Review of Nieuw Amsterdam, Mediterranean Glamor

[We_like_to_cruise]

Hello and welcome to our review.

 

We have been on a dozen or so seven to ten day cruises, recently favoring Princess. Most of our previous cruises have been to the Caribbean – eastern, western, southern, northern (?) – as well as Alaska and the Panama Canal. We have cruised by ourselves as a couple and with up to as many as 18 people on a family cruise. This would be our first cruise to the Mediterranean. We are in our mid-fifties with children in college, so retirement is still a faint glimmer on the horizon. Cannot wait until we have the time to take much, much longer cruises!!!

 

Our last cruise on HAL was our honeymoon – over 30 years ago. There is no specific reason why we have not been back with HAL, but after this last cruise we are looking forward to sailing this wonderful line again.

 

Despite our enthusiasm, we hope you will take our review as an honest appraisal of our trip. We did have wonderful sunny weather in the 70s to low 80s, a great itinerary, great food and service, and a week on the beautiful Nieuw Amsterdam. So maybe we are a little biased :)

 

"Give Me an H..."

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

And, yes, we did have some problems. Nothing is perfect! But, we are a glass half-full kind of couple determined not to let minor things interfere with our vacation.

We will offer our thoughts on the food, service, shipboard life, itinerary, etc., as we go along, if that is ok with you.

One thing we learned from previous cruises – arrive at least the day before. So for this trip we would have one day pre and post cruise in Barcelona, a city we really enjoyed visiting.

We flew Delta and were impressed with the service and friendliness of all of the flight crew, although the plane was pretty beat up. (My brother who flies internationally for business says that Delta “is the domestic airline I hate the least” haha). As our “dinner” was being served there was an announcement that there would be no charge for beer or wine during the entire flight! We did not over-indulge, but appreciated the offer. Question – What wine goes with mystery meat covered with an unidentifiable sauce and a side of funky colored rice?

The plane was full, so not much room to stretch out. But, we managed to catch a few hours of shut-eye. We REALLY appreciated those HAL beds after 4 hours of “sleep” squished upright in an airplane seat. (No business class or first class seats for us – please see “children in college” note above).

Next thing we knew we were in Barcelona!!!

After immigration and claiming our bags we headed outside for a taxi.

Now, I read on CC that it is a good idea to have a piece of paper with your destination printed on it to hand to the cab driver, many of whom do not speak much English. Also, to keep the cab drivers honest it is a good idea to ask for a receipt. So we did both, and were off to our pre-cruise hotel, the Renaissance Barcelona which is right off the Paseo de Gracia in the Eixample district.

It was a good 30 minutes or more to the hotel. The driver did not speak much, but we did manage a little back-and-forth conversation. At one point he turned on the radio and … Jason Mraz singing his hit song “I’m Yours” in English. We looked at each other and laughed. So much for immersion into a new culture!

At the hotel, I noticed the meter reading and then the driver added the supplements for the airport pickup and the luggage. Our total was €34.00.

I handed him two €20 notes, and he said “Gracias, Senor,” and jumped into the cab.

 

Hold on buddy!

I asked for my change, and all of a sudden he didn’t understand any English.

I repeated my request.

“Ah” he said as if he understood my query and gave me a hand written receipt for €40.

“No, my change” I insisted.

 

“Ah,” he said again and gave me a new receipt for €34.

“I WANT MY CHANGE”

Then, he reached in his pocket and handed me €6.

(Now I am starting to think it is the cab drivers, not the pick-pockets I have to worry about in Barcelona.)

Again, from CC I learned that many Europeans, if they tip at all, will round up to the next Euro. And certainly, no more than 10% for good service. Sorry, buddy, but you tried to rip me off. I am usually a good tipper, but don’t try to take advantage of me. No tip for you.

We were able to check in to our hotel at 9:30 a.m. (!) and dropped our luggage off in the room. It was a beautiful large room with a huge marble bathroom with bathtub and bidet. Very nice accommodations and we would gladly recommend this hotel. Keep that in mind if you are want use Marriott points. :)

[We_like_to_cruise]

Now the big question – take a nap, or head out sightseeing? Well, we were still moving, so we freshened up, put on our walking shoes and got out our maps.

