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Review of Nieuw Amsterdam Western Caribbean


Arrowinc
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Following is our long (and probably sleep-inducing review of our recent HAL "Western Caribbean" cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam. It is our habit to write the company with these thoughts, and you may as well be bored as the home office.

My wife and I disembarked from theMs Nieuw Amsterdam on Saturday, March 3, following a one-week “WesternCaribbean” trek that began on February 28. All in all it was a very good trip, one that did not disappoint. This was our ninth Holland America cruise,and we intend to continue to primarily patronize that Line, to include aSeptember New England/Canada cruise, and then utilizing in some manner theas-yet undecided trip booked while on board.

Nothing is ever all good or all bad,but following are the generally comments which we have compiled.

Booking. We have used Holland America’s “PersonalCruise Consultants” since our second trip. Most of those years have involved our interaction with a particularagent, who I understand cannot be mentioned by name in this account. In myopinion, this individual is one of HAL’s best possible ambassadors, and,frankly, a significant part of our “brand loyalty” is due to her. We tend to ask a lot of questions, make a lotof reservations, cancel some of them, and inquire about items that others mightconsider to be trivial. Throughout itall, this individual has been responsive, patient, cheerful, and professional,and has become one of my “favorite people that I have never met inperson.”

Embarking. While we know very well that boarding at PortEverglades usually does not commence until 11:30 AM or so, we like to arrive atthe port early. A huge part of theexcitement of a trip is anticipation, and we would rather sit in the terminalwaiting with fellow passengers to board than lounge in an overnight motelroom. In any event, embarkation wassmooth. We were lucky enough to have aNeptune Suite, which certainly accelerated the process and permitted us to waitin a “special” area, but even if we had not been so fortunate the process wasefficiently handled despite the fact that Port Everglades is a madhouse.

Disembarking. Again, this went fairly smoothly. My wife and I attained “Global Entry” processseveral years ago and this has been worth its weight in gold, not only with respect to the “TSA Pre-check”program, but also when returning to the U.S. In this instance, the trip from our room on the ship to airporttransport probably did not take more than 15 minutes, notwithstanding themadhouse that normally attends such occasions.

Key West Customs. This is our third cruise with a stop in KeyWest, and, consequently, our third required “presentation” of ourselves tocustoms officials upon arrival at that otherwise desirable port of call. While the process is handled as efficientlyas possible, and we know that it has nothing to do with Holland America, I mustsay that it is a real annoyance to spend an hour waiting to be called by floor,shuffling toward the appropriate venue, standing in line, and “presenting”ourselves to a customs official who does nothing other than glance at ourpassports. We do appreciate the factthat our government has finally seen the wisdom of dispensing with the CustomsDeclaration Form previously required when re-entering the U.S. in PortEverglades, but are bewildered by the wasted exercise in Key West.

Luggage Direct. We employed this service again for the triphome and enjoyed it immensely. Our onlycarp is that for some reason we seem to be singled out for “late” delivery ofour boarding passes and other documents (perhaps because our last name beginswith “W”?). In this instance, it took alate-evening call to the office of the concierge to receive our documents. The young gentleman in the Neptune Lounge(forgot his name) personally delivered those documents, and our room stewards(more about them below) were clearly distressed that two old people in theirpajamas (and one in bed already) had still not received that information. In any event, all went well once thedocuments were in hand.

The Ship. In a word – absolutely beautiful. Although we have always liked the NieuwAmsterdam anyway, a pretty and dignified ship has been made even better, fromthe public areas to our room on board. The sole exception would have to be the renovation of the Crow’s Nestarea, which eliminated the library (which was part of our boarding tradition),in favor of trashy horizontal television displays. This crass commercialism in favor of the affiliated tour company resulting in our never visiting a room which had previously beenone of our favorites; and, while on the subject of excursions . . .

Excursions. We have rarely taken many excursions in thepast, because we have found them not to be worth the price as compared withwhat we could put together using our own efforts and a little research. This is particularly true in the Caribbean,where most tours involve beaches, snorkeling, turtles, visits to distilleries,and endless time spent in souvenir shops -- activities in which we have little interest.

