Okay - so we went out for 7 nights, on the MS Niew Amsterdam on March 18, 2012. My wife and I are in our late 50's, and this is our 11th cruise overall. We have been on cruises as short as 3 nights, but mostly go for 7-nighters. Also, we have been on RC, Norwegian, Carnival and Holland America, so I would like to think our observations are accurate and that we have a good basis for comparison.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this cruise high marks .... maybe an 8.5. If I had to describe the cruise in one word - I'd say "dignified." The ship is painted Navy Blue and white and gives the impression of being a "floating tuxedo." Well, maybe not quite that formal ....... but still, this is an older and much more restrained crowd than the other ships. We picked this ship partly because the price was right, but also because I wanted to get away from all the current mass-media "Lady Gaga / Hip-hop/ Techno-pop/ Rap music culture and hype. We wanted to get away to relax, enjoy, sight-see, read a little and of course to eat well! We are not gamblers, nor are we really night-life people. NOTE : this is an OLDER CROWD by and large, and the pace of the cruise reflects that reality. We still felt some connection to the attitudes and traditions of cruises from the past. ( Our first cruise was in fact, 1987 on the Niew Amsterdam (III) that preceded this ship ! ) No there were no gowns, no mink stoles, and no costume party .... but there was a certain dignity that was present in the ship's mood and attitude. Not the insanity and over-the-top partying you see on a couple of the other lines. FYI - there were a couple of reunions going on for WWII veterans taking place. These folks were up there in years, and they were certainly shown a great deal of respect over the week-long cruise. I think if this was Carnival or even RC, they would have been out of place and probably made uncomfortable by the typical passenger's behavior. Just my thoughts.

For our mood at the time, this cruise was perfect for us. Rest and relaxation was our goal - and we got plenty of that ! Read more