So Relaxing!
Nieuw Statendam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 22
7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: March 03, 2024
Ship: Nieuw Statendam
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: 1030
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 8 months ago
Review summary
Go to your room, there you will find your card key, the key to all your fun! Everyone in your party, watch the safety video together, then be sure to go find your Muster station, as it's important should an emergency occur. Then grab lunch and review all the fun things to do on the ship. This is when you should wander around and see where everything is! (If you wander first, lunch will be over!) If you haven't downloaded Navigator, do this now. If you have issues, Staff is on hand at various points throughout the ship to assist. On this app, you can see all the activities, check the ones you are interested in and it goes into your "Personal Itnerary" page. There's also a chat feature you can use to chat with your fellow passengers or new friends you make during the cruise. Wi-Fi service on the boat is not needed for this. Take advantage of being unplugged. Don't get Wi-Fi. Service is not guaranteed while on the ocean, the shipwide system with Navigator is all you need. Take advantage during the day of their fantastic Library, enjoying the sea air by the pool or at the many shaded areaas. There are places to meet new friends and places to enjoy some solitude should you desire. The food is Incredible, however there are Specialty Restaurants also aboard that are Amazing. I highly recommend Nami Sushi. Pricing is a la carte and we enjoyed an Amazing Meal for under $30! For both of us!! All the staff greeted me with a Welcome Aboard the first day and never missed an opportunity to ask how our cruise experience has been. Be sure to explore every deck, from the Crow's Nest inside, to the outside viewing deck above the "Nest" all the way down to the bottom floor where the expansive air studio resides. Other decks contain the Music Venue's (Billboard Onboard - dual piano players), Rolling Stone Lounge (across from Billboard) who switch back & forth playiing, to B. B. Kiing's Blues Lounge! There are other lounge areas away from the noise if a more quiet atmosphere is more your vibe. In addition the World Stage hosts musical shows, movies and presentations about the ship & the ocean. Oh, let's not forget the Casino, which is open all night some nights. Now..... here's something you may have not expected. The Photo Studio. Now, lots & lots of pics are taken at all different places and times on the ship, but they have a World Class Professional Photography Studio on board. Hubby (who is very uncomfortable in front of a camera) agreed to do a sitting with me. I figured why not, it'll be fun and there was no obligation whatsoever too buy. So, our first dressy dinner night, we sat for photos. Imam, our photographer was very outgoing and fun, making little comments of encouragement & had hubbs laughing. A day or so later, we returned to see the results and were absolutely SHOCKED at how Wonderful these pics were!!! I doubt we've ever looked quite that good (maybe 30 years ago), but it still absolutely looked like us. They are stunning. I was able to get an album along with all the pics in both black & white and color as well as the copyright, so I'll have no issues doing reprints. My album is a work of art. They took the best 20 pics (each of us alone and together) and mounted them in this book. The quality of this book is unlike any I've ever seen. This will become an Heirloom. So, what are you waiting for??? Holland caters to a more mature crowd, so if you are looking to party hardy with the kids go check out Carnival, but if you are looking for a relaxed, friendly, fun cruise in the most beautiful surrounds, book a Holland America Cruise and get absolutely Spoiled!Embarkation
Flight was delayed, so be sure to book your flight via Holland America so they know!! The good part was there was NO Liine to get onto the ship, however they was also NO Picture opportunity Nor anyone to advise us as to what to do once on board. Spent 1.5 hrs roaming round, trying to figure out where I was, where my room was or what was going on.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
No open buffets on board. Everything is served on a plate to you. Specialty restaurants were excellent. Dining Room is elegant. Recommendations: Unless you love Italian food, skip Canaletto. Nami Sushi was OUTSTANDING & INEXPENSIVE!! Hubbs & I ate till we were full & spent $25 total as it is a la carte dining. Heck, Hubby sake was more expensive than our meal! We were lucky to score a reservation for Morimoto's by the Sea, the one night only pop up restaurant and it was SUPERB!!! All in all, the food was Outstanding!!
