Short Nieuw Amsterdam review

[boom_boom]

DW and I were on the NA for a 5-nighter from San Diego to Vancouver in late April. Overall a very good cruise.

Embarkation was more or less painless. I still miss the days when you were shown to your cabin rather than having to figure it out on your own. But....

We had an aft wraparound Neptune Suite and loved it. Room attendant was very efficient and friendly. The veranda isn't as big on the NA as on the Zuierdam, but still nice.

We were disappointed in the MDR food quality. Everything was bland. Service was OK, but not great. We only are there once. Loved Tamrind, probably the best meal of the cruise was dinner there. Pinnacle Grill produced a perfectly cook steak again and the service was excellent as usual. We also had most of our breakfasts there. Morning service was smooth, but not as smooth as dinner. Lido was crowded most of the time, but the Dive In burger spot and Slice pizza were available without too much of a line. Thought the burgers were better than the pizza largely because the crust on the pizza wasn

t crisp.

We had rough weather the two sea days and most of the outdoor decks were closed to passengers. That made finding quite spot for reading, etc very difficult. In fact, the lack of indoor quite space was the biggest complaint of the cruise for us.

I continue to be disappointed in the quality of wine available and the prices. I expect to pay more on a cruise ship but I shouldn't (IMHO) have to pay 4 times the price my local supermarket charges. I do appreciate that HAL lets us bring on wine (with a corkage fee) and even have it in the dining room.

Port calls were Victoria and Seattle. Been to both places many times and they have been extensively reviewed on this site. There was a free shuttle in Seattle but had to pay to use the Victoria shuttle.

The ship seemed in good condition. We had no problems with AC or toilets and no one got sick. Crew, as usual, very friendly, always willing to help or answer questions.

Disembarkation was again mostly painless, except for the line to get off the ship.

NA is the largest HAL ship we've sailed on and I found it a bit too large. I'm not at all interested in the new ship. We'll stick to the older, smaller ships and will likely use HAL again.

[LUPY48]

thanks for your review. There's nothing quite like those aftwraps on the Zuiderdam!

[freestyling]

Thank for taking the time to post review. We actually like the NA but mainly for the Tamarind.

[canadianbear]

We were on this cruise too with you.....met briefly at the M&G. We enjoyed the quick getaway. For the first time we decided to board later than usual-I think it was around 1:30 or 2:00. Breezed right on so that was a good start:)

 

We thought the Dive-In burgers had improved immensely and was a pleasant surprise. My husband liked the pizza because he could order whatever he wanted on it! I had one piece and liked the thin crust.

 

We ate in the MDR every night this cruise (no specialty this time) and had great meals every night. Always sat with new people and enjoyed meeting and chatting with them.

 

Like you, we found it a bit difficult to find a quiet indoor space when the seas were rough. We really don't like the cabanas they have as they seem to take up so much space inside.

 

We prefer the Zuiderdam over the NA to be honest. Our next cruise we are trying the Westerdam. I told my husband I want to try all the Dam ships:D

 

Staff, as usual, were excellent.

[pris993]

We were on this cruise too with you.....met briefly at the M&G. We enjoyed the quick getaway. For the first time we decided to board later than usual-I think it was around 1:30 or 2:00. Breezed right on so that was a good start:)

 

We thought the Dive-In burgers had improved immensely and was a pleasant surprise. My husband liked the pizza because he could order whatever he wanted on it! I had one piece and liked the thin crust.

 

We ate in the MDR every night this cruise (no specialty this time) and had great meals every night. Always sat with new people and enjoyed meeting and chatting with them.

 

Like you, we found it a bit difficult to find a quiet indoor space when the seas were rough. We really don't like the cabanas they have as they seem to take up so much space inside.

 

We prefer the Zuiderdam over the NA to be honest. Our next cruise we are trying the Westerdam. I told my husband I want to try all the Dam ships:D

 

Staff, as usual, were excellent.

 

Has HAL done away with Traditional dining? We prefer it, thinking about book the NA in the future. We did a TA a year ago that was very nice.

[pris993]

DW and I were on the NA for a 5-nighter from San Diego to Vancouver in late April. Overall a very good cruise.

Embarkation was more or less painless. I still miss the days when you were shown to your cabin rather than having to figure it out on your own. But....

We had an aft wraparound Neptune Suite and loved it. Room attendant was very efficient and friendly. The veranda isn't as big on the NA as on the Zuierdam, but still nice.

We were disappointed in the MDR food quality. Everything was bland. Service was OK, but not great. We only are there once. Loved Tamrind, probably the best meal of the cruise was dinner there. Pinnacle Grill produced a perfectly cook steak again and the service was excellent as usual. We also had most of our breakfasts there. Morning service was smooth, but not as smooth as dinner. Lido was crowded most of the time, but the Dive In burger spot and Slice pizza were available without too much of a line. Thought the burgers were better than the pizza largely because the crust on the pizza wasn

t crisp.

We had rough weather the two sea days and most of the outdoor decks were closed to passengers. That made finding quite spot for reading, etc very difficult. In fact, the lack of indoor quite space was the biggest complaint of the cruise for us.

I continue to be disappointed in the quality of wine available and the prices. I expect to pay more on a cruise ship but I shouldn't (IMHO) have to pay 4 times the price my local supermarket charges. I do appreciate that HAL lets us bring on wine (with a corkage fee) and even have it in the dining room.

Port calls were Victoria and Seattle. Been to both places many times and they have been extensively reviewed on this site. There was a free shuttle in Seattle but had to pay to use the Victoria shuttle.

The ship seemed in good condition. We had no problems with AC or toilets and no one got sick. Crew, as usual, very friendly, always willing to help or answer questions.

Disembarkation was again mostly painless, except for the line to get off the ship.

NA is the largest HAL ship we've sailed on and I found it a bit too large. I'm not at all interested in the new ship. We'll stick to the older, smaller ships and will likely use HAL again.

 

Can't agree with you more, regarding the wine and prices.. usually try to buy some in port and pay corking much better deal.

[erewhon]

Thank you for your review.

[Scrapnana]

Has HAL done away with Traditional dining? We prefer it, thinking about book the NA in the future. We did a TA a year ago that was very nice.

 

No, there is still a 5:30 and 8:00 sitting.

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the review.

[canadianbear]

Has HAL done away with Traditional dining? We prefer it, thinking about book the NA in the future. We did a TA a year ago that was very nice.

 

No, it is still available. My hubby and I just prefer going whenever. We rarely had to wait more that 10 minutes to be seated.

[DaveOKC]

Thanks for the review.

 

We have done several Pacific Coastals and have come to the conclusion that normally they are not as well run as a typical HAL cruise, for some reason. Part of it is the short cruise length and part is that the crew has to adjust to a different itinerary and routine (unlike many 7 day and longer cruises that are repeated a number of times during a season). Just my opinion of course.

 

So, we now tend to avoid them and stick with 10 day or longer cruises. I would give the N.A. another chance, as I have heard that it is a great ship.

[avian777]

... We have ... come to the conclusion that normally they are not as well run as a typical HAL cruise, for some reason. Part of it is the short cruise length and part is that the crew has to adjust to a different itinerary and routine (unlike many 7 day and longer cruises that are repeated a number of times during a season). Just my opinion of course.

 

So, we now tend to avoid them and stick with 10 day or longer cruises. I would give the N.A. another chance, as I have heard that it is a great ship.

 

And thank you for your very balanced and insightful response. We can always count on you for solid, well-reasoned posts. Thanks, Dave!