 

We like to walk as much as possible and are fortunate that we have no mobility issues. Soooo, we walked. Down Paseo de Gracia and off to Gaudi’s Casa Batllo, La Pedrera:

 

 

 

and the unbelievable La Sagrada Familia:

 

 

 

What a fascinating sight. (Did this Gaudi guy eat some of those crazy brownies at Woodstock?) We spent a few hours here and took many photos.

 

Then we decided to head off in another direction towards Placa de Catalunya. On the way we stopped at a small restaurant for a well-deserved lunch. The place we picked was a few blocks away from the touristy restaurants near the church. We perused the menu which had pictures of all of the dishes and pointed to what we wanted. I also ordered an Estrella beer – when in Barcelona…

 

Culinary alert: Portion sizes are considerably different. A sandwich in Barcelona has three thin slices of ham and two thin slices of cheese. This is not the stuffed hero/sub/hoagie found in America. (This may be part of the reason the Catalan people are so slim compared to us).

 

Anyway, our lunch was tasty and hit the spot and the price was right. And the beer was cold.

[We_like_to_cruise]

We walked from the Placa de Catalunya through the crowded Las Ramblas all the way down to the statue of Cristofer Colon.

It reminded us of Times Square with the shops and restaurants and street performers. Although we were advised to be aware of pick-pockets here, we never felt the least bit threatened.

We stopped in La Boqueria – a must see. Dozens of stalls with fresh fruits and vegetables and meat and fish - the sights and smells overwhelmed the senses. We indulged in some fresh squeezed fruit juices and picked up some food to eat later in the hotel. We knew we would not be up tonight at 9 – 10 p.m. when the restaurants would be serving dinner!

 

 

We started walking down the Gothic Quarter hoping to visit the cathedral. However, walking up and down the narrow winding streets the fatigue started to kick in. Maybe tomorrow, we thought.

Next stop: Carrefour, the large supermarket on Las Ramblas for our cruise wine. What a selection of Spanish wines at bargain bin prices. We grabbed four bottles to bring on the cruise ship with us, along with some more dinner food. We debated taking a cab, but our hotel was only a few quick blocks away.

We dropped off our purchases in the room and then headed to the rooftop bar in our hotel:

 

 

Very nice and relaxing enjoying a cold drink and the sights.

Back to our room, shoes off – ahhh- we ate our dinner food, discussed our options for the next day, hit the sack, and sleep came in an instant.

[We_like_to_cruise]

Up early, we made some coffee with the kettle in our room and finished the fruit and juices we had left from yesterday. Okay, the instant coffee was dreadful; I am not going to lie.

 

We discussed going out to breakfast, but felt satisfied. And besides – all of that food on the cruise just a few short hours away!

 

Walked back down Las Ramblas – a ghost town on a Sunday morning - and headed back to Barri Gotic. It is a good thing that we were not starving as we did not even see any places open for breakfast. Now that we were refreshed we wandered around the streets and finally found the Barcelona Cathedral, or more properly the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia:

 

Fortunately we both wore appropriate clothing and were allowed entrance. Since Mass was being said (in Catalan) we were unable to make our way to the very front of the church but were able to visit the chapels and outside viewed the numerous gargoyles. Unfortunately, we learned, too late, about the geese in the cloisters which we would have liked to have seen.

 

Then back to our hotel.

 

Oh no :(

 

We attempt to cross a boulevard to get towards our hotel and hundreds of people are running in the street. We have wandered upon La Cursa de la Merce, a huge marathon with over 10,000 entrants. The problem - the runners prevent us from (easily) crossing the street. I question a local policeman, and he gestures for us to “go for it.” So, we dodge in between the runners, two steps forward, one step back, laughing all the way.

 

 

 

[We_like_to_cruise]

We packed up and got a cab in front of the hotel.

 

Okay, now another taxi problem. When I show the driver my paper that says we want to go to the cruise port where the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam is berthed he seems confused. So, while driving with one hand, he pulls out his iPhone and starts typing. (I guess there are no rules against texting while driving in Spain.) Over his shoulder I see him studying a schedule on the display and I point out NA on the list.

