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The second of our Signature-class ships, Nieuw Amsterdam celebrates historic New York City with its inspired design and an art collection valued at more than $3 million. While on board enjoy regional cooking demonstrations and food and wine tastings with Port to Table programming. Dine in your choice of specialty restaurants. Or rejuvenate in the Greenhouse Spa & Salon.
It’s been many years since I’ve cruised Holland and I was pleasantly surprised. The ship is in very good shape with crew dusting and cleaning everywhere. The crew was friendly and efficient with room service often arriving before scheduled. Embarkation and port excursions were orderly. Food was the biggest surprise. We ate dinner most nights in the MDR and all were very good. We ate at Tamarind, which we wouldn’t do again, and Pinnacle Grill, which has especially good lobster bisque. But the best steak was in the MDR. I am not a buffet person, but we had great lunches in the Liddo serveral days. We enjoyed the Ocean View Bar, Pinnacle Bar, and the Casino Bar. We only attended one show because it wasn’t that great. As a former musician I’m probably critical. Our room was in good shape regarding bathroom, carpet, beds. Lots of hot showers and nice towels. No lack of storage space or hangers and bathrobe and slippers were provided. I really liked the charging unit so I could charge my iPhone and I watch at the same time. We are football fans and we were able to watch NFL and college playoff games in our room and in the Casino Bar. (ESPN and NFL). We had purchased the Have It All plan and appreciated only paying the difference in price if a drink cost more than our plan. Lots of kids and teens on our cruise and they all seemed happy. I appreciate they have a small pool for the little kids and the Lido for adults. One issue: Luggage Forward if you have HAL tour post cruise. Due to a security breach Luggage Forward is on the other side of the security gate from the buses. It took a high level security person to get my luggage forward piece beyond the gate so I could get onto the bus taking me to the airport. If I had taken the luggage out myself I wouldn’t have been allowed back in to get onto the bus. As I stated at the beginning, I haven’t cruised HAL in many years, but it will be on my search list in the future.
We recently returned from a Baja Holiday cruise with Holland America and overall had a pleasant experience, through with some notable shortcomings. We stayed in a Signature Suite cabin wich was very comfortable. The cabin was well designed for two people with a spacious bathroom, ample storage and a large balcony. Dining in the main dining room and the specialty restaurant(Tamarind)was enjoyable, with good food quality and attentive service. In contrast, the Lido buffet was consistently crowded and the food quality there was average at best. The service throughout the ship was good. Unfortunately, the entertainment was disappointing. The production show did not meet our expectations. The production excessively high decibel volume. made the experience unpleasant for our ears. The singer and the magician were just OK. One significant disappointment was the lack of recognition for the Jewish holiday of Chanukah. which fell during the first two nights of the cruise. There was no mention or listing of the holiday in the daily activity program nor the ship Navigator app. On a holiday cruise that celebrate seasonal events, the omission was noticeable and disappointing. In summary, while the accommodation, service and some dining options were good, improvements are needed in entertainment quality, buffet dining and inclusivity in holiday recognition.
Second time on the NA, third HAL cruise, although have taken cruises on other lines. Booked a balcony room in a good location, happy with the room, although the bathroom is smaller than we liked, the prior NA cruise was in a signature suite. Two very happy and friendly room stewards took excellent care of us. Booked this cruise due to the casual itinerary, been to Cabo many times, but not the other ports and they were nice and relaxing to visit, a more peaceful atmosphere than in other Mexico ports. We choose any time dining because we prefer to arrive when we want, although our advanced ages limits eating too late in the evening. We never had to wait for a table in the main dining room and requested a table for two, which we were granted. The dining room never seemed crazy busy and the wait times were minimal for food to be served. All servers were excellent and very professional. We did not eat in the MDR for other meals, preferred the Lido or the other venues. Breakfast at the Lido was very repetitive, same food choices every day. Would like to see them change the choices up a bit. That being said, we absolutely like being served the food choices instead of self serving, it helps with germs, etc. However, and this is a big issue for me. The noise in the Lido is loud and the servers cannot always hear your requests properly. I was given things that I did not request several times. We are mannerly senior citizens who wait our turn in line and appreciate the hard work being done by the servers. To clarify, we do not act entitled as has been mentioned by some reviews/comments on the blogs. We give additional gratuities to staff members on many occasions for great service. We ate one night in Tamarind, which was lovely, except for the table that was in the center of the room where many people, staff and guests, constantly walking by. I think a complete renovation of this room could help. Service was great and the food very good. They were very busy the entire time we dined there. We really like the atmosphere of the restaurant and bar area. We also ate at the Pinnacle Grill. First negative is the bar adjacent to the PG. It is extremely small and the staff is busy trying to get orders for the PG and other areas, so if you are a guest just trying to get a glass of wine, expect a wait. Second negative was the PG itself. It was our anniversary and we wanted a special evening. They gave us a horrible table in an odd section with other dinners sitting too close. The waiter also made mention that we were using OBC to pay for the meal, not appropriate, nor should that have made a difference in the quality/service of our meal. The food was not good, steaks were full of fat and grizzle, dry and flavorless. The waiter continually tried to "upsell" our meal to include lobster tails or other items that were an up charge. That is okay once, but not five times. It was irritating. Service wasn't the best and we were thoroughly disappointed. The magician/illusionist that was in the theatre was excellent. We enjoyed two of his shows. Did partake in the Rolling Stones Lounge to listen to music, due to health and mobility issues, could not dance, but it looked like people were enjoying the really excellent music. All in all, enjoyed our cruise. The ship is in need of some minor touch ups. The disembarkation was chaotic due to two ships docking in San Diego at roughly the same time which makes this smallish port rather busy. We were sitting in our room waiting our turn to visit customs and it was cutting it pretty close to the time we needed to leave for the airport. We enjoy HAL for the quiet and easy cruise experience, but may experience other lines to see what they can offer.
