Tell me about the Amsterdam

[Terre]

Thinking of booking the Amsterdam...give me all the details, good, bad, and ugly.

 

We have never sailed on HAL -- any secrets that HAL doesn't tell you?

[RuthC]

This is so broad. It would help if you could ask a more specific question. Or questions! Give us a hint what you're looking to find out about.

In short, though, I'd have to say the Amsterdam is a lovely ship---she's the co-flagship of the fleet. She's a nice medium size (by HAL standards), with a traditional flair. She's wood and brass vs chrome and glass. She's a real ship with a focus out to the sea. Plenty of deck space, too! :)

[jtl513]

Thinking of booking the Amsterdam...give me all the details, good, bad, and ugly.

Have you spent any time yet reading the 49 member reviews available? You'll find some good, bad, and ugly opinons there!

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=173

[seychellesdream]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=782531

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=786185

[Terre]

There's always one...or two. Yes, I've read the reviews and Cruise Clues, but was hoping for some opinions about what the ship is like, what you liked or didn't like about her, etc. Thanks, RuthC, for a little of that!

[seychellesdream]

I've not been on the Amsterdam yet, so all I have is the links I posted which gave me a pretty good idea/sense about the ship.

 

Hopefully I'll remember this thread after my cruise and come back and give you my impression.

[Terre]

I've not been on the Amsterdam yet, so all I have is the links I posted which gave me a pretty good idea/sense about the ship.

 

Hopefully I'll remember this thread after my cruise and come back and give you my impression.

 

Thank you for the links; I had already read one of them before you posted them. Please do give me your thoughts and impressions...that's what I'm looking for.

[ANSalberg]

The "Amsterdam" is a TERRIFIC ship; 1300 passengers -and the best crew around! We've been on her for 7 months [ 4 cruises; including a 3 1/2 month World cruise + an "Asia/Pac" Grand cruise] and will be in her in September 2008 for another 2 months [Grand] It is a CLEAN/updated/beautifully decorated/low-key ship. Rooms [most] are a good size; but remember in the words of my MIL "You get what you pay for" [ if you want/need a bigger room/balcony/window etc - ]

I seldom read reviews of a ship -or if I do I very much balance that with a "fair" account. A week-long cruise is NOT the same as a 2 month cruise; you are comparing apples and rutabagas. Neither YOU nor the crew/officers can control your fellow passengers [ re- "formal"wear or simple behavior or impressions of the cruise or itinerary or even WEATHER ] Realize YOUR experience is ONLY yours!

That said; we are fans of Holland America and we are also great fans of the "Amsterdam"

Anne

[Terre]

Thank you, Ann. We take the reviews with a grain of salt since we know that everyone has their opinion. Your comments are what I was looking for.

 

Thanks again.

[seaproponent]

I think ship-size is the thing to focus on here -- we've found that HAL's 1200-1400 passenger vessels (e.g., the Amsterdam) tend to have better food and service than is available on the larger ships of HAL or competing lines -- yet there is little to no compromising with respect to variety of things to do on board. We've become fans as a result -- the "S" suites are a particular treat on these ships, with lots of perks and pampering. Be prepared for an older deomgraphic than is typical of other lines.

[jtl513]

There's always one...or two. Yes, I've read the reviews and Cruise Clues, but was hoping for some opinions about what the ship is like, what you liked or didn't like about her, etc. Thanks, RuthC, for a little of that!

I suppose that first crack was directed at me. :mad: Those 49 member reviews I suggested are filled with loads of "some opinions about what the ship is like, what you liked or didn't like about her, etc."

[cruiser stl]

anne,any idea of visa or tours you liked for:) the 9/19/08 65 day trip from your past experience?

[JACKWC]

We were on the Amsterdam from 21 September until they hauled us off in chains on 24 November 2007:(. It was so hard to leave, here is what I posted on my blog on day 61:

 

Today we will sail on an east-northeasterly course with an average speed of 21.5 knots towards San Diego, California. The total sailing distance between Honolulu and San Diego is 2290 nautical miles. The weather forecast for today predicts an outside temperature of 75 degrees and a fresh breeze blowing from the northeast with a force of 5.