 

A short while later we reach the port – it is huge. We see the Ryndam in the distance on our left as we head down the street. DW notices a sign indicating the NA is at Terminal D apparently another four large cruise ships ahead of us on the right. Suddenly the cab driver decides that we need to turn around, muttering something about Holland America. “NO, NO, NO we say. Go straight – keep going!!” We convince him to continue onward and reach the Nieuw Amsterdam. Whew. Again we pay the meter fare, plus the surcharge for the cruise port and luggage. This time I tip our driver. :D

 

Our bags are whisked away by the porters and we follow all of the happy people into the building.

 

Embarkation is a breeze – so quick and efficient. Less than 10 minutes after leaving the cab we are standing in front of the photographer smiling for the first of many photos. Probably one of the fastest embarkations in our cruising history.

 

Off to our room – an obstructed ocean view cabin on the Upper Promenade deck. We originally were looking at an interior cabin, but were offered this room at the same price. We typically book a room that is midship and on one of the lower decks (no upgrade, please) to reduce any motion, although we admit on these larger ships it is like sitting in your living room. We carefully check the deck plans for any “surprises” above or below our cabin before booking! (We booked balconies for our Alaska and Panama Canal cruises, mainly for the enhanced viewing opportunities. However this cruise had so many ports we assumed correctly that we would not spend much time in our room).

 

We bring our carry-ons to our room and are enchanted. Much larger than the rooms we were used to in Princess. A bathtub! Look at how big and comfy the bed is !! Look at all of the storage places – even drawers under the bed! A couch and table with an arrangement of flowers and various invitations! And our obstructed view actually does have a view – of lifeboat 16!

 

 

 

Unbeknownst to DW, I have pre-booked a Renewal of Vows ceremony. The flowers and a plate of canapés awaiting us are just part of the package. More details to come later…

[KirkNC]

Wow, great review, I love your Barcelona pics. Look forward to the rest.

[We_like_to_cruise]

Next stop – the Mariner Society Embarkation Lunch in the (surprisingly empty) MDR. We have made it a cruising tradition to avoid the buffet for our embarkation lunch. We know that the rest of the week we would almost always be at the Lido for lunch and breakfast and like to start our cruise on a special note.

 

 

HAL did not disappoint. Service and food were very good and we enjoyed interacting with the staff. As we were being served, I asked our friendly waiter “How do I say ‘Thank you’ in your language”? Without a beat, he replied “Thank you.” Good one.

 

Stomachs full, we went back to our room to unpack. Our luggage was waiting for us, but as we unpack we discover a minor problem. Our safe is open but in the locked position preventing us from closing it and inputting in a new security code.

 

Shortly after calling the front office, a young lady comes by to resolve our problem. While she is in our room I pose a question to her: “My wife claims these two large closets are exclusively for her use and I am to use this small half closet, is that correct?” “Absolutely, sir,” she replies. You women really stick together.

 

There is plenty of room for all of our belongings and we store our empty luggage under the bed. Ahh, our new home for the next week!

 

We wander the ship for the next hour or so. Of course coming from New York, we admire all of the Empire City inspired artwork, sculptures, photos and especially the Atrium chandelier of the New York City skyline.

 

 

Our meeting with our CC Roll Call group in the Crow’s Nest lounge was next. There are about a dozen of us there and we enjoy a drink with them. We had plans for DIY for almost all of the ports except for an excursion we had booked with HAL for Tunis, Tunisia.

 

One of the big topics of conversation was – Will we be going to Tunis. All of the recent anti-American unrest made it pretty doubtful, but no one knew for sure. There were a lot of rumors flying around and we heard that we DEFINITELY would be going to Naples. Or Malta.

 

Muster drill (no need to bring your life jackets – a definite improvement over prior cruises) and sail-away followed. Good-bye Barcelona!

 

Perusing the Explorer, we notice free champagne in the Pinnacle Bar. We also make a pit stop at the Pinnacle Grill to make reservations for dinner (included in the ROV package).

 

We haven’t eaten in a couple of hours – it must be time for dinner!

Back in the room we enjoy a glass of Spanish Tempranillo wine while dressing for dinner.

[We_like_to_cruise]

This is the first time, ever, that we have chosen open seating. We typically request second or late fixed dining and have been lucky enough to have great tablemates. However, this cruise was so port intensive we decided it would be nice to eat on our own schedule.

