Missives and Musing on the Nieuw Amsterdam - Dec. 1-8, 2013

[Roz]

I sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Ft. Lauderdale on a Western Caribbean itinerary - HMC, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Key West.

 

Overall the Nieuw Amsterdam is a beautiful ship. This was my first time sailing her. The layout reminds me of the Carnival Spirit.

 

We had to evacuate HMC early due to an impending storm. I spent an hour on the top deck of a tender trying to dock with the mother ship. I observed one lady with seasickness. I was surprised there weren’t more. Most people, including children, took it in stride. It was quite an adventure.

 

Food was good to great, with one exception – my beloved room service club sandwich. It was awful; so much so that I went to the front desk and asked for a comment card to convey my disgust. For those of you who have ordered it in the past, you wouldn’t recognize it.

 

I'm philosophically opposed to specialty restaurants, but tried Tamarind, and really enjoyed it.

 

I had a Neptune Suite. Very few suite passengers seemed use the Neptune or spend any time there. Dash in to get a few goodies and dash out, or ask something of the concierge. On previous cruises I got to know some of the other passengers while sitting there sipping coffee or enjoying an afternoon sweet. Breakfast in the Pinnacle is worth the price of a Neptune Suite IMO. It’s such a refined way to start the day. I met two couples that didn’t know it was a suite perk. They were doing the continental breakfast in the Neptune Lounge.

 

Entertainment was good. Standouts were the husband/wife Celtic duo, the comedian (can’t remember his name), and Adante (Avante?), a male singing quartet.

 

As a solo cruiser, I think I’m giving up on fixed seating dining. I ask for a table of 6-8, and no one or a few people show up. It makes for a lonely or limited dining experience. I’d rather do the free for all dining where I just show up and ask to be seated with others.

 

Questions?

 

Roz

Edited December 13, 2013 by Roz

[Desdemona01]

Hi Roz, did you happen to check out the new guy in the piano bar? I know that Jimmy Maddox left after the previous cruise.

Thanks

Des

 

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[Roz]

No I didn't, but I heard many good comments about him.

[Desdemona01]

Excellent--thanks! We board on Sunday:)

 

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[innlady1]

Hi Roz, did you happen to check out the new guy in the piano bar? I know that Jimmy Maddox left after the previous cruise.

Thanks

Des

 

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Ahhhhh....Jimmy Maddox is awesome...we did the NA from 10/6 to 10/27 and were blessed with his presence in the Piano Bar.... Good for him....being able to go home for the holidays!

Edited December 13, 2013 by innlady1

[Desdemona01]

I agree--Jimmy's the best! We were sorry to be just missing him on this cruise but hope to catch up with him on the Westerdam in the coming months :)

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

I.E. -- the Club sandwich. The first time we ordered it -- about 10 years ago -- it was great. We tried it again about 4 or 5 years ago -- it was terrible. Wimpy lettuce, bacon that was barely cooked and cold, and un-ripened tomatoes. We never ordered it again. In fact, we don't even do room service any more.

We love the Tamarind as well.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your review, Roz.

Sounds like quite an adventure getting back on board the ship from HMC.

Great to hear you found the food good to great, but for the club sandwich.

Welcome Back.

 

 

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[cruz chic]

Roz, I never wanted to try open dining but I got encouragement from you to try open dining. Now it's the only way I go. I love to pinnacle for brekie too. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

 

Cruz chic (formerly lorekauf).

[bshow]

...Very few suite passengers seemed use the Neptune or spend any time there. Dash in to get a few goodies and dash out, or ask something of the concierge.

 

I'm guilty of this. I don't want to hang out in a room without windows. I want to see and smell the ocean!

[Boytjie]

We had dinner with a friend tonight that was on this same cruise and he said they had a good cruise and that the food in the dining room was really good.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for your review.

 

Keith

[erewhon]

Thank you for posting your review.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review. Just read similar comments on another thread so seems many enjoyed this cruise.

[sevenseasnomad]

NA is one of the few HAL ships we haven't enjoyed yet, but we hope to try her one day. Glad you had such a great cruise.

 

We ordered the club sandwich on our last cruise, April 2013 Eurodam, (actually we order it every cruise with a glass of milk & the chocolate cake) and thought it was one of the best we'd had. Like many ameneties/foods, it seems to vary from ship to ship and even from cruise to cruise on the same ship. Wish HAL could address this by imposing fleet-wide standards, but suppose this is too much to ask in these days of constant cut-backs.

