Nieuw Amsterdam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We opted for the Nieuw Amsterdam mainly because of the itinerary in Alaska. Somewhere we have had on our 'to do' list for some time. The cruise and scenery didn't disappoint however Holland America's ship did! It was our first experience of Holland America and we expected a lot more. We have previously sailed with Cunard, P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and more recently Celebrity, over 40 cruises in total.
Because of our previous sailings with other ships in the Carnival group we were upgraded to star mariner before boarding. However this was never acknowledged once on the ship. We did not get invited to the welcome aboard reception nor the Mariner lunch or received a token gift. We did ask the question why .. but were told we hadn't sailed with Holland America before. No, but Carnival would probably like to think that our custom was appreciated. A warm welcome was not what we experienced.
The first requirement like all other cruise lines once on board is to attend a safety drill. On this ship and presumably others in the HAL fleet the drill took place on the promenade deck. It was chaotic and badly executed. Staff were using load hailers and performed a passenger register call. Trying to hear our names amongst the chaos of passengers walking by to find their right meeting point was nothing short of impossible. Their system of three levels of emergency drill again is unique to them and confusing. When you hear the first emergency signal .. you do .. nothing! Only if the emergency signal gets to the third level are you expected to take lifejackets to your muster station on deck. This cruise we heard the emergency signal for the first time outside of a crew drill. At 6 am aprox one morning the emergency signal sounded. We were expected to just stay in the cabin despite being alerted that it was a small fire but it was very concerning to do nothing and a long wait until we had the all clear. This was the only occasion we heard the captain ... we never did actually see him .. or even found a picture of him around the ship. Very poor customer relations and the only time on a ship this has happened. We feel staff are very much taking the lead from their captain and have a very indifferent approach to the paying passengers on board.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
Poor wardrobe position makes opening doors to wardrobe and bathroom difficult in such a narrow space.
Very poor balcony furniture with only one normal and one more comfortable rattan style chairs. Small table .. no footstool.
Paying the extra for a balcony means passengers want to spend time on it. in comfort.
Port Reviews
Juneau
.
Excursions over priced. The stop for Tracie Arm was not a stop at all. A boat came alongside and took passengers who had paid for ship excursions. Very misleading on the itinerary and we felt short changed. We didn't leave the ship in Juneau until mid afternoon. Ship tender procedure and wait the worst we have encountered.
Skagway
We bought our own tickets for the White pass Train in the town. Saving aprox $10 per person instead of purchasing from a member of staff in a booth on the dock side. It was only my husband who recognised her from the port talk that made us realise she was NOT employed by the railway.