Just back from NIEUW AMSTERDAM - Review and Photos!

[eroller]

I just disembarked the NIEUW AMSTERDAM today after her inaugural Caribbean cruise. A short review follows, and you are welcome to browse more than 350 photos I captured at the following link. I think I photographed just about every area of NIEUW AMSTERDAM and then some!

http://gallery.mac.com/ekroller#100698

 

Overall the cruise was very enjoyable and I quite liked the ship. The only other HAL Vista Class I have sailed on was OOSTERDAM, and I didn't really care for the ship. There are enough subtle changes in decor and layout to NIEUW AMSTERDAM that I found her a much improved version of OOSTERDAM, although the ships share many similarities. As you probably know, HAL calls NIEUW AMSTERDAM a "Signature Class" ship. Personally I don't feel there are enough changes from the Vista Class to warrant the naming of an entirely new class, but that is just me. While I found just about all the public areas of NIEUW AMSTERDAM attractive, there were just a few exceptions. The gym with it's low mirrored ceiling and purple carpet has to go! I also missed the floor to ceiling windows, as the windows in this gym are only half height. Also the Manhattan dining room was way too red, and the lighting provided more of an Asian influence than Manhattan, which was supposed to be the theme. Lastly, the cabin corridors have very poor lighting (florescent) and are not attractive. They are improved over those on OOSTERDAM which reminded me of a hospital, but they don't compare to so many other ships that have fairly attractive corridors. I do like the art work in all the corridors, which are black and white photos of various Holland America ships and scenes. They are quite fun to look at on the walk to the stairs or elevators. These few design hiccups aside, NIEUW AMSTERDAM has a much more classy, elegant, and quality feel than other HAL ships I have sailed.

 

NIEUW AMSTERDAM had just completed her transatlantic crossing prior to my Caribbean cruise, and unfortunately experienced a breakout of noro-virus. Apparently it was severe enough that the entire ship had to be sterilized and this meant a delayed embarkation, which started at 4pm with a 10pm departure. We arrived at the ship around 6pm and basically walked right onboard. There were no lines or people to speak of. In fact the terminal was pretty deserted which felt strange. I have to admit it felt odd boarding the ship so late, and of course our first day of vacation was somewhat wasted. None the less we enjoyed an excellent first dinner onboard and the sail away from Ft Lauderdale although there was drizzle.

 

Because of the noro-virus, our cruise was impacted by a "Code Red" status until we departed San Juan (three days into the cruise). This was to ensure the virus was eradicated and there were no additional outbreaks. What "Code Red" status means is some minor inconveniences, which I completely understand since health and safety come first. What you can expect with Code Red is: no salt/pepper shakers on any tables; no sugar on tables; no silverware roll-ups on tables; no bread baskets on tables; no serving yourself in the buffet; no ice buckets in cabins; no jacuzzi's; no Hydro-therapy pool; no thermal suite; all pools drained the first day; no towels in the gym; no condiments laid out in the buffet, no self serve drink stations; and staff at all dining entrances pretty much forcing all that enter to sanitize their hands. Once we departed San Juan, everything magically appeared on the dining tables in the Lido and dining room, the jacuzzis were filled, the Thermal Suite and Hydro-therapy pool opened; towels were available in the gym, and an ice bucket appeared in the cabin. There was no letter in the cabin or announcement stating what was going on, people just seemed to know. There was also no announcement or letter stating that the Code Red had been lifted, things just began to appear. I think the crew was quite happy the Code Red was lifted, as it requires a lot more work on their part. As a passenger I was happy as well, as I like my towels in the gym and also looked forward to using the Thermal Suite and Therolasopy Pool.

 

