Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

There were to many sedentary people. In the breakfast lunch area, the older people would sit and talk. read books, play cards for 2 and 3 hours while people are walking around trying to find a place to sit and eat.

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.

This is a great ships went on a Southern Caribbean cruise on this cruise line. Wife and I love the smaller ship. Would travel again on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

4th cruise on HAL. Food was better than last cruise, by a little. Lido jammed all the time and hard to find a table. Found the burger hot dog stand had long waits unless ordered plain Nathan's hot dog (very fast). Great hot dog BTW. Found pre-made sandwiches on the buffet very good. Bento Boxes from Tamarind were outstanding, but available only for for eating in the cabin in the evening. Canaletto again just so-so. Master Chef dinner good, but not near as good as dinner with the chef on smaller ships. Room service breakfast always on time. Pinacle food was good and service very good. Getting tired of what seems like the same menu though. HAL needs to hire a real pastry chef for main dining. Pinacle and Tamarind deserts were very good. 

Ship's dancers were outstanding, but the rest of the entertainment just so-so. Ship's band is also very good. BB King much much too loud. I guess they were trying to cover lack of talent. Metal drum person was good, but once was enough.

Ship was very clean. Cabin stewards outstanding. For the first time on a HAL ship, the cabin a/c worked properly. Was in signature suite and found the whirlpool tub very relaxing. Really nice having 2 sinks in the bathroom. Except for the Neptune lounge and boarding, we enjoyed this as much as the Neptune suite we had on our 2 most previous cruises (Eurodam and Zaandam).

Had late dining. First week table captain was outstanding. Second week (we changed tables to get a window) was the reverse, so did as you wish and specialty restaurants after two days.

Really tired of the huge jewelry and watch shops. No real bargains. Too much photo pressure and prices are high too. Internet speed.very very very slow, so becomes very expensive very fast. No network TV shows, but lots of news. Movies on TV were so-so. Yes, I did spend a little time in the cabin because there was so little to do while at sea. On our Transatlantic and Hawaii cruises there was lots to do while at sea. 

Leaving the ship in Fort Lauderdale was a mess. Worst I have experienced on any cruise. To make matters even worse, there were no taxi cabs available. Yes I mean none. Three cabs arrived in the first 20 minutes of waiting outside with our luggage to get to the airport. When we did finally get a cab, on the way out of the port, I saw long lines of cabs waiting in front of other ships. Because the airline changed our flight home we had to be one of the first off the ship. The ship offered no assistance with luggage (my wife and I both walk with a cane), so we had the luggage go with everyone else's and were first off to wait for it to arrive. Then had to wait until the door were closed so we could get out luggage a few feet from where we stood. No porters to help get the luggage to customs or to the taxi stand. That said, a port supervisor saw us struggling and helped us get from the front of the building to where the cabs are supposed to be. All previous 8 cruises were head and shoulders better when it came time to leave the ship.  

Overall: We took this cruise to relax. That we did. I found the constant shaking of the ship while under way annoying. It was like being in an old 'magic fingers' bed when in bed. Ship needs a yaw damper to take the wiggle out and make walking easier. Note: sister ship Eurodam rode better, without vibration too, in seas much much worse. Did not miss having to skip the private island on the second week. Great cruise for those that like beaches and nice nature. Bargains for shopping ashore long gone. It is like every port has the same stores and the same high prices. Did not appreciate being grabbed by the arm and being nudged into stores.in St Thomas. Too many ships in port at the same time in two ports. Nothing like having 15 thousand passengers (6 ships in one and 7 in the other) all going into town at the same time. Makes sidewalks wall to wall people. Each HAL cruise feels like HAL offers a little less than the previous cruise. I like the cabins and great cabin stewards. But the rest seems less and less each time. . .    

The ship is lovely. The Staff is wonderful. The food is delicious. We enjoyed dinner in the Tarmarin Restaurant. We heard that the ship is going into drydock for refurbishing. Yes it could use some renewal in the cabins.

The Nieuw Amsterdam is a beautiful ship. Just the right size. Nice staterooms, wonderful dining, an awesome library, and really friendly and proficient staff.

The ship, the service, the food, the personnel, the shows, were from very good to excellent. But our suite (6072) was a tremendous disappointment. It shacked almost all the time. We could take it during the day, but at night it was impossible to sleep. We complain several times, and at the middle of the cruise, the front desk gave us a small oceanview to sleep at nights, and at the end of the cruise they credited $250 to our account for the inconvenience. But anyhow,  It was a big disappointment to have selected a suite, and having to go to sleep to a small room at the first floor, which looked as an extension of the medical area.

We have made more than 25 cruises in different cruise lines, and usually select cabins at midship, but we never had a problem like this. Please do not promote cabins as this one.

