First timer on Nieuw Amsterdam in 2 weeks

[JimmyZ-1987]

Hi, first time cruisers here:

We are booked on Nieuw Amsterdam in two weeks to Alaska.  We have a few questions:

 

How dressy is it at night?  I have reservations at two nice restaurants.  Do I need to wear a jacket?  Is business casual ok?

Tips?; 

What do you wish you knew before you went on the cruise? 

Is there something we should handle early, like as soon as we're aboard? 

What didn't you pack that you wished you had?

 

THX!

[wdw1972]

If you want to bring a suit jacket that's fine, but you'll be in full compliance with dress slacks and any collared shirt on dressy nights. On the other nights even jeans are passable. The specialty restaurants follow the same dress code as the rest of the ship on that evening, so business casual would be fine. Just don't wear a t-shirt as your shirt at night.

 

If you haven't booked all your specialty dining before leaving for the cruise, do the rest of that immediately once onboard. 

 

Sue/WDW1972

[Lido deck main]

38 minutes ago, JimmyZ-1987 said:

Hi, first time cruisers here:

We are booked on Nieuw Amsterdam in two weeks to Alaska.  We have a few questions:

 

How dressy is it at night?  I have reservations at two nice restaurants.  Do I need to wear a jacket?  Is business casual ok?

Tips?; 

What do you wish you knew before you went on the cruise? 

Is there something we should handle early, like as soon as we're aboard? 

What didn't you pack that you wished you had?

 

THX!

Bring layers, gloves, hat, rain jacket/ warm jacket as you might want to spend some time outside on the deck to enjoy scenery and icebergs.  

[SilvertoGold]

1 hour ago, Lido deck main said:

Bring layers, gloves, hat, rain jacket/ warm jacket as you might want to spend some time outside on the deck to enjoy scenery and icebergs.  

Icebergs? Calvings?

[Lido deck main]

16 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

Icebergs? Calvings?

Glacier Bay

[jagger16]

Turn in all your luggage. Keep with you valuables, medications and any change of clothes you may want in a small bag. If you can get into your stateroom you can leave your bag and put things away in the safe. Go have lunch. Then take a walk around the ship and explore. Make sure you stop at your life boat station and watch the video in your room. Enjoy your first cruise! It’s going to be fantastic.

[hobgoblin]

Im going to be a first timer on HAL in September .

Do I have to book a time slot for the main dining room?and anywhere else for that matter?

If so where and when ?

Not sure how it works ,Ive been on Celebrity for 10 years and had open dining .

[Crew News]

From my experience last month on the Nieuw Amsterdam:

 

• Turn on your stateroom TV as soon as you enter your room to play the passenger safety video.
• The port times on your itinerary is when you can leave the ship.  If you want to experience Alaska, be outside an hour before port arrival times.
• Room service breakfast usually arrives at least 20 minutes earlier than you request.
• Specialty coffees are available each morning in the Pinnacle Bar (Deck 2), Lido Market (Deck 9), and Crows Nest (Deck 11 forward).
• If you have chosen to use the unlimited laundry, turn in your "dressy night" clothing when you go to dinner on Embarkation Day and you will have fresh clothing the next day.

 

Here is a link to the MDR menus:  Alaska 7-Day MDR Menus 2024

[VMax1700]

51 minutes ago, hobgoblin said:

Im going to be a first timer on HAL in September .

Do I have to book a time slot for the main dining room?and anywhere else for that matter?

If so where and when ?

Not sure how it works ,Ive been on Celebrity for 10 years and had open dining .

What dining slot did you book?  At booking you can select Early/Late/Open.  It is shown on the HAL Booking Confirmation page 1.  If it is open you just show up at the desk and they will ask if you will share.  Sharing tends to be quicker at the busy times.  You can reserve a table usually for up to 3 nights at a time but it tends to vary ship by ship.  It is also possible to book a time using the Navigator App, but time slots are very limited - usually only very early or very late.

 

[JimmyZ-1987]

GREAT information here, thanks.

 

Do I need advance reservations in the MDR?  Or is it first come/first served?

[Crew News]

21 minutes ago, JimmyZ-1987 said:

GREAT information here, thanks.

 

Do I need advance reservations in the MDR?  Or is it first come/first served?

First come first served. Reservations are not required.  FWIW the Lido Market buffet serves the same items as the MDR  and with a few more options.

