HEPL! Would you book a brand new ship (Niew Amsterdam)?

[suse]

But, on a positive note, the beds are brand new! Just a thought.:) Are the sheets brand new too? Sometimes, that's not a great thing. You know, all stiff and scratchy. Unless you buy the really, really, good ones. I prefer to let them get really old and softy.

[kalliekae]

We booked the Oosterdam on what was supposed to have been its' second cruise. We were so excited until HAL called us to say it would not be ready. We were switched to the old Noordam which was not a good choice at all. Our Noordam cabin was not the same category that we had booked on the Oosterdam and the carpet actually had large holes in it. The ship was truly in poor condition and it actually broke down in Arhaus on the next to the last day of our Baltic cruise. It was chaotic to say the least. HAL made us all leave the ship at 4am and we stood on the dock for 2 hours waiting for buses. We missed out on the last stop, Copenhagen, and our tour. HAL made no plans for any type of reimbursement until we called Seattle several times. So we would never book a new ship until it has sailed for at least 1-2 months.

[bepsf]

We booked the Oosterdam on what was supposed to have been its' second cruise. We were so excited until HAL called us to say it would not be ready.

 

I remember that Zuiderdam and Oosterdam both had terrible delays...

...however Westerdam would have actually been several weeks early if it hadn't been for the disastrous shipyard fire which set it's inaugural back to it's original date.

[Crazy]

I did the inaugural cruise on the Eurodam and I loved it, but in part because of the group from this board (Brian, Ruth, Mary Ellen, Jim etc.) that was fun. I sort of go with he flow but Rev. Neal's thoughts are a must read. I really enjoyed the Eurodam. Do not want to do another inaugural (too long I did the whole experence pre-cruse in Rotterdam (3 days) then on to Cophengaen to pick up other passengers) the ports were great but I needed a vacation when I can back to the States. BUT, saying all this I have booked this new ship this ship departing July 26 "Mediterranean Cruise 12 night". I like the "aft" cabins and have gotten just what I wanted and the price was reasonable, my travel agent stays on top of things and I already have some perks.

 

Just go with an open mind that there will be problems, but like I said I enjoyed the ride because of the group of friends I met here on this board.

 

Emily