Amsterdam

[garydm]

It has been years since we cruised on Amsterdam and at that time it was very nice. The recent reviews have been pretty negative. Anyone care to share their recent experience on this ship as we are considering it for later this year? Thanks.

 

Gary

[RuthC]

Are you following either (or both) of the World Cruise threads on this forum? Both posters have made mention of the Amsterdam itself; one poster is particularly helpful in answering questions.

 

True, the details on a World Cruise are stepped up, as compared to non-Grand cruises, but the ship itself, and the service of the crew, is the same.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I confess the Amsterdam is my favorite ship so I read the first three reviews on the Cruise Critic Review page. The first one by Crafin20 cannot be about the Amsterdam because she does not have a Tamarind restaurant so I must assume he/she is talking about the Nieuw Amsterdam which does sail the Caribbean in December.

 

I have been on the Holiday Panama Canal Cruise three times and did not experience what the second reviewer did but I admit a ship can have a bad cruise and perhaps this was one for the Amsterdam. The second reviewer did report they liked the crew and the entertainment and had a great New Year's Eve. Food is always subjective IMO and I think that being in port on both Christmas and New Year's led to not much celebration on the ship.

 

The third reviewer seemed to like his/her experience.

 

I was last on the Amsterdam in September 2015 for Alaska and had the usual wonderful experience. The crew and service were fantastic as always. I do not expect much from cruise food on any line - it is banquet food after all. The entertainment was good and Alaskan ports are always fabulous. You will have to make your decision - the ship is older but the lesser number of passengers also helps make it a good cruising experience.

Edited March 19, 2016 by SJSULIBRARIAN

[garydm]

Thanks for the information. That is how the ship was when we were on it years ago.

 

Gary

SJSU 1966

[OlsSalt]

We recently did the 42 day Tales of the South Pacific on the Amsterdam (Oct-Nov 2015), and she was the last of the R and S class ships we have now experienced. She is our least favorite of all 8 - for dull, dreary or garish decor, but still she has all the good HAL basics.

 

We had a particularly bad cabin - sewer stench coming up through the scuppers rendering our balcony virtually unusable for the majority of the cruise. They tried to keep cleaning the drains out and it would only provide temporary relief. Others along side also complained about the smell.

 

These things happen and balcony use was only part of this cruise so it was unpleasant but did not ruin the trip. I hope whatever caused this problem has now been remedied. She was not making good first impressions for a "flag ship" of the fleet,

 

However, it was the first time in 300 days of HAL sailing we had such chronic problem that could not be remedied. So that was the Amsterdam for us. That being said she had great staff, the best CD ever and great array of enrichment speakers, food was very good, and the itinerary itself was grand is why we keep coming back to HAL ships, the smaller the better for us.

Edited March 20, 2016 by OlsSalt

[n2chocola8]

What cabin number where you in where you could smell the sewer stench?

[OlsSalt]

What cabin number where you in where you could smell the sewer stench?

 

Can't remember the exact cabin number but it was starboard, midship - verandah cabin. Others also noticed it on either side so it was not one specific cabin. It was coming up from the scuppers so don't think it was sewer, but rather acrid "bilge" scent? There are restrictions on what a ship can dump into the ocean so don't know if this made it a cumulative problem or not.

 

But we docked in enough major ports that should/could have arranged for a proper clean out if this was a solution. Hope someone can explain why this could have happened coming out of this particular system. They even taped over our scuppers but then the rain water would collect and create its own issues.

 

Hope it got fixed by now. They acknowledged it was a problem and did what they could to mitigate it, offered a modest credit, but it remained chronic. - This was last November, 2015. Any major dry-docks since then?

Edited April 30, 2016 by OlsSalt

[rkacruiser]

If my memory is correct, the Amsterdam is due for a major re-fit. Not sure of the date, but I think it is sometime in 2017.

[OlsSalt]

Found this from the CDC about ship sanitation - could the pipeline stench problem on the Amsterdam have been exacerbated because this was a South Seas - warm weather cruise. Or because it had such extended periods of at-sea days (several 7 plus at sea days) on this South Pacific cruise where normal flushing would be eliminated?

 

Water storage and distribution systems on ships are complex and could provide opportunities for bacterial contamination as ship movement increases the risk of surge and back-siphonage.

 

Loaded water may vary in temperature, and in some tropical regions, the risk of bacterial growth is increased because of higher water temperatures. Finally, proliferation is encouraged due to long-term storage and stagnation in tanks or pipes.

Edited April 30, 2016 by OlsSalt

[Btimmer]

We've sailed on the Amsterdam twice (once as our first HAL cruise on an Alaskan voyage in 2002 and the second on a FLL to SEATTLE repositioning cruise in 2014). I'd have no reservations in recommending it. I just watched it leave FLL a few hours ago on the same repositioning cruise as we took.

[Hflors]

We sailed on the "holiday" cruise this past year and I believe my review was referenced as I was very disappointed in the lack of "holiday spirit" until New Years.

 

Actually the ship and most of the crew were fine. Dining room service was very slow, but that isn't the crew's fault. The poor waiters were working their butts of as they do not most of the time have any help and one evening the Matre"d actually came to help clear the tables in our section.

