Resizing my HAL expectations - going up to one of the big ones

[OlsSalt]

Decided at the last minute on a nice warm water cruise for a short tip in January and the Neuw Amsterdam has just the right itinerary. HMC was that good on our last trip last month that we want more lazy, warm water and this is the one to provide it.

 

However, we are dedicated small HAL ship fans and our largest and least liked HAL ships are the Vista ships (except for their wonderful non-Neptune suite cabins).

 

So for someone who is a newbie to the larger HAL ship versions like the Nieuw Amsterdam, what tips for the best enjoyment or will it quickly feel like any other HAL ship, once I get on board any HAL ship of smiles. Even the Vistas.

 

One thing I will be very happy to experience is Tamarind, and may in fact try to do Pinnacle and Tamarind as our unofficial MDR, instead of the MDR for this short of a cruise. The large rows of tables for 10 in the Manhattan Dining Room videos are a bit off-putting.

 

What else to explore and what hidden secrets are there to experience on the NA? Thanks.

Edited December 6, 2016 by OlsSalt

[kazu]

Decided at the last minute on a nice warm water cruise for a short tip in January and the Neuw Amsterdam has just the right itinerary. HMC was that good on our last trip last month that we want more lazy, warm water and this is the one to provide it.

 

However, we are dedicated small HAL ship fans and our largest and least liked HAL ships are the Vista ships (except for their wonderful non-Neptune suite cabins).

 

So for someone who is a newbie to the larger HAL ship versions like the Nieuw Amsterdam, what tips for the best enjoyment or will it quickly feel like any other HAL ship, once I get on board any HAL ship of smiles. Even the Vistas.

 

One thing I will be very happy to experience is Tamarind, and may in fact try to do Pinnacle and Tamarind as our unofficial MDR, instead of the MDR for this short of a cruise. The large rows of tables for 10 in the Manhattan Dining Room videos are a bit off-putting.

 

What else to explore and what hidden secrets are there to experience on the NA? Thanks.

 

The Silk Den on the N Amsterdam (near the Tamarind) is very nice for drinks before or after your Tamarind experience. It was never busy when we were on but things may have changed.

 

We really enjoyed the Tamarind and the Silk Den.

 

We are not huge fans of this ship (just our own experience though) but the Tamarind is very nice :) And the ship has a lot of people who love it :)

[HELENPSL]

Just off the NA last week and loved it. As for the large tables...we had open dining. We told the maitre d that we were happy to sit with others but it had to be an oval or round table. The oval is for 6 and the round for 8. It made conversation very easy and we met some wonderful people.

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

When the Vistas ships first came out, we said "No way -- we don't want on a large ship". Had already sailed on the Grand Princess a couple of times and thought her too large.

But there was an itinerary we liked and we booked on of the Vistas -- can't remember which one we did. And suddenly we fell in love with the larger ships. We thought they would be too crowded -- that didn't happen.

Nieuw Amsterdam -- have sailed on her several times. And we kept alternating eating between the Tamarind and Pinnacle -- great dinners all the time.

You will love the Nieuw Amsterdam.

[sppunk]

Honestly I think you'll love it. Signature ships are a great size and tons of room for quiet. Tamarind makes it worthwhile over the Vistas (which I adore) and I think they make some small but when onboard noticeable improvements over the Vistas (not been on Noordam and hear it's a bit different though).

Edited December 6, 2016 by sppunk

[rkacruiser]

I also am a fan of the Silk Den. When the Bar is not open, it is a perfect quiet getaway for reading a good book with a nice view as a bonus. When the Bar is open, on both the Eurodam and the Nieuw Amsterdam, there were few patrons. Easy to talk with other guests as well as the Staff.

 

Dining at the Pinnacle? Make a request that your table will be well within the interior of the Restaurant and not in the outer-most ring of tables, close to the Atrium. That location is OK, but I have found I prefer a table somewhat "deeper" into the facility.

[VennDiagram]

The Tamarind is one of the reasons we booked on the NA. Can't wait to try it :) Thanks for all the feedback. We are also a bit apprehensive about upsizing our cruise ship ;)

 

OlsSalt said:

 

nice warm water cruise for a short tip in January and the Neuw Amsterdam has just the right itinerary.

 

I'll be interested in your opinions about the bigger ship. When do you sail?

[budisal]

We've sailed the Eurodam twice now and absolutely loved the experience. Never found her too large. We were always able to find nice quiet places for reading, or whatever. Never felt crowded. Did fixed seating both times. Great couple on first trip. Bores on trip number 2. Have done open seating on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and NCL. Much prefer open seating. Meet new people every night UNLESS you connect with another couple, then you can eat with them every night if you wish.

 

 

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[Riversedge]

We tried the N Amsterdam recently and LOVED it. But then we have always thought the HAL ships were too small with not enough going on. This was our favorite ship of the Holland America line. We took friends with us who had only sailed on Carnival and Celebrity and they were very impressed.

 

We vote for the Silk Den as well. It's a quiet little bar tucked away. We wondered if people just had not discovered it. We did not care for the Pinnacle Grill on this ship. We only tried it once because our service was just not good. Please come back and tell us your opinion after you have sailed.