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The second of our Signature-class ships, Nieuw Amsterdam celebrates historic New York City with its inspired design and an art collection valued at more than $3 million. While on board enjoy regional cooking demonstrations and food and wine tastings with Port to Table programming. Dine in your choice of specialty restaurants. Or rejuvenate in the Greenhouse Spa & Salon.
Hey Yall, Just writing a quick review to share our experience on the Feb 9 sailing of the NA. In short, it exceeded our fairly high expectations and we look forward to sailing on her again in June. Embarkation was delayed a bit due to extra cleaning prior to boarding, but by the time we boarded a little before our updated time, there were zero lines anywhere and the entire boarding process took maybe 10 minutes with mostly walking and little waiting. Our only upgrades were the purchase of the thermal spa which we have enjoyed on our last few cruises. It met all expectations throughout and was never crowded in any of the three key areas - heated chairs, thermal tub, and steam room. Food easily exceeded expectations throughout with hot dishes served hot, cold served cold, and all dishes tasty and flavorful. This included the desserts which were noticeably better than past HAL cruises. Our unexpected highlight was Canelletto. It far exceeded expectations and was well worth the surcharge. Our lunch in the Pinnacle Grill was almost as good as we noticed the crabcakes seemed to have more filler and less crab than before. Other dishes were tasty. Service also exceeded expectations across the board. Everyone we interacted with was polite, positive, and helpful. Inside Cabin was fine and a little smaller than I expected. We got a great deal and we had no complaints - except we like it quite cool overnight and couldn't get the room as cool as we preferred. Entertaininment, especially in the main theater was underwhelming. However, we expected this and were able to entertain ourselves most evenings. We didn't hear the main band but that room was always packed. The jazz trio was good most of the time and we appreciated the atmosphere they created in the Ocean Bar. All public areas of the ship were in great shape and showed no signs of wear. It is clear it has been well maintained and looked brand new pretty much everywhere. Disembark was easy and painless following breakfast in the dining room. Other passengers were older as expected, with most between their 50's and 70's. That's fine with us as we're in the lower end of this. People were chill with only one who drank to excess or made a nuisance of themselves. We appreciate this.
This was our first HAL cruise and we have no regrets in our choice. The passenger demographic was incredibly varied, much more so than the "floating rest home" vibe so many ascribe to them. Young families and couples, multi-generational families, the retirees, the still-working DINKs like us, LGBTQ folks, different nationalities, etc. It was honestly great and quite the melting pot. We loved it. The ship is older but was constantly being maintained and cared for. The staff were always accessible and friendly. We also felt well-cared for and really enjoyed it. My husband absolutely loved the ship and its more traditional layout and actually felt they had more activities and fun stuff than our last Celebrity cruise. We had a delayed embarkation by two hours due to a 'deep cleaning' before we set sail. The previous cruise had some GI sickness break out, but I never heard of anyone having issues on our sailing. The books in the Library and the games in the Crows Nest weren't available until maybe the third day. Once we got to the port at our assigned time, we were on the ship within 20 minutes - it was so fast and easy. We had taken advantage of the opportunity to drop our luggage off early so I'm sure that helped. Using the app onboard was easy. We did not have the internet package, but the app worked without any issues. We made excursion and dining reservations with it and frequently used it to look up the dining options for the day. Half Moon Cay was delightful and very relaxing. Falmouth was great; incredibly windy at the port, but no problems. Grand Cayman went well; tendering there was like clock-work. Cozumel went off without a hitch. We ate in Canaleto and Tamarind and enjoyed both very much. Tiwi in Canaleto and Aurora in Tamarind provided excellent service. Our room stewards, Ali and Tri, were unobtrusive and professional. We were caught off-guard with the early closing of the Lido Market. 