Assuming that our single experiencethis year was any indicator of the new “EXC Tours,” no improvement has beenrealized. We participated in the Cozumel“Photographic Expedition,” and found it be overpriced, far too lengthy, andhunger provoking since it left just before noon and only a snack was providedduring its four-hour duration. Althoughthe guide was pleasant and knowledgeable enough, there was absolutely noemphasis on photography (contrary to the description), each of the three stopslingered for far too long, and the tour did not (as advertised) circlethe island. We typically cruise theCaribbean during the winter in order to enjoy good weather, and have on many trips rarely left theship. If “EXC” is any indicator, we willbe spending lots more time on board in the future instead of booking HollandAmerica tours.

Cabana. We have rented a Lido Cabana since our veryfirst cruise, and have found it to be an excellent investment. Neither of us particularly likes tanning, wedislike the daily struggle to find loungers in the shade, and the availabilityof a cabana attendant has been wonderful. We acknowledge the possible superiority of the "Retreat Cabanas," but like both the price and the opportunity to watch the world go by at and around the pool. We did notice this year that the cabanas (or at least ours) were notfurnished with fruit as was the case in the past, but this was no bigdeal.

Spa. For the first time, we splurged on the “SpaPackage.” We used the “whirlpool” (orwhatever it is called) frequently, and the heated chairs less so. Although probably not worth the money onport-intensive cruises, this was a nice addition for this year I have alwaysfound the water in the Lido and Aft pools to be too cold for my taste, and the spa solved that problem nicely.

Neptune Suite/Lounge. As noted above, we were fortunate to enjoy an“upsell” to a Neptune suite a few weeks before the cruise. This was the third time we have enjoyed thisupgrade, and, needless to say, it is fantastic. If I could only live the rest of my life in a HAL Neptune Suite . . . . In the past, we have spent considerable time in and found substantialvalue in the Neptune Lounge, but on this trip that simply did not occur asidefrom an occasional visit for coffee and a question or two for theconcierge. The fault was certainly notin the appearance of the Lounge, or in the food and beverages offered.

Concierge. We have always appreciated the availabilityof a concierge when fortunate enough to occupy a Neptune cabin, and on thisoccasion we were generally well served. As noted above, the young male concierge was a life-saver on the nightbefore disembarkation, and the young female was also helpful throughout thecruise.

Staff. Everyone raves about the Holland Americastaff, and this trip was no exception. We were very impressed with our room stewards Tutu and Achmed, ourdinner room steward Wina and his assistant Wahyu, the sommelier Victorino(spelling probably incorrect), and our Lido Cabana attendant Justin. All were nothing less than fantastic, and wehope to see them again. For thatmatter, the entire staff was magnificent, and this is another strong reason forour “brand loyalty” to Holland America. Somehow, their attitude (contrived though it may very well be) changes our demeanor immediately upon boarding the ship.

Meals. We variously ate in the Lido (breakfast andlunch), main dining room (five nights), the Pinnacle (for breakfast twice),Tamarind for dinner, and also the Sel de Mer meal. The main dining room was satisfactory, if notspectacular (although we did miss the staff “goodbye” on the last night with the silly song and waving towels). The Tamarind was wonderful as always,although it might help to change the menu a bit in the future, and the Lido wasbetter than good -- aided greatly, I might add, by the luxury of our Cabanaattendant Justin obtaining Dive-In Burgers for us without our having to wait inline). Although offering a quiet andmore dignified surrounding, the Pinnacle Breakfast experience was, frankly,disappointing. The service was notparticularly fast, the orange juice tasted like it was out of a can (and acheap brand, at that!), and the food was no better prepared than that availablein the Lido. On the other side of thecoin, dinner at Sel de Mer was without question the best shipboard meal we haveever experienced – clearly worth the extra price.

“Gala” Nights. We have found over the last couple of cruisesthat the elimination of “Formal Nights” appears to have accorded license formen to appear in jeans, tee-shirts, and shorts, juxtaposed against a few intuxedos. While we understand marketdictates and acknowledge that relaxation on the bottom end of the dress codedoes not prevent other guests fromdonning more formal attire at the top end (as many did), a great deal of whatattracts us to Holland America has been lost by this more relaxed policy. Like it or not, dignified behavior is more often thannot reflected by attire, and the cheapening of “Formal Nights” has resulted inless fun for us.

Beverages. We purchased the Signature Beverage Package,and enjoyed it, as always, aided by the atmospheric surroundings of the Cabanaand the Ocean Bar for consumption of said beverages. We never come close to utilizing the entirety of the package, but enjoy trying new concoctions without feeling guilty. Speaking of the Ocean Bar, the supervisor and staff dealt efficiently with hordes of old people (andwe are within that group) during “Happy Hour.” We were impressed.