[jaapie]

When I was on the Zuiderdam last September the library had been redone and had a good selection of books. Does anyone know if the library on the Nieuw Amsterdam has been updated recently?

[Crew News]

12 minutes ago, jaapie said:

When I was on the Zuiderdam last September the library had been redone and had a good selection of books. Does anyone know if the library on the Nieuw Amsterdam has been updated recently?

Brand new library with book exchange.  I will post photos soon.

Edited June 18 by Crew News

[JimmyZ-1987]

Pardon, as I imagine this is somewhere in the material I have, but in Vancouver, how early can I / should I board the ship?

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, Crew News said:

Brand new library with book exchange.  I will post photos soon.

Nieuw Amsterdam new library:

 

 

 

 

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, JimmyZ-1987 said:

Pardon, as I imagine this is somewhere in the material I have, but in Vancouver, how early can I / should I board the ship?

Check your boarding pass on the Navigator app and any email from HAL for your check-in times.  Note that check-in does not equal boarding time if you arrive in the first surge of passengers. It must be noted that there are changes every week in Vancouver to relieve the congestion.

 

Last month, I was allowed to board before 11:00 AM and was directed to the Lido Market Buffet, with my carry-on luggage, as the staterooms were not yet available.  If you can wait until 1:00 PM, you will miss the big crowd and can proceed directly to your stateroom.

[BackNow]

A friend was on the Nieuw Amsterdam to Alaska in Aug 2023.

 

He had dinner at the Pinnacle Grill.  The steak was not properly prepared.  He later complain to Guest Services.  Guest Services immediately called the maitre'd at the Pinnacle Grill and gave the phone to him.  The maitre'd offered to do a makeup meal at lunch the next day and he accepted.

 

While in line, he found out that a lot of other people had also complained and given another meal.

 

When he sat down, he found the menu was for lunch and the most you can get for lunch is a hamburger.  He called the waiter over and told him that it is should be a replacement dinner not lunch.  He wanted a dinner menu.  He finally got a good steak.

 

The moral of the story is that paying extra is no guarantee of good food.  If anything is not to your liking, speak up right away.  Talk to the maitre'd, not the waiter to have it corrected.

 

There are a number of threads on Cruise Critic about hits & misses at specialty restaurants.

[BackNow]

To check in, go into the convention center next to the Pan Pacific Hotel from the street level. Go down the hall on the left to Hall C (it's almost at the end). Look for your ship's name to line up to the door.  Once through the door, baggage check is on the right and check-in is on the left.  I hear baggage check is not available some times at this level.  In that case, you'll have to check your bags at Parking Level 2 at the very far end.  You then take the escalator back up to the convention level to check in.  

 

Make sure you have your boarding pass printed on paper to check in.  Once you cleared check-in, you'll get a small receipt.   Put it in your passport.  Go back out and follow the line to the down escalator.  You will be mixing with passengers from other ships. 

 

You go down to Security Check and US Immigrations.  US & Cdn citizens clear through machines.  Most other citizens through humans.

 

You will then be directed to the waiting area for your ship.  Priority boarding in one section and everyone else in the other.  Boarding is by rows.  Someone will direct you when to go.  If nobody is sitting down, you can go right on the ship.

[BackNow]

If you are leaving Vancouver to Alaska on June 30th, you have 2 other ships in port with you.

 

Nieuw Amsterdam leaving 4:00pm

Celebrity Solstice leaving 4:30pm

Brilliance of the Seas leaving 5:00pm

 

You can check to see how many passengers each of those ships hold.

 

Security check & US Immigrations will be very crowded with 3 ships of people. 

 

Holland America (& probably other cruise lines too) do not check your check-in time on the boarding pass when checking in. 

 

Personally, I would rather check in early & be in the lineup.  I do not want to mingle with the passengers from the other 2 ships.  I think check-in counter is open at 10am.

 

We went on the Koningsdam in Sept 2023 to Alaska.  There were the only 2 ships in port that day.  Check-in was long and Security check & US Immigrations was even longer. 

 

Checked in around 11am & on the ship around 12:30pm.  When we were in the waiting area to board the ship, we only sat down for about 10 minutes before told to board.

 

Went directly to the cabin & it was ready. 

 

Heard in other threads that the crew told everybody to go to the Lido.  If you are with someone else, leave your bag with him/her on the deck you came in on.  You go to your cabin to see if it is ready.  If it is not ready, both of you go to Lido with the bags; otherwise go to your cabin.  If the cabin is ready, the card keys would be by the door outside.  Grab them.

