We are 2-star Mariners with a few HAL cruises under our belt, and prior cruises with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. This was a 7-day Western Caribbean out of Ft Lauderdale, stopping at Half Moon Cay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Key West, with 2 sea days. Our party was my DH, our adult friend (first time cruiser), and myself. I am early 40s, my DH and friend are late 50s. We are physically active. Our priorities for this cruise were to relax, exercise daily, enjoy a variety of food on board, and sample the live music. We did not book any shore excursions. I enjoyed massages at the Greenhouse Spa every day.
Overall: Our first time on the Nieuw Amsterdam, sister to the Eurodam (one of our previous ships), and a lovely cruise. We were blessed with calm seas and fine weather. The ship is in fine shape overall -- we did not see any unsightly problems beyond the normal wear and tear one would expect from a ship in active use. Service was excellent. Food was inconsistent (detailed below). My overall grade for this cruise is a B+.
Travel: We arranged our own travel to Ft Lauderdale on Saturday 02 April (day before departure) and stayed at the Renaissance, a perfectly serviceable hotel with a view over the harbor. Travel to the port was 10 minutes and we used Uber, as we were a group of 3 and needed no van or special services to get there.
A great cabin on deck 7, farthest aft on the port side. Clean and in fine shape. No vibrations or loud noises. No maintenance issues. This category of suite has separate jacuzzi tub (with handheld shower) and standing shower stall (also handheld shower). Two sinks. LOTS of closet and drawer space -- I claimed the curtained "boudoir" area with two full-length closest and a set of shelves, while DH took the same two closets/shelves in the entryway. We shared drawers near the windows and didn't fill them. More than enough room for our 7-day cruise.
We stayed at the Marriott Renaissance -- a perfectly serviceable pre-cruise hotel, conveniently located 10 minutes from the port.
We rented a clamshell sunshade and spent about 2 hours on the beach. The clamshells are described as fitting two sun loungers, but you can cram three in there side-by-side.
We walked around town a bit -- this is a very clean and relatively safe-feeling Caribbean port. Very tourist friendly without feeling aggressive.
It was hot and humid and I didn't even get off the ship! Others in our party reported that the port area is a relentless tourist trap.
We went for a run around town and got to see the mix of Victorian-style southern homes and cinderblock ranch houses, producing a fusion of "Florida Spring Break" with "Southern charm."