Just off Nieuw Amsterdam Alaska cruise... ask me anything :)

Oh forgot to tell you- we are booked in an aft suite. Do you think the cabana would still be worth it? They sound fun but don't want to waste money. Thx again!

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Thank you for answering questions. It is very helpful. We sail her next September 1st on the Alaska inside passage cruise. Which days are the best for reserving the cabana? Also, which night(s) was the Galla dinner? I am trying to plan when to book the specialty restaurants. Thanks again!

 

 

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Are you sure you're Sep 1? We're on the NA for the Aug 26 sailing and we don't get back into Vancouver until Sep 2. We've booked PG for the Monday evening as I figured it would be easier to make reservations when many are out on excursions in Juneau. Hopefully some Tamarind staff will offer us a special for one of the other evenings.

Yes.

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Oh forgot to tell you- we are booked in an aft suite. Do you think the cabana would still be worth it? They sound fun but don't want to waste money. Thx again!

 

 

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I think you'll have some spectacular views from your balcony! Remember that it could be cold and windy or rainy on balconies during an Alaska cruise. We still used our balcony every day but sometimes had to wear our coats, gloves and hats to be comfortable out there. Remember to bring good binoculars.

The cabana we rented ($50 per day) was by the Lido pool which has a retractable roof; the roof was closed most of the days during our July cruise; when the pool roof is closed the cabanas have big windows that you can look out of without any wind like you would have on your balcony. I'm attaching a photo of the cabana (sorry it's not a great photo but hopefully gives you a sense of the space). I thought it was nice to be able to order food and drinks in there (there's a dedicated staff person for the cabanas) on the sea days because the buffet and quick service places were just way too crowded on those days. Note that there were also other cabanas called "the retreat" on a level higher than Lido but the ones next to the Lido seemed more appealing to us because they were right by the pool and hot tubs.

Other odds and ends that might be nice to know in advance... the BBKing Blues Club was wonderful (better than theater entertainment in my opinion), the pizza from the quick service place can be ordered to go (no room service available but they do have boxes so you can easily take a few of them to your room for a meal or snack with your friends and family), the Silk Den bar near Tamarind is very pretty and usually not crowded, buying a spa pass is something you may want to consider as the facility was really lovely and their hydrotherapy pool was one of the best I've been to.

Let me know if you think of anything else that might be helpful to know in advance.

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Thank you!!

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Yes.

 

 

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Well that makes sense. Guess I didn't read all your posts. You're talking next year, I'm talking 2 weeks from now. lol

Well that makes sense. Guess I didn't read all your posts. You're talking next year, I'm talking 2 weeks from now. lol

Awesome! Please report back and let us know how it goes. Enjoy your cruise!

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I got back last Saturday from Alaska on the Nieuw Amsterdam and can answer a few questions in more detail....

MDR - We ate in the MDR every night and dinner was wonderful. The food on this ship was the best I've encountered on a cruise ship!

Gala nights - they were the day 2 (at sea) and day 4 (glacier bay.) A lot of people were very dressed up. Dinner was more upscale and quite delicious. We actually had reservations at the Pinnacle on day 4 and cancelled them because they wanted to charge $10 more on top of the $35 fee for lobster tail - which was free in the MDR.

Cabanas - we booked two every day that we were at sea. We were a group of 20, so it gave us a place to hang out and watch the view. We also had six kids in our group, ages 2-8, and they loved being able to use the pool whenever they wanted because the roof was closed. Our cabana steward was amazing and we were spoiled. For only $50 for the day I highly recommend a cabana if you have a group.

Happy to answer anything else!

What is the gala night entertainment, and where does it take place? Just can't decide if it's worth it, though the food part sounds good.

I know Alaska cruise is different than Caribbean but, is lobster on the menu on ALL cruises?, we will not be dressing up for dinner, will this be a problem on formal nites? We don't want to miss out on formal nites, just don't want to dress formal - no jacket, just dress pants, shirt & tie. This is our 1st HAL cruise but our 13th on other lines (unlucky 13-I hope not).

What is the gala night entertainment, and where does it take place? Just can't decide if it's worth it, though the food part sounds good.

On our one week cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam in July there were two gala nights. Those nights the food in the MDR was a little fancier and guests dressed up more but I don't recall the entertainment being much different than other nights onboard. There's no need to decide in advance what you want to do after dinner because you don't have to make reservations for the entertainment so just check out a few options and settle in wherever you like. The main entertainment was always in the main theater but I honestly can't remember what the gala night entertainment was in the main theater. We went to the main theater a few times throughout the cruise and didn't enjoy the shows a that much. One night we saw a comedian, another was the official dancers of the ship, and another was a duo of brothers who play the violin in a modern style. We preferred the entertainment in the BB King Lounge much more than the entertainment in the main theater. You could always check out the show in the main theater and if you don't like it, leave and go to BB King. The piano bar is another option you can consider for your evening entertainment that we saw many guests enjoying.

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I know Alaska cruise is different than Caribbean but, is lobster on the menu on ALL cruises?, we will not be dressing up for dinner, will this be a problem on formal nites? We don't want to miss out on formal nites, just don't want to dress formal - no jacket, just dress pants, shirt & tie. This is our 1st HAL cruise but our 13th on other lines (unlucky 13-I hope not).

I think there was lobster in the MDR on my July cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. If you decide to go to Tamarind specialty restaurant they have a lobster entree that everyone seemed to enjoy. For formal nights, I think you'll be ok without a jacket if you wear a dressy shirt and nice slacks. There were definitely people wearing very formal clothing (tuxes and gowns) but there were also many guests wearing dressy shirts and pants. I think people bring less dressy clothing on Alaska cruises because one needs so many layers that take up lots of room in our suitcases. Enjoy your cruise!!!

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