Nieuw Statendam Review, January 6-20, 2019

[idiebabe]

Pinnacle has Crab Legs (no Upcharge) and are very good!  If you love Lobster, Sel de Mer has it on the Menu and they give two huge  Tails which were perfectly cooked.  Keep an eye for Lobster in Lido,  too.  I believe they offered it at Dinner either the first or second night of the Cruise.  We didn't eat Dinner in Lido but those that did said the Lobster was good.

 

 

[canadian-nurse]

Thank you so much for answering my questions!!! I am even more excited now!!

[Cruizer Bill]

Thank you for your review.

[rkacruiser]

I sailed with Fred and Mitzi (I'm "Sir Robert" whom he mentioned) and concur with much of his report.  (I do intend to write a review of my own soon.)

 

Regarding the Crow's Nest:  the Exploration's Cafe is not just a coffee bar, but is a full bar as well.  There is much room for more seating and I agree that the seating that is there was comfortable.  Lots of interest in the digital display at the front of the Lounge, but, contrary to what I thought would be available, no view of the ship's digital map on the Bridge.  (Such a display on my last trip on the Amsterdam had such a view and was quite informative for those of us who viewed it.)  A small "dance-type floor" in the middle of the the Lounge had been installed.  Lots of empty book shelves and I did see evidence of previous guests leaving some books.  The digital EXC related screens/tables were interesting.  But, how much use will they really get?  (I saw them being unused more often than in use.)  Personally, I think the new Crow's Nest concept is a "work in progress".

 

MDR:  I was less pleased than Fred with menu selections and taste of the food.  Some dinners were better than others and repeating the same 7 day menus in the same order is not what I have experienced on other Collector's Voyages.  MDR breakfasts and lunches were all better than dinner, I think.  Service at all MDR meals met my "Signature of Excellence" expectations.

 

Rolling Stone Rock n' Roll Room:  The Band was too loud and during 14 days, while not patronizing the Lounge nightly, I only heard one song that I recognized.  The same for the BB King's Club although I think the group was a good one.

 

Sel de Mar was a major hit for me!  Ordering Escargots, Dover Sole, and Crepes Suzette, everything was very well prepared.  When I saw the charge for my dinner, I was pleasantly surprised.  Without wine, my bill was $19.50!  As a 5 Star Mariner, that surely helped to reduce the cost.  In comparison to the charge for the other specialty restaurants:  Sel de Mar was a bargain.  Service and staff friendliness was excellent.

 

World Stage:  During my cruise, the theater's capability seemed underutilized with the programming offered.  Seating was comfortable and sight lines very good.

 

Half Moon Cay:  The most significant change since my last visit was the construction of a covered shelter for those guests waiting for a tender to return to their ship.  So much better than standing out in the open when finishing one's visit to this lovely port.

 

Being able to sail on such a new ship was a treat.  And, meeting interesting fellow guests added to my enjoyment.  Our small Happy Hour group was something that I looked forward to each day.

[footballmom]

We were on NS January 13-20. 

I agree—the crab legs in the Pinnacle Grill were great!  The piano duo were amazing! Loved the band at the Rolling Rock but every night was a repeat of the night before. Part of the reason was their lead singer had to go home a week before our cruise so then they had to figure out what songs the new singer knew. I’m sure they’ll add more songs as time goes by.  The group in BB Kings was truly amazing—they know 200 songs! And you can request songs and they will play it if they know it. 

There is an ice cream stand is in Lido—just on one side so go to other side if you don’t see it. They had hard and soft serve. Delicious!

I thought all the food was great and I liked that they served most of it to you in the Lido. 

Edited February 3, 2019 by footballmom

[RuthC]

49 minutes ago, footballmom said:

The group in BB Kings was truly amazing—they know 200 songs!

That's really not a lot of songs for a band on a cruise ship to know.
Even on a short 10-day cruise that's only 20 different songs per night.

