Review Niuew Amsterdam 4th May

Embarkation

We arrived at the port around 11am and parked the car without difficulty. On entering the hall we were directed to the check in area and then told to take a seat and await embarkation starting around 11.30am, by which time the hall was full with standing room only. Embarkation commenced as planned but it was at this point we realised that we should have been issued with a colour coded card for boarding. As a result, by the time we were given a card, we did not get onboard until after 2, over 3 hours after we had arrived. There were numerous complaints about the length of time that boarding had taken, but it surely wasn't helped by the fact that whilst there were 20 check in desks, only 3 X-ray scanners were being used, causing a significant bottleneck. Our first cruise with HAL and not a great start.

Accommodation

Cabin 8173

This is an aft cabin directly under the Lido Deck. Here's a piece of advice. NEVER EVER book a cabin in this area of the ship unless you are hard of hearing. At 4.30am your early morning wake up call starts. You will hear the hosepipe being dragged across the deck prior to hose down. Well that's just the warm up act to get you in the mood. Just as you think it's safe to go back to sleep, the main act starts. Having stacked all the sun loungers the previous night, apparently a health and safety requirement, they now have to been unstacked and laid out for the next day. This delightful activity commences sometime after 5am, they like to vary it, just to keep the surprise element. One crew member working alone, lifts 3 sunloungers off the pile, which he then drops on the deck and drags each one in to position. Finish and repeat until the deck is covered in sunloungers and every passenger in the aft area underneath is wide awake and ready to throw themselves overboard. By day 3 we succeeded in getting an agreement with the management, that the loungers would not be put out until 8am, but the cleaning of the deck between 4.30 and 5.30am continued to disturb us and a number of other cabins. What was particularly irritating was the fact that we later learnt that the ship was sailing with a number of empty cabins, any one of which we would have taken, if it had meant a quiet nights rest, but this option was never offered.

If you can get over the noise issue, then you will find yourself in a reasonable sized cabin, slightly longer than others in the same class. There is a shortage of drawer space, especially noticeable in the dressing table area, where does a girl put her make up? The bathroom similarly lacks enough storage, and it's a shame that the mirrors are fixed. Other ships have cupboards either side of the basin with mirrored doors, giving additional storage an better use of the mirrors. The TV system was newly installed and we appreciated the ability to select a film to watch at a time of our choosing, although could someone please install episode 8 of Downtown Abbey, you know the last one of the series, it is after the climax of the whole season and it's missing!

The balcony was a reasonable size and deeper than some others. On deck 8 the balcony is covered by the overhang from the deck above, which we liked as it meant we could sit out there in hot sun or rain and not be troubled. We think that our neighbours on the adjoining balcony might have been experimental beagles, judging by the amount of cigarettes they smoked, from breakfast to sundown, and the lack of air movement at the back of the ship meant that the smell and smoke lingered. On the other side we definitely had honeymooners as it was the first time that we had ever noticed 'activities' from an adjoining cabin, but then their headboard was against our cabin wall.

Food

The food on board was generally of a very good standard. Like most of the American cruise lines, we found that there were never enough vegetables served, but that is easily remedied by requesting extra vegetables with each meal. The food arrived hot and was well flavoured. I would recommend the luncheon menu at Tamarind, although it's a set menu, which didn't change during our cruise so once dining there is enough. The biggest disappointment was the afternoon tea which was by far the worst that I have ever experienced. We were immediately served with cakes, but no sign of anything remotely resembling a sandwich. Eventually, 20 minutes after we sat down a tray containing something which looked like a slice of bread with processed cheese on top and a quarter of a tomato was presented to us. This apparently is a sandwich. We declined. This truly unpleasant experience was topped off with something called a scone, which was clearly the winner of a smallest scone competition, not improved by whatever that white stuff is that American cruise lines call cream, Please,please, scones need real cream, not shaving foam mixed with sugar.

