Newbie to HAL question about cabin choices on the Nieuw Amsterdam

[Sun&Sand52]

Mulling over a last minute cruise with HAL on N/A. Never been on a HAL cruise; last cruise was on Celebrity Solstice ships. I have been reading the reviews on Nieuw Amsterdam and they are pretty positive overall. So I am thinking about giving them a try instead of the usual Celebrity solstice class ship experience. Not looking for a lot of excitement, looking for a relaxing cruise where DH and I can just chill out and forget about the every day stresses of life. I **think** we might be a good fit for the Nieuw Amsterdam ship but not positive. Was originally thinking of the Koningdam but now I am looking at the Nieuw Amsterdam instead - hope that is not a mistake......

 

If anyone has any thoughts on the Nieuw Amsterdam, please feel free to let me know!

 

Anyway.... has anyone sailed in the Upper Prominade Deck "VC" aft cabins, the ones with (what appears on the deck plan) to be a little bit larger balcony? Also, on the Upper Verandah Deck "VD" aft cabins that ONLY have a shower? The balcony looks a little smaller on this VD category than the VC category, but I am not sure. Any input would surly be welcomed! Thanks

[mahi mahi]

We have cruised mostly with Celebrity and HAL. Solstice class ships are a little more modern and larger than the Nieuw Amsterdam however having just returned from NA this week after the drydock in December I can honestly say that this ship has a more contemporary feel and is beautiful. HAL has the reputation of catering to a much older crowd however we find them pretty similar to Celebrity in that regard. Of course this time of year you don't see a lot of families with young kids and we didn't see a large number of walkers and scooters but definitely an older crowd. Announcements are few and far between which we like. We appreciated the new music venues of Billboard Onboard and Lincoln Centre Stage which were packed every evening. We only saw the tail end of a BB Kings performance one night so can't really comment. Movies on stateroom TVs were free unlike Celebrity which we really appreciated.

 

If you have any time dining in main dining room I suggest you go to the deck 2 dining room when you board and make reservations if you want to dine at a particular time or want a table for 2.

 

Balconies on deck 4 are typically a little deeper but not sure about the ones at the very back. Overall the balcony sizes are comparable to Solstice class ships. Bathrooms are not as nice as those on Solstice class ships but are more than adequate....we have had mostly cabins with tub/shower but had one once with just the shower and it was fine.

 

If you are looking for a relaxing time on a beautiful ship with outstanding service I think this ship will be a good fit for you.

 

Happy sailing!

[0bnxshs]

Simply adding that BB Kings is a fun venue with a very professional All Star Band. We have enjoyed them on many ships now. Be prepared for loud Motown and Blues music with lots of dancing.

 

We love aft cabins and have never had any trouble with engine vibrations there, but as with many things, YMMV.

[lastlook]

You might enjoy one of the Retreat Cabanas for relaxation, if they aren't already completely booked for the cruise you are considering. One other thought came to mind when you mentioned that you are looking for a relaxing vacation - the last two weeks in February are school vacation weeks for parts of the U.S. and the ship might have more families/children aboard during that time. That also makes for a busier experience at the airport, etc.

[Sun&Sand52]

Thanks for the replies, sound like the N/A might be a good fit and a nice change of pace for us.

 

Thinking of sailing the first part of March which has me concerned that there would be more kids on board the N/A due to kids being on Spring Break. Initially I just assumed since it was a HAL ship, that would not be an issue as the line tends to cater to more older folks (in my 60s myself) . But maybe I am wrong and there could be a boatload of kids! One time we made the mistake of going on Celebrity during Spring Break and it was really crowded!

[lastlook]

Thanks for the replies, sound like the N/A might be a good fit and a nice change of pace for us.

 

Thinking of sailing the first part of March which has me concerned that there would be more kids on board the N/A due to kids being on Spring Break. Initially I just assumed since it was a HAL ship, that would not be an issue as the line tends to cater to more older folks (in my 60s myself) . But maybe I am wrong and there could be a boatload of kids! One time we made the mistake of going on Celebrity during Spring Break and it was really crowded!

I think March would be fine. We've sailed on the NA twice before - once during March, and we don't remember seeing kids - certainly not many of them. If you stay away from those last two weeks in February, I think you won't see many kids. We love the Retreat Cabanas for rest and relaxation and some extra pampering by the Cabana Stewards there.

