Live from Nieuw Statendam - Legends of the Fjords, May 28 to June 9

[Hlitner]

On 6/8/2023 at 4:37 PM, wdw1972 said:

Thank you for your review - I enjoyed following along on your trip.  I've sailed HAL many times, starting in my 30's and currently 64.  My last cruise was on the Nieuw Statendam this past March (in the Caribbean).  Thankfully I've never experienced a hot stateroom or uncomfortable bed.  In fact, if anything the stateroom is chilly, but I like to keep it that way so I can sleep under the thick cover and when lounging in the stateroom I just put on the robe.  Billboard has always been 2 piano players but has never been "dueling pianos" style.  From my experience it's been rare to find 2 of them with great voices - usually 1 has been good to great and the other has been poor to barely ok.  Love BB Kings, but will miss LCS on my upcoming cruises.

 

I no longer do the MDR (probably been over 10-12 years) but that's just my choice.  I prefer specialty, sometimes Lido or something else (like Grand Dutch Cafe).  Overall the world is getting ruder by the minute it seems!  I've encountered a few cantankerous people on my many HAL cruises, but only once (pre-covid) was there someone who was truly rude - in that case I chose to walk away but did tell her she was ridiculous/rude but not worth my time to attempt a conversation with someone so rude (I sat down at an untouched table in the Lido with my dinner then she & travel companion showed up to announce that was their table and they were just getting their food - with NOTHING disturbed or left on the table to indicate it was taken.  Pointing that out left them standing there holding their plates glaring at me but not going away, lol).  I hope my next HAL cruise (November 2023) is mostly free of the rude passengers.

 

Sue/WDW1972

Your story reminded me of an incident we had on the Oosterdam, a few years ago.  DW and I, and another couple we had just met, sat down for a late breakfast in the Lido.  We chose an empty table.  As we were all eating our breakfast a couple of ladies came up to our table and told us we had to move because this was where they had their "knitting club."   The other lady (not my wife) quickly responded that they were welcome to the table when we had all finished our breakfast.  The other ladies, again, insisted we had to leave NOW because it was their usual table.  At that point we did tell them to go find another table.   But we viewed this as a different issue on HAL, which is that there are many folks who use the Lido as their game table, card table, knitting table, etc.  The Lido is supposed to be a restaurant with the tables used for dining.  But too many just hang out there all day which can make it difficult for others who simply want a place to eat.

 

Hank

[Iamthesea]

5 hours ago, Analog187 said:

I don't doubt that at all.  I'm sure the people in the cabins on either side of us had different experiences than we did.  As I mentioned, at least a dozen people were very, very cranky so perhaps they had much, much worse experiences or they are just really cranky in general.  No idea.  It's nice to know that the AC thing isn't a shipwide issue.  

It's not a ship wide issue.  We like our stateroom cool to frigid for sleeping.  The thermostat was set at two notches above the coldest setting the entire cruise.  It was cold during the day, but just right when sleeping. Except for the much too fluffy pillows (cruising sister, we sleep with foam bits pillows) the bed was nice and cozy. 😍  We kept our curtains closed during the day to keep the sun from heating up the room and never left our stateroom door open.  BTW- Did you keep your room card, or another type of card, in the slot at night?

[Analog187]

4 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

BTW- Did you keep your room card, or another type of card, in the slot at night?

Yes, we literally didn't change a thing. 10pm room was a nice temp.  By about 1am it was as hot as the sauna.  

[Analog187]

6 hours ago, NE John said:

Sounds like you expect more and with a $2k premium over Carnival you have every right to expect more. 
I look forward to your post-cruise thoughts overall because a Norway trip is high on my list, especially in November to see the Northern Lights. 

Yeah, I guess it's all about perspective, taste, interests, etc.  Some people think Olive Garden is the best Italian food anywhere, others don't.  Some people do pineapple on pizza, others think that's crazy.  But it seems like post covid some people get upset when you have different opinions about anything.  

