Nieuw Amsterdam opinions Alaska and questions

[california and cruising]

Hi, I have booked a July sailing on this ship. Have only been on the Westerdam years ago. How does this ship differ from the Westerdam? Is there a therapy pool on here and if so does anyone know the charges.

Also how are the specialty restaurants? 

Opinions of this ship for the Alaska itinerary?

Do they have onboard lecturers, etc. 

Also is the MDR food good.

The staterooms as well opinions.

 

Thank you 

[Crew News]

7 minutes ago, california and cruising said:

Hi, I have booked a July sailing on this ship. Have only been on the Westerdam years ago. How does this ship differ from the Westerdam? Is there a therapy pool on here and if so does anyone know the charges.

Also how are the specialty restaurants? 

Opinions of this ship for the Alaska itinerary?

Do they have onboard lecturers, etc. 

Also is the MDR food good.

The staterooms as well opinions.

 

Thank you 

 

I have been on the NA a number of times to both the Caribbean and Alaska.  The ship is a bit larger with similar facilitie.  Added Tamarind Asian Restaurant and NY Pizza (great custom personal pizza and salad at no charge on the aft Lido deck).  The Taco Bar by the indoor pool was removed and is now a Part of the Pasta Station in the Lido Market  .Food is subjective so will not comment.  I have only seen onboard Park Rangers in Alaska in Glacier Bay.

 

Here is a link to my photo review of the NA: 

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/ms-nieuw-amsterdam-on-board-images

 

I will be sailing again on the NA next year,

Edited February 20, 2019 by Crew News

[terrydtx]

You will not see a big difference between the Westerdam and the NA almost the same size. The one thing the NA has is the Tamarind Asian specialty restaurant, which in my experience is the best specialty restaurant of any ship or line we have sailed. The wasabi crusted fillet is better than any steak in the PG. I wish Tamarind was on the Noordam for our Alaska cruise in July. Unfortunately the NA did not have the Alaska itinerary we wanted for Alaska as it was our preferred ship over the Noordam.  You will love the NA and if you do a specialty restaurant make sure it is the Tamarind.

Edited February 20, 2019 by terrydtx

[Krazy Kruizers]

And another vote for the Tamarind Restaurant -- great food -- wonderful views.

 

We also like having cocktails in the Silk Den -- another great lounge for viewing.

[VennDiagram]

8 hours ago, california and cruising said:

Do they have onboard lecturers, etc.  

 

Our Alaska cruise in May of 2018 had a naturalist who was also a photographer.  He did lectures primarily on apex predators in Alaska, and hands-on photography presentations.  That doesn't guarantee that it will be done again this year, but it offers hope 😉

 

Edited February 20, 2019 by VennDiagram

[OlsSalt]

Both ships have the larger "suite" cabins that are not in the Neptune suite class, but are larger than the regular verandah classes - we like them best of all cabin choices. Perfect for lots of in-cabin viewing during an Alaska cruise because of its larger numbers of windows,  since it will most likely be cold outdoors and you just may want to snug up in your cabin and watch the world go by. Agree, the addition of the Tamarind restaurant on the N/A, makes this the better choice all other things being equal. Lovely ship.

 

Yes, it has a thermal spa (surcharge -can be over hundred or so dollars depending on the length of the cruise). We think both the variety and quality of food on all HAL ships is very enjoyable - this is not "fine, individualized gourmet" dining  but it is tasty, creative and very adequate.  Lots of fun options throughout the day so it almost does not matter when it comes time for dinner - one can already be too full to enjoy a full course meal - I usually have the entree dinner salad by that time of the day.

[knittinggirl]

We prefer the Signature Suites on the Nieuw Amsterdam.  But, last spring, we took a B2B, HAL & Princess.  Princess offered the boat trip to Endicott Arm, Nieuw Amsterdam did not.  Depends on where you want to go.  Different scenic cruising:  Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm (Endicott Arm alternate), or Glacier Bay.  I think Alaska spreads them out, so there aren't too many ships in any one scenic cruising area at a time.

 

Princess is the only time we've been offered a boat trip in Endicott Arm (alternate to Tracy Arm) in 10 Alaska cruises.