Ms Amsterdam

Decided to do this ship because of the 14 day cruise in Alaska. A little nervous because of the age of the ship and some reviews. We are in Navigator suite 7033. Decided because we love the ports to go ahead and do the cruise. Will be fun learning a new ship. Any one have any words of wisdom?

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Welcome. However, it is hard to know how to respond. What makes you "nervous" about the age of the Amsterdam? Were the review negatives about the mechanics, the dining, the decor, the onboard activities, the crew .....? Please can you provide more specifics about your concerns? Thanks.

We spent 50 days on her and she is not our favorite HAL ships, more for the details but not the substance. but there is a lot to also like about her and we would have no problems sailing her again - often she has the very best itineraries which is always a plus. Primarily we found her decor the least appealing among her sister ships. which really is not a deal killer in the big picture.

Welcome. However, it is hard to know how to respond. What makes you "nervous" about the age of the Amsterdam? Were the review negatives about the mechanics, the dining, the decor, the onboard activities, the crew .....? Please can you provide more specifics about your concerns? Thanks.

 

We spent 50 days on her and she is not our favorite HAL ships, more for the details but not the substance. but there is a lot to also like about her and we would have no problems sailing her again - often she has the very best itineraries which is always a plus. Primarily we found her decor the least appealing among her sister ships. which really is not a deal killer in the big picture.

I have read about leaking water, cabins needing to be changed because of this. That the ship is in need of a refit. I know food is subjective. We can always find something to eat. With all that said we are taking the cruise and will go and have a great time. Alaska is beautiful and being on a ship is fantastic.

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Decided to do this ship because of the 14 day cruise in Alaska. A little nervous because of the age of the ship and some reviews. We are in Navigator suite 7033. Decided because we love the ports to go ahead and do the cruise. Will be fun learning a new ship. Any one have any words of wisdom?

 

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We were in 7038 on the Amsterdam just a few weeks ago. She is in fine shape. You may know that the Amsterdam is one of the co-flagships of the HAL fleet, and generally does Grand and World cruises. We were eager to experience her on a relatively short 7 day Alaska cruise, and were not disappointed. You will be in a Neptune suite, and will be able to enjoy all the great amenities, such as the Neptune Lounge which is just down the hall from your suite.

Happy to answer any other questions. Enjoy your cruise.

We were on Amsterdam last month and heard no mention of any of these things. Amsterdam is a stunning ship with a great crew.

Anything that's mechanical can break and it's a bit more likely on an older ship. I last sailed the Amsterdam in 2014 and we did have some water leaks both in public areas and in some cabins. The crew works very hard to minimize the disruptions but they are possible. They tend to be noticed and lets say there are 10 affected cabins. You are almost certain to walk down the hallway past a couple of them and notice something's going on but it certainly wasn't a big issue. With 700 cabins or so that puts the odds at about 70 to 1 that nothing will happen while the crew will take care of the remaining few.

I was in Huatulco last month on the Crystal Symphony docked across from the Amsterdam and swapped ship visits with the Amsterdam Security Officer. I was mostly in crew areas but the Amsterdam looked to be in fine shape while I was there.

Enjoy a great ship and the Great Land.

Roy

Hard to know what exactly the "leaking water" reports can actually mean.

We had "leaking water" once in our cabin after a fire suppression system test that was probably a routine or expected consequence. We reported the drips coming from the ceiling nozzles and that was about it - very temporary.

Also on several ships we have seen a bucket in the hall way from time to time in some of the public rooms, again assuming this was a temporary glitch in some system.

Yes, toilets can flood occasionally which is more a factor of a passenger putting something prohibited in the line and causing a back up, which is always unfortunate but again an expected occasional problem within these types of closed, interdependent systems.

There were some early reports of serious cabin flooding after a change in the aft pool designs on the retro-fitted ships, but those have all been corrected after the first alarming reports and redesign of that aft pool area.

There was a report about some water leaking from the Lido food prep area on one of the ships that was a bit nasty but again it appeared to get an immediate response. We also had a problem with some funky scupper smells on our Amsterdam verandah that never did get resolved, but we did get a compensation for that. I think every ship has its glitches and it is incredible the systems work as well as they do.

These simply are not land-based hotel rooms but a self-contained complex, moving industrial unit subject to a constant variation of outside conditions and miles of interior connecting systems that all work to make us expect we in fact are in a land-based hotel setting. Our expectation is if 80% of all this works well 100% of the time, that will be good enough.

Thank you everyone. I am sure we will enjoy the cruise and the ship. Be fun seeing and learning about her.

