Nieuw Amsterdam review

[cobalt206]

My wife and I and another couple just returned from a very relaxing cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam. We arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday night for a 3 night pre cruise and had a very nice stay at the Hilton Marina.

 

Embarkation was smooth and easy, arrived around 11:30am Easter Sunday and was onboard in less than an hour. We found the ship to be similar to the other HAL ships we've sailed (Noordam and Zuiderdam) but with some nice new touches.

 

We love aft cabins and found our room 6179 to be comfortable and well laid out. The balcony was about 7' deep and 10' wide and we opened the divider with our friends next door to make it even more open. We did experience major vibrations just one day while anchored off Half Moon Cay. The ship while anchored still ran their stern thrusters to prevent the ship from swinging. This resulted in very uncomfortable vibrations that felt similar to an earthquake but it lasted for hours. I finally left the cabin earlier than normal as I became nauseous from all the shaking. I'm a seasoned boater, own two boats and I never get seasick. Despite this one issue, we really enjoyed the cabin and our cabin stewards were outstanding.

 

We decided to stay onboard at HMC as we have been there before and wanted the aft pool to ourselves. This was nice as we had very few people with the same idea. At Grand Turk, we returned to Jack's Shack and enjoyed some great adult beverages and tasty jerk chicken. Amber Cove was next and it was nice but we decided not to leave the port area and returned to the ship early to enjoy another day by the aft pool with very few people onboard. Due to high winds, we were unable to leave Amber Cove as scheduled. The wind was blowing 40mph and would have pushed the ship directly into the dock. We did not leave Amber Cove until the next morning and consequently the next port, Key West was cancelled. A lot of people were very disappointed, including us. We did the math and felt it was doable to still do Key West but the experts onboard and at corporate felt it was not a good idea so I respect their decision. Port taxes were returned, nothing more and nothing less.

 

The dining onboard was a real highlight. Breakfast in our room or at Lido was decent with good choices. Lunch options including gluten free pizza and good burgers at Dive In as well as Lido were all tasty. We only had dinner in the MDR on the first night which was Easter Sunday and it was decent but unspectacular. We dined three nights at Pinnacle Grill and three nights at Tamarind. We were already big fans of Pinnacle but have never experienced Tamarind and we absolutely loved this new addition. Pinnacle continues to offer a great experience in all phases: food quality, preparation, service and ambience. We enjoyed perfectly cooked steaks, lamb chops, crab legs, Etc. The apps were great as well with steak tartare being my favorite. Wish they had French onion soup, the MDR version Easter night was bland and just not very good. The table crafted Caesar salad made by Clifford was one of the best we've ever had bursting with flavors as a good Caesar should. The Tamarind was a real treat and offset the Pinnacle with the same great food quality and experience but a totally different menu. They had excellent sushi, beef, lamb and soups. Again, service was impeccable and we were made to feel very special. We brought a case of red wine onboard and never did we feel the wine stewards in both venues made us feel guilty. In fact we always offered them tastings and they were gracious and very friendly.

 

Entertainment was pretty good. Kevin Jordan the comedian was very funny. The juggling comedian was also pretty good. The BB King Band was outstanding and we attended every night except the one day they were not playing. We were very disappointed in Mike the piano bar entertainer. He was way below par compared to others we have enjoyed on HAL ships and others. With the BB King option, the piano bar was not a big deal for us but I was surprised. For those who may have enjoyed Mike, at least it was easy to get a seat at the bar or lounge as it appeared the majority stayed away from this venue.

 

The aft seaview pool was great as usual but a little crowded as expected on sea days. We found passengers with children obeyed the rules for the most part and kept the kids in the mid ship pool. Being Spring Break there were a lot of kids and they seemed pretty well behaved throughout the ship. Kudos to the parents out there who follow the rules and respect others.

 

My wife had a massage and a facial and I had one massage and all services were excellent.

 

Disembarkation was very smooth and we used luggage direct for the first time. Although our flight was severely delayed, all went well and our luggage arrived in good shape at our final destination.

 

Overall, we had a great time and were very pleased with our choice to sail on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We found the trip to be relaxing and also a good value. We will continue to travel with HAL in the future.

Edited April 12, 2016 by cobalt206
Spelled flavors without an L

[cruisun]

We too like the NA. Agree food in the MDR was underwhelming at best and only went once but enjoyed Pinnacle and Tamarind most nights and had one very good meal at Canaletto and would try it again!

[freestyling]

Thank you for your review. We also love the Tamarind. Sorry to hear about Key West. Gives you reason for another cruise.

[kftw]

Thank you for your review.

[canadianbear]

Thanks for the review! We will be on the NA in 2 weeks....unfortunately not in pool weather though. Looking forward to our short 5 days on her.

[IRL_Joanie]

....<SNIP>....

 

Just wanted to say thank you for your timely review. We board her in San Diego in 12 days and while I knew she was in good shape, it still helps to see it is through your eyes/fingers.