The service in the Lido has recently been changed. In an attempt to provide better service, the table is now set with a napkin and cutlery, and the Lido staff will offer to bring your drinks, water, tea etc to your table. However its a nice idea. But it simply didn't work. There are not enough staff available to get the drinks, so you sit down, not knowing whether you should fetch your own drinks or wait to be asked. At busy times, tables were not always reset, so it was like a game of hide and seek,you had to lift the napkin and see if there was any cutlery hidden inside, if not move on and try the next one.

Service

Cruise Critic forum is full of high praise for the service levels on HAL, but I wonder if these reports are written by people with little experience of other cruise lines. The service that we received was perfectly adequate but was it not outstanding, nor any better than other cruise lines provide. I would personally rate both Cunard and Celebrity as offering a superior product. The other real gripe on this cruise was the way that the ships staff would cut to the front of the queues. This happened to us more than once. When waiting to be served at the Explorations cafe, the staff from the art gallery simply walked in front of us and ordered their coffee. I can only imagine that they were in a rush to get back to serve all the eager passengers waiting to secure a piece of the amazing artwork on offer. On another occasion, a group of crew members walked straight to the front of what was a long queue and boarded ahead of the waiting passengers.

Entertainment.

There was no introductory show on the first evening, the first time that we have experienced a first night empty theatre before. On the other hand it may have been a blessing in disguise. We went to the first production show the following evening and left midway. I don't know if it was the acoustics, but never have I heard so much female screeching. The second night was a comedy act who had once appeared on some American Talk show - Judge Judy maybe as his act was certainly criminal. Here's a tip, when playing to an International Audience, no one is going to laugh if your jokes are based on the quirks of life in the USA and that might be why your audience diminished rapidly. When the next nights act was advertised as the runners up on UK X Factor circa 2005, we decided to admit defeat and spent the rest of our evenings filing our toenails, so nothing else to report on this.

PORTS OF CALL

We never take ships tours, as we much prefer to get amongst the locals, and have always found the idea of following somebody waving an umbrella utterly bizarre. So only read on if you want to know how to DIY it. One piece of advice, as you don't get the services of a guide, take time to read about the place beforehand and buy a guide book before you start your tour.

Katakolon

This is the port that serves Olympia. Immediately outside the port there is a private shuttle bus service which charges 10eur return for the trip to Olympia. It was easy to locate and the journey was about 40 minutes. The entrance cost for Olympia was 6eur with a further 3eur for the museum. Olympia is a large site, picturesque and fairly flat. Clean western style toilets are located in a block at the far end of the site, free to use.

I would advise that you take the time to research the site beforehand, as there were very few information boards to advise what you were seeing and there are no discernible structures, mainly just columns. The private shuttle bus drops you by the shops in Olympia, just a short downhill walk to the site, so take 5 minutes and buy a good guide book before you go to the site, as it will improve your experience and understanding. Don't miss the museum, it has displays of the statues and items found at Olympia, attractively laid out, but not overwhelming. After your visit, there will probably be time to wander around the few shops in Olympia and enjoy a drink in one of the many cafes. You will be given a return time for the shuttle, don't try to turn up and sneak on an earlier one, as they will check your ticket and you will have to wait for your scheduled shuttle.

Piraeus, Greece

We chose not to visit Athens, having been there before, so we decided to walk around Piraues. With hindsight, I would probably take the little 5eur train tour outside the port, and then go back in on foot, having got my bearings. To pick up the train or the hop on hop off bus tours, turn left out of the port and you will see them waiting about 5 minutes walk.

Istanbul

The ships dock in the modern city and you have a choice of transport to take you in to Istanbul. Just outside the terminal is a tram line. Turn right from outside the terminal and you will see the stop, then take a tram to Sultanahmet, which goes back past the ship. Alternatively you could walk, but it takes about 40 minutes. The ship ran a shuttle service which it didn't announce until after the excursion desk has closed. The cost is $10 return and it drops you at the Grand Bazaar, from there it is an easy walk to the blue Mosque, Haig Sofia and the Topkapi palace. We chose to visit the Grand Bazaar the first evening and then explore the Topkapi Palace the next day. Whatever you do, prepare for long queues everywhere. If you are on a ships tour you might save some time as tickets will already be purchased, but once inside you still join the same queues as everyone else, so it's not a great advantage.

