This ship has the friendliest crew I have ever experienced. The ship was always kept clean, tidy and efficiently run. The size of the ship was perfect and the Explorers cafe was a favorite spot to relax and have great views.

Item: Nieuw Statendam
Rating: 4.8
Author: QweenBee

Nieuw Statendam Cruise Review

QweenBee

Contributor Level: Second Mate

171 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 8

Helpful Votes: 68

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5

28 Night Holy Land Ancient Kingdoms & Greek Isles (Athens To Rome)

Sail date: October 01, 2023

Ship: Nieuw Statendam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8043

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 months ago

Review summary

The itinerary was rich with historical as well as beautiful places. All excursions booked through HAL were very good. The ship was very enjoyable.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Very efficient and quick

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Lido Market was good, always busy it seemed. The Dutch Cafe was especially enjoyable

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Billboard on Board, BB King and the Rock and Roll were all great venues. Enjoyed pool area and ping pong

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All staff were genuinely friendly and helpful. Especially enjoyed the table attendants in Lido Market on port side forward at breakfast. They got to know us and what we liked to drink in the morning

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Ship was always clean

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Very cozy, clean, comfortable and lots of storage. Good use of space

Ship tip

Check out Explorers Cafe on deck 12 early in your itinerary. It will be a favorite spot to hang out

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Far from center of Rome. Did an excursion of Rome highlights on a bus, convenient way to get to our hotel from the ship for our post cruise two days in Rome

Thumbs Up 0

Iraklion (Heraklion), Crete

4 out of 5

Did excursion to mountains. Very scenic

Thumbs Up 0

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

4 out of 5

Somewhat of a distance from airport and center of Athens

Thumbs Up 0

Katakolon (Olympia), Greece

5 out of 5

Went to ancient Olympia. Very interesting

Thumbs Up 0

Santorini, Greece

5 out of 5

This was a stunningly beautiful place. Long line for tram to port. I heard the walking path down as an alternative was dangerously slippery

Thumbs Up 0

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

5 out of 5

Explored ancient Ephesus. Excellent excursion. Shop owners in Kusadasi were extremely aggressive. A turn off

Thumbs Up 0

Nafplion (Nauplion), Greece

4 out of 5

Did excursion to ancient Corinth and canal. Interesting

Thumbs Up 0

Messina, Sicily

5 out of 5

Did an excursion to lovely Taormina with tour of ancient theatre. Great shopping

Thumbs Up 0

Istanbul, Turkey

3 out of 5

Did an excursion cruising the Bosporus. Beautiful city. Was a little unnerved at the periodic prayers that were broadcasted loudly throughout the day.

Thumbs Up 0

Mykonos, Greece

5 out of 5

Was crowded, great shopping, unfortunately had to tender to shore

Thumbs Up 0

Souda (Chania), Crete

4 out of 5

Rhodes, Greece

4 out of 5

Explored castle from the dark ages. Decent shopping

Thumbs Up 0

Limassol, Cyprus