Nieuw Amsterdam Review
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Additional details
My spouse and I were on our first transatlantic cruise with HAL on the Nieuw Amsterdam for the Transatlantic farewell and we embarked in Barcelona on October 29th.
Embarking was quick, smooth, a pleasant experience free of hassle that some of our friends told us to expect. Our first day on board was pleasant and the weather was sunny but chilly on our on time departure.
As this was our first cruise with HAL we were not surprised to have high health standards on the first days that we were on board. By high standards I mean having a crew member to hand you hand sanitizers every time you came in and out of the dining room, Lido, theater, etc. and have the Cruise Director, Dave Shea repeatedly asking the guests "to wash your hands" in his inaugural speech when presenting the Captain and crew. What was not told to us while boarding was that the ship was already under a health RED alert as a lot of guests had started their cruise in Venice 7 days earlier.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
Our room was a VB Upper Verandah on port side. The sunrise and sunset were always in our room going westward. The room was just far enough from the navigation bridge over our head to not obstruct the sky view but close enough to see bridge maneuvers. Just over the beginning of the wake, for the tremendous sound..... The balcony had only one deck chair and one chair. The couch was broken so we could not really sit on it. The doors of the overhead bin are dangerous as they may come down on you. The beds were terrific. 2 out of 3 closets needed some lights because when the closet doors are open the overhead corridor light cannot reach inside. The bathroom was well planned and shower was tremendous. The bathtub was too small for a small person. Noise from outside was not a factor.