 

Anyway, I have nothing else to add as I put my final thoughts in the disembarkation post.  I can't possibly suggest a Norway cruise enough especially one that goes to Flam and Eidfjord.  If you have any questions, feel free to let me know.  

[Iamthesea]

I love pineapple on my pizza.  DH not so much.  I do not mind Olive Garden.  DH is not a fan. 😁

 

Forgot to mention this when you said that "Canaletto is hardly Italian."   It's a Northern Italian cuisine restaurant, so you will not find many dishes like you have at Olive Garden.  It's more like an Italian steakhouse.  We were first introduced to this type of cuisine on a Disney cruise (Palo) back in 2020.  Loved it!   In Canaletto this past cruise, I had the lamb.  DH had fish.  Both dishes, and the experience, (once we settled in), were excellent!   Unfortunately, the female maitre'd was not great.  We waited 15 minutes before having to flag someone over to just take a drink order.  The maitre'd had failed to tell the server we were there.  Busy night!

 

Although we enjoyed having our embarkation lunch in the main dining room, the two times that we tried lunch there on a sea day, were just so, so.   Since we had no prior connection with the servers,  they mainly did their job and went on.  The lunch food was OK, but it was nice to have a beautiful place to dine without having to fight for a seat in the Lido or around the pool area.

 

We enjoyed dining in Club Orange for both breakfast and dinners.  The staff could not have been any better!!!  The food was mostly outstanding.  We ordered one dish to share, the scallops, and they were way too salty for our taste.  Being from the state of SC, we like our seafood straight from the ocean and without any additives other than a little butter and lemon.  Or fried!!! 😃

 

What I have always said about cruise ship food is that I was thankful not to be cooking.  If the food is edible, I can be happy.  Many dishes are fine, some are wonderful.  I especially enjoy the appetizers or salads over the entree's.  We have never sent a dish back.  I cook a mean salmon at home that is hard to beat, but the salmon on our cruise had excellent flavor.   Had it many times during our 14 days.

 

Sorry that your cruise did not go to Flam.  Our day there was very enjoyable.  We took a bus tour with HAL, while others took the train.  I believe that we saw just about the same sights, with many stops along the way.  While we try to stay away from cruise ship bus tours, it was very nice.

Edited June 10, 2023 by Iamthesea

[jagger16]

Thank you for taking the time to post throughout your cruise. I appreciate hearing about the good and the bad. It’s really interesting how the passenger dynamics vary from cruise to cruise. We’ve been on 25+ cruises on every kind of cruise line and we’ve experienced it all. Things can change from one cruise to the next. We sail on HAL every December and there are things about HAL that we love but consistency (with all cruise lines) is a problem these days. I wouldn’t call HAL a premium cruise line. It’s a mainstream that has a lot of nice touches. Safe travels!

[jagger16]

Can you please repost the link to your pictures? Would love to see them and I’m not finding it. Thank you!

[Analog187]

5 minutes ago, jagger16 said:

Can you please repost the link to your pictures? Would love to see them and I’m not finding it. Thank you!

here you go

https://www.facebook.com/travelingwithjef

[consmarci]

Cash can also be used at the tables to get chips, or just stand in line at the casino cage. 

 

Do you happen to remember who the Maitre De is at Club Orange?

 

[Mike07]

On 6/8/2023 at 5:03 PM, mlgb said:

NCL also has scooped ice cream in the buffet! Neither Princess nor HAL does that.

 

I was surprised to see free sushi on HAL in the buffet. 

 

 

The Niew Statendam definitely has ice cream (soft-served and scoop) available from lunch to evening. It was quite popular.

 

 

[ExpatBride]

4 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

The Niew Statendam definitely has ice cream (soft-served and scoop) available from lunch to evening. It was quite popular.

 

 

HAL had scooped ice cream in Zuiderdam in 2016, so IDK what @mlgb is on about 🤷‍♀️

[57redbird]

On 6/8/2023 at 11:19 AM, Analog187 said:

 

LCS was a dual venue with BBK.  LCS is gone so it is just BBK now.  