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We just came off of the Amsterdam last week and found it to be in good shape. The only complaint we had was the common areas were very cold. We were prepared for outside temps being cold but didn't expect to sit around with a blanket and layered clothing inside the ship. I did register a complaint with the front desk and the young lady there agreed with me and said many people had reported being uncomfortable. Otherwise, it was a delightful trip with good entertainment, good food, and excellent crew! Our weather was delightfully sunny most days, and I hope you can enjoy the same.

We were on Amsterdam last month and heard no mention of any of these things. Amsterdam is a stunning ship with a great crew.

You were? shoulda said hi

Welcome back. Back log of questions for you while you were on assignment, once you settle back in. We spent some time talking about the announced Captain and CD for the upcoming VOV, only to realize your informative post on this topic was from last year!

You were? shoulda said hi

We were on the WAY too short coastal from SFO, We tried to say hi. We stopped at one of the offices in the atrium on embarkation and they tried to call you. Likely you were ashore and didn't get the call. The Concierge said she would let you know we were there and wanted to meet.

We were spoiled rotten in the PG every night. We knew Mae from Zuiderdam and Martha was at our wedding reception in PG on Oosterdam in 2013- was great!!

We just came off of the Amsterdam last week and found it to be in good shape. The only complaint we had was the common areas were very cold. We were prepared for outside temps being cold but didn't expect to sit around with a blanket and layered clothing inside the ship. I did register a complaint with the front desk and the young lady there agreed with me and said many people had reported being uncomfortable. Otherwise, it was a delightful trip with good entertainment, good food, and excellent crew! Our weather was delightfully sunny most days, and I hope you can enjoy the same.

Thank you. I am getting so excited. New ship, for us to explore. Alaska, been many times but love the 14 days and ports.

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Thank you. I am getting so excited. New ship, for us to explore. Alaska, been many times but love the 14 days and ports.

 

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I'm doing the 14-day Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam in September (my first ever cruise), in 7040. It's still 3 months away, and I'm already getting super excited. I actually found a youtube video taken by someone a year ago of the exact suite 7040 that I'll be in this year. That was VERY helpful. I'm hitting two of my bucket list items with this trip: 1) a cruise and 2) see Alaska. It's all good.

I'm doing the 14-day Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam in September (my first ever cruise), in 7040. It's still 3 months away, and I'm already getting super excited. I actually found a youtube video taken by someone a year ago of the exact suite 7040 that I'll be in this year. That was VERY helpful. I'm hitting two of my bucket list items with this trip: 1) a cruise and 2) see Alaska. It's all good.

You will love Alaska and 14 days is a great cruise. I love the ports of call. Enjoy.

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We were on the WAY too short coastal from SFO, We tried to say hi. We stopped at one of the offices in the atrium on embarkation and they tried to call you. Likely you were ashore and didn't get the call. The Concierge said she would let you know we were there and wanted to meet.

 

We were spoiled rotten in the PG every night. We knew Mae from Zuiderdam and Martha was at our wedding reception in PG on Oosterdam in 2013- was great!!

Nice to hear you had a good time on AMDM! Yeah, I took some time off on the Hop on/Hop off in SF. Unlike on the Vistas, my office is like the Bat Cave: hard to find on Amsterdam. Next time

Welcome back. Back log of questions for you while you were on assignment, once you settle back in. We spent some time talking about the announced Captain and CD for the upcoming VOV, only to realize your informative post on this topic was from last year!

Almost! One week left...........

I am on board the Amsterdam now. I would say the ship is in good shape. The only mechanical problems we have experienced are with the Thermal Suite. Something seems to break in there regularly

if you do a search on these boards for the postings of WCB they've done several world cruises on Amsterdam and really give a balanced review / interesting read. they just disembarked a few weeks ago.

They have plenty of experience w/ HAL and make note of changes over the years. These boards tend to bring out the whiners and crazies sometimes.

After sailing w/ HAL since the 70's we gave up on the product as the ships got older & then much bigger. If it fits your needs - then go & enjoy but you also have to disregard the crazies that think they are in heaven and paint a "PERFECT" picture.

I'll be on Amsterdam in steerage (MM Guarantee - all of the suites are sold) in late July & I can't wait.

I'll be on vacation from work I'm going to see Alaska including some rarely visited ports. :)

We were on the Amsterdam May 15-22, she was in fine shape.

I'll be on Amsterdam in steerage (MM Guarantee - all of the suites are sold) in late July & I can't wait.

 

I'll be on vacation from work I'm going to see Alaska including some rarely visited ports. :)

Steerage is great. We have spent 9 weeks on the Dolphin Deck of the Amsterdam this year. We love, love, love the ocean view cabins.

Cheers, Denise

When 80% is good, that is a 100% perfect cruise for me.

It does the World Cruise every year, Very smooth. The central Atrium has a beautiful clock.

When 80% is good, that is a 100% perfect cruise for me.

Sounds good to me!

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