As I have been writing these reports, I usually listen to the iTunes stored on my laptop. One of my favorite playlists is entitled “recently played/listened to” selections. One of my favorite Country and Western recording artists is Suzy Bogguss. As I started to write this morning’s report her rendition of “Saying Goodbye to A Friend” started playing! Although the lyrics are different the chorus says it all. How appropriate – as we are on the final leg of our Grande Voyage, and will be wrapping up this experience for the next few days. Or - “Saying Goodbye to a Friend”. This “friend” the ms Amsterdam has for the past 61 days has been our shelter in stormy seas, she has fed us more than we needed, and introduced us to new peoples and their culture. She has also made it possible for us to make new friends and precious memories. Thank you old friend.

 

Jack

[sail7seas]

Thank you, Ann. We take the reviews with a grain of salt since we know that everyone has their opinion. Your comments are what I was looking for.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

:confused:

So.....why do our opinions here mean anything if they don't mean anything in the many reviews which have been written?

 

I hate to make a long post here telling you everything we liked (or did not like) about our Amsterdam cruises because it's only our opinion and I don't know if that is what you want to hear/read?

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done a 22 day and a 15 day cruise on the Amsterdam. Loved it!!

 

Go for it!!

[Himself]

I have now been on all four of the "R" Class ships and I like them all. I must admit I think the Amsterdam is the nicest of the four of them. I really like this ship.

[pvlover]

The Amsterdam is a wonderful vessel. It is decorated with great taste and elegance, except for the theatre, Which looks like Joe Farkas ran amok with pink and purple. :eek: She is beautiful otherwise.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks for the links. I'm on the Amsterdam in January for the first time and was interested in the reviews. I specifically read the ones that were negative and out of several, saw only one that the reviewer had IMHO a reason to rate it low.

 

Yes, things can happen and you can have a bad experience on a cruise, regardless of the cruiseline but hopefully, it won't turn you off and you won't write off that cruiseline as being uniformly bad. For example, a year ago on the Prinsendam, I had the worst cabin steward I've ever had, anywhere on any cruiseline and I've had some doozies: dirty cabin with widespread mildew in the bathroom, hair dryer held together with a rubber band, no soap replenishment, etc. The icing was when he walked into my cabin at 11:15PM with no warning while I was in the bathroom undressed, supposedly to replace the hair dryer. I was still screaming as he backed out the door. As I was a single woman in the cabin, that really shook me up but I'm back on the Prinsendam for 28 days this October and looking forward to my cruise on the Amsterdam. :)

[ANSalberg]

I'm sorry a few people were put off by my post about " take reviews with a grain of salt"

This is what I was thinking; Review; "This was the FILTHIEST ship etc etc etc" -they found a hair in the bathtub. Review; "The food was TERRIBLE; HAMBURGERS were inedible" -I didn't think they even SERVED hamburgers; found out they did on the Lido; I normally had lunch in the dining room; thought "they" were talking about a whole DIFFERENT ship! Review; "There was NOTHING to do" we had activities for 3+ months/avid "Trivia" with FUN team/enjoyed READING plus made "new" friends...."Nothing to do???"

What I was saying was EACH person brings with her/him -an expectation. IF they are unhappy NOTHING is "right" -if they are easy-going -EVERYTHING is "Right". MOST cruises are somewhere in the middle of any of these extremes.

A "review" is just what it is; a story about your experiences. What someone [usually] wants is confirmation that HIS is/was a GOOD CHOICE /high five!

Sorry; no malace intended.

Anne

[Terre]

Anne, I know exactly what you are talking about. If we had chosen not to book some of the cruises we took because of bad reviews of the ship, we would have missed out on some wonderful cruises -- our Hawaii cruise being one of them.

 

I just wanted opinions and that's exactly what I got here. I appreciate everyone's time and comments. We have decided on the Amsterdam and of course will form our own opinions afterwards. After 17 cruises we know that two people on the same cruise will have completely experiences and opinions.

 

To those wondering why I'm asking here instead of going to the reviews: I read a lot of the reviews, but I admit, I'm lazy and didn't want to have to read the entire review to find out about the ship, itself. Some reviews don't mention too much of the ship while others do.

 

Thanks again, everyone. Your comments have been helpful and appreciated.

