HAL Great until Customs Took Over

Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 9
Helpful Votes: 351

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Nieuw Amsterdam

7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 24, 2013

Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 11 years ago

Review summary

The food and service were great. Could not stop at Grand Cayman as port closed due to weather (not too bad as we have been there before). Only problem was disembarking at Fort Lauderdale due to Customs backlog. They only had two agents working for US citizens (non-US was backed up over 2 hours wait). Customs were holding passengers on the ship, letting only a few off at one time and we still had to wait on line for an hour for an agent. Not HAL's fault.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Excellent quality and all that you want.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Plenty to do without feeling overwelmed.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Entertainment great; went to all but two shows.

Children's Programs

No children with us but fact that children on board were not a distraction tells you about the programs.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Friendliest; excellent

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Nothing to complain about--could not be better

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Plenty of room

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5
Easy on (off a problem due to Customs)

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5
Best part of trip--like being on your own private island.

George Town, Grand Cayman Did not visit port

Could not go due to weather

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

3 out of 5
Dockside shops great--stop more suited for land excursions.

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

3 out of 5
Not much there to do unless signed up for land excursions.
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1 Comment

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

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