Weather wise this was one of the worst Caribbean cruises I have experienced. I often take a Caribbean cruise in November or December and usually the weather is perfect. Not this time. It was cloudy or rainy for the first half of the cruise, then the weather finally began to improve when we hit San Juan. The seas had quite a swell the entire cruise, and we rocked, rolled, pitched, bounced, and thumped our way through the Caribbean! NIEUW AMSTERDAM moved around quite a bit, and I would be curious if other ships in the Eastern Caribbean experienced so much movement? I honestly felt like I was on a transatlantic crossing more than a Caribbean cruise. I was also surprised at our speed. We were averaging over 20 knots most of the time, and last night we hit over 22 knots traveling from Half Moon Cay to Ft. Lauderdale. The maximum speed of the ship is 24 knots. We had an aft facing cabin which of course means more movement, but it was really quite excessive at times. Closet doors would swing open and bang shut, drawers would slide out, things in the bathroom would fall over, and this was for the entire seven days! I personally loved it as I enjoy the movement, but my partner got seasick twice. I can't blame it all on the aft cabin either, as the movement was felt all over the ship, but probably more so in our aft section. It was quite entertaining to watch the pool water slosh out and soak the surrounding decks. I was surprised they didn't drain the pools as they have done this on other ships with much less motion. Even while docked, our cabin "bounced" quite a bit. When the swells would slam against the stern of the ship, the entire back end would shutter and it felt like an earthquake. I really started to question the design of the Vista Class as I have not experienced this on other ships, and I have sailed in aft cabins before. Of course in identical sea conditions who knows how the other ships would have fared?

 

Our cabin was 7143, which was an aft facing balcony, category VA. I had read on the message boards that these aft cabins were no larger than a standard cabin. This is incorrect. Our cabin was quite a bit longer than an average cabin. We had a ton of space on both sides of the sofa and also on both sides of the bed. Basically we had a lot of extra floor space and we really enjoyed that. When we passed other cabins on the side of the ship, they looked so small compared to ours. This cabin actually felt more like a mini-suite than a standard cabin because of all the extra interior space. The balcony as well seemed a bit longer than those average balconies on the side of the ship. Overall the cabin was well appointed and our cabin steward was excellent. The bed was supremely comfortable, perhaps even more so than on Silversea which was my favorite to date. We bought along quite a few DVD's and there is a DVD player built right into the flat panel TV which was handy. The bathroom was spacious by cruise ship standards, and included a small tub. The cabin had great sound proofing and there is little foot traffic in the aft end of the ship. We did have plenty of creaking but that was due to the ship's movement.

 

We dined in all the restaurants except for Canaletto, which is really just a small section of the Lido Buffet that they transform at night. I enjoyed all the cuisine and thought the service was really exceptional. In fact the entire crew of NIEUW AMSTERDAM seemed to be a very happy and content bunch. There were smiles and hello's from virtually every crew member I encountered. It was quite refreshing as many crew these days (on other ships) seem too busy or stressed to stop and say hello. Not so on NIEUW AMSTERDAM. The one exception to the excellent service was our dinner in Tamarind. It took two and a half hours for just the two of us, and the restaurant was not even full. Sometimes it would be a very long time between courses and frankly the entire service took way too long. The food though was quite good, and I can't really blame the wait staff for the slow service as they were very attentive. It might have been a problem with the kitchen? I loved Pinnacle Grill and could not have asked for a better meal. Everything in the main dining room was quite good as well (plus excellent service from the wait staff team). We had main sitting (2nd) and sat on the upper level at a table for two.

 

Something that surprised me on this sailing compared to other HAL cruises was the nightlife. While not a party till 4am atmosphere, it was was much more festive and active than other HAL cruises I have taken. I enjoyed most of the main shows in the Showroom At Sea, and thought the singers and dancers were very talented. The four male singers were exceptional. They had great chemistry, and their show called "Cantaré" received two standing ovations. If you know the group Il Divo, this style of show was very similar. After the late main show, I was quite pleased to find several of the bars full of activity along with the casino and even the Northern Lights nightclub. One night there was even a pub crawl that was well attended and looked like a lot of fun. On the 6th night, there was a Chocolate Buffet up by the Lido Pool which was well attended. HAL won over my partner because they were making one of his favorite things, Cotton Candy! He was in heaven.

 

I won't get into the ports as they were pretty standard. Grand Turk, San Juan, St Maarten, and Half Moon Cay. Special mention must go to Half Moon Cay. It's a wonderful spot and by far the best cruise line private beach island with the exception of Disney's Castaway Cay. It came very close though, and I have experienced all these islands (Princess Cays, Great Stirrup Cay, Coco Cay, Castaway Cay, Half Moon Cay, and Labadee). HAL should be very proud of the experience they have created. The beaches are wonderful, everything is clean and well kept, and there is still plenty of unspoiled beauty on the island. The barbecue layout was great too! There are also plenty of scenic spots and a few great bars with amazing views and music. We really enjoyed the pounding surf at Half Moon Cay and rode the waves for over an hour. Honestly these kind of waves are very unusual for the Bahamas and Florida, and it felt more like Hawaii or California. Our day at Half Moon Cay also provided the best weather of the entire cruise. Sunny skies, low humidity, and warm. Upon leaving Half Moon Cay we experienced some of the roughest seas of the cruise. The swells were really something as we sailed North. Once we turned West and headed past Nassau towards Florida the swells subsided and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.

