Just back from NIEUW AMSTERDAM - Review and Photos!

[eroller]

Hi,

Can you tell me what the "theme" was for each night in the MDR? For example, what night was Italian night, etc.

 

Thank you,

Nancy

 

 

Hi Nancy,

I honestly don't remember any "themes" in the MDR. There may have been, but perhaps it was so subtle I didn't notice? I do know the last formal night they covered all the chairs with a white fabric and there was a Baked Alaska Parade. I actually thought the MDR looked better with the white chairs! LOL

 

Ernie

[DutchByAssociation]

You have some really great photos there Ernie. Mind if I post a few on the blog and I can link folks back to your full album for even more?

[eroller]

You have some really great photos there Ernie. Mind if I post a few on the blog and I can link folks back to your full album for even more?

 

 

Thanks for asking. I don't mind at all. I've enjoyed your site so I'm happy to contribute.

 

Ernie

[eroller]

Great review, Ernie, with awesome pictures! We were also on this cruise in cabin SB7137 and we have never experienced such motion!! I doubt we will ever book an aft cabin again. LOL

 

I will post a short review of our experiences soon.

 

 

I finally got around to reading your review. Nice job!

 

It's funny, I've had aft cabins before on other ships and never experienced the motion I did on NIEUW AMSTERDAM. For fun I browsed the other message boards looking for comments on other ships that sailed the Eastern Caribbean the same week we did. I really couldn't find anything about excessive motion. I'm not sure exactly what this means. Perhaps there was just a combination of things that resulted in the excess motion? It was odd, because even when we were docked (thinking about Grand Turk in particular) we were bouncing. I'm thinking the stern design of NIEUW AMSTERDAM is not the best.

 

Ernie

[Gator83]

Hi Nancy,

I honestly don't remember any "themes" in the MDR. There may have been, but perhaps it was so subtle I didn't notice? I do know the last formal night they covered all the chairs with a white fabric and there was a Baked Alaska Parade. I actually thought the MDR looked better with the white chairs! LOL

 

Ernie

 

 

Thanks , Ernie. What about which nights they served what food on it. Like what night was Italian night? Things like that. I'm trying to plan which night to go to the speciality restaurants.

[shipmix]

Thanks for the great information and the photos. I want to pre book a cabana for an upcoming cruise on the NA. Do you feel that some have better locations than others? Excluding the family ones which of course seem the best. It seems like some would have sun in the morning, then others in the afternoon, etc.

 

Thanks

[RuthC]

What about which nights they served what food on it. Like what night was Italian night?

HAL doesn't have theme nights like that in the dining room. The late night buffet, though, does.

[StimpyCruiser]

Ernie, I was surprised when I saw a picture of our stateroom in your post. We were in room 7133 :). At first I thought we had intruders during our cruise! I assume you took the pictures after we left.

[eroller]

Ernie, I was surprised when I saw a picture of our stateroom in your post. We were in room 7133 :). At first I thought we had intruders during our cruise! I assume you took the pictures after we left.

 

 

Too funny! Yup, you must have vacated early. The door was open so I had a peek.

 

Ernie

[Cruisin Suzin]

Thanks for the great information and the photos. I want to pre book a cabana for an upcoming cruise on the NA. Do you feel that some have better locations than others? Excluding the family ones which of course seem the best. It seems like some would have sun in the morning, then others in the afternoon, etc.

 

Thanks

 

 

You do not get to choose which one you want, you can request one from the ships coordinator, but that is no a guarantee that you will get that particular one..:)

[SeattleHil]

I too sailed the same 7-day cruise. It was my first cruise ever, and probably the only. Within 36 hours of being on the boat I got the Noro virus and was quarantined for almost two days.

 

The first evening (11/7) a friend of mine and I decided to walk around the ship since it was a first for both of us. He too got Noro within 48 hours and was quarantined. I was traveling with a group of 11, we all stayed on different floors (5,6,7) and did not fly to FL together. The nurse who came to my room and dropped off Imodium and powdered Gatorade (for $13.50 + $55 for the room visit),told me there had been some other calls for the same reason that morning. I later heard from an employee that there was actually 10+ people on the boat who had also had Noro during the cruise (hearsay). I am an avid hand washer and used the sanitizer every time it was offered. The coincidence that we were the only two, out of 11, to get Noro proved to me that we definitely got it from the "sanitized" boat and not beforehand.

