Great Entertainment

Love Holland America Line, and the intimate luxury of their ships.  The Nieuw Amsterdam is elegant, and staffed with attentive, friendly, and efficient personnel in all areas.  The food is a wonderful variety of tastes from around the world, and the menu offers ample options.  Even on the busiest nights, with open seating, we never had to wait longer than a few minutes for a table. 

While the average age of the clientele is older, there are still enough activities offered to keep everyone entertained.  The cast shows in the Showroom are lively, fun, and engaging.  We didn't realize until mid-week that one of the male dancers had been performing (and partnering!) with a set of broken fingers.  He did have to be medically disembarked which was a shame, but just the fact that he continued to do his job to ensure a full cast was very commendable and professional.  The dancers were noticeably technically trained, and as someone who appreciates good entertainment, I loved the extension, pointed toes, and precision.  In addition to technique, their engagement with the audience was infectious, and you felt as though they were not just "going through the motions", but actually performing each and every time full out for the audience!  Cantare is a great male vocal quartet, and aside from one singer who looked slightly disengaged, the voices were strong and compatible.  We met some of the cast throughout the ship, and found them incredibly congenial, and very willing to take time to speak with us.  Of particular note are Kellie, Laura, Henry and Wesley.   In addition to the cast shows, they also had Recycled Percussion aboard, a group I had seen in Las Vegas.  They put on a rousing show, which was enjoyed by anyone who can appreciate drumming and the noise that accompanies it.  It was a fun show, and we certainly had no trouble with the volume.

We had a signature stateroom, which was ample in size, and a  double-sink, separate tub/shower bonus.  I did find the verandah a bit narrow, which made sitting out a bit tight; we have had verandah rooms before which didn't seem quite so narrow, but perhaps it was just this location.  That being said, our stateroom was mid-ship, immediately around the corner from the central elevators, and could not have been more convenient.

If you are looking for the "floating cities" with massive atriums and Broadway Shows (I prefer not to have to wait in line to see shows; nor pay extra for them) that are now indicative of some of the new mega-ships, you may be disappointed in HAL.  However, if individual attention, fine dining, customer service, comfortable staterooms and enjoyable entertainment are your ticket, then I'm sure you won't be disappointed.