Nieuw Amsterdam Review
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Sailed on a 7 night itinerary from Ft Lauderdale to Half Moon Cay, Grand Turks, Amber Cove and Key West. Had sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam about 18 months ago and really enjoyed the cruise. However, this time some things just seemed "off" and different from the last sailing. So I am disappointed as this sailing was not what I had expected, but it was still an overall ok / good cruise and would recommend sailing on the NA. She is a beautiful ship. LOVE the promenade with the wonderful comfortable deck chairs. It is great that there still is a wide promenade to walk around to try to burn off some of the calories!
Embarkation was excellent. Quick and no issues. On board within a reasonable amount of time in the port. Upon arrival we ate in the dining room which was very pleasant and nice as we wanted to avoid the crowds in the Lido. MDR lunch was excellent.
After lunch, we proceeded to our stateroom which was ready. Upon checking out of the stateroom, I discovered that the bathroom area had not been cleaned up to standards. There were "body part hairs" on the toilet flush mechanism and surrounding area. There was also a horrible, nasty toilet ring. This was really quite gross. Obviously, this had not been properly cleaned and disinfected prior to our entering the stateroom. This is not acceptable. Then we noticed that there was a used bathroom towel underneath the bed, when we were trying to put the luggage away. We found our stateroom steward and told him about these problems and he apologized. He said they had to clean many rooms in a hurry and it must have been missed. He did clean it up and take care of the issues, but I never felt confident about the level of disinfection of the room after that first incident. Have sailed on many ships and have never had this happen before.....
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
I would NOT recommend staying in cabin 4166 as it was very noisy from the surrounding crew area. There is a crew door directly next door and then another crew door directly across the hall. And both of these rooms were used by the cabin stewards all day long. They would go in and out of these areas and cling and clang things around. This was as early as 8:00 AM. And was as late as 10:30 PM. So much clanging of racks or something or another going on in those rooms. Not sure WHY they had to make so much noise by they did. If noise does not bother you in the AM or late in the PM, then this is a fine cabin. It has a double size balcony which is fantastic. But to me, it is not worth it due to the potential noise issue. Never understood why the cabin stewards had to make so much noise in those rooms, but they did.
Port Reviews
Amber Cove (Puerto Plata)
Port that the cruise line built is beautiful. Shops and beautiful pool area. However, pool area is very loud with blaring music. They really need a "quiet" are for people who just want to rest and relax in this tropical paradise. If you like loud music like they play at Margaritaville in Grand Turk you will love the pool area at Amber Cove. Not for me though. Did take an excursion of Puerta Plata Panaramic Tour. Did enjoy the city tour and the tour guide was excellent. About 30 people on a large air conditioned bus that drove to the city from the port about a 20 minute bus ride. Once in the city we saw the city square (historical), an old cathedral, learned the history of the island. souvenir stop so you could buy some trinkets, drove by the Malecon (beach area), saw the old fort. Overall it was a very good tour and worth the amount of money paid. About a 2.5 hour tour but it was interesting and a good way to see the island, if you have never been.