 

The medical staff was very nice and when I bumped into them on the boat they always asked how I was doing.

 

I missed Grand Turk all-together but got a few pictures from my room. And like Ernie stated it was a very rocky cruise so I basically was on Dramamine the entire time. I never actually got sick but all that rocking making you feel unstable and a little "off". I finally started to feel better on Friday so I had two enjoyable days on the boat and loved Half Moon Cay.

 

I can't comment on the food too much because I didn't really eat much besides fruit, which was good. We did eat at the Pinnacle Grill the last evening which was very good. I actually came back a pound lighter from the cruise!

 

The boat seemed nice, but I don't have anything to compare it to either. I liked the main dining room but it seemed as though it was the rockiest part of the ship. The baked Alaska presentation was really fun.

 

We also did the Walk for a Cure which was fun and challenging since the boat was swaying so much, good for the glutes and quads though.

 

I stayed in stateroom #6004 which faced forward so I could keep a lookout for icebergs. It was a great roomy room with a big window. The beds were very comfortable, thank goodness since I spent a lot of time there.

 

I will try and post some pics :-)

 

-Hilary

[eroller]

I too sailed the same 7-day cruise. It was my first cruise ever, and probably the only. Within 36 hours of being on the boat I got the Noro virus and was quarantined for almost two days.

 

 

 

-Hilary

 

 

Wow Hilary I'm so sorry to hear this. With all the precautions taken prior to this cruise, I'm truly surprised anyone came down with it. I wonder if the occupants of your cabin had it the previous cruise? We actually brought our own anti-bacterial wipes and wiped down the cabin just to be extra safe.

 

I could tell the ship had really been sanitized, as there was a white film on many of the surfaces. This is the residue of the spray they use to disinfect for noro-virus.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I have sailed on close to 90 cruises and never contracted noro-virus (knock on wood!). I just want you to know it's not typical. I did get noro-virus once, but I think I contracted it on a flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta.

 

Anyway, I hope you decide to take another cruise and don't let this one experience spoil it for you.

 

Ernie

[tonkinesecat]

I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam the week after you. Weather was pretty good. Not very rough seas to speak of. But I posted a question that really intrigued me and I see that you experienced the same thing: the ship's stern bounced violently up and down sometimes, even when we were docked in Cozumel, at dinner, the ship literally bounced hard up and down, nonstop. I have never been on a ship that did that. Also, we stopped off the coast of Cuba for three hours for what the captain said were tests on the thrusters. I thought that was very odd. I would love to get some official explanation for this odd movement of the ship.

 

But over all, I thought the ship was lovely and agree with you that the crew are very nice and friendly and give great service. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

[MyWifeLuvsCruising]

Thanks , Ernie. What about which nights they served what food on it. Like what night was Italian night? Things like that. I'm trying to plan which night to go to the speciality restaurants.

 

For our cruise last week, I picked the night after the first formal night (which was the third night of the cruise) to try out the Tamarind, and after looking at the MDR menu, I think I picked the best night to try one of the specialty restaurants.

[jtl513]

I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam the week after you. Weather was pretty good. Not very rough seas to speak of. But I posted a question that really intrigued me and I see that you experienced the same thing: the ship's stern bounced violently up and down sometimes, even when we were docked in Cozumel, at dinner, the ship literally bounced hard up and down, nonstop. I have never been on a ship that did that. Also, we stopped off the coast of Cuba for three hours for what the captain said were tests on the thrusters. I thought that was very odd. I would love to get some official explanation for this odd movement of the ship.

 

But over all, I thought the ship was lovely and agree with you that the crew are very nice and friendly and give great service. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

If there's something wrong with the ship, it started after I got off on Oct 6th! :)

[cruiseclues]

I pointed to your photos which had been moved to Flickr. :):):):)