Topkapi Palace. We arrived about 10am and purchased our ticket from the vending machine. The queue was only about 30 people, only 3/6 machines were working, but it was only a short wait. The entrance fee was 30 Turkish lira ( get your currency at the cruise terminal from the exchange desk, you walk right past it) the place itself consists of a number of separate buildings each with its own queue. We had purchased a guide book the previous day and had therefore already decide which parts were of interest to us. We chose to pay the additional 15lira to visit the harem and I would definitely recommend this. We got there about 11am and it was surprisingly quiet, although by the time we came out it was a lot busier. The harem is beautifully decorated and if you are short of time, then go here first, enjoy and if time allows then visit treasury room 4 and drool over the 86 carat diamond found on a rubbish dump! Just a point, you cannot just visit the harem, you will have to pay to get in the palace and then buy another ticket for the harem, but at a combined cost of 45lira, it's still good value.

Mytilene

Unfortunately high sea swell,meant that we missed this port, to be compensated by a complimentary glass of champagne at dinner. If any port had to missed them this was the one I would gave chosen, given its lack of any obvious attraction.

Kusadisi, Greece

This is the port for Ephesus, which can be easily reached by local bus. On leaving the port, call in the Tourist Info and grab a map. Ask them to mark the bus station then head off in that direction. However it is not a bus station, but a bus stop and you will need to ask the locals for directions, but it's about a 10minute walk. You need to look for a Dolmus, which is a white 15 seater coach and it will be travelling in the direction of Selcuk (Efes). The fare is 6TL so try to have lira with you, Otherwise you will pay a lot more in euro (6 eur ) the journey took about 20 minutes and drops you at the side of the road. Just walk past the waiting taxis and turn right in to a gravel road which leads to Ephesus. At the for in the road, go right. It's about a 10/15 minute walk from the main road. Entry to Ephesus is 30TL, no other currency accepted but you can use credit card. The site is truly amazing, but before you walk round, if you don't have a guide then spend some of the money that you have saved on a book from the museum, as this will help you understand that you are seeing. Allow at least 2 hours at the site, more if you visit the Virgin Mary's house. Toilets on site are by the car park, clean and free. To get the bus back, walk directly across the road, the day we traveled there was a man waiting who organised the next bus for you. We left around 1.30pm and the buses were running frequently.

Kusadisi is a good place to wander around if you don't want to visit Ephesus. It has a very high number of shops selling genuine fakes, handbags, watches T shirts jewellery and belts, a genuine fake Mulberry Bayswater was priced around 800Tl, so £200. The quality of the leather was not as good as might be found elsewhere in the world and the prices were higher.

Santorini

We docked at 7am, along with MSC Lirica. To get to the little town, you have to climb up the equivalent of a cliff. You have 3 choices, the funicular, which takes 24 passengers at a time, a donkey or you walk. There are no taxis, as there is no vehicular access to the quay. We expected to encounter a long wait for the funicular, but leaving the ship at just after 9, we got straight on our tender, bought our funicular ticket for 5euro each and had virtually no wait. It's the usual story of jewellery store, souvenir shops and cotton goods, but it's a pretty place to stroll around, and lots of places to stop, get a coffee and admire the views. There was a very long queue for the funicular to go back down, so we chose to take the footpath down. I read that it was 600 steps, but pretty sure it was a lot more than that. You share the path with the very dejected looking donkeys, so I would imagine that if it were wet, with donkey droppings, the steps could be quite slippery. The descent took about 20 minutes, so be sure to allow enough time.

Argostoli

Another attractive Greek island. We took the ships tender and you arrive directly in the town. As you face inland, turn left and you will find the Main Street and shops. A couple of hours is long enough to wander around, get a beer and catch up with emails. Keep an eye out for the large turtles in the bay, we spotted several during our visit.

So what did we make of our first HAL cruise? Having had a week to reflect, it was fine. The service matched other similar cruise lines, but we didn't consider it to be outstanding. We were however impressed with the efforts made by the staff to address reduce the Cabin noise issue.

