Nieuw Amsterdam Review
Rating by category
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Absolutely fantastic!! We love HAL. Everything was exceptional - organized embarkation was very fast, ports of call were great, service was exceptional, all activities and meals were all fantastic, and we can't say enough great things about the exceptional staff. Can't think of enough stellar words to describe all the great things about HAL. Just booked our next cruise on HAL!!
The staff on any HAL ship makes your cruise experience absolutely wonderful. No request is too small, no issue is too big to be handled immediately, The staff are always smiling and sometimes singing! The whole vibe of being on a HAL ship makes one feel relaxed and happy in one's soul. And THAT is what cruising is all about.
Highly recommend anyone thinking about cruising to book on HAL. You'll be hooked! Have taken other cruises and all HAL cruises are comparable to the one Cunard voyage I took years ago. Truly can't think of another cruise line that offers the fantastic experience that HAL does.
Cabin Review
Large Ocean-View Stateroom
Exceptional! It was HUGE.
Port Reviews
San Diego
We visited both ports of call (Victoria, BC and Seattle, WA) but did these on our own. HAL was very efficient getting us off the ship and back on again. Once on land, there were numerous buses organized and taxis lined up. Everything was well prepared and all transport was well organized. We thoroughly enjoyed our adventures at the ports of call (including renting scooters) and found the whole experience of visiting these ports extremely efficiently managed by HAL.
Victoria
Victoria is lovely and looks her best when the massive gardens are in bloom. Such a pretty Victorian little city. We took a taxi to downtown and rented a gas powered scooter. (Definitely the way to zip around this little city.) We visited Craigdorrach Castle, drove through Chinatown (found the Starbucks), and walked around the Parliament Building. Spectacular!
Seattle
We took a taxi to the Space Needle first thing in the morning. Fantastic experience! Buying a ticket can include a discounted price for entrance to the Chihuly glass gardens right next door. Absolutely spectacular!! Photos don't do it justice. We toured both and then chose to walk the mile to the Pike Place Market. A very pleasant walk and we were able to pop in to various shops and a café. The architecture is lovely. We enjoyed seeing all the artisans at the market and yes, even took our photo in front of the original Starbucks. Seattle is a great city!