Not A Good Experience

Item: Nieuw Statendam
Rating: 2.6
Author: dpblusea

Nieuw Statendam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

dpblusea

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 41

Overall rating:

2.6 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 19, 2022

Ship: Nieuw Statendam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8051

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Carnival/Holland supposedly changes everything much more for the worse 2 weeks before my cruise. Either way it was bad. The staff was great, but it was short staffed, bad food and no Covid precautions.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Terrible, everyone was herded into a small room with no distancing...Covid hotspot

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Food stunk...extra charges for a lot, no lobster night, only Pinnacle Grill e is good. Buffets terrible....bad hygiene, long lines, not enoguh servers.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

There were only minimal activities..none by the pool..Lots of kids diving in small pool with no supervison

Entertainment

1 out of 5

again minimal and same as 4 years ago on same ship. The first night entertainmenw was a film strip on Holland america's history..not entertainment in my eyss.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Most of the staff excluding the cruise director were excellent.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

No attention to good hygiene and Covid precautions...a Covid hotspot.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

It was fine...

Ship tip

As much of the crew told us..go Celebrity. Carnival is all changing for the worse. They are actullay embarrased with the product they are providing.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

3 out of 5

Easy in and out

Thumbs Up 0

Grand Turk Island

2 out of 5

Not much to do here.

Thumbs Up 0

San Juan, Puerto Rico

2 out of 5

A lot different after the pandemic and hurricane. Nice to walk around.

Thumbs Up 0

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

3 out of 5

Agian many stores closed

Thumbs Up 0

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

Did not visit because they pack the tenders like sardines. No distancing at all.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Fast and efficient. The best part of the cruise.

9 Comments

Faye1966 2 years ago

It sounds like you have some Covid fear/issues still. Maybe you should stay away from crowded places, like cruise ships, for a while longer…

Thumbs Up 0

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yk07us 2 years ago

There are two other reviews of the same cruise here that are very positive without any complaints of the kind. People loved their cruises.

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Dumfy75 2 years ago

If the entertainment was also minimal 4 years ago why did you book again and then slate the entertainment? Also apart from encouraging people to wash hands etc it’s really the responsibility of the individual to take their own covid precautions as they see fit.

Thumbs Up 1

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Flcruisepro 2 years ago

JFI, HAL is owned by Carnival Corporation, but is not Carnival Cruiseline, which is also owned by Carnival Corp. Each cruiseline is run separately with their own CEO. So when you quote Carnival/Holland, it's like saying Royal Caribbean/Celebrity. Royal Caribbean, Inc. owns Celebrity Cruiseline and RCCL, but they are separately run and each also has their own CEO.

Thumbs Up 1

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

Thumbs Up 0

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations.

Thumbs Up 0

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javawoody 2 years ago

Sorry I have been on this ship twice this year,and had a completely different experience

Thumbs Up 2

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cdavid46 2 years ago

Pretty negative experience, eh? 😳

Thumbs Up 2

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CruzeFan 2 years ago

Holland America is not known for their entertainment or on board activities. Everywhere is a covet hotspot now.

Thumbs Up 1

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Other reviews of this sailing

Enjoyable but

Great Ship

Great way to spend Thanksgiving