One glitch that did occur with theSignature Beverage package involved the fact that I was somehow was charged for(and credited with) two packages, while my wife had none – a strangecircumstance since: (a) my own consumption would have had to be heroic in orderto consume two packages; and (b) we were both in the same room and would havehad to each purchase a package anyway. This created some confusion for the first day or two of the cruise, butwas eventually resolved through the intervention of the concierge.

One other note: We purchased a wine package, consisting offour bottles. Although aware that theSignature Beverage Package would have provided wine by the glass, we havealways found it entertaining to try new wines, as offered through thepackage. Our only carp in this regard wasthe fact that we had a bit disappointed that the two $25 Beverage Cards offeredas part of our “package” could not be applied against the wine package. That itdid not was our fault entirely, but it would have been nice had it beenapplicable since otherwise the cards were useless given our purchase of theSignature Beverage Package. As it workedout, we invested the beverage cards in a higher-priced bottle of wine to takehome with us, and so it all worked out well.

Shops. We found the new arrangement to be a decidedstep down. Never particularly appealing,the “Shops” are almost totally worthless these days, and we actually do miss the“on deck” sales that used to appear.

Entertainment. We have only rarely identified HollandAmerica as worth staying up late to attend, and this cruise was noexception.

Despite the occasional gripe above,we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and will not likely depart from Holland Americain terms of future cruises. We lovedealing with our Personal Cruise Consultant, are impressed with the décor of the ships, appreciate theuntiring efforts of the crew, and are happy with a product which meets all ofour expectations at the price we are willing and capable of paying.

 

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Great review! We too cruised on NA at this time (2/24-3/3) and it was all you said. We didn't stay in a Neptune suite but couldn't agree with you more regarding some of your thoughts. And we did have great weather and the seas were wonderful.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm curious about a couple of things. We were on the NA about 18 months ago and found it to be satisfactory, but not much better. We were particularly put off by the Lido: (1) often crowded and couldn't find indoor seating at peak times, which forced us outside most mornings and sometimes at lunch. This was compounded because tables weren't always cleared promptly. (2) I'm an early riser, and in the morning I enjoy grabbing a cup of coffee and going for a walk around the outer decks. But I found they weren't stocking coffee mugs near the coffee machines as they normally have done. When I spoke to the Head Waiter he said it was a directive from Seattle - mugs are to be set on the tables only. So I had to resort to stealing a mug from a table (if I could fined one!).

 

Has the situation improved any?

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Thanks for the comments relative to our long review. I am amazed that anyone even read it!

 

To answer a question or two, based upon our own subjective view and ofttimes fragile memory:

 

1. The Crow's Nest does still have seating along the fan window in the bow. Our objection was to the greater commercialization of the area and the loss of other seating in the center of what was a beautiful room.

2. The library as we knew it is practically gone, having been replaced with shelves of travel books. Perhaps there were others somewhere, but we did not find them.

3. We did not find the Lido to be more crowded than usual, but perhaps we dined at off-times. It was certainly chaotic, but that has always been the case in our experience. We did know about the "coffee cup" rule mentioned by another poster.

 

One area as to which we did not comment involves the removal of the "glass" stairs from the atrium. Although the stairs were certainly a beautiful part of that area, we had always spent considerable time worrying about folks of our age group tripping and falling. We found them to be somewhat frightening and always avoided them.

 

Carps notwithstanding, Nieuw Amsterdam looks mighty good to me as I gaze out the window at the snow!

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We are sailing in 2 weeks. Key West is our last stop prior to Ft Lauderdale, Once we do customs on ship Key West morning do we still have to do it in Ft Lauderdale? Hoping answer is no!

 

You do Immigration in Key West. You do Customs in Ft Lauderdale. Neither one is painful.

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Hi Arrowinc...Thank you for your great and informative review! Disappointed to read about the Pinnacle breakfast - will be on the NA in less than 2 weeks and was looking forward to those special mornings in the PG....appears it's not what it used to be.....still can't wait! Thanks again!

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I would encourage you to give it a try. We may have just hit a flat spot. PG breakfasts on earlier cruises have been wonderful. Frankly, we were about as put off by the obviously-canned orange juice as anything else. Talk about spoiled!

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