Niew Amsterdam- should I be worried about dry dock?

[NiceAunt]

Hi!  
 

My husband and I are taking our entire family on a cruise for Thanksgiving 2023 on the Niew Amsterdam.  Ages 25 to 80.   We have booked 6 veranda cabins on Deck 7.  No one except the two of us and two orhers have ever been on a cruise before.  
 

I have been reading a lot that the NA may be headed for dry dock either the week after our cruise or a few weeks after.  Either way, very soon after.  This will be our 2nd HAL cruise.

Our more experienced cruising friends are telling us to avoid this at all costs…that the ship is in not great shape if going to dry dock.  I did read a few posts that there are/have been propulsion issues, air conditioners in such disrepair that they are leaking, toilets overflowing etc. I understand dry dock may also be things like refreshening paint, carpet,etc, not just major repairs.   I also realize not every cabin experiences these issues. 

 

Obviously, no ship is without problems from time to time and everyone’s definition of problems is different, but it’s a lot of money to be taking our family on a trip that may end up being not so nice if things are in a state of disrepair.  We obviously want them all to have a good first cruise experience. 

 

I get it that everyone’s opinion is different, but should I be worried about the ship heading to dry dock right after our trip ends?  Pros?  Cons? 
 

Thanks for any opinions. 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by NiceAunt

[rafinmd]

By law every ship must undergo periodic drydocks to clean the hull and examine the ship for damage that may not show up in routine operations.  The fact that a ship is going to drydock does not necessarily mean there is a problem.

 

I might avoid especially a short cruise IMMEDIATELY before a drydock since some prep work may happen in the last couple of days so the drydock can be accomplished as quickly as possible.  The same might apply to the cruise after a drydock as some projects may be not quite completed when the ship returns to service.

 

Roy

[Heartgrove]

It appears that the Nieuw Amsterdam has a gap for not sailing October 28, 2023 to November 18, 2023. That would place your cruise right after the drydock. Like others have said before on this topic, the interior work may not be completed so some areas may be off limits. We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam right before the 2017 drydock on a five-day cruise to Nassau. No problems with that except the workers started tearing up the elevator lobby and stair carpeting at around 10:00 pm on the last night.

 

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by Heartgrove

[CruiserBruce]

Probably 80% of the work in a dry dock is stuff that is not in public spaces...stuff you won't even notice.