This was our third cruise with Holland America. Previous cruises were aboard Maasdam and Noordam, smaller ships than the Nieuw Amsterdam. The ship still felt like a perfect size. We never felt crowded except for occasional moments when embarking or disembarking at ports. The recent upgrades were lovely. We love the elegance that we see on Holland America ships. Lots of people have made negative comments on the new Crow’s Nest area but I still felt there were plenty of areas for people to sit and gather. I loved the EXC lounge where the guides gave talks on ports and general interest for our cruise region. The ship was always clean and easy to navigate. The food options were great. We dined at the Pinnacle Grill our first evening and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It wasn’t crowded so provided a romantic ambience. We ate breakfast once at the Lido Market (buffet) and it was enjoyable. All dinners were in the Dining Room. We loved the 8pm set seating. So nice to just walk in to your table and get to know the staff. Port days we ate lunch off ship but enjoyed the Dive In burger bar or New York Pizza if we were aboard.