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Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 8
Helpful Votes: 278

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Nieuw Amsterdam

14 Night Western/Eastern 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 cruise was terrific--service and food always top notch on Holland America--cannot say enough about the crew and the chefs. This was our second cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. This time we tried the rear-facing verandah cabin: a little more room, king size bed, 180-degree view. A little more vibration and motion but not excessive. Could not stop at Grand Cayman as the port was closed due to rough seas (need to take life boat/tenders from ship there) but we did not mind too much as we had been to Grand Cayman before and we got an additional day at sea to enjoy the ship. Wish we could say the same for customs upon disembarking at the end of the cruise. They only had two agents working at one time for the US passengers. Customs were only letting a small number of passengers off at a time and our 8:00 time slot quickly became 9:30; then a one hour wait in line (non-US had a two hour wait in line).

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Could not be better

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
Excellent

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Plenty of room

Ship tip

Lido for breakfast and lunch; dining room for dinner (reserve a table in rear for great views while dining).

Ports of call

George Town, Grand Cayman Did not visit port

Could not go due to weather

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 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.

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

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