy steaks, lobster tails, rack of lamb, etc. But the Pinnacle Room is not included in your cruise fare. If you want to eat there you must pay an additional $20 to $40 per person each night. Otherwise you are offered only the Rotterdam dining room or the Lido buffet which is more than acceptable but not with the extra class of the Pinnacle.
Perhaps the most irritating thing about the Statendam (and Holland America overall) is the newly established policy that prohibits you from bringing alcoholic beverages or soft drinks on board the ship. If you try, they will confiscate them and return them to you at the end of the voyage. They X-ray your belongings each time you come back on board so this policy is difficult to circumvent by stealth. This policy forces you to purchase beverages on board from them at the typically inflated prices of cruise lounges ($4.50 to $6.00 for cocktails, $1.75 for soft drinks) if you choose to drink alcoholic beverages. Wine and champagne are excepted in this policy but a corkage fee is applied if you consume them in a public place (like at your dining table). So don’t pack booze, beer or a six pack of 7 Up to bring with you.
There is an Internet cafe on the Statendam which is well-equipped and adequately spacious but not free. The basic charge is $36 per hour (60 cents per minute) although you can buy bulk time at a lower rate (around 40 cents per minute). We did this to keep up with some business e-mail during the cruise but the connection is quite slow and seems like that of a 56K modem even though it comes by satellite. The Statendam also has hot spots around the ship where a laptop with a wireless network capability will work (if you have purchased Internet time as mentioned above). This is convenient and particularly so if your cabin is near one of the public lounges hence enabling a wireless connection even in your own stateroom.
Shore excursions are varied but don't be fooled into thinking that you must sign up through the ship's office. At each port there are plenty of independent vendors right at the dock and you don't need to make up your mind until on shore and see the variety available. Cruise lines often have up to a 40% cut of shore excursion prices so you can often find a better deal on shore than through the ship.
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