NRFBQN

I recommend against it.  We were in a similar cabin about a year ago and it was too windy to use the verandah while underway.  In fact, you could barely get the door open if you tried.  In the evenings, due to the proximity to the bridge, we had to draw the curtains so our light didn't interfere with their vision.  So, in the daytime it was like being in an Oceanview cabin and at night it was like being in an Inside cabin.  The bathroom was great, though!

Thank you for all of your commentary and pictures - we are about to leave for Singapore, then Hong Kong, then the Westerdam on March 2.  I appreciate all of the great information you are sharing with all of us!

My husband and I both got Covid on our cruise in Dec '21-Jan '23.  Thankfully we never felt very bad, took Sudafed, and were finished with symptoms in about 3 days.  We did receive  FCC after about two months.  It just appeared in our accounts one day when I happened to be checking on another cruise.

Read on if you want to read more about our Covid experience on the Nieuw Statendam.

DH started getting congested and had a slightly sore throat about day 9.  I felt fine.  He self-tested and was positive, so we called the infirmary and they came up and tested us both in our room.  He was positive and I was negative.  He was told to self-quarantine for at least 5 days and I was told I could go about normal life on ship, just wear a mask.  I wore a mask, minimized any trips outside the room, and didn't take the elevator anymore, just in case I was  going to get it, too.  

Two days later, I had the same symptoms and tested positive.  Same routine - called infirmary, they tested me, confirmed I was positive and said they would retest me on day 5.  DH was tested on his day 5 and was negative.  He got to go back to normal life.  On my day 5, it was St. Thomas and it's my favorite port.  They came and tested me and I was still positive.  I was told I could not leave the room until the end of the cruise.  I was  crushed, to say the least.  I felt perfectly fine, would have been very happy to wear a mask (we were wearing them in public areas before we were sick), but I was stuck in the room.  They came every day after that and kept testing me, but I kept testing positive, so I ended up missing the entire 7-day second portion of our back-to-back cruise.

The ship staff was wonderful.  We had terrific room service food, even from Pinnacle and Tamarind.  They gave us free wifi and the front desk manager checked on us daily to see if we needed anything.  Our room stewards kept our room clean and didn't fear us (they said they were vaxed and not worried.) 

Getting off the ship was interesting.  I self-tested negative the night before disembarkation.  Disembarkation Day way day 10 and I had no symptoms, so we planned to fly home (and did). But, we were escorted to a holding area near the forward door of the ship, along with three other Covid passengers and their significant others.  Once we were allowed to disembark, we were turned over to the ground staff and then were stuck standing outside in very chilly, windy weather for at least a half hour.  We dressed for it, but the others with us were wearing typical light cotton Florida clothes and they were freezing.  We weren't allowed to go through the terminal and the gate in the fence was locked and no one could be found with a key.  Finally, they decided to walk us to the driveway entrance of the fence.  Once on the other other side of the fence, we were pointed toward the taxis and that was it.  We truly felt like lepers and that they couldn't get rid of us fast enough.  Not a great end to a cruise, but at least we could fly home that day.

Over the holidays 2022-2023, we had a signature suite guarantee and ended up in one of the far forward (SZ?) suites on the Nieuw Amsterdam (5002, I believe).  To say I hated it is not too strong.  When we booked the cruise, that suite was booked, so I naively assumed we would get a regular SS.  Not the case.  The room is very oddly shaped, the verandah is also oddly shaped, the railing is mostly metal, the desk/vanity is right by the door and has virtually no view of the ocean, the dresser under the forward-facing window has things permanently affixed to the top (art pieces), so you can't even spread out on it, and the wind when underway made it impossible to even open the door to the verandah much less go out on it.  Add to this that you have to close your curtains at dark so that your lights don't interfere with the view from the bridge.    On the plus side the bathroom was divine and the best we've ever had on a Pinnacle class ship.  I would sooner cancel a cruise than sail in that cabin or similar again.  In the daytime it was no better than an ocean view and at night it was essentially an inside cabin.  And since I work while traveling, setting up shop at the desk by the door with no view of the water was really disappointing.  Please know that I am a major Holland America fan, 5*, and normally giddy with excitement when on a cruise.  I seldom complain at all about our cabin, but this was truly awful.  

We had Covid on our 18-day holiday cruise that ended on January 14.  We noticed that we received our FCC on or just before April 10.  I happened to be getting ready to book another cruise and there it was!  My husband received 5 days credit and I received 7 days - he tested negative sooner than I did.  We quarantined on the ship and had no out-of-pocket expenses or insurance claims, so it was pretty straightforward.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences.  I'm currently in Covid quarantine on the Nieuw Statendam, so it's good to know what to expect going forward.

The AARP cards were available this morning and I was able to check out successfully.  I hope they work for all of you, too!