[OlsSalt]

Be sure and search for the post that lists when large groups are also on the same cruise - they tend to use the NA and the Eurodam more than other HAL ships. If it is a particularly large group, this can materially affect your cruise experience. Smaller groups will not matter that much, but larger ones can and do affect scheduling and public area uses.

 

We liked the NA very much - the prettiest decor of all the HAL ships we have been on so far. We were in a Neptune cabin so no complaints at all - (it was a last minute upsell) - the class of cabins one step down from Neptune are our most favorite HAL cabin of all, for the price. Particularly if you are on a longer cruise. If the cruise is short and/or very port intensive, your cabin will be mainly for sleeping so some of the pricier benefits of a better grade cabin make not make that much difference - very indifferent food preparation.

 

We got word that the Dutch Princess - who christened the ship- would be on the next cruise so that sure sends the message the NA is "fit for royalty" too. And she is. Lovely ship. The one weak link was the Pinnacle Grill was not very good on that sailing.

[AryMay]

We just had cabin #4144 on the Upper Promenade when we cruised on the NA in October. This was a VB category but other than just a little bit further forward, I would assume the cabin would be the same as the ones you were inquiring about.

 

I posted quite a few photos of the cabin on my blog if you want to get an idea of what it looked like.

 

Cabin #4144 on Nieuw Amsterdam

 

I also posted a video on YouTube with the highlights of our cruise if you would rather see the "movie version" of my cabin tour! ;)

 

 

We started out with an inside cabin and then slowly worked our way up to a VE balcony guarantee as prices dropped so I felt we did OK when we ended up in a VB category. I was concerned about being so close to the aft elevators, but ended up loving the location. No noise at all and it was so convenient to hop on the elevator and go up to the lido buffet or walk down a couple of decks to the main dining room.

 

I think you are correct when you mentioned the balconies might be a bit larger for the cabins at the back of deck 4. We just did a couple of cruises on Norwegian and our balcony was so shallow that your knees would almost touch the railing while sitting! The NA balcony was much deeper and probably could have accomodated a lounge chair.

 

Hopefully this is helpful!

[Sun&Sand52]

We just had cabin #4144 on the Upper Promenade when we cruised on the NA in October. This was a VB category but other than just a little bit further forward, I would assume the cabin would be the same as the ones you were inquiring about.

 

I posted quite a few photos of the cabin on my blog if you want to get an idea of what it looked like.

 

Cabin #4144 on Nieuw Amsterdam

 

I also posted a video on YouTube with the highlights of our cruise if you would rather see the "movie version" of my cabin tour! ;)

 

 

We started out with an inside cabin and then slowly worked our way up to a VE balcony guarantee as prices dropped so I felt we did OK when we ended up in a VB category. I was concerned about being so close to the aft elevators, but ended up loving the location. No noise at all and it was so convenient to hop on the elevator and go up to the lido buffet or walk down a couple of decks to the main dining room.

 

I think you are correct when you mentioned the balconies might be a bit larger for the cabins at the back of deck 4. We just did a couple of cruises on Norwegian and our balcony was so shallow that your knees would almost touch the railing while sitting! The NA balcony was much deeper and probably could have accomodated a lounge chair.

 

Hopefully this is helpful!

 

Thanks! That was great information in your blog and video! Great help!

[OlsSalt]

Other comments gave you a lot to digest.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

That is about minute 42:00 to see who the second place winner, and then comes her kissing cousins come in for #1. Traditional cruise ships rule.

[Sun&Sand52]

Thanks for that great informational video!! Looks like N/A is #2. Question... BTW, just curious, who is the one who decided these rankings? A cruise magazine or something like that?

 

BTW this is what I am not looking for. Mayhem at the pool! This was on a Celebrity Eclipse Carribean cruise in April 2011. This was a quiet day at the main pool. The cruise must have been oversold, as it was incredibly busy everywhere on that cruise. Apparently we were cruising during the height of Spring Break in 2011!

 

 

[Adoptionmsw]

Thanks so much for the video, incredibly well executed. I loved it. We’re off for three weeks on the Rotterdam out of Tampa starting 2/4. Can’t wait.

 

 

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