Short Nieuw Amsterdam review 5/25/19

[nw gardener]

Ketchikan,  another Tshirt port this trip!  Seriously though,  they are in drought conditions as much of the Pacific NW and will be water rationing and are not selling water to cruise ships (to fill their tanks) which is out of the norm. We have done lots of different tours over the years in Ketchikan and if you are looking for low budget DIY this is a good port to do it.  Excellent city bus system and lots of easy trails and totem poles.   We ended up meeting friends who live there for lunch at the Pioneer cafe.  Then walked around Creek street. Included some pics of fishing boats and the Coast Guard buoy yard (just cuz I liked the colors). I will wrap this up tomorrow with some final thoughts and odds and ends.

[zentraveler]

2 hours ago, nw gardener said:

We have done low rent, and the next one will be low rent too 😊, just boils down to the itinerary and budget,  thankfully (sort of), lots of OT opportunities at work helped this splurge!

 

DH really wanted an inside cabin for ease of sleeping and it does have that going for it. We were offered a complimentary upgrade to OV but turned it down for that reason. Now had we been offered  your upgrade at that price even DH would have  taken it  and dealt with the sleep 😊!

 

2 hours ago, nw gardener said:

Sorry,  missed your earlier question.  I  monitor prices after final payment via the big box TA I normally use ( think my home state of WA), and if I see a significant price drop will take a look at available cabins on their website to decide if I want to try to upgrade or upsell.  Quite a few cruise lines seem to be moving to a bidding system which takes this out of the equation,  and most of the time I am usually content with what I have booked to start with.

 

Ah, got it. I had no idea one could see which actual cabins are available. My TA (from a large on-line company) has always done that and did not know that the cruise line website made that info available. Thanks for the clarification and tip.

Edited June 4, 2019 by zentraveler

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the review. 

[esmo]

Thanks for the review. We are on the Nieuw Amsterdam in mid-August, doing the Tracy Arm Excursion and Dyea Dave in Skagway. Appreciate the review of those. Really looking forward to this cruise. Our 2nd time on Holland American and 3rd time to Alaska. Hopefully we will have your weather for Skagway and Glacier Bay.

 

[ThatLever]

20 hours ago, nw gardener said:

2 gala nights,  1st one was on Sunday,  1st sea day and the second one was Wednesday,  Glacier Bay.  

 

Thank you for mentioning this!  I'm sailing on the N. Amsterdam in late August with DW & DD.  I was thinking about possibly booking a dinner in Tamarind, but wasn't sure which night to do that (in my limited cruise experience, I usually just eat in the MDR).  So if I didn't want to miss a Gala night, and was worried about being wiped after Juneau and Skagway excursions, it sounds like waiting until the last few nights of the cruise would be better.

[nw gardener]

Final thoughts- first of all thanks for reading and I hope I could offer some insight to anyone contemplating a HAL cruise to AK. Researching these boards is always a help in my planning. We really enjoyed our time on the Nieuw Amsterdam - staff is great,  we like the size and decor of  the ship, the little bit of entertainment we did do was great,  and our cabin was a fantastic treat to ourselves.  I will be happy to answer any questions,  if I can find the time to post the dailies I will come back and do that. And I am off to research what is going to replace our Cuba cruise in February 😂

[zentraveler]

Grateful for such a helpful trip review nw gardener. Thank you for taking the time to share your trip with us and give a sneak preview to all of the readers who will read this in advance of their own trip, or as a way of enjoying the experience vicariously!

[colonialinnkeeper]

17 hours ago, ThatLever said:

 

Thank you for mentioning this!  I'm sailing on the N. Amsterdam in late August with DW & DD.  I was thinking about possibly booking a dinner in Tamarind, but wasn't sure which night to do that (in my limited cruise experience, I usually just eat in the MDR).  So if I didn't want to miss a Gala night, and was worried about being wiped after Juneau and Skagway excursions, it sounds like waiting until the last few nights of the cruise would be better.

