Itinerary COMPLETE changed but food, service and entertainment were great!

Item: Nieuw Amsterdam
Rating: 4.2
Author: nkin

Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

nkin

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 28

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Bahamas & Key West (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 18, 2021

Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8071

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

It was our first time on Holland America and may be the last. We were very disappointed to see our itinerary completely changed (and the last stop canceled) since it’s not what we purchased. We ended up spending most of the days on the ship and all we received was a rehearsed apology. The food, cabin and restaurant service, and nightly entertainment were great! Since we spent most of the 5 days on the ship, we played board games a lot so the Exploration room was the most visited room by us. Although the internet connection was ridiculously expensive (we chose to be electronically disconnected from the world), the free Movies on Demand were greatly appreciated. We watched at least one movie every day.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The BB King band and dancers were excellent. The comedians are ok.

Children's Programs

We had an older child

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Great Service!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Big enough for 3 people

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

4 out of 5

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

3 out of 5

The port didn’t look interesting. We browsed some stores for 30 min and went back on the ship

Thumbs Up 1

Bimini, Bahamas

4 out of 5

We spent most of the time on the public beach. The weather was great and we enjoyed it.

Thumbs Up 2

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island) Did not visit port

Port was canceled due to Weather conditions

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

11 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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Lazyboy 2 years ago

Sounds like you loved the trip, just not the Covid issues. Nothing the ship can do about that except to try and keep you safe. Too bad you blamed the ship for something they have no control over.

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 2 years ago

Cruising in this time of Covid may not be for you, as no cruise line can meet your expectations of no missed ports

Thumbs Up 0

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izrgreen 2 years ago

Thank you for the review.

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BobbieA 2 years ago

Every cruise line is having to cancel and change itinerary’s due to Covid. I was just on Royal Caribbean and one port was changed, one deleted and shore excursions on a third were canceled due to weather. All out of the cruise lines control. Just be happy that you got to sail.

Thumbs Up 1

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cruising2004 2 years ago

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Thumbs Up 0

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback.

Thumbs Up 0

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RetiredRay 2 years ago

Looks like a crosspost from a bulk online travel agent site. Can’t blame the ship for missed ports, blame the country for trying to protect there people.

Thumbs Up 3

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Covid rears its ugly head again.

Thumbs Up 1

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Sassyred579 2 years ago

Did you forget the whole world is in a pandemic? Covid don't care if it's a holiday or if you're on vacay. Safety first.

Thumbs Up 3

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CruzeFan 2 years ago

Thanks for the review. Flexibility, patience and lowered expectations are the keys to cruising during Covid. I would not blame any cruise line for itinerary changes with the current conditions.

Thumbs Up 5

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Other reviews of this sailing

Outstanding Cruise. HAL the best!