[ANSalberg]

Terre - I agree with your statement about negative reviews. Carnival seems to get habitually bad reviews. I have a "Cyber" group of friends and we've cruised twice together for SHORT get-togethers since we live all OVER the USA -and we as a group chose Carnival "Jubilee" [ an older ship] and Carnival "Pride" 2 years later. BOTH cruises were a total BLAST for us because of the group we were with; we were finally meeting first a group of women [ I think there were 17 of us -different ages] the "Pride" cruise was some families and I brought my DH to this one [ I'm the only Coloradan in the group] IF I had believed in the Carnival reviews I'd never have gone! Is it the SAME as HAL? PROBABLY not [ the ships- especially the "Pride" are bigger ] But here was this group of strangers who ONLY know each other through our writing -who had the BEST time together! For ME -socializing was what its all about. However MANY people that cruise work intensively grueling difficult jobs and are cruising to relax and "get away" -some are "family reunions" some are escapes -some are parties- yes; some are nursing homes....Are ANY of these people or cruises invalid? NO! But the experience is different!

[Pam in CA]

I'm sorry a few people were put off by my post about " take reviews with a grain of salt"

This is what I was thinking; Review; "This was the FILTHIEST ship etc etc etc" -they found a hair in the bathtub. Review; "The food was TERRIBLE; HAMBURGERS were inedible" -I didn't think they even SERVED hamburgers; found out they did on the Lido; I normally had lunch in the dining room; thought "they" were talking about a whole DIFFERENT ship! Review; "There was NOTHING to do" we had activities for 3+ months/avid "Trivia" with FUN team/enjoyed READING plus made "new" friends...."Nothing to do???"

What I was saying was EACH person brings with her/him -an expectation. IF they are unhappy NOTHING is "right" -if they are easy-going -EVERYTHING is "Right". MOST cruises are somewhere in the middle of any of these extremes.

A "review" is just what it is; a story about your experiences. What someone [usually] wants is confirmation that HIS is/was a GOOD CHOICE /high five!

Sorry; no malace intended.

Anne

Anne, I very much agree with you. There's nothing worse than a review, "The cruise sucked" without specifics. Many times, negative reviews are the result of poor planning, unreasonably high expectations, or just plain lack of research. If you're going to spend thousands on a cruise, you'd think the minimum one would do is to know what you're paying for. My former partner went on a cruise to Alaska several years ago and when he got home, I asked how it was. He said, "Terrible. The shore excursions weren't included! I had to pay for that." He was seriously angry at that and I probably could have avoided that if it had even occured to me that he thought they were included. The result? Cruising is a scam and he'll never go again. Oh well.

 

Every now and then the moons collide and bad karma happens. That happened on my Prinsendam cruise last year: awful cabin steward, filthy cabin and very mediocre waitstaff. I won't go into details but I wasn't using a microscope to find a stray hair -- it was a much bigger problem than that. My experience in no way affected my enjoyment of the ship and the cruise; I'm booked on it for 28 days in October and I'm very much looking forward to it. If I'd written a review, I would have given poor marks for the steward and waitstaff but high marks for the cruise, the ship, the room delivery guys, etc.

[ANSalberg]

Pam - I also think that getting across EXACTLY what you mean -in writing -can be complicated. It is MUCH easier to express your opinions face-to-face -SIMPLY because you can see/read the person's facial expressions. And the problem is that what you WRITE and what you MEAN may be two different things. An example would be; "It was a terrible cruise" -when what you mean is "The WEATHER was awful- it rained for 7 days" RATHER than "The ship/service/etc and MORE etc -was awful" ....

Pam - I'm glad you like the "Prinsendam" -we've never sailed on it but had a tour of the ship in Dubrovnic -I thought it was beautiful and eligant in an "old-World" kind of way. We LOVED Cunard's "Caronia" [ no longer in service] because of the totally relaxed atmosphere and quaint "cubby-holes" we found! Bigger ISN'T always BETTER- just different!

I'm also hoping that we meet some of the many dining room staff and crew we had on the cruise last year; we felt as we were getting ready to disembark that we were "Abandoning FAMILY" - That breakfast we said our good-byes and got hugs from so many; it was heartwrenching for us. Now we have 16+ months between our cruises and our BIGGEST fear is all our pals will have moved on......We want to "Go HOME" which is always my FEELINGS on HAL ships!

Anne

[darleen1421]

I have read reviews on all of the ships I have sailed on and basically can tell when a person is just plain too picky. I have loved all three of the ships I have been on and had no problems with crew, shows, meals or anything else. Guess I was just happy to be on a cruise. Every day on a cruise is better than a day working!