We are immediately seated with a large table of ten, as requested, and enjoy the company of strangers. Great food, wine, conversation – life is good. We had absolutely no problems at all with the quality of our food or the service. There were no awkward pauses or delays in obtaining each course. All of the serving staff we interacted with were friendly and efficient.

During dinner the Captain announced we would be heading to Sardinia instead of Tunis. DEFINITELY.

I guess that is why they call them rumors :D

A group of us from dinner go to the show together; it is a variety showcase highlighting many of the acts on the ship. Our cruise director (Dave Shea) was young and funny and enthusiastic (and cute – as per DW). We put Cantare, a male four part harmony group, on our list of Must Sees later in the week. Despite so-so comments we had read on CC about HAL entertainment, we enjoyed the show. Maybe it did not have some of the production values of larger shows we had seen on Princess but these were some talented people!

Tomorrow is a sea day, so this is our late night. We spend some time in the casino, but leave because it is too smoky, and then squeeze into a chair together singing along with Michael Sara in the crowded Piano Bar. This bar was popular and crowded and they could have used more seating!

Not as bad, though, as seeing Mauricio perform on Princess. He is like a cult figure ;) and people take over the lounge and overflow into the hallways surrounding the lounge when he sings and plays the piano.

Back in our room we discover something we forgot that we missed. Towel animals!

 

We don’t recall any on our recent Princess cruises, but remembered them from other (Celebrity?) cruises.

 

Our wonderful bed envelops us. Good night.

[kazu]

Wow an absolutely wonderful review - I am really enjoying reading it and your pics are fabulous. Glad to hear you 'walked' Barcelona - I truly believe that is how you really see and 'feel' this fabulous city. You got a lot done in your short stay - Good for you:)

 

(good move with the taxi too)

 

Looking forward to more - you are a great writer and it is immensely interesting. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us:)

[sail7seas]

Great review.... really enjoying it. :)

[aliaschief]

Really enjoying your review. Great photos! Thanks.;)

[bellevuemountain]

Wow an absolutely wonderful review - I am really enjoying reading it and your pics are fabulous. Glad to hear you 'walked' Barcelona - I truly believe that is how you really see and 'feel' this fabulous city. You got a lot done in your short stay - Good for you:)

 

(good move with the taxi too)

 

Looking forward to more - you are a great writer and it is immensely interesting. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us:)

 

Ditto for me.

[lopakarob]

On this ship next month, and very much enjoying your review and pictures - thanks!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Loving your review.

Can't wait for more.

[sue117]

Love reviews with pictures and broken up! Thanks and can't wait to read (and see) the rest!

[Himself]

So far your review is great! Please keep the words coming

[PathfinderEss]

Great review, looking forward to more. Thanks for posting it and your nice photo's.

[SuitCaseBears]

Barcelona is one of our favorite cities - loved the pictures. Thanks! Thanks for the whole review. We board the NA in 24 days. And I can't wait.:D

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time, and sharing those great pics.

[baby]

me too

[keeponcruising]

I love your review and can't wait for more!

[We_like_to_cruise]

Thank you all for your kind words. Back again (stricken with a case of Lifus Interruptus.) Now, where were we....

 

 

 

After a great night’s sleep, we walk a mile or so around the Promenade Deck enjoying the sun’s warmth and the sea air and then head to the Lido for our first breakfast buffet. We receive the mandatory hand sanitizer spritz accompanied by the smiling greeter’s sing-song “Good Morning.”

 

We are served (for the next 48 hours) instead of helping ourselves (for the next 120 hours.) This is to help prevent the transmission of diseases like norovirus, a nasty bug which will ruin your cruise. <insert rant here>It was unfortunate, but we actually heard some people complaining about this. SERIOUSLY? This is to help you. The portion sizes offered were plentiful, and you could always ask for more. Unbelievable. <rant over>

 

We know you are not interested in every food item we ate every day! Oh my, how boring. But, we will give a general overview for your information from the dining venues we visited.

 

First stop, fresh squeezed OJ. Delicious :D (I’ll take two) Other juice choices included grapefruit, pineapple, cranberry, apple, guava, carrot, and maybe more (?)

 

The omelet station was not as crowded as the one on Princess. Reason why? They had an “assembly line” with more than one of the staff hard at work. On Princess we always had to place an order and return later for the food. Kudos, HAL. There was more than enough selection of breakfast cereals, hot and cold, egg dishes, breakfast meats, breads, waffles, pancakes, etc, etc.