 

Waiting until you are on board to make a reservation is o.k. but do it soon after boarding as the reservations are booked quickly.  Unfortunately, we experienced this a few cruises ago and missed out.

[sevenseasnomad]

Thanks for the wonderful review and photographs.  Those pictures make me want to book another cruise to Alaska right now, but I'll have to wait as I'm already booked for this Christmas/New Year's and July of next year, which is all the budget will allow right now. 

 

So glad you were able to enjoy a suite.  Like you, we booked one once on a flash sale that lasted only 24 hours for the same price as our normal category.  And yes, it was difficult going back to that category after enjoying the suite, but I'd rather cruise more often in a lower category cabin than splurge once every other year on a NS.  But that doesn't stop me from constantly searching for a bargain. 

[Himself]

Thank you for the report and pictures. I will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam in a couple of weeks. . 

[quandrea]

We are booked in a NS in August. I booked it way ahead though, as we also booked the connecting VF cabin for our kids. This will be our third trip to Alaska. One of my favourite places. Thanks for the review. It really helps to see all the pictures. That aft cabin will be lovely. Did you do any in room dining?

[nw gardener]

We didn't do any in room dining,  just not our thing normally.  We did have snacks delivered a couple of times in the afternoon (first sea day and Glacier Bay day)and that was nice.  I am trying to get the dailies up, I don't have a scanner so if these pictures don't work let me know. I seem to be missing the first day at Vancouver.

[LF23]

Thank you for taking the time to post. Very helpful to get a recent update. Your pictures are lovely, I hope we have weather like that!  

[nw gardener]

Juneau dailies. 

[nw gardener]

Skagway dailies.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Just got caught up on your wonderful write up!!!

She is and always will be our favorite ship!

We did her inaugural in Venice 2010! What a site to behold! We did a 24 day collector cruise on her! We have 5 cruises on her to Europe and 1 to the Caribbean!!

Thank you for your review.

Denise😊

[nw gardener]

Agreed,  only 2 cruises so far on her but contemplating a 3rd this winter!

Glacier Bay dailies.

Forget to mention earlier,  the bow is open for viewing,  weather permitting. It does get crowded and if you are vertically challenged like I am,  hard to see if you don't have a spot on the railing.  The Seaview pool area at the aft is another great place. 

 

[nw gardener]

Ketchikan dailies. 

Oops,  forgot to say don't miss the chocolate surprise you chocoholics!  It was Glacier Bay,  gala evening for us,  and is listed in the dailies.

[nw gardener]

Last day ☹️

[nw gardener]

I appreciate that HAL has continued with the voyage log. Any questions,  please ask.  Enjoy your cruise wherever it may be.

[erewhon]

Thank you for taking time to post your reports and photos.

Pleased to see the Cruise Log continuing.

[zentraveler]

nw gardener, was there lunch in the MDR on embarkation day? Would like to avoid the Lido rush if MDR is likely to be an option. We leave 6/29!

[nw gardener]

On 6/19/2019 at 11:49 AM, zentraveler said:

nw gardener, was there lunch in the MDR on embarkation day? Would like to avoid the Lido rush if MDR is likely to be an option. We leave 6/29!

Yes there was, but we missed it due to our traffic mess getting there.  We did the Dive in by the pool, and while busy,  easily found a seat and it wasn't a long wait.   I too dislike any ship's lido on embarkation day !

[zentraveler]

Not sure what the Dive in by the pool is but sounds fun and thanks for tip on lunch. I now remember about your drive from hell. Glad the way home was easier! This board is full of all these great tips. Thanks. 

[nw gardener]

The Dive in is just outside the entrance of the lido on the pool deck and they serve burgers,  hot dogs,  and great fries. Open for extended lunch, hours are on the dailies I posted. They take your order,  give you a beeper so you have time to grab a drink and find a table, normally 10 minutes or so for orders.