Amsterdam - Please share links, secrets, tips and cabin info.

I know people love the Amsterdam, but I am finding it difficult to find a lot of information like I found before my Noordam cruise in 2007. So, I'd like to ask other Amsterdam cruisers to share everything they can to help me prepare for my upcoming cruise.

 

Here are a couple of links I have found. Please everyone add more along with your stories, secrets, cabin info, suite info, etc. Anything you can think of or want to share.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=780803 notes from jascruise

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=776516 photos from Beyondships

Just off Amsterdam 5/23/08.

I found the ship to be a perfect size. Very clean. Similar layout to the Zaandam. We had the best room steward ever-big improvement, he (Srimonto) did a fantastic job! Food was excellent, also a slight improvement, even though the Vegetarian menu was exactly the same as last year. Lido food tasted fresher than my past exeriences, Dining room food also was better. We had main upper dining. Dining Stewards/service were the only part of our cruise that was slightly lacking, but they apologized and said they were having issues due to the first time doing AYWD downstairs.

Thanks for that info Sandra, I sure appreciate it. I read yesterday where someone on the same cruise was talking about the dining room seating being a bit of a mess and not having good service. So it is good to hear that was not the case for everyone. Just the luck of the draw, I suppose.

 

Want to share other details of your trip? Favorite ports & shore tours. What you liked or didn't like about your cabin.

 

Do you think the food etc was better because of the Alaska itinerary?

 

Anything you'd like to share, I'm all ears. Thanks.

 

Have a great day! CJ

The Amsterdam has a convenient center stairway. The decor is pleasing and attractive IMO. She has beautiful art and furnishings.

 

Have a fabulous time.

Thank you, May4. I am very much looking forward to it. What itinerary did you sail?

Want to share other details of your trip? Favorite ports & shore tours. What you liked or didn't like about your cabin.

 

 

I wasn't sure I wanted to go somewhere cold and cloudy, but I would go back in heartbeat, Alaska was beautiful. I'm so glad we chose a verandah, as there was scenery almost 24/7, except on our at sea day. We saw whales the first day sailing out of Seattle.

 

There were 3 of us in our cabin (#6215), and it wasn't too small. There were fresh flowers, which was a nice touch we all enjoyed. Our room steward went above and beyond. I noticed him scrubbing the shower-in the past I have noticed mildew in the shower and knew that past room stewards did not clean it, so I was very pleased. Everything sparkled. On formal night my mother wore a glittery top that was dropping glitter everywhere-it was all over the carpet, couch, and bathroom floor. The next morning all of it was gone, we never saw one piece of glitter the rest of the trip! I know I have worn tops that leave glitter on the floor and no matter how many times I have vacuumed I find glitter for weeks later. We never had to ask for anything, whether it be lotion, toilet paper, kleenex-it was all promptly refilled before it was gone. In the past this wasn't the case, I had to ask for more lotion or toilet paper.

 

Movies shown in the Theater were Elizabeth The Golden Age, 27 Dresses, Reservation Road, The Golden Compass, Michael Clayton, The Holiday, and Juno.

 

Joel Mason (Elton John impersonator) performed on this cruise. This was our second time seeing him and he was excellent. We didn't see any other shows other than Joel's afternoon performance on the 6th day.

 

There wasn't a port I didn't like.

In Juneau we did the Glacier and Gardens, then the Tram, then walked around town. We saw several eagles flying above town & Mt Roberts.

Glacier Bay was breathtaking and surreal. Words cannot describe it. We saw 5 glaciers and Margerie was calving every 5-10 minutes. There were 2 eagles sitting on an iceberg.

In Sitka we did the Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest and saw 20+ eagles, many sea otters, and several humpback whales and their babies.

In Ketchikan we cancelled our excursion and just walked around town & shopped.

In Victoria we did the Grand City Drive and Tea @ the Empress. Tea was very impressive. The hotel is rather grand and the food, service, and tea was incredible. I read of others complaining about it and saying it wasn't worth it, but all 5 of my family members, and the woman who shared our table, loved it. They gave us each a box of 10 tea bags to take home.

 

My only real complaint was when we arrived at the airport there wasn't a HAL representative to be found. We had them paged 5 times, no one came. There was no one at the HAL counter. We called our TA who called HAL, no one knew where they were. We called HAL's 1-800 number, they said they were looking for us. We looked around baggage, the HAL counter, by the busses, nothing. After 1 1/2hrs, finally a young girl came and said she wasn't sure why no one was there and she'd try to find out who was supposed to be there. :rolleyes: We did arrive 2 days prior to the cruise, so perhaps this is why (when my MIL & FIL arrived on the day of the cruise, they said someone was there with balloons to greet them!)? Then she gave us our luggage tags and walked us out to the bus and as the bus started taking off, instead of trying to stop it, she said, "oh your bus just left". So we had to wait 40 minutes for the next one. We were very disappointed.

Thank you, May4. I am very much looking forward to it. What itinerary did you sail?

