Nieuw Statendam TA crossing: some hits, some misses -- brief review

[cruisemom42]

After my somewhat disappointing Westerdam cruise in April, I was not actively looking to book with HAL again until I had some hope that things aboard had improved. (For reference, the April Westy cruise was 28 days around Japan and while Japan was wonderful, Westerdam was not at her best. In fact, I would say it was a low ebb.)

 

Nevertheless I booked this TA as it nicely coincided with a planned week in Rome and frankly the fare when I booked it (just a couple of months in advance) was less than airfare would've cost. Also it would be my first time on a Pinnacle ship and first time doing a TA. I had hopes for a few more activities and fewer issues than on Westerdam, but frankly tried to keep my expectations low.

 

Happily, I found the voyage much improved over April, but with a few areas that still weren't quite up to what I think of as HAL standards. Also, I tried to balance the more positive momentum on HAL ships at the moment vs. the cutbacks on Celebrity since January 2023. In short: HAL seems to have started out after Covid very slowly but now seems to be working its way back. Celebrity, on the other hand, started out going gangbusters after Covid, but since then it has seen several rounds of significant cutbacks. While HAL has added, X has cut back. 

 

First the ship:  I liked the feel of the Pinnacle class ship, but wish it was smaller. The World Stage, B.B. Kings, Explorations/Crows Nest and Tamarind were lovely spaces. The MDR was fine but a bit loud. The Dutch Cafe is a splendid addition. Other spaces not mentioned were fine but no real standouts. Pinnacle Grill seemed smaller and darker than on some previous ships. The promenade deck issue did not bother me as I am not a walker. Thermal suite was lovely. I did not enter a shop or use the casino. The library was not yet open but I always bring my own reading material on my Kindle.

 

My interior cabin was adequate but tight; however, it did have a couch. Storage was adequate except in the bathroom where there was not enough space to store things. I had no hot water for the first day and a half after sailing, my soap dispenser leaked onto the counter all week and I had no trash cans in cabin for several days. My cabin door didn't catch and "lock" unless it was really slammed. These were only minor issues. The cabin was quiet, the bed was comfy and the A/C kept things cool.

 

Service:  The service seemed off. I am not sure whether the ship was understaffed (speculating that some contracts ended after Med season and perhaps new replacements were flown to US rather than to Europe to join the ship). Another possibility is Covid, which was definitely onboard. Two people at my dining table of 8 had it, as well as one person on my trivia team. Luckily, my booster seems to have protected me. (That, and avoiding the Lido which always seemed packed.). Anyway, my room steward was barely visible throughout; bar service was slow; and our late-seating MDR table had a wait team that seemed to struggle, despite the 3rd floor area not being anywhere near full. They could never seem to get the right plates delivered to the person who ordered them, and I was also not a big fan of how they brought out the individual glasses of wine ordered. Having someone stand at the foot of the table and holler "Someone order a Malbec??" isn't what I expect in the MDR. (Let me hasten to add that none of this ruined my cruise; just wasn't up to HAL standards.). Food, especially main courses, often arrived lukewarm. Food choices were generally good, although some of the steak choices my table mates tried were deemed to be pretty tough.

 

We found it difficult to make the 9:30 show with a 7:30 dining time. Even when we all were seated by 7:30 and urged the waiter to try to expedite things, often we had to forego dessert to make the show on time. (The early show was at 7:30, so that wasn't an option.)

 

Entertainment:  I came aboard expecting nothing, so was happy to find both EXC lectures as well as a real live lecturer onboard ship. (Westerdam had no EXC talks and the guest lecturer was not what I'd consider qualified). These really helped fill the big holes in the daytime activities schedule -- both were held daily during sea days. The main stage still was somewhat lacking -- the first night HAL documentary plus at least two movie nights weren't compelling. There were a variety of guest performers along with the Step One dancers, but only one stood out for me: a group of 4 musicians doing 50s-60s "throwback" rock called Runaround Kids.

 

There was not a hint of any Lincoln Center Stage or other classical performers onboard, either in a regular venue or as guest musicians, one of the biggest disappointments for me. The bands playing in the onboard venues varied quite a bit in terms of quality: Rolling Stones (bad, very out-of-tune); Billboard pianist/singers (a bit less bad); BB Kings (good musicians but some took issue with their choice of playlists); and the band playing in the Ocean Bar (very, very good).