 

Disembarkation went as smoothly as embarkation, and we were off the ship and enjoying breakfast at Lester's Diner in no time. Lester's is a bit of a cruise tradition for us (either before or after a cruise). We only live a short distance from Ft. Lauderdale in Miami so we were home and facing reality before we knew it.

 

If you have any questions, please let me know.

 

Ernie

 

 

 

A few photo previews!

 

 

 

 

 

[Oceanwench]

Thanks for posting the review!

We're getting high surf up here today.

 

Did you go into the piano bar? I hope you didn't miss Jimmy!

[notmyccname]

These are some of the best pictures I have ever seen posted here on CC.

 

Thank you.

[woodworker&knitter]

Thanks for posting. Your pictures are great,

[CTBob]

Thanks for your review and the great photos. Sorry about the weather and the rough seas. I hope it calms down for my Dec. 12th cruise.

[djhsolara]

Thanks for the post and all of the photos. Love them!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

 

We have been on MANY ships in Code Red -- AND - we still had our ice bucket in our cabins. That would become an issue with me as I love my ICE!! Everything I drink -- lots of water -- has to be iced.

 

Glad that you made the best of the situation for the first few days.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

[dot73]

Thank you for the review. I will be cruising on the NA in December. Can you please tell me when the formal nights were on this cruise? Thank you.

[Cybergoth]

Thanks for the review. I can't wait to go aboard in January!

[eroller]

 

Did you go into the piano bar? I hope you didn't miss Jimmy!

 

 

I did. It was a lot of fun!

 

Ernie

[eroller]

Thank you for the review. I will be cruising on the NA in December. Can you please tell me when the formal nights were on this cruise? Thank you.

 

 

There were two formal nights. Evening #2 and #6. The rest were casual.

 

Ernie

[eroller]

Thank you for your review.

 

We have been on MANY ships in Code Red -- AND - we still had our ice bucket in our cabins.

 

 

 

I've sailed on over 80 cruises, and thankfully this was my first "Code Red". I'm not sure what other cruise lines may call it but I sail mostly on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean?

 

Anyway, I can't speak for other code red situations, but in this case the entire ice bucket and tray were removed from the cabin. Perhaps they would have made an exception if you asked?

 

Ernie

[eroller]

One thing I forgot to mention in the review was the Mariner program. What do you 3 and 4 star Mariner's think of the program? I'm only two stars with HAL and I didn't see much benefit. I thought a special gift was supposed to be delivered but I never received one. Looking at the program as a whole, it seems rather weak to me. I didn't see a lot of benefits even as a four star Mariner.

 

I'm Diamond with Royal Caribbean, Elite with Celebrity, and Platinum with Cunard and Princess and the benefits seem much more tangible. With all those programs I receive free internet service, and on RCi and Celebrity there are free cocktails and canapes every evening and some special events. There is even a private breakfast each morning with complimentary specialty coffees.

 

Anyway, it was just a casual observation, but I didn't see much happening for Mariner's ... at least not at my level.

 

Ernie

[NickCDN]

Thank you Eroller for the review. I have been watching reviews and they have seemed to tend to the negative side recently. This really lifted my spirits for my time about the N.A this January.

 

NickCDN

[dot73]

As a Mariner, you usually get a real nice ceramic tile with one of the HAL ships painted on it. I just realized that I didn't get one on my last Noordam cruise. I wonder if HAL has stopped giving them out.

[IRL_Joanie]

OH WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The beautiful pictures, the review in detail just overall OH WOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You have me even more excited now as I will be having dinner at about this in just 2 weeks aboard her!!!

 

Thank You Ernie!!!!

 

Joanie

[RuthC]

One thing I forgot to mention in the review was the Mariner program. What do you 3 and 4 star Mariner's think of the program?

This 4* Mariner is happy with the new program. I love the free laundry for all my casual clothes. Getting a hot chocolate for half-price in Explorations Cafe is a nice treat. And dinner at Pinnacle for only $10 is a delicious bargain.