8:00 seems very early to close dining; we missed it one night and ended up choosing Canaleto for that reason. Food throughout the ship was excellent. I do love that they serve in the buffet for most things. Let's be honest, people can be gross and this helps reduce some of that. (haha). I am OBSESSED with their sweet breakfast rolls! As others have mentioned, having the smoking section back by the Sea View bar and pool did reduce my desire to use that space some, but it wasn't horrible. It would be nice to have it somewhere else though. I did miss Celebrity's Solarium pool. The Lido pool was fine but did get a little overwhelmed, especially since the Sea View pool has a dearth of shade options. I did miss the dedicated sommeliers in the MDR that Celebrity has on their ships. When I asked for a recommendation based on the meal I chose, our waiter simply pulled a wine off the menu and didn't really try to pair it with what I ordered. No critique to him intended; just that sommeliers would be nice. We went to a couple of shows. Evolution:Motown was great (quartet of guys singing Motown hits) and the band in the Rolling Stone lounge were excellent. Strong male and female singers; excellent musicians. Our goal for this trip was to not over schedule ourselves since we get enough of that at home, so we missed quite a few of the activities. The Fun Fair they had on the Lido deck with carnival games really was fun and everyone got into the swing of the games and the giveaways. The gym is a little small for my taste; it'd be nice to have some additional open space so people can do yoga or whatever if a class or guided session is going on. The spa is expensive, hands-down. I got their lowest prices massage and it was still $200. It was very nice, but that price is insane. We never once got a push to upsell into a beverage package or the wifi. We already have another HAL cruise scheduled for next February, sailing out of San Diego. Great job, HAL!
We’ve done many cruises, but have only sailed on the Noordam to Alaska, as Holland America is not our first go-to cruise line. However the price was right for this 7 night Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale and two of the ports were new for us – Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. The ship was docked at Terminal 19. There were long lines at check in since HAL does not use time slot to embark passengers by group. Any wine brought on board required a $20 corkage fee, even for in-cabin consumption. No water was allowed in disposable bottles either. We were on board at 11:30 and our room was ready. Our cabin was mid-ship on deck 3, with floor to ceiling view, mostly obstructed, not by a life boat but by a hoisting assembly. The glass was fairly opaque creating a faint reflection of the cabin. It was good size, plenty of storage. The bathroom was spacious with a tub, good hot water pressure, and plush towels. The toilet did not fail to flush even once. There were a few USB outlets and the lighting was decent except for the make-up mirror. The A/C was old fashioned dial and required some guesswork on our part to reach a desired temperature. The TV was a little small, but the remote and software was annoying to navigate. There were very few TV channels available, but many movies at no charge. Our cabin stewards Agus and Yardo were very efficient and friendly. I did suggest they apply WD40 to the creaking door hinges, but I’m not sure they understood. I also noticed the cabin door is not magnetized, so the personal sign we brought was not holding in place. As a member of the Navigator loyalty program we got a special welcome cocktail, but were able to exchange it to any wine under $11. The Navigator app did not install on my older Android phone, but the tech helper had a way to work around that problem using the web browser. Getting seated for dinner in the dining room was aggravating. I reached out to one Maître d’ (Mahmut) who was so helpful every night to get us a nice table for two. The food and service was very good. (The onion soup could use more cheese on top, but the chocolate tulip dessert on Orange night was heavenly). The entertainment was very good, despite the fact there were no large production shows with singers and dancers. The house band at Rolling Stone Lounge was amazingly versatile. The jazz trio in the bar was playing innovative jazz arrangements. The dual pianos at Billboard lounge were fair. The Headliners were also good from the comedy of Mike Delamont, the concert pianist Elliot Finkel and the Evolution Motown foursome with two lively shows. There were also talks on cooking and life at sea with the cruise and travel director Stone. Trivia and other activities were also fun. A nice feature was a daily “happy hour” at the Billboard lounge. Drinks under $11 were 2 for 1 almost every afternoon at 3pm. There was no limit, and you could take your order to the cabin to consume at dinner or lunch next day. Complimentary roasted peanuts in a small jar were available on request too. Surprisingly, the lounge was not very busy and we enjoyed a window seat watching the ocean go by. Mid cruise the captain notified us regarding an increase in Norovirus cases which