 

Holiday decor began appearing the day after we boarded; there were trees and greenery throughout the ship but nothing OTT. The gingerbread village display was the most fun. The holiday cocktails are a nice touch that I enjoyed sampling.

 

I never had trouble finding somewhere nice to sit and read or people watch, whether inside or outside. Yes, there is piped-in music in most areas but it doesn't bother me unless it is exceptionally loud (which it wasn't). I also participated regularly in 2 of the 3 daily trivias (the third conflicted with my dining time).

 

A few other notes on dining:

-- Rudi's seemed practically empty every night. I can see why HAL is thinking of replacing it. The sooner the better...

-- Tamarind was much, much better as a "real" restaurant than in the Caneletto "pop up" on Westerdam. Loved it.

-- Pinnacle Grill food was good (and I actually got to have 2 apps!!!) and meal was well paced (compared to slow MDR)

-- Continued to enjoy Dive In and also really liked the addition of the NY Deli and Dutch Cafe.  All good lunch options.

-- Avoided the Lido, which was no hardship for me

-- Often saw folks sitting outside Club Orange with beepers -- seems to kind of defeat the purpose?

 

I purchased the HIA package and made good use of its included 2 excursions, 2 free meals and of course beverages. The NS wasn't plagued with the shortages that I experienced on Westy, though they did seem to have a limited supply of limoncello onboard (some bars had it and some did not), and Coke Zero ran out the day before we reached Fort Lauderdale. I enjoyed many good cocktails, all included, as well as having enough choices of wine and specialty coffees to keep me happy.

 

I found it to be no hassle boarding or disembarking the ship, given the size. I never heard a total but I would suspect the ship was only 66-75% full. Very few children onboard. 

 

Everyone's take on a cruise is slightly different. As I said initially, the cruise left me feeling hopeful. I hope HAL continues to do what it is doing to improve their onboard experience. If they do, I would be more happy to continue booking with them for their interesting itineraries. But for me, both parts are needed to create the "whole" experience I want.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kellybc]

Your headline says Nieuw Amsterdam, but your review doesn’t sound like the ship I was on in April. 

[VMax1700]

@cruisemom42 I think you need to ask admin to change the thread title to Nieuw Statendam?

[cruisemom42]

Sorry, still brain dead from spending hours in FLL airport yesterday, lol. I've asked the mods to change the ship name to Nieuw Statendam.

 

[Cruise Suzy]

@cruisemom42 mentions she was on a Pinnacle ship and had the Grand Dutch Cafe. So she was on Nieuw Statendam.

[waiting2retire]

Thanks for your review!  I will be spending a month on the Nieuw Statendam next May and am curious about your cabin. I didn’t realize any of the interior cabins had a couch on the Pinnacle class ships. Do you mind sharing your cabin number?  Was it maybe a handicapped cabin?

 

[Roz]

Very thorough, evenhanded review.  Thank you for your comments. 

 

My last HAL cruise was disappointing. 

[Haljo1935]

Having also just disembarked this ship yesterday, I am aligned with many of these observations; although, I never saw people w/beepers @CO - never saw it completely full, but could be the timing of our visits.

The Ocean Bar band was hands down our favorite - they were very good.

[kazu]

I am glad you are hopeful after being on this cruise after your experience on the Westerdam.  I know it was disappointing.

 

I hate the MDR on the Pinnacle Class ships.  It’s just too loud and the sound reverberates.  I happily pay the surcharge to dine in Club Orange - used it on the Koningsdam & Rotterdam and never had a beeper.  I just asked the manager the best times to come 😉. If you do another Pinnacle Class ship, I recommend it if you are so inclined.

[*Miss G*]

Thank you for your report and sorry about your experience in the MDR.  Do they give beepers to those waiting for a table there?  I am thinking that’s a more likely scenario than Club Orange, but I always dine in CO outside of the rush hour so maybe that’s why I’ve never received one.

Edited December 12, 2023 by *Miss G*
Clarity

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for sharing.

[albingirl]

47 minutes ago, kazu said:

I am glad you are hopeful after being on this cruise after your experience on the Westerdam.  I know it was disappointing.