 

We were on a 10-day Sunfarer in late 2006. As you might know, these travel to the Southern Caribbean and have a partial Panama Canal component. I very much enjoyed Aruba and Curacao.:)

Another recent review link from Amsterdam http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=780737

 

We saw whales the first day sailing out of Seattle.

That is awesome. We saw very little wildlife on our first Alaska cruise in 1997. I am hoping I have learned how to better spot wildlife since then.

 

fresh flowers,

Do you know if flowers in all of the rooms is ship specific? We didn't have any in our VA cabin on the Noordam last year after I had heard that they did that, so I was a little surprised.

 

In Juneau we did the Glacier and Gardens, then the Tram, then walked around town. We saw several eagles flying above town & Mt Roberts.

Does the tram go up Mt Roberts? Is that a HAL tour or a walk up?

 

In Victoria we did the Grand City Drive and Tea @ the Empress. Tea was very impressive. The hotel is rather grand and the food, service, and tea was incredible. I read of others complaining about it and saying it wasn't worth it, but all 5 of my family members, and the woman who shared our table, loved it. They gave us each a box of 10 tea bags to take home.

That is nice they gave you tea bags to take home. I haven't had tea at the Empress in many years, but they didn't do that then. It was wonderful though! Was that on a HAL tour? Were you just in Victoria for a few evening hours? It sounds like you were able to do a lot in a limited time!

 

My only real complaint was when we arrived at the airport there wasn't a HAL representative to be found.

That is really too bad. It is good that you were still able to have a wonderful cruise despite that rocky start.

 

Thank for sharing.

 

Smiles, CJ

We were on a 10-day Sunfarer in late 2006.

 

I didn't know that. Did you go into Lake Gatun then back out? Did you have an overnight or a port stop while in the canal? I loved the Panama canal and hope I get to go back someday!

Do you know if flowers in all of the rooms is ship specific? We didn't have any in our VA cabin on the Noordam last year after I had heard that they did that, so I was a little surprised.

I believe flowers in the cabin is only in the upper categories. I've been on most of the ships, and have never had flowers in my cabin unless they were a gift from the TA (or a secret admirer ;) ).

On our May Pan. Canal trip on the Amsterdam we had a outside room and did not get flowers but did get fruit. We ordered a cheese plate from room service and it came with flowers. So we had flowers in our room! We also had floral demos from the cruise florist. He was very interesting to say the least and is responsible for those huge arrangements that go along with the Amsterdam motif. Don't know if this is true for Alaska cruises tho.:)

One of the things I like best about Amsterdam is Hotel Manager Henk Mensink. I've been on quite a few ships, and he is definitely one of my favorites.

 

He's one of those HMs who's on his feet - checking that things are in order, working with his people, interacting graciously with the guests.

 

The first time I was on Amsterdam, we had a minor NLV scare and I was impressed by his swift action (this was a few years back, so measures weren't as automatic as they are now). In addition to constant scrubbing, the salt and pepper shakers (a common, but frequently overlooked, source of infection) disappeared and dining stewards were always on had to season the food, to make sure guests were not inconvenienced.

 

He's a nice guy, too. I've had a few chats with him and he's a thoughtful fellow who clearly cares about his crew and his guests.

One of the things I like best about Amsterdam is Hotel Manager Henk Mensink. I've been on quite a few ships, and he is definitely one of my favorites.

 

I think Henk Mensink must get around. We met him at the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet on the Noordam last year and several other times around the ship during the three weeks of our Panama Canal repo cruise from New York City to Seattle. It will be nice to see him again if he is still on the Amsterdam in August.... and having no complaints about the wonderful cabin service we had during that cruise, it is especially comforting to know we will have the same great hotel manager! Our opinion about him is pretty much the same as yours. He is very personable and attentive.

We also had floral demos from the cruise florist. Don't know if this is true for Alaska cruises tho.:)

I believe flowers in the cabin is only in the upper categories.

 

I will be sure to look for floral demos. That sounds very interesting, catl331. It will also be nice if we get flowers in our room this time.

 

RuthC, did you mean S suites?

 

Looking through the thread it is interesting to note that flowers are not a consistent perk, but that's OK flowers alone don't really make or break a nice cruise. Do they?

 

Thanks to both of you for the flower info.

 

Smiles, CJ

I think Henk Mensink must get around. We met him at the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet on the Noordam last year and several other times around the ship during the three weeks of our Panama Canal repo cruise from New York City to Seattle. It will be nice to see him again if he is still on the Amsterdam in August.... and having no complaints about the wonderful cabin service we had during that cruise, it is especially comforting to know we will have the same great hotel manager! Our opinion about him is pretty much the same as yours. He is very personable and attentive.

I think you will be in luck, I beleive about the first part of July or end of June Henk will be returning to the Amsterdam. We will just be missing his:( We really like him as well and have sailed with him several times.