 

They said there was nothing they could do.  As I've said, there were a number of things I didn't get into where their attitude was "tough luck".  My guess is that they turn the AC off at night but since a lot of older people like it warm, no one really complaints.  Just a guess.  During the day our room was fine.  Right around midnight, it would feel like a sauna.  That would last until about 8am and then the AC would work again.  

We had the same issue on the K in Feb/March to Hawaii/South Pacific....as if it wasn't warm enough in those locations, having the AC not work when you're trying to sleep was miserable.  Our room steward verified it was working but that was during the day when it probably was...we opted not to have Engineering come at 2 a.m. to check it then.

[Mike07]

I did not experience any heating or A/C issues in my room. My thermostat would turn on the system quite quickly and get the room where it needed to be.

[cruising sister]

19 hours ago, consmarci said:

Cash can also be used at the tables to get chips, or just stand in line at the casino cage. 

 

Do you happen to remember who the Maitre De is at Club Orange?

 

Putra was the Assistant Maitre De on my May 14th and Genesis was his assistant. 

[jagger16]

@Analog187 Your pictures are beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed seeing places we had been before through a new lens and seeing other places that we will have to visit someday.

[Analog187]

1 hour ago, jagger16 said:

Your pictures are beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed seeing places we had been before through a new lens and seeing other places that we will have to visit someday.

Thanks!  I always like to hear when people appreciate my pics.  I do my best to get good shots.  

[mocruzer]

On 6/6/2023 at 2:44 PM, Analog187 said:

Day 10 - Kristiansand

 

 

On 6/6/2023 at 2:44 PM, Analog187 said:

We then took the bus to Lillesand which is about a half hour away.  Unlike the towns that have a historic area, this whole town on the water is a historic area.  Tons of old wooden houses, almost all of them painted white with awesome flowers everywhere.  The smell is awesome.  A number of the houses are from the 1700s and 1800s.  It's clearly a well to do area as most people seemed to have a Mercedes or an Audi.  I think we were the only tourists in the area but wow, it was a great place.  Can't recommend it enough.  

 

 

 

Thank you for your review.  What bus did you take to Lillesand and do you recall the cost and if you can pay with cc or cash only?

[Analog187]

6 hours ago, mocruzer said:

Thank you for your review.  What bus did you take to Lillesand and do you recall the cost and if you can pay with cc or cash only?

It was the city bus.  It's right on Google maps.  Just type that in as your destination and then select public transportation.  It'll show you the times and everything.  I didn't even look at the receipt since we were going regardless but it's public transportation so I doubt it was anything crazy.  Norway is a cashless society so you just tap your card.  I didn't see one person using cash the entire time I was there.

[fastandhappy]

I appreciated your review as we are sailing on the 7 day Nordic cruise July 26. We did the Alaska cruise on Princess in 2009, which we enjoyed, but otherwise travel to the tropics or Europe on our own. The only cruise I expect to take in the future would be a European river cruise. This is a last minute cruise with son and family and the price was very reasonable, $2900 for veranda. We are "old" 78 and 81, but active and really do not know what to expect.

 

It took awhile to figure out all the abbreviations (HIA, CO, MDR, etc). The information on the HAL website and other sites seems to be more for experienced cruisers and my questions are not being answered.

 

For example, we like a glass or 2 of wine with dinner but do not drink alcohol during the day and I can't decide whether we need the HIA. We drink lots of water and tea. Do we have to pay for them? I saw orange juice listed on the HIA beverages. Really???? Do I have to pay for orange juice at meals? 

 

I use a CPAP machine and need  distilled water. I know I can bring it on board in "Checked Baggage" but how am I supposed to get a gallon of distilled water in my suitcase?

 

Is the pool just walk around deep? Is the Lincoln Center venue gone? We are classical music people and that is a main attraction.

 

I could go on with my questions but don't want to bore. I would really appreciate being directed to a more informative site for HAL and this ship, Nieuw Statendam. 