 

I hate the MDR on the Pinnacle Class ships.  It’s just too loud and the sound reverberates.  I happily pay the surcharge to dine in Club Orange - used it on the Koningsdam & Rotterdam and never had a beeper.  I just asked the manager the best times to come 😉. If you do another Pinnacle Class ship, I recommend it if you are so inclined.

Agree.

[albingirl]

Just now, albingirl said:

Agree.

Thanks alot for your review. I do love that ship but we tend to hang out on the loungers on deck 10 and cocktails at that bar. Club Orange is our key to happiness. MdR is a madhouse and we couldn't stand it. My next cruise is on NCL in Jan. I'll let you know how it goes. I do love their entertainment but the ships are huge. We'll see.

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, waiting2retire said:

 I will be spending a month on the Nieuw Statendam next May and am curious about your cabin. I didn’t realize any of the interior cabins had a couch on the Pinnacle class ships. Do you mind sharing your cabin number?  Was it maybe a handicapped cabin?

I had an accessible veranda cabin on the Nieuw Statendam, and even a cabin so large, and so much more expensive than an inside, didn't have a couch. 

It had two narrow chairs, with a low coffee table in front, facing the bed. The TV was behind it. 
The cabin could easily have had a couch at the foot of the bed, facing the TV, and still left plenty of room for mobility devices. 

But the point is, if an accessible veranda cabin doesn't get a couch, I doubt an accessible inside would. If one does, I would truly love to hear about it. 

[Macgregor]

Thank you for such a well considered review! As a MDR person on earlier cruises, I can confirm that those of us with beepers used the chairs outside CO to wait. Never saw a line at CO at dinner.

[cruisemom42]

33 minutes ago, Macgregor said:

Thank you for such a well considered review! As a MDR person on earlier cruises, I can confirm that those of us with beepers used the chairs outside CO to wait. Never saw a line at CO at dinner.

 

That makes sense. Not sure why it didn't occur to me that they were waiting for the MDR. Duh!!!!!

 

[Haljo1935]

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

That makes sense. Not sure why it didn't occur to me that they were waiting for the MDR. Duh!!!!!

 

Phew 🫡 lol

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, waiting2retire said:

Do you mind sharing your cabin number?  Was it maybe a handicapped cabin?

 

It was 6127, a sideways Inside directly behind the midship elevators. 

 

No noise at all from the elevators but the cabin did have its fair share of cracking and popping in rougher seas. I noticed there were shims inserted above and just to the left of the cabin door, I assume to try to mitigate the above.

 

It was definitely NOT an accessible cabin -- I could barely walk between the couch and the bed or the end of the bed and the desk/vanity. And the bathroom was pretty "cozy"....

 

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Having also just disembarked this ship yesterday, I am aligned with many of these observations; although, I never saw people w/beepers @CO - never saw it completely full, but could be the timing of our visits.

The Ocean Bar band was hands down our favorite - they were very good.

 

On the last night the band leader told the audience that they'd be leaving NS in Fort Lauderdale but that they would be onboard the world cruise -- so the world cruisers have a treat in store.

 

[HappyInVan]

Here's my experiences. 

 

The biggest problem that I encountered was the lifts. Just 4 per section,  versus Noordam' 6 midship. On embarkation day, two of the midship elevators were used for luggage. Most mornings, at least one elevator was closed. This was a problem  for a ship with so many frail pax.

 

I'm happy to report that the LIDO buffet is much improved. Perhaps back to pre-covid standards in terms of variety and quality.

 

On the other hand, the Dive In handed out pre-prepared hotdogs at the 1130 opening. Even though I had wanted something different. 

 

Cruise Director Bettyann is most diligent with Coffee Chats with the crew, and delivering EXC Talks.

 

FYI, HAL has definitely ended its contract  with Lincoln. Bettyann opined that HAL would have a classical  music replacement in the spring.

Edited December 12, 2023 by HappyInVan

[ski ww]

Thank you for your balanced review, I agree with the noise in the MDR.

[Haljo1935]

11 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

Here's my experiences. 

 

The biggest problem that I encountered was the lifts. Just 4 per section,  versus Noordam' 6 midship. On embarkation day, two of the midship elevators were used for luggage. Most mornings, at least one elevator was closed. This was a problem  for a ship with so many frail pax...

Every day (no exaggeration) we saw someone working on an elevator somewhere. So, at least they were trying, unless this was routine maintenance. 

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your comments.