[kazu]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. Sounds like you had a good time :)

 

Don't give up on the club sandwich. Ours on the EE was just fine. I do think quality varies from ship to ship (and perchance from week to week).

 

Glad to hear you took the time to write out a comment card. If they don't know, they can't fix it.

 

Welcome home and thanks again:)

[Roz]

Thank you for your kind words and welcome backs.

 

Cruz chic, I didn't realize I inspired anyone (lol), but I was telling my sister this morning that I've made up my mind to go with open seating on future solo cruises.

 

As far as the club sandwich (I'm fixated on it! :D), when I ordered it on the Amsterdam and the Zuiderdam, it had slices of real turkey and ham, no cheese, bacon, nice slices of tomato and crisp lettuce. There was mayo on the side if you wanted extra. My sister is a restaurant owner, and was impressed with it, which takes a lot. She told me the classic club doesn't have cheese, and HAL got it right.

 

This time I got one thin slice of deli ham, one equally thin slice of deli turkey, a slice of cheap, ghastly American cheese, one anemic tomato slice, and a wilted iceberg lettuce leaf. Blech! The glass of milk was warm (another blech), but the apple tart was excellent.

 

Roz

[peaches from georgia]

...............

This time I got one thin slice of deli ham, one equally thin slice of deli turkey, a slice of cheap, ghastly American cheese, one anemic tomato slice, and a wilted iceberg lettuce leaf. Blech! The glass of milk was warm (another blech), but the apple tart was excellent.

 

Roz

I couldn't believe it when I heard awhile back that HAL had started putting cheese on the their Club sandwich and still are calling it a "Club". Of course a Club sandwich doesn't have cheese. How can they screw up what used to be one of the best menu items on the ship?! :eek:

[VermeulT]

Excellent--thanks! We board on Sunday:)

 

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Roz - thank you for the review.

 

Des - bon voyage. Have a great trip.

[Desdemona01]

Thanks! Hope you guys are well :)

 

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[innlady1]

I sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Ft. Lauderdale on a Western Caribbean itinerary - HMC, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Key West.

 

Overall the Nieuw Amsterdam is a beautiful ship. This was my first time sailing her. The layout reminds me of the Carnival Spirit.

 

We had to evacuate HMC early due to an impending storm. I spent an hour on the top deck of a tender trying to dock with the mother ship. I observed one lady with seasickness. I was surprised there weren’t more. Most people, including children, took it in stride. It was quite an adventure.

 

Food was good to great, with one exception – my beloved room service club sandwich. It was awful; so much so that I went to the front desk and asked for a comment card to convey my disgust. For those of you who have ordered it in the past, you wouldn’t recognize it.

 

I'm philosophically opposed to specialty restaurants, but tried Tamarind, and really enjoyed it.

 

I had a Neptune Suite. Very few suite passengers seemed use the Neptune or spend any time there. Dash in to get a few goodies and dash out, or ask something of the concierge. On previous cruises I got to know some of the other passengers while sitting there sipping coffee or enjoying an afternoon sweet. Breakfast in the Pinnacle is worth the price of a Neptune Suite IMO. It’s such a refined way to start the day. I met two couples that didn’t know it was a suite perk. They were doing the continental breakfast in the Neptune Lounge.

 

Entertainment was good. Standouts were the husband/wife Celtic duo, the comedian (can’t remember his name), and Adante (Avante?), a male singing quartet.

 

As a solo cruiser, I think I’m giving up on fixed seating dining. I ask for a table of 6-8, and no one or a few people show up. It makes for a lonely or limited dining experience. I’d rather do the free for all dining where I just show up and ask to be seated with others.

 

Questions?

 

Roz

 

Cantare. We loved that quartet...I bought the CD and played it along with my Christmas music when I was trimming the tree this afternoon. They were simply awesome.

[JamesEM]

DW and I were on the NA in Nov. for 14 days, only ordered room service once, not that great, the meat in the Steak Sandwich is no longer steak, it was a stranger cut on beef that resembled shoe leather, and as others have said the Club was terrible.

[Roz]

Innlady,

 

Thank you for correcting my error. Duh! Cantare...that was the name of the quartet. They were excellent. I could tell the lead singer was trained in opera.

 

Roz