We were 4* on our Dec/Jan cruise on the Rotterdam and got 50% off in Tamarind, but Nami Sushi was full price.  I'm not sure what happens if you order sushi when you are in Tamarind and not at the Nami Sushi bar.  Nami Sushi is so good, it was worth paying full price.  We had the tempura asparagus, the poke, the spicy tuna roll, seaweed salad, and more - all was wonderful!

As others have said, the Mariner perks are varied.  We cruised in August and December - in August we got Mariner drink coupons, in December we didn't.  On the Nieuw Amsterdam in August, we didn't get tiles (I found out later that they had run out and would mail them to us later.)  In December on Rotterdam, the tiles were delivered to our room.  The Mariner lunch was listed in the Main Dining Room on embarkation day, but we weren't on board yet to check it out.  We'd actually rather have lunch at the Dive-In anyway :).  We did attend the afternoon cocktail parties on both cruises, but in August it was 5* only and in December it was 4* and 5*.  Not a Mariner perk, but we attended the Captain's Toast in December and were given a coupon for a glass of bubbly.  The funniest thing was that when he made his toast, he told us all to hold up our coupons as thought we actually had a glass.  Pretty cute!

We used magnets a couple of weeks ago, too.  We were in a verandah cabin, although not an aft.  My experience on numerous ships is that verandah and below were magnetic, but signature suites were not always magnetic.

Thank  you, Lisa, for this wonderful Live From!  We will be embarking in four weeks and can hardly wait.  Because of your diligence in sharing information and pictures, we are much better prepared and even more excited!

Safe travels home to you and Tom!

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your experiences, all of the photos and tips.  We will be on the ship August 28 and can hardly wait!  Thanks, too, for adding me as a Facebook friend.  You are a wealth of knowledge and it's great anticipating our cruise by enjoying your reports.

Joining the others on being sad about our Volendam cruises being canceled.  We decided to spend the holidays on a ship last year - and then they sold the Amsterdam and that cruise was canceled.  This year we booked on the Volendam, and now that cruise is canceled.  We were also to be on the maiden voyage of the Rotterdam, staying on for the next cruise, then Norway - and that's canceled, too.  I understand about the COVID cancellations and I'm glad they want us to be safe.  But losing two holiday cruises in a row is sad.  There is a similar cruise on the Rotterdam for the holidays this year, with only a slight difference in the itinerary, so we have turned much of our sadness into excitement as we look at that one.  But, the kicker is the airfare - from $1200 to $2800 because the dates shifted very slightly.  Oh well, this will all shake out somehow - I guess we are all getting pretty flexible!

Here's the letter we got from HAL that canceled our holiday cruise:

Dear Valued Guest, 

I hope this finds you safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. All of us at Holland America Line are looking forward to the future when we will once again have the opportunity to welcome you aboard. 

We are writing to share the news with you that Amsterdam, Maasdam, Rotterdam, and Veendam have been sold and will be leaving our fleet in the coming weeks. It’s always difficult to see ships leave our fleet, especially those with long and storied histories with our company, and we wish them farewell and fair seas. 

While these ships will depart our fleet soon, Holland America Line has a bright future that includes the introduction of our third Pinnacle-class ship. Our fleet remains diverse and continues to offer exceptional options for cruisers to visit destinations around the world. We also look forward to continuing to build on many of our beloved shipboard offerings as we enter a new chapter in our history.

Since you are currently booked on a future sailing aboard one of these ships (Booking #xxxxxx), we regret that we must cancel your upcoming cruise. 

As compensation for this change to your travel plans, we are offering you bonus Future Cruise Credits, which provide tremendous value for you to plan another trip of your choice.

You will receive double the amount deposited (up to the base cruise fare amount) as a Future Cruise Credit (FCC). The minimum bonus FCC amount is $100. For example, if you paid $200 per person, each person will receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to the amount paid plus a bonus FCC of $200. If you booked under one of our special low deposit deals and paid less than $100 per person, you will receive a Future Cruise Credit of the amount paid plus $100 per person bonus FCC. This credit will waive the required deposit on your next booking on a voyage up to 29 days in length. 

The amount received by Holland America Line in excess of the amount used to calculate the Future Cruise Credit can be transferred to a new booking or will be refunded to the method of payment used for the original purchase. The Future Cruise Credits are valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may be used to book sailings departing through December 31, 2022. 

If any portion of your travel was not booked through Holland America Line, other booking and cancellation conditions and policies may apply. Most airlines and other travel-related services such as hotels, transportation, and tours are allowing refunds or waiving change fees due to COVID-19; please work directly with those operators regarding their charges.

Should you prefer to decline the bonus future cruise credit and receive a lower-value refund, you may request a refund of all monies paid to Holland America Line by completing the Cancellation Preferences formbefore August 24, 2020. The full Future Cruise Credit Terms & Conditions can also be found there. Refunds will be reimbursed to the original form of payment and will include all non-cruise fare purchases through Holland America Line. 