worsened towards the end. We washed hands frequently and avoided crowded venues. In the Lido buffet most items had to be served by the crew but there were several bread and pastry items where guests had to use tongs, thereby increasing chances for contamination. We used the stairs frequently to avoid elevators. However, I encountered an odd optical illusion which was rather risky. The carpet colour scheme design at the bottom of the staircase makes you believe there is another stair, causing me to stumble a few times. We heard of at least two sprained ankles. I learned to be extra careful to avoid injury, but still came close to falling several times. In Grand Turk we walked to Margaritaville and enjoyed the free facilities – loungers, pool, beach. The changing rooms were modern and spotless. HAL provided nice beach towels in our cabin. The refreshing Strawberry Daiquiri was $12 at the beach bar. In San Juan we docked at the Pan American pier and free shuttles brought us to Plaza Colón which was the starting point for the afternoon walking tour I had booked. The tour with Sarah (Old San Juan Free Walking Tour) was excellent, lasting over two hours ending near the San Felipe del Morro castle. The craft brewery venue we visited afterwards was disappointing, but the Belgian style Amber beer tasted good. In St. Thomas we just walked around the many shops in the port area. Finally in Half Moon Cay we boarded the large tender boat to the beach, found a shady lounger next to the lifeguard tower, and swam in the warm and shallow crystal clear water. The buffet lunch was well organized and very tasty grills and salads. The ice cream was very soft so we took the tender back to the ship and got some at the buffet. It was a short stay on this island but very serene and relaxing. The Orange party was so packed that we didn’t even enter the lounge. They should have held it on the open deck considering the virus outbreak. Conversely, the spacious library is the best we’ve seen on any ship, with multiple copies of recently published books. We peeked in a few times and it was always empty. Another activity we enjoyed was walking on the Deck 4 promenade, where three loops made one mile. Many newer ships have not preserved this iconic old world feature. Disembarkation was orderly, and all luggage was available at the terminal earlier than anticipated. In conclusion, we enjoyed our cruise and would not hesitate choosing Holland America again.
With refined amenities and Holland America Line signature Mariner’s Dream bed gracing each elegant stateroom, the ship offers six grades of staterooms. Most are ocean-facing, many featuring teak-lined verandas for dining alfresco or private sunbathing.
Holland America Line invites you to dine "As You Wish". To savour Italian cuisine one night and a perfectly grilled porterhouse steak the next. To take your place in the Dining Room at a specific seating time or be spontaneous, following your desires. Onboard, there are restaurants to suit every mood, along with the flexibility to choose the dining style you prefer.
Boasting an expansive range of enrichment facilities and opportunity, Holland America Line's ships are bound to offer something you'll want to know more about. Why not have a go at the Digital Workshop powered by Windows and learn how to enhance your holiday picture or how to easily share them.
Every day aboard a Holland America cruise ship brings a wealth of cruise activities and indulgences, along with the freedom to partake in as many- or as few- as you please. It's an opportunity to try something new that surprises you, every day. Dabble, discover, daydream- do everything, or do nothing at all.
Whether you want to workout in the Fitness Centre, learn yoga, pamper yourself with a massage and spa treatment, or enjoy a game of basketball, there's a perfect onboard activity for everyone.
Holland America Line's youth activities program, Kids Club, offers an array of entertaining events for kids and teens ages 3-17, supervised by a full-time, professionally trained staff. They'll have an opportunity to join other kids their age for arts and crafts, sports, video game competitions, scavenger hunts, challenging team games and themed parties.
Note: Kids Club is not offered on cruises of 25-days or longer, including all Legendary and Grand Voyages. We will offer a selection of children’s activities throughout these longer voyages for any children who may be onboard.
Safety Comes First
Safety is our primary concern and strict policies are in place for effective supervision. Adult guests are not permitted to remain in Kids Club unless attending to a special-needs child.
Please note: During voyages with a high number of families onboard, we will make all efforts to accommodate interested parties. However, participation in our program cannot be guaranteed. Hours of operation may change to better serve our guests.