As a bit of background for this review - my husband and I have gone on approximately 30 cruises on different cruise lines (mostly ocean cruises and only 2 river cruises) and are in our 50's. We are 3 star Mariner's on Holland America. We live in San Diego - so really enjoy the ability to cruise out of our home port. Please HAL keep the offerings coming out of San Diego! This was our second time on the Nieuw Amsterdam. The ship was chosen for the itinerary. I prefer the Koningsdam and the pinnacle class ships - but the NA was in good shape and it was overall a great cruise with a few hiccups. We were cruising with another couple who were new to HAL. The embarkation process in San Diego was smooth and quick - we left our home at about 10:45 am and were on the ship in our cabin by 11:15 am. Getting to the cabin from Deck A - the elevators were backed up - so we walked. The main dining option for most is the Lido Buffett for embarkation lunch - it was fine. I'm not a fan of buffets in general - but I do like that HAL has for the most part most of the stations are served to you (i.e. the passengers do not touch the food serving utensils, etc). Much cleaner IMO. The buffet runs on both sides of the Lido - though there are a few different options on both sides. I really enjoy the made to order salad bar - but throughout the week found the service there a bit slow. Servers were friendly, drink service maybe a bit slow and our friends got us drinks out a the back seaview pool bar. The pools are nice. the main pool has a cover that was retracted part way for most of the cruise - which is nice. There was plenty seating and service our there was good. Though on the 1st sea day the seating did get crowded. There were some fun activities through the week - Trivia, Line Dancing, Pumpkin Carving. One of the things I love about HAL is the live music. Well the BB King lounge used to be my favorite - but now is being phased out on most ships (I think)...it was not on the NA. We did have a fun time at the Rolling Stones Lounge and loved the band - had 2 lead signers - a man and a woman. The bassist got injured on our cruise and they had a replacement one half way through the week. The band played several sets at night (one night off) and was fun. Room was usually packed with lots of dancing. There was a string band that played and also the Dam band in the Ocean bar. There was also a solo guitarist at times - all good and enjoyable. I only went to one show in the Main Stage - but it was good - signing and dancing. Lots of activities all around the ship - Trivia was well attended. Some port talks and the Mexican ambassadors did several lectures. There were daily art classes. Scenic commentary coming into Cabo and leaving Loreto were nice. Average age on the ship skews a bit older - there were probably only 5 kids on board (that we saw); there was a group of some younger women (late 20s?) but for the most part people were 50plus. A large group (almost 200) of members of the Elks lodge and also a large bridge group competition. There was a lot to do and see or not do and see. The Crow's Nest is a favorite of mine - but usually crowded - they do offer puzzles and games up there. 2x during the week we were able to score one of the lounge type chairs that look out over the bow - very nice. The library (Deck 3) is very nice as well. Crow's nest bar was usually backed up and service there is not the best - they need to move the specialty coffee/tea part of that bar to another location in the Crow's nest to separate out the bar v coffee for faster service. There was also a specialty coffee location in the Lido on one side - usually faster service there. Bar service was for the most part great. Like the Billboard bar (though the piano player was just OK); Ocean Bar as well as the casino bar. Tamarind Bar (1 night) was nice for some cocktails (Lychee Martini was fab). The Lido and Seaview bars were quick. I also really like the Pinnacle Bar though it did not open until 5pm for dinner. Dining - mostly in the Main Dining Room for dinner - had open seating option and never had a wait other than 1 time for 5 minutes with a beeper. We ate at various times - latest being 7:30 pm and earliest at 5:30 p.m. The menu varies daily of course, with some options more appealing than others. I found that the options of the appetizers was diminished from my last cruise, which was disappointing. Went to the MDR for lunch 2x - the last day the menu was really appealing to me and was excellent. The 1st time - nothing appealed to me and all the appetizers (aka small plates) had meat in them which was a bummer. I paid for the upgrade for the crab Louie salad and would not do that again. Service in the MDR was quick and friendly. We ate a Pinnacle Grill for dinner one time. Overall it was good - my dining companions liked their steaks. I have the seabass which was good. The baked potato is HUGE so share unless you are starving. The best meal was at Morimoto's at Sea - $55 pp charge plus 18% gratuity - but it was well worth it. Delicious. Though apparently your Mariner discount does not apply at this specialty dining restaurant. Had breakfast every day in the MDR - it is fantastic! Great menu options - though service was a bit slow at times. Room service was fine - timely - though sometimes cold. We have a VC