 

I do have to say that the food was the worse we have ever experienced. (I just returned from Maasdam and the food was first rate) I do have to say when I began reading the blogs from the world cruise as they talked about food it was like a different ship.

 

I actually like the size of Amsterdam/ Maasdam. The smaller ships are just easier to navigate. DH isn't sure he wants to repeat another cruise. For him and I it was two bad cruises in a row (we did Ryndam before she left the fleet and then Amsterdam) But as I just returned from Maasdam (with the girls) and told him about the food and service I think he is having a second thought.

 

My only other thought about Amsterdam was that I do remember being very bored a lot of the time. I felt for a holiday season there just wasn't much going on or to do.

 

I really think that since I have read about Amsterdam over the years and always considered her to be Hal's "Signature ship" I was especially disappointed when we cruised her. Dh just remembers that cruise as "the best thing he ate was a Nathan's Hot dog"!

So I guess what I am saying is it is a "crap shoot" some cruises are good and some not so good.

 

Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful cruise no matter what you decide.

[rkacruiser]

Hflors,

 

Your comments further support mine that have been made for some time that the cruise product consistency is not what it ought to be. It just seems that too much depends upon the ship's Master, Hotel Director, Executive Chief (maybe the Culinary Operations Manager), and maybe the Cruise Director. I am hopeful that Mr. Ashford and his staff will help to restore cruise product consistency across the fleet. The various different Classes of ships that HAL now sails provide such a challenge for cruise product consistency. But, I believe it can be done.

 

My most recent cruise on HAL was on the just past Prinsendam's Christmas/New Year's Cruise. On such a vessel, the HAL cruise experience met, and on New Year's Eve exceeded, my expectations. It can be done! It takes the proper people to do it!

[USN59-79]

We have cruised six times on the Amsterdam for a total of 242 days. Three of the cruises were Grand Voyages. I think generally the experience on a GV is a cut above an ordinary cruise. I have heard that the crew are specially chosen for ships such as the Amsterdam and Prinsendam that do the GVs. We have always been very pleased with our experience with the Amsterdam. I would expect that most of the outstanding crew members that served on the World Cruise would still be serving on the upcoming Alaska cruises so the only decrease in quality might be in the food that the head office procures for the Summer cruises. One thing I have noticed though is that the ambiance of a 7-day cruise is very different from that of a 27 day cruise, no matter what ship.

[Hflors]

USN 59 - 79 I think the crew on the world cruise is very different than an ordinary crew.

I read the blogs and saw the pics posted and for me it seemed a different ship.

 

DH and I have talked about this since we came home and wonder if the "crew" for the world cruise was at home during the holidays and then boarded when we left at Ft. Lauderdale.

 

I do not blame the crew for any of the problems we experienced. I do blame HAL for the poor service and the terrible food we experienced.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We have cruised six times on the Amsterdam for a total of 242 days. Three of the cruises were Grand Voyages. I think generally the experience on a GV is a cut above an ordinary cruise. I have heard that the crew are specially chosen for ships such as the Amsterdam and Prinsendam that do the GVs. We have always been very pleased with our experience with the Amsterdam. I would expect that most of the outstanding crew members that served on the World Cruise would still be serving on the upcoming Alaska cruises so the only decrease in quality might be in the food that the head office procures for the Summer cruises. One thing I have noticed though is that the ambiance of a 7-day cruise is very different from that of a 27 day cruise, no matter what ship.

 

Thanks for the info

[USN59-79]

USN 59 - 79 I think the crew on the world cruise is very different than an ordinary crew.

I read the blogs and saw the pics posted and for me it seemed a different ship.

 

DH and I have talked about this since we came home and wonder if the "crew" for the world cruise was at home during the holidays and then boarded when we left at Ft. Lauderdale.

 

I do not blame the crew for any of the problems we experienced. I do blame HAL for the poor service and the terrible food we experienced.

Well, the world cruise is just under four months. I am guessing that most of the crew's contracts are for about ten months. So there would be a lot of overlap. I noticed that when we were on her in 2002 that Henk and Christel Mensink were the Hotel Manager and Guest Relations manager. When we were on in 2014 and as mentioned on this years world cruise blogs they are still there. So there must be some continuity.

[rkacruiser]

My experience from my 2008 Grand World Cruise: I lived in an outside stateroom on the lowest passenger deck. In my opinion, there is a myth about the crew's experience on the Grand World Cruise. Maybe it is true for some of the crew. It was not for my Cabin Steward.

 

He was on his second HAL contract. His first contract was on the Prinsendam. My stateroom was not properly prepared prior to my arrival: no daily program, no soap in the bathroom and the door was standing open when I arrived. OK, I thought: he was not finished in preparing my cabin. No problem. I finally had to go to the Front Office to get another copy of the daily program and soap did not appear until the nightly turn-down service.

 

During the cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Singapore, his service was satisfactory. At Singapore, he "jumped ship" to return to his home in Indonesia. He had his reasons for doing so as he told me before this event happened. (He was well aware of the consequences of his actions. But, he had a family matter that he felt that he could not ignore.)

 

I know that many of the Grand Voyages crews are experienced with well trained and properly motivated crew. But, unless crew assignments have changed, to think that all of the crew on a Grand Voyage are so experienced is not so, in my opinion.

Edited May 2, 2016 by rkacruiser