I have been on numerous Holland America cruises and already have 2 more booked for 2025. I love the way you take care of us and the amazing staff I’ve encountered at every level. Your system is efficient, the crew is well trained, and they stay friendly and helpful no matter how hard they’ve worked or how tired they must be. I love the ship design, smaller ship size (but still with stabilizers), great services like acupuncturist for sea sickness and other issues, the spa services, the entertainment, etc.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
They kept the line moving very fast. I can’t stand for long periods of time and that was not a problem for this cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Considering we were at sea for 6 days straight, the quality and variety of options was excellent. I think the brisket was the best I’ve ever had.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
You will never be bored unless you choose to be. We enjoyed the pool, entertainment, spa, shopping, games, music venues…and there were so many more things we never had time to pursue,
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Excellent, from singing, dancing, comedy to magic, it was all wonderful. We especially enjoyed Sean McGibbon. His voice and stage presence were wonderful. We always enjoy the music at BB Kings and the gentleman who heads up the games has amazing energy and ability to get the crowd into games and dancing.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone is friendly, smiling and helpful despite the hard work and long hours. Our room stewards were outstanding, really contributing to making the trip special and making us feel like it was their pleasure to serve our every need. (Den and Tris)
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Nieuw Statendam is our favorite ship so far. We love the size, design, activities and it’s always amazingly clean. That doesn’t happen by accident, the staff work really hard at all times.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I love this cabin design, even more than the Signature Suite (which I also love). I think both are a good value, although my travel partners prefer the veranda rooms, so I frequently have to book those to be right next to them.
Ship tip
Take full advantage of all there is to offer. Try new things. Explore the ship. We’ve been on this ship multiple times and just found the Tamarind restaurant this time. It was excellent! And if you want to walk and it’s too cold for the outdoor area on 3, just pick a floor and walk inside.
I think this was the day we tendered into port. While we were returning to the ship and as we were unloading, a huge wave hit the tender (followed by a second wave). An older lady was about to disembark and she was knocked down and almost fell overboard. A crew member jumped into action, pulling her back into the tender and safely inside before the tender door closed. I heard one person complaining about this, but don’t listen to him if he complains. The crew couldn’t have known that would happen and I thought they were amazing.
Loved Rotterdam. We have friends here so went out with them instead of an excursion. But HAL did a great job on transporting us to the hotel and to the airport. My only suggestion is apparently Mondays are extra busy at the airport, so allow extra time to get through the lines. It was a close call for me making it to my flight on time.
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