 

But wait, where are the berries? The lack of berries – blue, black, straw, rasp and Franken is disconcerting. OK, I didn’t really care about that last one. But, I am sure that we had fresh berries on our oatmeal on Princess two years ago. :confused: I wander up and down both sides of the Lido buffet, peering into each nook and cranny, however with nary a berry in sight my search proves fruitless. (;))

 

There are plenty of places to sit, inside and outside. During the following week, if it were crowded, we merely asked another couple if they minded if we sat with them. Everyone was obliging, and we met new cruisers that way. (BTW we are not “pushy New Yorkers,” and if we had felt there was even the slightest hesitation we would have backed off.)

 

Speaking of cruisers, we found the average age of the people we met to be maybe only a few years older than we are, many not yet retired. We sat with new people in large tables every night at dinner, and participated in shipboard activities that allowed us to meet others. The majority we met were from the UK and Australia - although we did have dinner once with three other American couples. There were a few children, and the adults we met ranged in age from their 20’s to their 80’s. Can only recall seeing a few walkers/scooters/wheelchairs. Definitely not the Good Ship Enfeebled we had read “opinions” about from nay-sayers on CC.

 

Back to breakfast. Coffee refills were easily done by the staff with the rolling cart that frequented the dining area, and the sticky buns were appropriately sticky :)

[We_like_to_cruise]

After breakfast we walked out by the pool and – surprise- plenty of empty loungers with a distinct dearth of the dreaded chair hog. We sunbathed a few times during the week and were always able to find someplace to sit, although not always right by the pool. One short-port day when the pool area was very crowded, we made our way up to the loungers on the Promenade Deck for a change of scenery.

 

 

One very nice thing we LOVED about both of the pool areas was the absence of MUTS! (Princess Cruises feature “Movies Under The Stars.”) Well, let me re-phrase that. We have no gripe with MUTS, per se. It is a great way to spend the evening. As long as the M are UTS. However, we felt the disruptive blaring of a sun washed-out movie during the day when one was trying to enjoy the pool was annoying and intrusive. :mad:

 

Gee, that sounds suspiciously like we are heading towards old fogey-dom. (Maybe we should practice yelling "Hey you kids, get off my lawn!")

 

We spent a few hours outside, but admittedly are not sun worshipers. However, we did watch the silly pool games and cheered for the team that included a couple we had met at dinner the night before (they lost.)

 

Early in the afternoon and we were required to eat again. (Cruise Contract: Clause D-4.) We tried the pizza, sorry, but Yuck, this was a thumbs down. Now Princess had really good pizza.

 

The Terrace Grill had some good food, albeit the penalty was a slow moving line.

 

 

 

This afternoon we headed up to the Crow’s Nest to play Trivia, hosted by CD David Shea. We joined up with one couple from the UK and another from Vancouver, B.C. Despite some differences in opinions on the correct answers, we did respectably, but came nowhere near winning. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

 

Tonight is the first formal night. So, let’s get this out of the way. I wear a tux to formal night and DW wears a nice evening dress or gown. Why? Because it is FORMAL NIGHT. Enough said, at least by us.

 

Apparently we are not alone as the MDR is filled with well-dressed patrons. Although tuxes are in the minority, there is a presentable showing; the majority wears a dark suit and tie.

 

And all of the women look so elegant and classy and beautiful. :D

 

As noted earlier, we encounter no dining or service difficulties.

 

We even get to meet the Yum Yum man after dinner!

 

 

 

 

The featured act tonight is Cantare, a four piece male a cappella group. Wonderful harmonies and a nice selection of tunes. In fact they received a fairly unanimous standing ovation after their finale. We purchased their CD, and I am listening to it as I write these words.

 

 

 

Later in the week we would also see the comedy/magician act (so-so) and the Live at the Avalon Ballroom show. Well, we admit we walked out of that one. Sorry, but when they started singing “Blame it on the Bossa-Nova”…

[kazu]

very good - hope you will continue on - I confess we rarely do breakfast in the Lido:o but have always found berries at the regular breakfast (MDR or PG):)

 

I love the fresh fruit and berries - so I am always get some of something:):)

 

Love your pics - nicely done indeed!!!

Edited October 21, 2012 by kazu