Sun&Sand52

We dined there one time on the NA recently and really enjoyed it. We simply ordered what we liked and the portions are large. Be sure to have the lasagna it is excellent! And I don’t think it is on the menu but it is served. Delicious with a mix of 3 different meats (beef, lamb, pork??) and half of the pasta has red sauce and the other half a white sauce. We loved it!

We were on NA on dec 30 and no problem getting a table for two...we had open seating.

Good cruising

We were on the Feb 24 sailing on NA and EVERY time we went to dinner in the main dining room we had a problem getting a table for 2. Each time was a wait from between 20 minutes to 45 minutes. We usually went to the main dining room between 5:45 to as late as 6:30. We had “open seating” and did not reserve a table. First time sailing on HAL and had no idea this was going to be a problem getting a table for 2. Have no idea why it was always a fairly long wait - assume there are not many 2 tops available for “open seating”. Also, we always were made to feel “unfriendly” when we stated we did not want to be seated with other guests...... which we were always asked each and every time we came down to dinner. Never experienced this on other lines. Next time we sai HAL, we will not do open seating!

Not sure about the Eurodam, but I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam 2 weeks ago and did not see any Marhlargo brand Larimar jewelry in any of the shops. I also love specifically "Marahlrgo" jewelry and have bought pieces on other cruise lines (Celebrity & NCL) in the past. However, on this recent HAL cruise there was no Larimar to be found :-(

There is a service area for the crew (to collect room service plates, ice machine etc) next to 4166 and then a stairway.

I've been in 4166 three times on the Eurodam. LOVE this cabin. Never heard noise from the promenade... a little noise during the day from the cruise space but nothing that would effect your trip.

 

Pictures from both 4166 and 4168 that I took (we had both cabins one cruise) are up on halfacts.com

Thanks for the info, I’ll check out the photos. (y)

They are excellent cabins, don't be dissuaded by those vague reviews! The stairway nearby is very quiet and you shouldn't be bothered by noise at all. Those large balconies are really nice and the NA has new balcony furniture! Enjoy :D

 

Jeanne

Sounds fabulous Jeanne!! Glad to know they added new furniture for the balcony! We snagged the cabin and are looking forward to sailing with Hal for the very first time. :D:D

We had these same cabins on the Eurodam....no issues with noise whatsoever. Loved the huge verandas.

:D Thanks so much! Glad to hear you were pleased, I am looking forward to sailing!

Took the plunge and booked cabin 4168 on the upper promenade deck on the N/A. Booked this cabin as it has the huge long balcony. Of course now I am second guessing myself and think it was a potential mistake. Called HAL spoke with agent who told me the “white space” on the deck plan was not a crew stairway, it was a storage area.

From everything I read here on CC I think people have said it was a stairway that is used by the crew. I googled like crazy any and all things I could find regarding 4166 and 4168 as they are mirror image cabins. One thread mentioned potential “smells”, but most threads that I found said things were not an issue such as smells or noise from below which would be the upper dining room. I was thinking there would be possible noise from guests on the deck below that are walking/talking on the promenade - but that might be a stretch. In the past we have always booked cabins between passenger decks to try to minimize any potential noise issues. This time I booked this particular cabin just due to the huge balcony.

Most of the threads I found were older postings. So, my question is anyone here on CC have any experience in one of these lower promenade deck cabins with the long balcony? Thanks in advance for any help! :)

Thanks for all the thoughts on the two ships. They both seem beautiful. Kdam reminds me also fo the Celebrity Solstice class ships, which we have sailed on and are beautiful. Leaning more towards the NA this time around to try a little bit smaller ship. Also on the particular sailing we are looking into we can get one of the verandah cabins with an extra large balcony which would be heaven! Love just sitting on the balcony and relaxing!!!!

Newbie to HAL and very interested in sailing with her. Considering both of these ships. One is newer than the other and one is just a little smaller than the other. Other than that basic info, what would you consider to be the good and bad with each ship. Both get very good reviews here on CC and other sites so it looks like you cannot go wrong with either ship. Guess I am just looking for a little bit of insight from people who have cruised either ship recently. Thanks in advance!! :)

Great review and fantastic photos too! Thanks for posting this!

Thanks for that great informational video!! Looks like N/A is #2. Question... BTW, just curious, who is the one who decided these rankings? A cruise magazine or something like that?

BTW this is what I am not looking for. Mayhem at the pool! This was on a Celebrity Eclipse Carribean cruise in April 2011. This was a quiet day at the main pool. The cruise must have been oversold, as it was incredibly busy everywhere on that cruise. Apparently we were cruising during the height of Spring Break in 2011!

We just had cabin #4144 on the Upper Promenade when we cruised on the NA in October. This was a VB category but other than just a little bit further forward, I would assume the cabin would be the same as the ones you were inquiring about.

 

I posted quite a few photos of the cabin on my blog if you want to get an idea of what it looked like.