I think you will be in luck, I beleive about the first part of July or end of June Henk will be returning to the Amsterdam. We will just be missing his:( We really like him as well and have sailed with him several times.

 

I'm am sorry you won't have him in June, but that is nice to know that he will be on board in August for our second HAL cruise. Might even be like coming home again to see a familiar face. It does make me look forward to this cruise even more.

 

Will you be posting reports of your Alaska cruise after you get back? I just love this living vicariously through others, especially when it means I get to glean all the fun little details ahead of time!

 

Where do you find out details like crew changes and assignments anyway?

 

Smiles, CJ

CJ, I will most definitely give a report when I return and do up a nice picture presentation. In the past I have often brought my laptop and reported "Live" but I have decided that this time I would not. It is going to be a very relaxing do nothing but read and watch the scenery cruise:)

I will look forward to both, Lisa. I think it is good to get away from the computer once in a while. The is just so much to do on a cruise to get stuck behind a computer. I can wait for your report.

 

We went over to West Seattle today to take photos and got there just in time to watch Amsterdam begin another trip to Alaska. I have a photo I am going to try to attach, but just in case it doesn't work, you can see a larger version of it here. I have never tried to do this here, so I hope it works. If it doesn't, can someone point me to a CC faq section that will help with that.

 

Have a great weekend, everyone.

 

Smiles, CJ

CJ, what a great picture, I love it:)

CJ would you mind if I use it in my avatar? I like to change my avatars around to say what is going on with me and wince we cruise on the Amsterdam in less than 2 weeks that is now my Theme:D

Thanks for starting this thread CJ! What a great photo! I booked the Amsterdam Thursday for July 4. It was a sudden spur of the moment decision! We were taking a road trip to the San Juans, but decided with the price of gas, a cruise was not much more, so voila!:D

 

I know nothing about the ship, so I love this thread!

 

We will be celebrating our 10th anniversary, does HAL do any special things for anniversaries?

 

Lisa, we just miss each other again by a few days! What's up with that!?

I guess we will just continue to cruise until we meet up!:rolleyes:

 

Does anyone know if the OV cabins have refridgerators? There were no fridges on the Zaandam.:eek:

 

Happy sailing, I will let you know CJ how are trip went July 4!:)

Does anyone know if the OV cabins have refridgerators? There were no fridges on the Zaandam.:eek:

No fridges in the inside or outside cabins on the S- and R-class ships. Just the balcony and up categories have them.

One can be rented for use aboard, however. It's best to have your TA arrange this in advance.

CJ would you mind if I use it in my avatar? I like to change my avatars around to say what is going on with me and wince we cruise on the Amsterdam in less than 2 weeks that is now my Theme:D

 

Thanks for putting that up, Lisa. I appreciate that. Next time I will see if I can't get it right. Thank you too for asking my permission to use my image as your avatar. That is a very kind and considerate thing to do. Yes, you may use it for an avatar. I usually ask people to give me credit and link back to my Leiomyosarcoma shop, but that is kind of hard to do with an avatar, isn't it?

 

I am going to go back and try to get some better images for note cards in the next couple of weeks too. So if you are on the port side and wave, I might capture you as well.

 

Smiles, CJ

Thanks for starting this thread CJ! What a great photo! I booked the Amsterdam Thursday for July 4. It was a sudden spur of the moment decision! We were taking a road trip to the San Juans, but decided with the price of gas, a cruise was not much more, so voila!:D I know nothing about the ship, so I love this thread!

 

We will be celebrating our 10th anniversary, does HAL do any special things for anniversaries?

 

Happy sailing, I will let you know CJ how are trip went July 4!:)

 

Thank you, Wlld Thing. I don't know anything about the Amsterdam either and thought it would be nice to gather all I could in one place. Hence, this thread!

 

We celebrated our 25th anniversary a year early on the Noordam in 2007. They brought us a cake at dinner one night. I will have my birthday on board this cruise and I think they do the same thing no matter what your occasion. This was sort of a spur of the moment decision for us, as well. We have friends sailing that date too and were so late in booking that we got the very last balcony cabin on the ship. They were smart and booked early so they could get what they wanted.

 

Did your TA register your anniversary with HAL?

 

I will look forward to your report when you return in July. In the meantime we have our work cut out for us gathering all the delicious little details, don't we?

 

Smiles, CJ

Thanks for putting that up, Lisa. I appreciate that. Next time I will see if I can't get it right. Thank you too for asking my permission to use my image as your avatar. That is a very kind and considerate thing to do. Yes, you may use it for an avatar. I usually ask people to give me credit and link back to my Leiomyosarcoma shop, but that is kind of hard to do with an avatar, isn't it?

 

I am going to go back and try to get some better images for note cards in the next couple of weeks too. So if you are on the port side and wave, I might capture you as well.

 

Smiles, CJ

CJ I will be on the Port side on the Navigation deck. Our cabin will be the 13th verandah from the just past mid ship. We will be out there for Sail Away so we will Wave at you.

Thanks so very much:)