Excellent Overall Cruise with Some Notes
Nieuw Statendam Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 21
11 Night Newfoundland & New England Discovery (Boston To Quebec)
Sail date: August 27, 2022
Ship: Nieuw Statendam
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 4081
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
Great ship and crew, great food, fantastic entertainment. Holland America could do a better job of providing info about ports. We had a great time as first timers on Holland Am. Only downsides were the TERRIBLE embarkation experience, and inexperience with the ports we were visiting. As others have mentioned, the Navigator App is almost totally useless. That is inexcusable when their sister line has the truly remarkable Medallion. Also, has the itinerary all mixed up. This ship did not go to Saint John's, NF on the way to Quebec, it went to St. John, NB. Frankly though, this would be a MUCH better itinerary if you wait until early October for the fall colors.Embarkation
Probably the worst embarkation experience we've ever had. The Port at Boston seemed to have no idea of how to do this. However, it was the first time Nieuw Statendam had cruised out of this port, so I don't hold them to blame. Frankly, because of this, I will never choose to cruise out of Boston again.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Dining room is absolutely stunning visually, and the service and food is fabulous! Only ate at the one Italian specialty restaurant, Canaletto, and the food was also outstanding. Best Tiramisu ever. The food and atmosphere in the buffet were both just fine, but I found the physical layout of the buffet confusing and a little congested. Staff everywhere were excellent.
Onboard Activities
The entertainment in the main Showroom was spectacular (excepting the Comedian, kind of "meh"). You have to see this room in person to understand how different it is, and how immersive the entertainment is. The other music venues were equally amazing, although the Rock Room was kind of over the top for us, and we're not big fans of Blues, but the Billboard Onboard dueling piano artists were constantly entertaining. Outside of Trivia contests that were entertaining, we didn't do much else. We were on shore in the ports mostly. Used the hot tube (a little on the small side). Having the retractable cover on the main pool is genius, particularly for watching movies on the big screen. And the aft pool was less frequented and more relaxed (although it is right next to the smoking area). Enrichment talks in the main showroom were absolutely wonderful and amazing. Kudos to the Cruise and Entertainment director for doing the presentations, and for the special effects guys for the images on the backdrop. Honestly, you really have to take a cruise on this class ship of Holland America to understand how their showroom revolutionizes both presentations and performances. Truly spectacular.
Entertainment
Already addressed under onboard activies
Service and Staff
Every service individual we interacted with onboard, from front desk, to room steward, to dining room service staff, to upper command individuals were just wonderful. Attentive, anxious to please, and genuinely warm and helpful
Ship Quality
The ships design is very new, sleek, and modern. It is like a floating art gallery, but a very high end and well curated one at that. Every thing is kept absolutely spotless.
Cabin / Stateroom
After boarding, we were given a complimentary upgrade to a standard Veranda stateroom. Frankly, the interior room we had booked was absolutely tiny. Way smaller than it looks on line. For instance, you cannot open the drawers in the desk, which is right next to the bed, more than about 6 inches because it is right up against the bed. Smallest interior room we have ever experienced. However, because of our disappointment with the room, and a couple of other issues we had had with emarkation we were upgrade. The balcony room, 6067 was a good size, with a double seat sofa besides the desk with a good desk chair and a small coffee table. The bed was very comfortable, and we appreciated the fact that at each side of the bed, above the side table, there was a panel with a power plug and a USB plug, and a bendable reading light. At the desk, there is a panel with more outlets, two america, two european, and again two USB ports. The bathrooms, even in the small inside cabins is one of the best we have even encountered. The shower runs the full length of one side of the bath, and it has a floor to ceiling clear glass wall and door! The shower head is removable and adjustable and water flow is good and easily adjustable. Every bath comes with high end Elemis Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body wash in wall mounted dispensers.
Ship tip
If you want a ship that is more of an amusement park then a cruise ship, this is not the ship for you. Frankly, it' probably not a really good ship for young families with children. But even though the age on board probably averages out a little higher, it would be a good cruise for active young adults on up to older cruisers.
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Ports of call
No excursion here. Great port if you just want to walk around. We have a friend that lives there and we went out with her. Great seafood places. Probably worth a trip to the Portland Head Lighthouse. Must have a local Lobster Roll for lunch. Easy walking to town from ship.
Probably the best port of the cruise except for Quebec City. Tons of things to see and do. My personal favorite was the Maritime Museum. Great walking port!
This is a tiny little town. They try really hard to be easy to visit. Everybody is very kind and helpful. But there is very little to see or do. We took a shuttle bus into town and just walked around. There was a very nice local history museum that we spend an hour in that had some very interesting exhibits. Then we stopped in a few cute shops, and had a nice lunch. (We like to patronize local restaurants if possible so the locals feel like they get some benefit of all the strangers wandering around in their town. We also try to buy at least one small item to remember the port from a local shop for the same reason. Too many ports are being overwhelmed by cruisers who never spend a dime in the town).
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
This was a wonderful port city. Small enough to be quaint, but large enough to have lots to do and see. Did a self directed walking tour. This place is so charming we may come back on a future land visit to spend more time here.
Another very small town. Interesting location, beautiful scenery, not much to do except just walk around.
To be clear, Saguenay is NOT a city. It is an AREA that is comprised of several small communities. The Fjord is too narrow for the large ship to dock in the largest community (Chiquotimi), so it docks further south at La Baie. There is very little to do or see in La Baie except for a somewhat interesting museum dealing with the creation of Fjords. There is a bus (school busses are used for shuttles in most of these ports) that can take you into Chiquotimi. There are a few nice shops and restaurants there, along with a beautiful walkway along the main river.
Although the side mountains are not as tall and rocky as a typical Fjord in Alaska or Norway, it is still a beautiful stretch of river cruising.
Absolutely the highlight of the trip. We have been before, but never tire of this magnificent historic city. Feels like you are actually in a historic city in France somewhere.
Disembarkation
Super easy and quick. Great port. VERY congested getting from the port to the city though. Probably best to reserve a Uber before you get to the port a day ahead. Taxis and Ubers are in short supply