We would cruise with HAL again, but it probably isn't the start of a long monogamous relationship. The lack of younger people , on board does without doubt change the atmosphere on board and the lack of decent entertainment meant we found ourselves in bed earlier then expected.

Thanks for your review. Sorry you were disappointed in your cruise. We board her on Thursday and if I keep my expectations low I am sure we will have a great time. After 49 cruises we learn to go with the flow and not sweat the small stuff. :eek:

Thank you for a good honest review, Bed.

Sorry it didn't meet your expectations.

Ira

Sorry your cruise wasn't better. We also have learned to avoid staterooms under the Lido deck, anywhere. We have taken some ship's shore excursions, though, and, depending on the guides, have found many of them to be amazing. You can learn a lot from them - of course, I forget most of it immediately (:eek:), but I have been very impressed with most. They hire the best they can find, it seems to me. Of course, once you have been to a port a few times, it's fun to wander on your own.

Totally agree with you on the aft cabins. Highly overrated. Not worth the extra money and just a general omg experience.

Thank-you for your detailed review. Your experience with the service has been very similar to our own experience.

Thank you for your review, we'll be on Nieuw Amsterdam next year. Sorry it didn't WOW you & that you experienced some real issues. I am happy that we booked a lower deck & possibly better location. Hope you have a better experience next time. Thanks again for your thoughts.

Thanks for your review.

Thank you for your helpful review.

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Had similar experience on Lido deck on other ships - live and learn eh!

Life's too short to drink bad wine!

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam in November, first HAL cruise, and your review has given me some good information. We had concerns about the aft balcony cabin storage and you have confirmed what we thought. Also, we now know we made the right decision moving to deck 5 from 8. Again thank you for the honest informative review.

Have been on a same cruise in a cabin 8169. Did not notice a lot of noise from the Lido deck. We were up early every morning, as we have an excursions in each port. really enjoyed our balcony and a view from it. as we have been only one cabin from you, we did not notice any smoke smell, or any noise from cabin 8171 which is were adjusted to yours :confused:.

Did not really like the service at the Lido Buffet, not enough waiters.

Our cabin stuart Catto ( sp?) was outstanding, as were the ladies in the Neptune lounge , Kim and Cara ( sp?).

Really enjoyed room service from the Manhattan dining room ( that is the difference from other cruise lines). As we came after tours in port of calls we were not in a mood to dress up, put a make up etc..., the dinner in the room were very handy.

any questions, feel free to ask.

We all have different cruise experiences and I have reported mine accurately. If you care to read my review a little more carefully, you will see that I said the smoking and noise were not from the same cabin, which is why you did not share my experience

Thank you for your review!

We are cruising on the Niew Amsterdam in November, after several cruises on the Noordam and on other HAL ships. We have found the quality of food, service, etc. to decrease with each cruise on HAL.

Based on the ever increasing disappointment we experienced from one cruise to the next, we have extremely LOW expectations for our next cruise.

This way, anything we like and enjoy will be a positive experience, instead of "not having our expectations met".

Thank you all for your observations. This will be our first cruise on HAL August 8 from Barcelona. We are in a balcony guarantee category, so they told us we are not going to know until last minute. At this point in time, there are still cabins available, so I am hoping for the best, but ready for anything. Just don't want one of those balconies with metal railing instead of clear. I also don't want to be sitting on top of life boats. Not sure how flexible they are at the last minute to change cabins in case we don't like where they put us. I guess we have to deal with this as the time comes. If anyone had this kind of experience before, please share.

Not sure how flexible they are at the last minute to change cabins in case we don't like where they put us. I guess we have to deal with this as the time comes. If anyone had this kind of experience before, please share.

When booking a guarantee cabin, it is the passenger who needs to be flexible. If you end up with what you consider to be an undesirable cabin you may get lucky and get a change of cabin. I would't bet on it though. You need to be willing to accept any cabin in the category you've booked - or higher. Don't book any category where you aren't aren't happy with some of the cabins.

Good luck.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.