The ship, the service, the food, the personnel, the shows, were from very good to excellent. But our suite (6072) was a tremendous disappointment. It shacked almost all the time. We could take it during the day, but at night it was impossible to sleep. We complain several times, and at the middle of the cruise, the front desk gave us a small oceanview to sleep at nights, and at the end of the cruise they credited $250 to our account for the inconvenience. But anyhow, It was a big disappointment to have selected a suite, and having to go to sleep to a small room at the first floor, which looked as an extension of the medical area. Even though we felt the shaking in some other parts of the ship, none was as terrible as the one at our cabin. And a friend of us who had a cabin in the back, said that in his area there was no shaking. We have made more than 25 cruises in different cruise lines, and usually select cabins at midship, but we never had a problem like this. Please do not promote cabins as this one.

I thought this ship was easy to navigate, very clean, staff very friendly and helpful and the ports were interesting. Some of the entertainment was much better than others. It was large but not too large. The food is excellent, the staterooms well-organized and all the bars and clubs have a smaller, more intimate feel to them. The population of this ship is much older than some of the other ships, so anyone looking for late night fun and wild times may not find it on this ship. However, since the entertainment staff was young, one could find something going on with that group in the clubs at night. Even if I was younger, I would choose HAL for the quality for the cost.

Did not care for the ship's cabins, entertainment and technology. The food was okay but the desserts were not good. Cannot compare with Celebrity or Princess. The ship seemed much older than its four years. Definitely would not recommend fEspecially for an experienced cruiser.

I went with my mum on this cruise, and was not disappointed. We had cabin no 4175 inside. Beds were very comfortable, cabins not to big, but big enough, as you only sleep/shower there. Mini bar, safety deposit box, plenty of space for your clothes. 

We ate in the lido restaurant all the time, which was buffet style. The food was to die for. plenty of choice every day plus barbacue's on some days. The staff were very helpful and friendly everywhere on the ship.

Both pool areas had plenty of sunbeds and tables and towels. 

Entertainment was fantastic, shows, comedians and singer/pianist were all fabulous.

There was a happy hour every day in various bars (buy 1 drink, get another for $1) which we participated in. All the ports of call were lovely.

All in all a brilliant cruise, would definately go again.

Best cruise ever, do it! Amazing places and beautfil views. Culture and experience was different everywhere and so enjoyable!

The ship, food and service were impeccable.  \

Boarding and disembarkation were well organized.

Balcony cabin was spotless and well maintained.

Amazing ship, amazing crew.

My boyfriend and I are inexperienced cruisers; this was his 2nd and my 1st cruise. We weren't sure what to expect as we knew that Holland caters to a more mature crowd, and we are both in our late 20's. Despite that, we chose Holland America because we liked the itinerary and the ship looked really nice. Also, our primary goal was R&R and being spring break, we wanted to stay far away from the party crowd. Our expectations were absolutely exceeded. We had the most wonderful time! The best part was absolutely the crew and the service we received. Literally every person we encountered on the ship was polite, friendly, enthusiastic and helpful. It was incredible. The service we received in the Manhattan Dining room was 5 star, and the food was delicious and of a very high quality as well. There was a lot of selection and flavor variety and we enjoyed trying the featured cuisine. Our favorite dinner was the surf and turf. It's hard to believe a dinner of this quality is included in the regular dining room. The cleanliness and overall atmosphere of the ship was also excellent. Everywhere you turned, someone was cleaning something. The ship felt new, was nicely kept up and the furnishings were lovely. Although we were definitely among the youngest couples on the ship (there were some families as well), we still had a great time. The age difference was most apparent in the activities and entertainment, which I would say were geared towards an older crowd. We did enjoy the trivia (Team Trivia and Pub Trivia), and we entered the casino tournaments. Most of our time spent on the ship was spent relaxing by the pool or in one of the lounges. The itinerary was perfect, we enjoyed all of the ports (loved Half Moon Cay and Cozumel), and the balance of ports and days at sea was just right. Overall, we could not have been more pleased with the vacation. We would definitely recommend this and are excited to plan our next cruise

This is one of the beat cruise ships I have been on. It is not too large, the crew and staff are exceptionally friendly and go the extra to make your experience seem as if you are the only ones onboard.

This was our 10th cruise with Holland America. One of the best. Western Caribbean for seven days and the Neiw Amsterdam is a great ship, wondeful accomidations and friendly crew. Their stop at Half Moon Cay is one a wonderful wihite sand beach, tops for people coming out of the frozen north in January. We enjoyed this cruise on the Amsteram as one of the best to the Caribbean. Hope to do it again.

The ship was in excellent shape. Th crew was constantly working to keep it clesn and presentable.

The Nieuw Amsterdam is our favorite HAL ship because of the two special dining rooms. The service on all the HAL ships we have been on has been superlative. Both embarkationa and disembarkation were quick and easy. We hope to sail her again.

I really thought this ship would be super and it wasn't.

Ship was in excellent condition, well maintained ...