Questions About Entertainment on Nieuw Statendam

[AlexanderIII]

Fellow cruisers,

 

I booked a cruise on the Nieuw Statendam (NS) in December.  My new girlfriend and I are in our early 50s.  This is her first cruise, my sixth.

 

When I booked the trip, I reasoned the NS is a new ship and assumed it must be an improvement over other Holland America ships.  I like Holland America for being classy but not arrogant, offering a calmer, quieter experience.

 

My last cruise on the somewhat smaller Nieuw Amsterdam (NA) was very good.  The atmosphere on the NA was subdued and I felt the ship needed a slight "party buzz" (just a little, nothing Carnival like) and also felt what the ship offered in entertainment was just enough. The NA's elegance and other elements of the cruise made up for that slight gap in entertainment. Overall, I love the NA and would cruise again in an instant!

 

However, since I made the booking on the NS, I read reviews that were not quite as praising of the ship.  In particular, passengers said entertainment was lacking, and some said it was less than that on the NA.  The following four criticisms from experienced cruisers caught my eye:

 

- One said Holland America did away with Broadway-like shows, and whatever they replaced them with was sub-par: not enough and not quite entertaining. 

- Another wrote there were not enough music venues. The two main venues -- the BB King and the Rolling Stones -- were crowded since many passengers would tend to congregate there, thus lessening the experience.  

- A third complained about the music played in the back of the ship, or anywhere else for that matter, as not being lively. 

- A fourth complained the NS felt too "plain" (I guess he meant lacking in elegance) and worse, there was practically nothing to do on ship.

 

This is a long way of saying I am concerned.  I want to give the NS a fair chance, but must admit the reviews have made me nervous. 

I suppose I can enjoy a beautiful ship even if there is nothing to do on it, but I am coming with a new girlfriend and hope for at least some "buzz."  

 

Can anyone please share their experiences with respect to entertainment on the NS? 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

     

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by AlexanderIII

[killsport]

5 minutes ago, AlexanderIII said:

Can anyone please share their experiences with respect to entertainment on the NS? 

I was on last week with my wife (both late 40's).

 

I was VERY impressed with the music, particularly BB King and Lincoln Center Stage. People were dancing to BB King (sometimes the floor was full). It was almost always well-attended. In some cases, people were standing because all the seats were full. Or they went to dance. Additionally, the dueling pianos and rock band (Rolling Stone / Billboard rooms) were active. If you're looking for music, I'd be very surprised if you weren't more than satisfied. The whole area was active... usually until about midnight or so. After that, it was less active.

 

We usually cruise on Celebrity (we are Elite - not to brag, but to state we have been on them a lot). I found the entertainment on NS much more to my liking.  However, and it is a big one.... there is smoking in the casino. Although I really enjoyed the music, food, and ship layout, I won't cruise on it again until the indoor smoking is eliminated.

 

I did post a review here:

 

 

[doone]

While I have not yet been on the NS, I was on her sister ship the Koningsdam.  I was skeptical about the new ship as I have thought HAL really lacked nightlife and was hoping the new music areas would improve that aspect, and it did.  I will say I was pleasantly surprised and Loved the K'dam so much so that 13 friends and family members who were with me on the K'dam booked the NS for 2021.

 

What we all loved about the K is the new venues for entertainment, BBKings and The Rolling Rock Room.  We found the shows to be very good, the movies on the Lido was another great addition.

 

We found enough to keep us entertained on the K and are expecting to find the same when we sail the NS.  There were trivia games going on as well but we didn't participate.  

 

I am sure some recent NS guests will chime in here but I wanted to give you my 2 cents on this new style ship, we loved it, I am sure you will enjoy the NS, we had a great experience.

 

i agree with the above poster on smoking in the casino, it whiffed to other areas and you could smell it, HAL needs to stop indoor smoking for sure.

Edited April 3, 2019 by doone

[rkacruiser]

The Rolling Stone Rock Room, BB King's Blues Club, Lincoln Center Stage, and Billboard On-Board all provided good musical entertainment.  Did I like everything that I heard?  No.  Did I think the Rock Room's Band was too loud?  Yes.  Was there something "missing" as to entertainment?  Yes.  For my taste, the individual performers in the World Stage were OK to Good; the modern dance company I did not care for.  As far as I am concerned, the touted technical characteristics of the World Stage were very poorly used, at least as to what I expected.  There was a sole piano player during the early evenings at the Ocean Bar, but with the poor design of that Lounge, one had to be in the part of the room where she was to enjoy her efforts.

 

"The NS was too plain...":  don't agree with this.  She is elegant, but in a modern decor type of way.  Her interior art surely is different from HAL's other Classes of ship.  

 

I don't know what kind of "buzz" you want, but, if you like to dance/listen to music, Nieuw Statendam's offerings should meet your expectations, I hope.

 

[Judyrem]

I will be on Harmony of the Seas in July, and will be on Nieuw Statendam in November.  Should make for a major 🚢comparison!🤔

I will be with my 10 year old granddaughter in July and my sister in law in November.  I will expecting much different vibes from each ship.

I like variety!😉

[CrusinAgain]

We enjoyed the entertainment on both the NS and Konsingdam.  Can't compare to Royal's big ships entertainment though.  Both had a variety of entertainment, something for everyone to enjoy including all types of music.  You should really enjoy it.  Have been on NA and Eurodam as well and had no problems there either.