Please note that due to the unprecedented volume of bookings impacted by cancellations, we ask for your patience in affording us the time to work through processing the refunds and FCCs. We are working hard to make sure every booking is handled accurately and efficiently. 

Should you have any questions, please contact your travel advisor or reach out to us at the appropriate office: 

Seattle Office (USD/CAD currency):
Contact us at 1-800-577-1728 or 206-626-7395.
We are available Monday – Friday, 7:00am – 6:00pm PT.
Saturday – Sunday 7:00am – 4:00pm PT.

Southampton Office (GBP currency):
Contact us at 0344 338 8605.
We are available Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm.

Rotterdam Office (EUR currency):
Contact us on 00800 1873 1873. 
We are available Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm.
For Netherlands contact us on 0800 724 5425. 
We are available Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm.

Sydney Office (AUD currency):
Contact us at 1300 987 322.
We are available Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 7:00pm.

Again, we extend our most sincere apologies for this cancellation. 

Please know that we truly appreciate your understanding of these exceptional circumstances. We hope we have the opportunity to welcome you aboard one of our ships in the near future. 

Warm Regards,

Gus Antorcha
President, Holland America Line

We are on the Volendam and the positions have been combined.  We were happy to see Ian, the EXC guide that was on the Koningsdam three years ago, is now in this combined position.  We attended a lecture on pirates and rather than it being totally canned (like the lectures we attended on the Westerdam in September), he embellished and made it quite enjoyable.

We are currently on the Volendam and the internet is one device at a time, but as many devices as you want to use as long as you log off.  On my laptop, I get a message if my iPad is still logged on - I can click to log the iPad off.  It doesn't seem to work in reverse.  As a side note, the internet has been really difficult.  It's on, then off, then on, then off.  I am working part of the time on the ship and it's been a real challenge.

We were on the Westerdam in September and it was one device per internet plan and more money for each additional device.  It was spelled out quite clearly in the internet materials, so there is no misunderstanding.  My recollection is that the second and further devices were not particularly cheap to add, but a little less than the first one.

We use the laundry every time and really enjoy that perk.  We have a nice story of a time when we lost something and they found it.  My husband threw his white HAL shirt on the unmade bed and forgot about it.  When the bed was stripped, the shirt must have been rolled into the sheets.  We discovered it was missing later and asked our steward if he could look for it.  Meanwhile, since DH missed the shirt terribly, he went down to the shops and bought a new one.  Later that day, here comes our steward with his original shirt in perfect condition!  My husband thought it was a great win since he now has two of his favorite shirt!

Thanks to all for the nice send-off!  We are on the Nieuw Statendam and the sailaway was beautiful, especially as we went out to sea and the sun set behind the Nieuw Amsterdam.  I hope this picture will post - if so, enjoy!

Thank you so  much for all of your intensive research and documentation on our behalf!  Your "LIVE" thread has been wonderful and has me very excited for our next cruise in just over two weeks!

Must add my thanks to all who are posting their wonderful photos and commentary on the ship and the voyage.  It looks like a beautiful ship and just enough different from the Koningsdam to make it interesting.  We will be on the NS in January for 17 days and I am really looking forward to running around and seeing all of the new things.  And since Tamarind is my favorite of the HAL restaurants, that will be especially fun!  Again, many thanks for taking us all along on your trip!!

Thank you for letting us all know.  We have a cruise planned for April that we'll be able to use it on!

Just finished our 11-day cruise on the Zuiderdam this morning and we liked what we saw in the shops.  It was freezing cold in Canada at the beginning of our trip and I was able to find a reasonably priced jacket that kept me warm.  Mine just said Canada and New England on it, but my husband's was Holland America.  Both we nice and just what we needed.  They had new style totes and wristlets that had Zuiderdam on them, plus a good selection of Zuiderdam souvenirs - magnets, pens, keyrings, etc.  They did have some generic things that said Holland America 2018 season - those weren't too exciting.  The Oprah stuff that was left (some books) were on deep discount and the rest of the items were gone.  Overall, we enjoyed the shops and spent more than we had on our last cruise (Oosterdam in January) when it looked like they were emptying the shelves and not restocking.

We're just off the Zuiderdam this morning - POA1, we didn't hear you yelling 🙂 - and we did get our 4-star 50% discount on the wine package we bought.  So, for that moment in time on that ship, the discount was still in force and there was no discussion about it.  Hope that helps!

You are so welcome NBRFBQN! Have a wonderful time!

Thank you so much! I forgot to tell you in my earlier post - I love, love, love your signature!

We have enjoyed the Sel de Mer pop-up on several ships and have not been disappointed. I always get the lobster entree and DH always has the catch of the day. It has become our "special" dinner on each cruise - we order champagne and make it a real event. I hope you enjoy it!