 

Cabin #4144 on Nieuw Amsterdam

 

I also posted a video on YouTube with the highlights of our cruise if you would rather see the "movie version" of my cabin tour! ;)

 

 

We started out with an inside cabin and then slowly worked our way up to a VE balcony guarantee as prices dropped so I felt we did OK when we ended up in a VB category. I was concerned about being so close to the aft elevators, but ended up loving the location. No noise at all and it was so convenient to hop on the elevator and go up to the lido buffet or walk down a couple of decks to the main dining room.

 

I think you are correct when you mentioned the balconies might be a bit larger for the cabins at the back of deck 4. We just did a couple of cruises on Norwegian and our balcony was so shallow that your knees would almost touch the railing while sitting! The NA balcony was much deeper and probably could have accomodated a lounge chair.

 

Hopefully this is helpful!

Thanks! That was great information in your blog and video! Great help!

Thanks for the replies, sound like the N/A might be a good fit and a nice change of pace for us.

Thinking of sailing the first part of March which has me concerned that there would be more kids on board the N/A due to kids being on Spring Break. Initially I just assumed since it was a HAL ship, that would not be an issue as the line tends to cater to more older folks (in my 60s myself) . But maybe I am wrong and there could be a boatload of kids! One time we made the mistake of going on Celebrity during Spring Break and it was really crowded!

Mulling over a last minute cruise with HAL on N/A. Never been on a HAL cruise; last cruise was on Celebrity Solstice ships. I have been reading the reviews on Nieuw Amsterdam and they are pretty positive overall. So I am thinking about giving them a try instead of the usual Celebrity solstice class ship experience. Not looking for a lot of excitement, looking for a relaxing cruise where DH and I can just chill out and forget about the every day stresses of life. I **think** we might be a good fit for the Nieuw Amsterdam ship but not positive. Was originally thinking of the Koningdam but now I am looking at the Nieuw Amsterdam instead - hope that is not a mistake......

If anyone has any thoughts on the Nieuw Amsterdam, please feel free to let me know!

Anyway.... has anyone sailed in the Upper Prominade Deck "VC" aft cabins, the ones with (what appears on the deck plan) to be a little bit larger balcony? Also, on the Upper Verandah Deck "VD" aft cabins that ONLY have a shower? The balcony looks a little smaller on this VD category than the VC category, but I am not sure. Any input would surly be welcomed! Thanks

Thanks for the link to the video. Definitely different than what I had thought.

Above photo is one of the S class ships where you can relax or eat at a table for casual dining. That is what I was hoping was on the K-dam ship too. But it does not sound like it is. Possibly the S class ships on Celebrity do have more open, outdoor spaces. That is something that is very important to me as I like the open feeling of the sea view. Guess I need to do more research on HAL website and the internet for additional photos of the outside areas of the K-dam.:)

Thanks for the reply, I see the area in the above picture where there are tables set up. I guess there is just really no dedicated aft dining area, which is a shame as the aft wake is beautiful to enjoy while having breakfast. Guess I was hoping for a specific dining area in the aft part of the ship.

What about the Niew Amsterdam? Anything like that on her?

Sounds like a very relaxing thing that would be feel great! Is there a Hydro Pool on the Koningsdam?????

New to HAL and thinking of sailing on the Koningsdam but do not see a causal outdoor AFT dining location. I have sailed on Celebrity Solstice class ships and they have a lot of out door space that you can simply plop down in a chair and enjoy the scenery. At the aft of the Celebrity ship, you can eat your meal outside as the area is adjacent to the buffet. I have been looking at different websites to see if there is such a place on the Koningsdam, but I must be missing it.

So.... does anyone know where your casual outside dining would be in the Koningsdam? It looks like she has a lovely promenade deck that you can walk around on, but I did not see any chairs or loungers where you could sit and enjoy the ocean view. Where would one just sit outside to enjoy the views? Other than my balcony - which I do love to do!

She looks to be a beautiful ship and I like the itinerary better than the Celebrity ones to the Caribbean. So thinking of going on HAL for the first time.

Thanks so much for the quick replies! I will do that.

Have never sailed on Holland America before, but am considering sailing on the Koningsdam in February. Our cruise line of choice for the past sailings has been Celebrity (Aqua Class) but thought it might be "refreshing" to take a different line for a change. Hope I made the right choice!! Change does not come easy to me ;p

Was wondering how to link up my Carnival VIFP sailing points from a past cruise to the Holland America mariner program? Not sure how to do this at all. Thanks for any help!

I forgot about the big box warehouse club ‘s travel dept! I am a member too. Thanks for the reminder. Going to check out their website. Celebrity’s website is a hot mess. Hopefully the pricing on the BB warehouse is lower that CC.

They never seem to get with the times as far as their website. So odd for a huge main stream cruise line! Guess I will keep trying the website of call X. Really prefer to book myself online....

Maybe it is me? I keep trying to reserve cabins on the website and it keeps telling me not available at this time. Website down or having tech issues for anyone else? Im on Safari as a browser.....