A Sun That Never Sets
Nieuw Statendam Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 141
21 Night Midnight Sun & Norse Legends (Amsterdam Roundtrip)
Sail date: June 09, 2019
Ship: Nieuw Statendam
Cabin type: Oceanview
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
Norway was a beautiful and unique place to explore. There is so much beauty, history, and architecture to enjoy. What better way to discover the country than with HAL. Holland America always offers a pleasurable experience and is attentive to detail. We enjoyed our cruise. We were a bit disappointed with HAL starting to show class distinction aboard its ships. The Orange Club restaurant was only available to suite owners which we found to be appalling and there were perks provided for future cruises that weren't available to anyone else. For this reason, we chose not to book another sail with HAL at this time.Embarkation
The cruise terminal is within walking distance from the train station if you have rollable luggage! It is about a twenty minute walk. The embarkation process went very smoothly. There was a cue to sign in but it moved quickly as did the security line.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Really enjoy the Lido for breakfast. There is a vast array of selections and I don't think there is anything you couldn't find. The quality of the food was top-notch as well. My husband enjoyed the crepe station and admired the professional griddle that was used to make consistent, perfect crepes each time (he likes to make these at home so is somewhat a crepe connoisseur). The restaurant caters to many different nationalities. The food in the dining room was good. It was not quite at the same level as other HAL ships we have taken. Their desserts, especially, were disappointing - they lacked creativity and flavour. But we enjoyed our meals overall.
Onboard Activities
There was a real lack of activities during sea days. There was only one trivia per day and not much else to do otherwise for us. My husband enjoyed the Microsoft workshops. We tried to go up to play Apples to Apples early in the cruise but there was noone there so didn't bother with any of the other games we may have otherwise enjoyed.
Entertainment
Members of the ship's dance crew were injured so we only saw one of their performances at the end of the cruise. As a result there were two nights where there was no stage shows at all (quite unheard of) and another night or two where they just offered previous acts to do another show. When we did get the dance show it was phenomenal - very well done and included an incredible light show. There was a comedian who was okay and a fun, cheesy-type of comedian/magician. There were musical singers or artists that were very talented - just not my thing but were very well and justifiably received. The best part of the ship's entertainment was the Rock and Roll Band and BB Kings Blues club - absolutely amazing. The rock band played all the classics we grow up with and well-known sounds. They could improve their repertoire as the songs were often repeated but could listen to them all day. The singers in BB Kings were amazing - so talented and who couldn't fall in love with the sound of the sax and trumpet?! This band always had a healthy dance vibe and attracted a floor full of dancing.
Service and Staff
I can't say the majority of the staff were upbeat and friendly. We did receive some service that was a bit cranky can I say? But there wasn't any rudeness and the service overall was very good. There were some great staff as well. Our room stewards were fantastic. We also really enjoyed the cruise director. He was personable and was very visible around the ship a lot as well at port seeing passengers off the ship and seeing how the excursions went.
Ship Quality
Loved this ship! This ship's decor was the most interesting and classical I've seen. Never before have I seen so many people stop and gaze at artwork as I did, myself included on this ship. Every stairwell and elevator lobby had artwork that ju11st begged to encourage thought and admiration.
Cabin / Stateroom
a good size and well-appointed. There is lots of storage space to store clothes and items. Includes two bathrobes. Showers are quite large and the water temperature is easy to maintain to your liking and has a good flow.
Ship tip
Love The Dutch Cafe. If you want to sample typical Dutch fare this is the place to go. We always enjoyed croquettes and frites as a quick lunch
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Although this port has gotten really busy which can be annoying, there is still so much to see and do. The Van Gogh museum is a must as well as Ann Frank's house, but these need to be booked in advance in the busy tourist months. We enjoyed Rijks Museum and would recommend it.
The port itself is small and maybe doesn't have a lot to offer itself
, but we did a kayak excursion offered by HAL and would highly recommend it. The paddle was quite lengthy but there was a boat that travels along with the kayaks if a break was needed (which one couple took advantage of) but there was no rush and a lot of time to see such beautiful scenery. There is a wonderful walk that is very well marked that I would highly recommend. It takes about an hour and a half to do the full circle route. It is a beautiful walk first of all up hill in a forest to a little farming community and to Viking graveyards which were interesting. There is a viewpoint over the city then you return to the town on the city streets.
Our captain got up close to a beautiful waterfall, so close you felt if you were on the bow you could touch it then managed somehow to make a complete circle so all could see
Took the Hop-on, Hop-off bus to view what Bergen has to offer. The fish market was quite small. We took the funicular for a view of the city and a short walk. This port offered the best shopping of the trip. If you want a locally made and designed Norwegian sweater of superior quality visit Dianne Fosse sweaters. The designs were made by her and she and her mum work at the store.
Took a private excursion to see the Atlantic Road. There is a loop circuit to walk around and get good pictures of the although I'm not sure where the pamphlets get that nice curved viewpoint of the bridge. When we got back we hiked uphill for a viewpoint over the city. There is a nice marked trail that is a steep hike for some amazing views but would take at least 2-3 hours but we didn't have time so only did half way to the first real lookout
This port didn't have a ton to do but it had an amazing cathedral with a lot of history and museum. I would recommend doing the museum as well as it gives you more insight and background to the church
My husband had a great experience here, I didn't. My husband took a privately arranged tour to North Cape and had a great tour. The guide stopped at a local fishermen and got to see a king crab. There were tons of reindeer roaming and you are pretty much guaranteed to see these. The cape itself was nice but crowded. I, on the other hand, did a ship's excursion of a king crab safari something I was very excited about. But the excursion was very staged - not authentic - and did not include all of the product that was advertised so I felt very disappointed that I gave up seeing the North Cape.
Cruise Nordkapp (North Cape)
We found a tour on land offered by a local farmer. He took us to his farm where he has llama and a unique brand of sheep. We were given a llama to walk along the river. We expected the walk to be very short but, in fact, we had a good amount of time with these gentle animals. Their cute faces had a halter and a long leash to walk them with. The llamas were about 5 to 5 1/2 feet tall and very sweet. The sheep had the curved horns of a Rocky Mountain sheep and looked similar except for more wooly coat and much smaller. Then we went on a hike to view the lake. It was a nice hike but there was supposed to be a walk continuing to see the waterfalls but we couldn't find it. If you want to see the waterfall up close you would need to go along the road about 3 1/2 kilometers but we didn't get a chance to do that.
Went on a personally arranged cruise to Lysefjord with the hope of seeing Pulpit Rock from the water since we are not at port long enough to hike it. Unfortunately, it was foggy and we couldn't see much. What we could see isn't anything like the pictures though but it is hard to say. Stavanger has a nice little neighbourhood of white houses which was interesting. There is a church and a square outside with a nice little market good to pick up souvenirs.
The ship had an excellent map of Kristiansand. There is a walking tour of the city that is well-marked. For those not wanting to walk there is a cute little train that you can hop-on and off of. Enjoyed the church which opened and offered an organ presentation. This city has the most parks I have ever seen in a small town - all immaculately kept. There also is a nice fortress that is free to check out.
Disembarkation
Awful - I didn't want to leave