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, BackNow said:

...When he sat down, he found the menu was for lunch and the most you can get for lunch is a hamburger.  He called the waiter over and told him that it is should be a replacement dinner not lunch.  He wanted a dinner menu.  He finally got a good steak.

That is not correct - the Pinnacle Grill lunch menu has a steak on it; there is no need to ask for a dinner menu. It does not have the full selection the dinner menu does, but there is a steak on it.

[Haljo1935]

58 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

That is not correct - the Pinnacle Grill lunch menu has a steak on it; there is no need to ask for a dinner menu. It does not have the full selection the dinner menu does, but there is a steak on it.

@BackNow I'm not able to locate the menu, but @Crew News probably has one he can share. It is a nice menu.

Here's our lunch from the PG lunch menu

Steak

 

Burger

Apps - crab cakes

Apps - tomatoes 

Dessert - strawberry Pavlova

Dessert - brownie w/popcorn & coffee gelato

 

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, BackNow said:

When he sat down, he found the menu was for lunch and the most you can get for lunch is a hamburger. 

He probably got the 12oz prime strip loin that is on the lunch menu, per Roger's page

https://rogerjett-photography.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pinnacle-Grill-Lunch-2024.pdf

 

It is not reasonable to project that he got a dinner menu T-bone just for being obnoxious.

[JimmyZ-1987]

On 6/18/2024 at 10:45 PM, BackNow said:

To check in, go into the convention center next to the Pan Pacific Hotel from the street level. Go down the hall on the left to Hall C (it's almost at the end). Look for your ship's name to line up to the door.  Once through the door, baggage check is on the right and check-in is on the left.  I hear baggage check is not available some times at this level.  In that case, you'll have to check your bags at Parking Level 2 at the very far end.  You then take the escalator back up to the convention level to check in.  

 

Make sure you have your boarding pass printed on paper to check in.  Once you cleared check-in, you'll get a small receipt.   Put it in your passport.  Go back out and follow the line to the down escalator.  You will be mixing with passengers from other ships. 

 

You go down to Security Check and US Immigrations.  US & Cdn citizens clear through machines.  Most other citizens through humans.

 

You will then be directed to the waiting area for your ship.  Priority boarding in one section and everyone else in the other.  Boarding is by rows.  Someone will direct you when to go.  If nobody is sitting down, you can go right on the ship.

Is what is described here different from the 'regular' way one checks in?

[Crew News]

33 minutes ago, JimmyZ-1987 said:

Is what is described here different from the 'regular' way one checks in?

Yes.  It is my experience that check-in procedures at most other ports have carry-on baggage screening and Immigration as the first steps.  This puts all passengers in HAL custody for the remaining steps and eliminates reliance on local port personnel.

[BackNow]

The Vancouver cruise ship terminal opened in 1986.  For a few years, everything was processed on Parking Level 1.  As more and bigger ships come, there was not enough room downstairs.  Now all the check-ins have to be processed on the convention level.  For a while, there was not enough room to dock all the ships at Canada Place.  Some ships docked 2 miles away at the container terminal.  That didn't work.  Now, ships to Alaska are split between Vancouver and Seattle.

 

Ships heading north to Alaska from Seattle have to travel on the west side of Vancouver Island in open international water.  This section is a rough ride.  Coming south, they will generally visit 2 Canadian ports; Prince Rupert and Victoria.  They will go through the Inside Passage; between the east side of Vancouver Island and the mainland (much calmer).

 

Ships for Alaska to & from Vancouver go through the Inside Passage and generally do not visit any Canadian ports unless they have to make up for a missed port.

 

2 ships can generally dock on the west side and 2 on the east side of the terminal.  HA generally dock on the west side.  Mega ships generally dock on the east side and 1 ship takes up the whole side and then some.

 

Note that the staff for Security Check and US Immigrations split their time between cruise ship and airport.  If they are short-staffed, cruise ship takes the hit and there will be long lineups.  Security Check is controlled by Canada and US Immigration is controlled by USA (and they probably don't coordinate with each other).

 

Most ships arrive around 7am.  In May 2023, 3 ships were to be in port for that day.  Unfortunately, 1 ship didn't arrive until 11am.  2 ships tried to load and 1 tried to unload.  It was a zoo.  Some people said that they were in line for 3 hrs.  All the ships were at least 2 hrs late leaving.