 

Happy to hear that Clifford is still whipping out a Great Caesar Salad. He, Roo Roo and Bang Bang were our favorite servers in all the PG's we've eaten in:)

 

Again, thank you for your review:)

 

Joanie

[portofrome]

Thank you for your review.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.

[CruiseLady88]

The only complaint we had is the ventilation duct inside the room. Air conditioning blows out from the top which is very close to the bed. It is very easy to get cold. I read a review which complained the same thing. Now I understand why he complained and he did get a cold from the cruise.

[bandp407]

Appreciate the feedback.

 

Great review Cobalt206! DH & I were on the NA the week before you & enjoyed it very much.

 

Agreed, the BB King Blues Club Band were truly amazing!!! We too attended their shows every night & sometimes shortened dinner to get their first set. Piano guy- DITTO! The "BAND" was pretty good too, however the nights they pulled them (2) for the showroom there was no pre-dinner music. Many complained.

 

We enjoyed our week so much with BB King, the Thermal Suite, and off course HAL's service, that we are contemplating cancelling our December sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette -have sailed her 2x & Reflection 3X. Celebrity's bands & music selections lately & options for dancing have us looking elsewhere. While we enjoy Blu for dinner( Aqua Class) dancing is a big part of our cruise experience. Also, the Thermal Suite on HAL with the Hydro Pool, is much more enjoyable to us than the Persian Gardens.

 

Also, Koningsdam, with the two level Queens Lounge is very attractive and we are excited about sailing on her too. While we are Select & close to Elite with Celebrity & only 1 Star on HAL, that alone will not sway us & we will go with the ship/ line that is more appealing to us. So we will pay for that bag of laundry if we need to!!!

 

If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to try and answer.

[CruiseLady88]

The Band at the Ocean Bar is amazing. We danced every night when The Band played in the Ocean Bar. We also met 3 other couples on the dance floor. We had so much fun. I also danced YMCA with an 82-year-old lady from England. So much fun!

 

I just hope that The Band will play on Koningsdam's Queen's Lounge.

Edited April 12, 2016 by CruiseLady88

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

Nieuw Amsterdam is one of our favorite ships.

[cobalt206]

Joanie,

We had Clifford for two nights at Pinnacle but one night we were served by a very nice young woman from South Africa named Ancu. She was amazing and we enjoyed her as much as Clifford. Enjoy your cruise, you might be passing right in front our beach house on Whidbey Island if you are going between Seattle and Vancouver. Love watching the ships cruise by our beach.

 

Just wanted to say thank you for your timely review. We board her in San Diego in 12 days and while I knew she was in good shape, it still helps to see it is through your eyes/fingers.

 

Happy to hear that Clifford is still whipping out a Great Caesar Salad. He, Roo Roo and Bang Bang were our favorite servers in all the PG's we've eaten in:)

 

Again, thank you for your review:)

 

Joanie

[IRL_Joanie]

Joanie,

We had Clifford for two nights at Pinnacle but one night we were served by a very nice young woman from South Africa named Ancu. She was amazing and we enjoyed her as much as Clifford. Enjoy your cruise, you might be passing right in front our beach house on Whidbey Island if you are going between Seattle and Vancouver. Love watching the ships cruise by our beach.

 

I know Whidbey Island a bit:) My older brother was born there when my Dad was stationed there:)

 

IF you can see the people on the decks as we cruise by your home, you will see me sitting on my verandah. Deck 5 Aft Wrap:)

 

Joanie

[cobalt206]

Well if you are on the starboard aft corner, we will wave as you glide by south Whidbey. Hope you have a great voyage. Say hi to Clifford for us.

 

 

I know Whidbey Island a bit:) My older brother was born there when my Dad was stationed there:)

 

IF you can see the people on the decks as we cruise by your home, you will see me sitting on my verandah. Deck 5 Aft Wrap:)

 

Joanie

[legalslave]

The only complaint we had is the ventilation duct inside the room. Air conditioning blows out from the top which is very close to the bed. It is very easy to get cold. I read a review which complained the same thing. Now I understand why he complained and he did get a cold from the cruise.

 

We take duct tape with us on every cruise. I will get a horrible sinus infection if the air conditioning vent is blowing, even slightly, on my neck or head. We tape the daily newspaper around 3 sides of the vent to prevent it from blowing on me. Sometimes the air will blow on the wall and bounce back where I don't want it to which is why we block 3 sides.

 

Diane

[Keith1010]

Thank you for the review. I enjoyed reading it.

 

Keith

[avian777]

My wife and I and another couple just returned from a very relaxing cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam ... we had a great time and were very pleased with our choice to sail on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We found the trip to be relaxing and also a good value. We will continue to travel with HAL in the future.

 

Thank you for your very thorough and upbeat review of your cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. After reading it, we are even more excited about our first cruise on the NA next January.

 

Thanks again and smooth sailing!