 

I sail HAL for the cruise itself, as the ship is the destination for me. The HAL experience has satisfied me for several decades. The new Mariner program is just a nice bonus.

[JeffCoud]

Good job Ernie! The styling of the ship reminds me of the Eurodam, a bit more "up to date" than some previous ships. Agree with you about the dining room, looks nice but isn't evoking Manhattan by any means, unless we're talking Chinatown!

 

Jeff

[Himself]

Your review was informative and the pictures were great. Thank you for sharing.

[RKF]

Wonderful pics and insights. My partner and I are doing a b2b over the Christmas and New Year holidays - really looking forward to seeing the ship in person after viewing your photos. Thanks again, --Ron

[Cruisin Suzin]

Great reveiw, I will be sailing her my first with HAL and only second cruise ever,oddly enough my first with on the Miracle great shot of her..I had an aft cabin but did not feel all that motion that you seemed to.. I have had this cruise booked for over a year..Did you see the Cabana Club what did you think?

Could you tell me how deep the aft pool is?

What camera did you take those images with?

Recently a hurricane went by Turks was there a lot of damage?

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write..

[eroller]

Great reveiw, I will be sailing her my first with HAL and only second cruise ever,oddly enough my first with on the Miracle great shot of her..I had an aft cabin but did not feel all that motion that you seemed to.. I have had this cruise booked for over a year..Did you see the Cabana Club what did you think?

Could you tell me how deep the aft pool is?

What camera did you take those images with?

Recently a hurricane went by Turks was there a lot of damage?

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write..

 

Yes, the Cabana Club looked great although I did not purchase one. I spoke to some passengers that had one for the week, and they just raved about it. I was hesitant to pre-book because I had no idea what the weather would be like. As it turned out, it was not great for the 1/2 the cruise so I probably would not have used it. I definitely preferred the Cabanas in the "Club" rather than the Lido Cabana's that were right by the pool. Attached are a few pictures for reference.

 

The aft pool ranged from about 5 to 7 feet deep. The more aft was the deepest section at 7 feet, then there was a slope and it got more shallow as you swam forward. There was a ledge all around that you could stand on. The water was fresh and not salt, and it was a little chilly but not too bad. The aft pool (Sea View Pool) is the adults only pool, and basically this area is where I spent most of my time outside. There are lots of tables as well to eat outside and the band plays at this pool as well.

 

I use an Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 12 MP digital camera.

 

I did not see any damage in the Turks but I only ventured to the area right where the ships dock.

 

Ernie

 

 

Cabana Club

 

Lido Cabana

 

Aft Sea View Pool

 

Aft Sea View dining area

[Cruisin Suzin]

Thank you for your quick reply...wow love the images, I have rented the Family cabana in the Cabana club and do intend to spend most of our days there..from the looks of it, much nicer than I expected..

 

You know I am a professional photographer and these images are among the best I have ever seen here..I just may ditch all my big camera equipment and buy one of these bad boys...thanks..

 

I am not a swimmer, but could certainly handle sitting on the edge of that pool..and I really like that aft lunch area..boy this is going to be fun.

Edited November 15, 2010 by Cruisin Suzin

[jasl]

Oh Ernie, what a great review of your voyage and the pictures.... WOW, but of course the Olympus takes excellent photographs, I have three cameras of this brand, have been very pleased with my pictures and we are presently looking at the SP-600UZ.

Agree with your comment on the dining room being too red, at least from looking at your photographs. Will be able to see for myself as we will be boarding the ship in three weeks' time for a fourteen day voyage. Also booked an aft cabin but on a lower deck, hopefully it will not be too noisy from the engines, but perhaps steadier in rough seas.

From your description of Half Moon Cay, I would hate to miss it, which we have done on previous sailings. I have some mobility problems, is it easy to move about there??

With regard to the Mariner Benefits, it has been a long time coming. We are four star and this will be only the second time that we will benefit from the perks. Our status on Princess is Elite and I must say that their program is far superior, especially the internet minutes and dry cleaning on our month long sailings.

Would you happen to know who the Hotel Manager is on the N.A., was hoping for Stan Kuppens, but read somewhere that he is on the Eurodam.

Anyway, thank you so much for giving me a little "preview" of the ship. Hope you will enjoy smoother seas on your next cruise.

[Maverick430]

Excellent review and photos. Thank you. Are you going to submit this to the cruiser's choice review too?