Many sea days, as it turned out!

Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

Apodder

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 12

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 12, 2023

Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7127

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

This is nice ship, not too big, with a relatively logical design. There's a lot of activities, mostly the usual games, trivia, show, comedians. Newer to us on this line were coloring, a painting class, a mixology class, tai chi classes, some educational talks, and live classical music recitals. The Crow's Nest is a great place to relax indoors and still watch the ocean go by. There are also some good drink deals which I've never seen on any other mainstream cruiseline, including a complimentary sail-away party on our one real port day. The one smoking area unfortunately is particularly offensive, as the smoke permeates the entire aft pool area plus many indoor areas in the vicinity. Overall, a good cruise with very good food (try ALL the breads!) and fabulous service.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Seamless

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Did not go to specialty restaurants. Went to the dining room once and the food was good, lovely presentation. Language barrier w/our waiter resulted in the wrong wine being served but that was quickly corrected.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Pools are not salt water, as on many ships. We really couldn't use the aft pool, as that's where the smokers are on this ship.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Didn't see any stage shows. One comedian was just okay, the other was hilarious and very entertaining. The best was the classical offerings in the Lincoln Center Stage. Unfortunately, this is an inadequate venue for the type of music and the size audience.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Virtually all crew members were kind, helpful, pleasant.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

This ship is not too large and tastefully decorated. Everything was well maintained and clean. Our big complaints were the small size and openness of the Lincoln Center stage and the location of the smoking area, which pollutes the entire aft pool area, up to the outer areas of Deck 10 and into the buffet area and down the nearby stairwells into other decks. I could even smell it on my balcony at times.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

A very nice room with good storage (be sure to check out the rolling drawers under the bed. More electrical outlets than any other ship we've been on. Always kept clean and tidy by our steward.

Ship tip

If you're sensitive to smoke, don't book a room in the aft third of the ship to be near the aft pool! This ship is logically laid out, with most of the entertainment venues on 2 decks

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5

Willemstad, Curacao

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Did self-assist - so easy! Straight out no wait, face recognition at customs, on the sidewalk waiting for our Uber within 10 minutes!

2 Comments

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