MedCruise July 2014 - Noordam July 1 vs Nieuw Amsterdam July 23

[canuckinindia]

I'm looking at two cruise options on HAL and would greatly appreciate the communities advise. I've also attached the itineraries at the bottom.

 

Noordam - July 1 2014 - Barcelona to Rome 11 Nights

Nieuw Amsterdam - July 23 2014 - Venice to Barcelona 12 Nights

 

As background i've taken two cruises before (bahamas and alaska) with my parents and family a few years ago. This is her first time cruising and is our much delayed honeymoon, so a bit anxious to get the selection right.

 

Questions

 

1. Thoughts on ports? Both cruises seem relatively similar in terms of big ports but there are differences with the loss of Venice on the Noordam being of note.

 

2. A bit worried that Noordam is a few years older than Nieuw Amsterdam, should i be?

 

3. Looks like I could do a Noordam suite for pricing similar to a balcony on Nieuw Amsterdam so feedback on balcony vs suite and on the boats is appreciated as well.

 

Any and all feedback greatly appreciated.

 

 

Added itineraries below

 

Noordam - July 1 2014 - Barcelona to Rome 11 Nights

Ports of Call:

Day 1: Barcelona, Spain

Day 2: Barcelona, Spain

Day 3: At Sea

Day 4: Marseille (Provence), France

Day 5: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Day 6: Calvi, Corsica

Day 7: Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

Day 8: At Sea

Day 9: La Goulette (Tunis & Carthage), Tunisia

Day 10: Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Day 11: Naples, Italy

Day 12: Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

 

 

Nieuw Amsterdam - July 23 2014 - Venice to Barcelona 12 Nights

Ports of Call:

Day 1: Venice, Italy

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Day 4: Kotor, Montenegro

Day 5: Corfu (Kerkyra), Greece

Day 6: At Sea

Day 7: Naples, Italy

Day 8: Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

Day 9: Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

Day 10: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Day 11: Marseille (Provence), France

Day 12: Barcelona, Spain

Day 13: Barcelona, Spain

[SeaWatch]

I have not been on the NOORDAM but we have been on the Nieuw Amsterdam and loved it - in fact we are booked on the exact NA cruise the week before yours - the ports can NOT be beat :)

[kazu]

You cannot see the ports of Venice or Rome in one day. If you can stay pre/post cruise to see one of these then that to me adds value to your cruise.

 

N Amsterdam has a number of fans. Just because she is newer does not mean she is better though. ;)

 

Venice is easier to see on a port day though IMO than Rome as Rome takes time to get to.

 

For Europe, neither of these ships would be my preference - they are both good ships though.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have sailed on both ships. But I would go with Nieuw Amsterdam as she has the Tamarind restaurant (which I know not everyone loves Pan Asian food but we do).

I also like her itinerary -- and I would spend a few days in Venice before the cruise. On a land tour (many, many years ago) we spent 4 days in Venice and still didn't see everything.

[MrsMuir]

I voted for Nieuw Amsterdam because of Venice. As KK says, you can arrive early and enjoy Venice for a few days. That's what we're doing on a later cruise that begins and ends in Venice. With Venice-to-Rome you could also extend your stay in Rome for a few days, if time and budget allow.

[taxmantoo]

Dubrovnik and Kotor also largely surpass La Goulette and Calvi in terms of beauty and interest. The cruise in to and out of Kotor is simply breathtaking.

[POA1]

I wouldn't worry about the Noordam being a little older. She's in excellent shape. We were on her earlier in the year. I'd recommend that you make your choice based on itinerary.

[mfanderso]

I have been on both ships and Nieuw Amsterdam wins hands down based on the itinerary. I sailed this itinerary in the other direction in April and all the ports are outstanding.

[CGYCruisingFamily]

We are booked on the Nieuw Amsterdam out of Barcelona on Aug 4 (so the one right after the one you are looking at). We looked at the 11 night on the Noordam but liked the itinerary better on the NA. Haven't been on either ship so can't speak to the ships. We do tend to like the smaller ships so we will see how it goes.

Edited May 26, 2014 by CGYCruisingFamily

[mskaufman]

Both have an overnight in Barcelona, which is great. In going to this area I would want to go to Mykonos and Santorini. However, given the choices I would go with the N. Amsterdam. Dubrovnik and Kotor are excellent stops. Last year Dubrovnik very much exceeded our expectations.

[canuckinindia]

Thanks everyone for the feedback, sure i'll be coming back to CC for lots more advise.

 

Seems like N. Amsterdam is the way to go especially based on the ports of call and general feedback on the boat, although sounds like we can't go wrong either way.

 

Still researching (including reading up on CC) on HAL and other cruise lines. Especially trying to appreciate if the the smoking policy has a significant impact since we aren't smokers and if we will fit in well on the different boats as a younger (early & mid 30s) couple.