Onboard Activities
The pools are crowded on "At Sea" days, but while in port, there is no problem getting a seat by the pool or over looking the ocean. I am very low key, but I enjoyed Thi-Chi every morning on the Lido Deck poolside, I joined in on Origami & Doodling as Art classes. The water color painting classes were very popular so I couldn't get a seat. I engaged in Line Dancing at various places around the ship & really enjoyed all the games, trivia, etc that they presented. I was surprised at the extensive Library they had onboard and at the selection of board & card games they had to play up in the Crows Nest, a large coffee lounge area overlooking the bow of the boat. They have an extensive work out room (which I did not use) and a walking track around one of the decks. Lots of security around the railings, etc, so it was very safe.
Entertainment
The World Stage not only has wonderful variety shows, but presentations, such as "City under the Sea" which gave us an idea of all it takes too make our trips so memorable. We also enjoyed the "Ask the Captain" presentation. The comedian was funny, but the other entertainer was not great. After hearing they were like bad karaoke, we decided to miss it. The live music in the B. B. King lounge was outstanding, but the duo piano players in the Billboard Onboard Lounge left a lot to be desired, however the band in the Rolling Stone Lounge were HORRIFIC! Words do not exist to describe how uniquely BAD they were. Perhaps a good sound mixer could have helped, as the lady singer was SCREECHIING, but the male singer was missing notes and the instrument playing wasn't very good (except the drummer......when he wasn't to loud). I was actually shocked at how absolutely HORRIBLE it was. They butchered cover songs to the point, they were almost unrecognizable. The last night on board, I actually spoke to some crew that had on fancy uniforms with stripes on their sleeves about how absolutely HORRENDUS they were...... he looked down, apologized then advised me they were leaving the ship the next day. But I WAS TOO! I really want to rate the Entertainment higher because the World Stage was nice & B. B. King's All Star Band was Rockin, but the other two were just SO BAD.
Word
Children's Programs
No Kids
Service and Staff
The staff on Holland America ships can't be beat. Each & everyone of them are friendly, kind, personable & can answer most any question. Our room stewards were excellent. I asked for ice when I met them & each time after that, I found fresh ice in my room everytime I returned. Not sure how they knew....... Denny, the waiter at Canaletto's remembered our names and greeted us each time we saw him. In fact, I never encountered a crew member, even just walking down a hall, who did NOT smile, welcome me board and ask how our experience was. Guest Services handle all issues with smiles.
Ship Quality
OMGosh. Let me tell you, I saw SO Many people cleaning, ALL THE TIME. The ship is very well decorated, amazing art at every turn. Lots of areas to relax, both inside and outside. If you don't mind small crowds, the pools are great, but if you crave alone time, there are many many places to chill in the quiet. Everything appeared brand new, although I know the ship is commissioned in 2018. There were many sanitiziing stands provided on board and at each end of the dining areaa, they have sinks with soap and towels to wash before you enter. LOVED THIS !! All the bathrooms have cloths to dry your hands with, not paper towels or weak blowdryerss, then they have a paper towel dispenser at the door, so you can take a sheet, open the door, then throw out the sheet while maintaining your clean hands! There really aren't enough words to convey my gratitude at all the constant cleaning they do.
Cabin / Stateroom
We booked a completely indoor room, so imagine my surprise when I saw..... A Window??!!! My hubby was SO excited. We were upgraded for free and what a delightful surprise. I suffer from Vertigo, which is why I booked a completely indoor room on the bottom floor of the ship, but this worked out perfectly. It was low & center enough to keep me feeling fine! Only a few short times you could feel the rock of the ship & it was never severe enough to cause a problem for me. The room was not as crowded as I expected to feel. We had a king size bed, room under the bed for the Large suitcase, many many drawers, shelves, closets for all your stuff. Beautiful decor. Comfy Bed!!
Ship tip
Be sure to go directly ton your room. Important info is there for you to enjoy your trip. We wandered for almost 1.5 hours before being told to go to our room!
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Disembarkation
Quick & Easy. Very Organiized.