Great Cruise, Perfect Weather, Great Ports

Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 66

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Nieuw Amsterdam

7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 27, 2016

Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8063

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

We really loved the cruise.  The weather could not have been better, but we've been on many cruises this time of the year and the weather always seems to be good.  The addition of Holland America's new "BB King Blues Club" is awesome, we spent every night there.  The food was great, but this was our 7th Holland America Cruise and the food is always great.  Holland America's Half-Moon Cay is probably the nicest beach that we've ever been too; it's nice, gentle slope into the sea is easy to navigate if you are like me with a disability.  I'm always impressed by the crew who offer to carry my plate in the Lido Restaurant; I've never had that happen on any other cruise, and I've been on Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian and Majesty Cruises (now out of business).  We have pretty much decided to stick with Holland America in the future.  The ships are well maintained, the crew seems to care, and there is none of that tomfoolery at the pool that you see on Carnival and Norwegian.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5
Not applicable, Very few children on cruise.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Perfect cabin for us. Not far from midships elevators, but not close enough to hear the elevator doors opening and closing. Great Veranda, lots of room. Holland America bathrooms are better than any other cruise line that we've done.

Ship tip

Go to the BB King Blues Club. You will be happy you did.

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5
If you do the Everglades Air boat Tour, bring your own ear protection. They are incredibly loud, and I permanently damaged my ear when one of the cheap foam earplugs fell out for like 3 seconds. I've had tinnitus in that ear on and off for years now because of it, and the doctor says "learn to live with it."

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5
Get a clam-shell tent and enjoy this beautiful beach. You really don't need anything more than that.

George Town, Grand Cayman

5 out of 5
Great Shopping and Breezy's right at the port has great jerk chicken.

Cozumel, Mexico

3 out of 5
Definitely do the Fury Sunset Catamaran Cruise. Two hours of fun and drinks, and a great sunset. Expect a lot of "hawkers" trying to get you to come into their shops with offers of free gifts, etc. Not my favorite cruise shopping area.

Key West, Florida

5 out of 5
Definitely check our Mel Fisher's Atocha Museum. One of the best shipwreck museums in the world.
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2 Comments

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

WeCruiseToo    7 years ago

Love Half Moon Cay! Thanks for the review!

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