Shame on Holland America

Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 162

Overall rating:

2 out of 5
Verified Review
Nieuw Amsterdam

7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 16, 2014

Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7007

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

Last year I gave Holland America a try on the Eurodam.  We had a room that did not have functioning air conditioning and it was miserable and they really did not care.  This year we decided to try them one more time on Nieuw Amsterdam and while the air conditioning was not great, it was better than the previous year.  My main complaint is that they left us waiting for a tender in line over an hour on Half Moon Cay.  This wouldn't have been so bad but the next day in Grand Cayman they left us in a line for over two hours with no water, place to sit or protection from the sun.  This is supposed to be a vacation.  I have a very bad back and standing in the same place is torture for me.  I can't imagine trying another cruise on them any time soon.  They really do NOT care about their customers.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Tamarind and Pinnacle are wonderful. Nancy and Leo in Lido made breakfast amazing.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

Our stateroom attendants were fabulous (Suaib and Buda).

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Cabin was extremely clean and stateroom attendants were great. I wish their was a way when using two beds to have them aligned on the walls as they are not very wide and this is not particularly comfortable.

Ship tip

Holland America is considered a premium line. I don't feel like they provide customer service and have any respect for my vacation time and expense. If you want to experience five star customer service and cruise experience try Royal Caribbean. They make every cruise exceptional.

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5
The island is lovely. The tender situation was not.

George Town, Grand Cayman

3 out of 5
We were left waiting for a tender for over two hours in blistering heat.

Cozumel, Mexico

1 out of 5
I wouldn't bother getting off the ship if I returned there unless I had an excursion.

Key West, Florida

5 out of 5
Best stop of the cruise. Key West is beautiful.
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1 Comment

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.