My partner and I were on the RSVP's Grand Mediterranean gay cruise on this ship which did a circle route from Barcelona to Tunis, Palermo, Civitavecchia, Livorno and Marseilles. It was our first cruise and therefore expect some superlatives.

We found the Nieuw Amsterdam to be luxurious, spacious and comfortable. The public spaces are grand without being garish or stand-offish! Loved the twirling Manhattan crystal skyline in the atrium. There are too many bars and lounges to mention. Don't think I saw half of them. But I think the one next to the gym would have been a favourite. Visited the gym quite a few times. It is small but adequate. Surely it has never been as busy as on this cruise. One had to work on those pecs. Liked the chilled towels. The duty-free shop is small. Liked the idea that for this cruise they changed their merchandise accordingly. The pool-areas and whirl pools were great fun and the eye-candy delicious. Although it was sometimes difficult to find a sun bed at the covered pool. Yes, passengers tend to mark their beds before leaving it for selfish reasons. The open pool at the back could be windy at times. But there is more space.

Had breakfast and late lunch always in the Lido restaurant. Was always spoiled for choice. In the evenings we went to the Manhattan restaurant. Preferred to eat our dinners here seeing that the buffet-overload of the Lido mesmerised me. Never had to wait long for a table and enjoyed the fact that we were not forced to dress up. Were grouped with wonderful guys from Dallas with whom we spent most of our dinners. Food was always exceptionally well prepared, tasty and beautifully presented. Had the most amazing lamb chops! And of course there are the pizza slices on the Lido deck at one o'clock in the morning - sounds cheap and nasty, but they were sumptuous. Read more