 

Many thanks,

Joyce

[Cruise Suzy]

No charge for water, tea or lemonade in dining venues. No charge for orange juice at breakfast. Water from the faucet in bathroom is always free.

 

Distilled water can be ordered online before your cruise. Under beverages.

[fastandhappy]

Thank you. I will look for that but so far I haven't been able to book anything and my TA is in Thailand so emails not being answered. I guess I have time to figure things out.

[QuattroRomeo]

On 6/15/2023 at 10:13 AM, fastandhappy said:

I appreciated your review as we are sailing on the 7 day Nordic cruise July 26. We did the Alaska cruise on Princess in 2009, which we enjoyed, but otherwise travel to the tropics or Europe on our own. The only cruise I expect to take in the future would be a European river cruise. This is a last minute cruise with son and family and the price was very reasonable, $2900 for veranda. We are "old" 78 and 81, but active and really do not know what to expect.

 

It took awhile to figure out all the abbreviations (HIA, CO, MDR, etc). The information on the HAL website and other sites seems to be more for experienced cruisers and my questions are not being answered.

 

For example, we like a glass or 2 of wine with dinner but do not drink alcohol during the day and I can't decide whether we need the HIA. We drink lots of water and tea. Do we have to pay for them? I saw orange juice listed on the HIA beverages. Really???? Do I have to pay for orange juice at meals? 

 

I use a CPAP machine and need  distilled water. I know I can bring it on board in "Checked Baggage" but how am I supposed to get a gallon of distilled water in my suitcase?

 

Is the pool just walk around deep? Is the Lincoln Center venue gone? We are classical music people and that is a main attraction.

 

I could go on with my questions but don't want to bore. I would really appreciate being directed to a more informative site for HAL and this ship, Nieuw Statendam. 

 

Many thanks,

Joyce

Hi Joyce- welcome to Cruise Critic! You have many good questions, so I suggest you start a new thread and then you will attract lots of members who have been on Nieuw Statendam before. Just go to the main page of the Holland America board and click on "Start a New Topic".

From what you are saying, it does not seem to be worth it for you to buy the HIA (Have it All package). You are better off just paying as you go. (Just gets charged to your stateroom). You can buy a glass of wine. Or you could get one of the wine packages, for 4 or more bottles.(You can buy the package online in advance, or when you are on board). If you don't finish the bottle they will store it for your next meal.

 

Have you registered yet for your Holland America online account? There you will find the online pre-purchasing options for your cruise. Under Beverages, you can browse the wine options. As Cruise Suzy said, you will also find distilled water there.

It is near the bottom of the page. $2.95 gallon.

If you order online, it will be waiting for you in the stateroom.

 

You do not have to pay for plain water or tea. You can get juice with your breakfast. 

If you want mineral water or tins of water then there is a charge. You can get iced tea and lemonade free in the common eating areas. 

 

The Lincoln Centre Stage (LCS) feature ended recently, unfortunately. But maybe others can help tell you what music has been available on this ship recently. Same for info about the pools. They are not all completely shallow but I don't know how deep. Somebody will know!

 

Here is a link to information about Nieuw Statendam dining, entertainment etc on HAL's main website: 

   https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/cruise-ships/ms-nieuw-statendam/1.html

 

 

 

 

[REOVA]

On 6/15/2023 at 12:13 PM, fastandhappy said:

 

For example, we like a glass or 2 of wine with dinner but do not drink alcohol during the day and I can't decide whether we need the HIA. We drink lots of water and tea. Do we have to pay for them? I saw orange juice listed on the HIA beverages. Really???? Do I have to pay for orange juice at meals? 

 

Fresh squeezed OJ is included in HIA beverage package. Otherwise it's from bottle. Also milkshakes, specialty coffee and drinks from Dutch Cafe,  hot chocolate, specialty alcohol drinks (under $ limit) and canned water comes with HIA. 

 

Have your TA price out each line of the HIA to see if the Total HIA saves anything from buying individual line items (or wine packages). The beverage package is usually the bigger savings as other items (gratuities, excursions, OBC...) are $ for $.