category verandah cabin on Deck 5 Port Side Forward. No problems with the location. No noise at all. The sailing was super smooth. The cabin was in pretty good shape, though I found the pillow to be too soft for my tastes. The bathroom was a good size, but I'm not a fan of the tub/shower combo (prefer the walk in shower only - but I knew this going in). The bathroom was showing some signs of wear especially around the tub area. The space for storage - especially for a 7 night cruise was very good. USB ports on both sides of the bed and one on the desk plus additional regular volt plugs on the desk. The casino had great atmosphere - though slots were tight. Hubby did well at the tables. I liked that you can hear the music from Billboard in the casino - makes it more open. Dealers were friendly. We had 3 ports - Cabo where we did not get off the ship as we have been there many times. La Paz and Loreto. We really enjoyed the last 2 ports as they were new to us. La Paz does have a 30-40 minute one way shuttle ride from where the ship docks ($10 USD pp round trip) - which I think some people were put off by so they missed seeing the town which was great. We also had a catamaran sail and beach excursion booked for that day in the afternoon - so pretty tight to see it all. The excursion was fantastic! Highly recommended it. Water is so clear and blue. Loreto you tender but it is quick - less than 5 minutes. By the time we were ready to get off the ship no ticket for the tenders was needed (this was about 10am). It is then an easy flat walk to a nice area with shops and restaurants and the Mission. Highly recommended. We dined for lunch at a restaurant in that area and tried the local chocolate clams - grilled - yumm! and local fresh seabass grilled tacos. Also a hit. Now the hiccups - the 1st full day of the cruise - woke to the toilets not flushing in the cabin. Then discovered they were not working in the entire forward section of the ship! Our friends on Deck 10 were also affected - theirs apparently for longer than ours. The "Out of Service" Signs were abundant throughout the public restrooms including the Spa area. Several calls to Guest Relations confirmed there was a problem with the plumbing and they were working on it - out for several hours before it began working again. OK great - but then next morning same thing happened - was not hoppy with that - was fixed quicker - but I think there is some plumbing maintenance that needs to be done. On the last day (disembarkation day) the public toilets near the MDR 2nd deck stopped working. Elevator service was slow all around the ship. Thermal Spa - had the weekly pass - I love the Thermal Spa on the Pinnacle ships = on the NA it is a scaled down version - still nice - but much smaller and not as many amenities. I enjoyed it - but next time if on the NA I would just do a daily pass for the price. Disembarkation was a bit slower than normal - maybe due to the government shut down? or possible due to the fact that Koningsdam docked about 30 minutes before us. However; once we went to Deck 3 for the Ocean Bar immigration it was quick and easy to get off the ship, get our luggage and our Uber.
With refined amenities and Holland America Line signature Mariner’s Dream bed gracing each elegant stateroom, the ship offers six grades of staterooms. Most are ocean-facing, many featuring teak-lined verandas for dining alfresco or private sunbathing.
Holland America Line invites you to dine "As You Wish". To savour Italian cuisine one night and a perfectly grilled porterhouse steak the next. To take your place in the Dining Room at a specific seating time or be spontaneous, following your desires. Onboard, there are restaurants to suit every mood, along with the flexibility to choose the dining style you prefer.
Every day aboard a Holland America cruise ship brings a wealth of cruise activities and indulgences, along with the freedom to partake in as many- or as few- as you please. It's an opportunity to try something new that surprises you, every day. Dabble, discover, daydream- do everything, or do nothing at all.
Whether you want to workout in the Fitness Centre, learn yoga, pamper yourself with a massage and spa treatment, or enjoy a game of basketball, there's a perfect onboard activity for everyone.
Holland America Line's youth activities program, Kids Club, offers an array of entertaining events for kids and teens ages 3-17, supervised by a full-time, professionally trained staff. They'll have an opportunity to join other kids their age for arts and crafts, sports, video game competitions, scavenger hunts, challenging team games and themed parties.
Note: Kids Club is not offered on cruises of 25-days or longer, including all Legendary and Grand Voyages. We will offer a selection of children’s activities throughout these longer voyages for any children who may be onboard.
Safety Comes First
Safety is our primary concern and strict policies are in place for effective supervision. Adult guests are not permitted to remain in Kids Club unless attending to a special-needs child.
Please note: During voyages with a high number of families onboard, we will make all efforts to accommodate interested parties. However, participation in our program cannot be guaranteed. Hours of operation may change to better serve our guests.
