Nieuw Amsterdam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Overall we enjoyed our cruise! The ship was extremely stable in rough seas and the pools , which were wonderful , were kept open! It was our 8 th cruise on various lines including MSC , Celebrity, Norwegian , and Princess. We enjoyed the fresh flowers, great service, movies available in the room on flat screen TV , lounge entertainers , and great food! The ship is kept sparkling clean !!
The negatives were the poorest theatre entertainment we have ever experienced! Even long term fans of Holland America complained that it was way below average! There was only one standing ovation show and we are use to one - three ovations every night on these other lines! If the theatre is important to you, then choose another line. We found the current movies in the room , (which were easy for even seniors to use! ) , helped a lot to compensate . Also , if you love good pools and a lovely promenade deck with great lounge chairs, then this ship is perfect! I have to compliment the captain for keeping the ship so stable in rough seas! ( could not dock at Cozemel!)
Another negative issue was the room temperatures were freezing and you needed fleece , not just a light shoulder covering!! Even the room temperature was difficult to regulate and others commented on this problem.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
We had a beautiful room with the best cabin stewards, Abdul and Suggi ! We loved the view and the boats below were no problem to us. We liked deck 5 as we felt closer to the water. Also , it was about midship which meant less walking! The cupboard space was excellent , and we didn't use it all although we always bring too much! We loved the tub and there was good space in the bathroom. The room service for a full hot breakfast was generally outstanding except for disembarkation day when it never came!The towels were plush , and the bed was very comfortable too! We would do this line again for a short cruise especially!
Port Reviews
Key West
We walked to Truman's Little White House for the tour which we loved! We did book the HemingwayHouse on a previous cruise and we highly recommend it too! You need the trolley as it is a very long walk. We love Key West -- Sloppy Joe's and Key Lime pie!! They are close to the pier and can be reached by walking .
Note : If you do this as a last port you have to get up very early for US clearance . We are not morning people so this meant two days back to back with early schedule as it precedes the final morning! I would want this as a first stop!!
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
We stayed at the Baha'i Mar the night before. We had a 9:00 swim in their heated pool! The food for lunch was great but we went somewhere else for dinner as the area for dinner was next to a very noisy bar! They have a private walkway to the beach also.