Nieuw Statendam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Second year in a row we rode the ship for NYE and both times were fabulous.

Overall a good first experience, but HAL definitely caters towards an older demographic, which may not work best for everyone. Their brand identity is pretty locked-in, and I did not get a sense that they are looking to change anything about it. The response from their officers and crew about any suggestions for improvement was pretty much what you see is what you get, and they have been doing it this way for past 150 years, etc. So make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into before booking.

The food always looked great, but the looks did not match the taste. It was mostly bland unless you ate in a specialty restaurant. I would try to get set seating in the main dining room, vs getting the Dine as You Wish. If you do get the Dines as You Wish option, make sure to make all of your meal reservations as soon as possible. Waiting until you get on board did not serve us well. If you bring your own water bottle, be aware that there is only one water station on board. The water is warm and the ice maker next to the water machine was mostly empty. The line to use this station was always long. Service in the buffet eating area was sparse at best. The As You Wish Dining experience turned out to be "go to the buffet". We also had the drink package that included drinks at $11 and under. This was mostly true, although it didn't work in the buffet. It ended up being a hassle because it slowed down the process of ordering and is something that I would not purchase again. The ship was in the middle of switching out their liquor supplier, so many of the specialty drinks in the bar menus were unavailable or were substituted with other liquor. For those of us who have cruised prior to Covid, the post-Covid experience is just not the same.

Relaxing with friendly helpful happy staff and guests

Very nice for a Holiday Cruise. Good entertainment. Nice clean ship.

This was one of the best cruises ever. Ship was beautiful, staff were attentive and worked hard to exceed expectations. Food was consistently hot and delicious. Room was clean and comfortable. Nice excursion offerings. Good bar, wait staff and room stewards. Only issue is smoking in casino. Also miss the staff encouraging passengers to was there hands in MDR. Embarkation and debarkation was organized and done well. Just a great experience.

Our November 26, 2023 fourteen day trip on the Holland America, Nieuw Statendam, was almost all we could have hoped for in a cruise. As experienced cruisers, It had exceeded much of our expectations for food, accommodations and cleanliness. But the cruise also had a dark side. On 12/05 I came back to our balcony cabin, after dinner to find my wife sitting in the hallway in utter panic. She had been confronted, in our cabin, with a live stripped lizard. She thought she had seen glimpses of something from the first day. We called the housekeeping staff for help, but even the senior staff were unable to remedy the situation. Best they could do in vacuum up the lizard eggs on the floor. Customer service , staffed by three associates and no other customers, acted like we were bothering them with our problem. It took more than a hour, while we stood at the desk, to get a new room. We are seniors in our 80's and were forced to pack and move all our baggage to the new room. As compensation for our panic and pain, we were only offered a meal for “one person” in their upscale Pasta restaurant, the second guest would have to pay (That was like a slap in the face). At this point it's hard for me to recommend Holland America, we did cancel a tentative Holland America future cruise. Throughout the entire cruise, our contact with the real working employees was of the highest level. They made the difference. We left the ship with a smile, but will always remember the pain.

Was as expected a great historical cruise. So much rich history in this region. Disappointed by not getting to Olympia.

Thank all of your crews. We really enjoy this trip so much. Obviously we will choose your ship again for our next time cruise. Compared with Royal Caribbean. Carnival, you are the best

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

Nice ship, dated on board activities and attractions.

It was an excellent cruise I enjoyed a lot. Holland America always comes true.

Overall, a very enjoyable last-minute cruise. We weren't sure what to expect. Up front, I thought there were too many at sea days and too few ports. I had ideas about the ports and in the end was surprised that I really enjoyed relaxing during the at sea days and really enjoyed the ports I wasn't expecting to like. Would definitely do this cruise over. Holland America is still recovering from the pandemic and under the circumstances, they did a great job. Will cruise with them again.

I was on board the NS from Aug p thru Sept 6, for the Bristish Isles and Iceland portions of the cruise. The music, especially the Pianos and the BB Kings was fantastic! The offered excursions were pretty good, however they sold out too quickly I think.

We had a wonderful trip. It is a good way to explore Iceland by cruise. We liked all the Iceland ports. Holland America cruise line provides outstanding port selections and services.

Overall this was a wonderful cruise. I would recommend it!

Have traveled on HAL to Alaska (Outstanding), Caribbean (Good) and now Iceland (Very good). But we are done with HAL. Just not enough entertainment for long cruises.

One of my favorite cruises ever. The crew was as fabulous as I’ve come to expect on Holland America. The tours and ports of call exceeded my expectations. Since I’ve been to the British Isles many times, I didn’t expect to be wowed by the places we’d visit…but I was!

This was a fantastic trip! Norway is beautiful and the ship and it's crew could not have been better - always willing to help. The weather was ok - some rain, some sun and some rough seas but it made the trip that much more exciting - navigating the stops with inclement weather and talking to the locals while doing so. The fjords are everything everyone says they are - there is nothing like it.

Overall the cruise was GREAT! We had a relaxing time and the weather was very cooperative. Everywhere we went everyone was friendly and helpful. The views are amazing!