Just returned from the Nieuw Amsterdam's 12 night Caribbean cruise to Road Town, Tortola (BVI), Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, Martinique, St. Maarten, ST. Thomas (USVI), and Half Moon Cay (Bahamas). The ports of call were great and it was very convenient to be able to see so many places in such a short period of time.

EMBARKATION - The process was very smooth and hassle free, with the unavoidable exception of the 7 hour delay of departing the port. However this was totally unavoidable due to the horrific shooting at the Ft. Lauderdale airport just hours before we were to depart Port Everglades. The staff handled the incident very calmly, asked no questions, and focused totally on the comfort of their passengers. When we mentioned to staff there had been an incident, the only question I was asked by staff was where this tragedy took place, as some of their co-workers were enroute to their homes abroad and they were extremely concerned about them. When we said the shooting took place in baggage claim, it eased their minds a bit since their coworkers were not picking up baggage, as they were departing, not arriving.

ON BOARD SPA FACILITIES & STAFF - After departing Port Everglades, we had two sea days before our first port of call, so I spent several hours in a pre-paid spa appointment. I arrived 30 minutes early in order to obtain free use of the thermal spa and relaxation room. I checked in at the reception desk and asked them where to go to change clothes. They pointed me down the hall to the changing room. Much to my dismay, I was unable to access the LOCKED ladies' locker room area to change into swimwear, so I had to go back to the spa reception desk and wait in line to ask them to unlock the changing room. That wasted ten minutes, not to mention the time it took me to change and secure my belongings in a locker. I enjoyed the thermal spa, but was unable to use the heated loungers as they were all occupied (I suspect to passengers who weren't even visiting the spa, as I was). After completing the mandatory check in sheet for the spa employees, I purposely wrote in large block letters that I "do not wish to be sold any products during my spa visit" in hopes to avoid the hard-sell that always accompanies spa appointments on cruise ships. Nothing was ever mentioned about my notation, but it was unmistakable, so I assumed they saw it and would respect my request. I went on to enjoy an excellent facial with Mandy from S Africa. She was friendly. However, she gently attempted to sell me three very expensive products immediately after my facial. I was a bit disappointed that my request went unheeded. For my massage, the therapist was very friendly but coerced me into spending an additional $20 for hot stones to be added to my massage. I agreed, and wasn't unhappy with my decision because I think it was worth it. My massage was excellent UNTIL it ended and I was trapped sitting on the treatment table in a bathrobe with no clothes while the massage therapist attempted to sell me more products! What a total disappointment. I flatly refused multiple times, but she was borderline argumentative with me during her hard sell. In my experiences with these cruise ship spas (who I believe are all owned by the same company and are unaffiliated with the actual cruise line), they really push the Elemis Oil. They continually claim this is a "miracle oil" and proceed to explain how it will cure all ailments, pull "toxins" from the body, open your muscles (whatever that means), etc. When asked by me what type of oil it was, this massage therapist was clueless. She attempted to read the fine print on the label and still couldn't answer. When I was on my fifth or sixth excuse on why I wasn't buying today, she pressed me further: "I understand you are on a budget, but this lasts a very long time, it will last you a year". I was very disgusted as I told the facialist I was on a budget, not the massage therapist, so it was crystal clear that they had discussed my situation outside of the treatment room. Very unprofessional. At this point I was very upset and my blood pressure was up, therefore negating all the relaxation I received while enjoying the treatments! The massage therapist even told me what neat handwriting I had - indicating she HAD seen my note to not sell me anything. Unbelievable. I will never again go to a spa onboard a cruise ship, unless it is free with no strings. Every cruise line I've been on has the same employees in the spa and they are all the equivalent of used car salesmen with their sales pitches. No exaggeration. After this experience, I had to head to the bar to get a glass of wine to try to calm down. Read more