[stickey_mouse]

5 hours ago, RuthC said:

That's really not a lot of songs for a band on a cruise ship to know.
Even on a short 10-day cruise that's only 20 different songs per night.

 

Is this comment serious or intended to be a joke? 

 

[RuthC]

10 hours ago, stickey_mouse said:

 

Is this comment serious or intended to be a joke?  

 

Quite serious. 200 songs is not an extensive repertoire for professional musicians. Not even close.
 

I remember a time when HAL musicians would play 4 hours a night, without a break, and never repeat a song during the course of a cruise (unless a song was specifically requested). I remember one musician who did 4 solid hours of 'goodbye' songs on the final evening---no repeats.
So, yes, I am serious that 200 songs is not impressive.  

[stickey_mouse]

49 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Quite serious. 200 songs is not an extensive repertoire for professional musicians. Not even close.
 

I remember a time when HAL musicians would play 4 hours a night, without a break, and never repeat a song during the course of a cruise (unless a song was specifically requested). I remember one musician who did 4 solid hours of 'goodbye' songs on the final evening---no repeats.
So, yes, I am serious that 200 songs is not impressive.  

 

I am impressed. But then again, I am not a musician. 

[charterchick]

I was on the NS Jan 13th-20th and had purchased the soda package and was disappointed that the cups were not onboard. If I was told this at booking I would have purchased the soda cards instead. I inquired at customer service and was told they could remove the soda package but would not honor the pre-sail price of the cards ($25 for $50) So, I purchased a cup at our first port. I ordered my soda at the bar and put it in my insulated cup to keep it cold while at the pool. Very disappointing, but since the ship is new I wrote it off as a minor incident! 

[jpcello]

Thanks for this review. I'm currently looking at a September 2019 sailing on the Statendam but I'm concerned about the cabin my travel agent found. You were on Deck 8 (8090). I'm also looking at a cabin on Deck 8 but I'm very concerned about the noise from above. Did you have any issues with noise in your cabin?

[EbayCruiser]

12 hours ago, charterchick said:

I was on the NS Jan 13th-20th and had purchased the soda package and was disappointed that the cups were not onboard. If I was told this at booking I would have purchased the soda cards instead. I inquired at customer service and was told they could remove the soda package but would not honor the pre-sail price of the cards ($25 for $50) So, I purchased a cup at our first port. I ordered my soda at the bar and put it in my insulated cup to keep it cold while at the pool. Very disappointing, but since the ship is new I wrote it off as a minor incident! 

We thought about ordering the package but decided to just take our soda on board.  We are stopping at CVS or some other spot and purchasing Diet Pepsi for me and regular Pepsi for DH.  Much less expensive and we are taking our insulated cups.

[Overhead Fred]

17 minutes ago, jpcello said:

You were on Deck 8 (8090). I'm also looking at a cabin on Deck 8 but I'm very concerned about the noise from above. Did you have any issues with noise in your cabin?

 

I did not notice any consistently bothersome noise from the deck above. There was the occasional muted thump, but nothing that would prevent me from booking this cabin again. 

[philliesgirl48]

Will be on 24 day cruise in October. Was wondering what cable news show is shown in our cabin. Was on cruise on RC last year & they only showed Fox. Hopefully Holland America will show CNN or MSNBC. 

[rkacruiser]

Not Fred, but I don't think that CNN was available.  CNBC was, I think.  Not sure about MSNBC.

 

I felt I was pretty much in a news desert from the time I left home in late December until I returned to Fort Lauderdale on January 20th.  And, for me, that was kind of nice.  The Sun still came up in the morning and set at night and I did not have to be concerned about some of our political idiots for awhile.

[Overhead Fred]

I do not recall if CNN was available, but MSNBC certainly was. 

[baggal]

No CNN.  MSNBC and FOX.  Also CNBC.

[colonialinnkeeper]

Also, BBC.

 

[Sir PMP]

Thanks for the detailed review, not a ship for me, I will never sail on this one..

[510picker]

Very well written review! Thank you for taking the time to share!