Nieuw Amsterdam review

[sue1898]

This will be a “mini” review of our Vancouver round trip cruise July 2-9 on the Nieuw Amsterdam. Because this was our 5th cruise to Alaska we took no excursions but enjoyed stretching our legs in port to get some exercise.

Tampa to Vancouver – Because of my husband’s Southwest status, I fly free with him so we opted to fly from Tampa to Seattle and drive to Vancouver. Our flights on Friday were fine as was the drive to Vancouver. Note to self – try not to arrive in a Canadian city on Canada Day. After we returned our rental car to the airport, we took a cab to the Marriott Pinnacle Hotel just a few blocks from Canada Place. Actually we tried to take a cab there. The driver finally gave up and insisted we get our several blocks away from the hotel due to barricaded streets downtown for the festivities. We walked the remainder of the way with our luggage. According to the hotel our cab driver must have been unknowledgeable as cabs had been arriving fine all day. Nice hotel and a great location. We had a great dinner at Black & Blue Steakhouse Friday evening. Saturday morning we saw our ship come in from our hotel window then walked over to Canada Place to check things out. We stopped at a nearby wine shop for “necessities”. Late morning we arrived around 11:30 to check in and were onboard within minutes to our suite 7066. There were several steps to the check in process but all went smoothly.

On Board Experience –

Food - because we booked with Explore 4 we had our complimentary Pinnacle Grill dinner scheduled for the first night. We were thrilled to run into Clifford there…a favorite waiter from the Pinnacle on the Oosterdam in 2014. He left the ship in Juneau for his vacation. You will be lucky if you encounter him on a “dam” ship someday! Our Canaletto dinner was scheduled for night #3 and was enjoyable. We opted to eat in Tamarind on Night #5 and enjoyed it so much we ate there the final night as well. The MDR was fine and we ate the other dinners there and a few lunches. Although we feel the portions are smaller and the selection not as broad, we fine the dining room meets our needs on nights we dine there. We ate breakfast in the Pinnacle most morning because we love starting our day in the quiet, refined atmosphere it offers. We enjoyed the Fresh Market salad set un in the Lido for lunch twice and recommend the Cobb salad. We also had burgers at Dive In and they were great!

Service – I’d rate everyone better than average to excellent. The Neptune concierges Mai and Joyce were the best we have ever encountered. They were both personable and efficient!

Behind the Scenes Tour – we have always wanted to do this and are so glad we finally had the opportunity! If you hesitate due to the cost ($150 pp), we felt it was well worth the money! We had an hour tour of the engine control room and bridge on a port day because those areas can’t have “visitors” while at sea. Two hours the next day were spent seeing the laundry, galley, backstage of the theatre, waste management and storage of all kinds. Our tour was coordinated by Noel the On Board Marketing Manager but each section had a separate representative explaining their own areas. We were treated to a gift bag and a complimentary drink afterward. Our tour was just 3 of us so it was very easy to ask questions and hear the information being provided.

Disembarkation – we opted for the last group and were called at 8 AM and it was quick and effortless.

Summary - Great cruise with perhaps the best weather we have encountered in Alaska. I believe the Nieuw Amsterdam is my new favorite ship! We try to eat healthy and were about to do so and walked the deck daily. One very small complaint, we love the Explorations Café and with the Explore 4 package enjoyed it several times a day. This cruise the decaf was unavailable due to the grinder of that side breaking so I missed my coffee treats as I require decaf. Not a deal breaker by any means but worth noting.

 

 

 

If anyone has specific questions, I will try to answer them.

[Heartgrove]

Thank you for the mini review. Interestingly we were in 7065 on our May 28 cruise!

 

We also agree that it was one of our best cruises.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you had a wonderful Alaskan cruise and had lovely weather.

[Copper10-8]

................. Our tour was coordinated by Noel the On Board Marketing Manager but each section had a separate representative explaining their own areas. We were treated to a gift bag and a complimentary drink afterward. Our tour was just 3 of us so it was very easy to ask questions and hear the information being provided.

.........................................

 

Thanks for taking the time and effort to write a review! Glad you got to meet the MOM, Noel. She's awesome!

[sue1898]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to write a review! Glad you got to meet the MOM, Noel. She's awesome!

 

She is indeed and turns out she was on the Oosterdam with us 2 years ago and since the library is often one of my first spots we likely exchanged pleasantries! She was very accommodating to our tour threesome which made it all the more special!

[kftw]

Thank you for your review.

[Tennessee Titan]

She is indeed and turns out she was on the Oosterdam with us 2 years ago and since the library is often one of my first spots we likely exchanged pleasantries! She was very accommodating to our tour threesome which made it all the more special!

Thank you for a great review!

We have been on 10 transatlantics on the Nieuw Amsterdam, and our only regret is that she is no longer in the TA/Europe market!

[POA1]

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[erewhon]

Thank you for your review.

[kazu]

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear Clifford was on board. We had him on the Westerdam last year and he was a true joy :)

[DeeniEncinitas]

Thank you for your review on The Nieuw Amsterdam.

Denise:)

[Copper10-8]

She is indeed and turns out she was on the Oosterdam with us 2 years ago and since the library is often one of my first spots we likely exchanged pleasantries! She was very accommodating to our tour threesome which made it all the more special!

 

Yeah, HAL's got a winner with that 'red head'! ;) She also was on Amsterdam's 2014 Grand Asia/Pacific and on this year's Grand World voyage

[SherriM]

"Behind the Scenes Tour – we have always wanted to do this and are so glad we finally had the opportunity! If you hesitate due to the cost ($150 pp), we felt it was well worth the money! We had an hour tour of the engine control room and bridge on a port day because those areas can’t have “visitors” while at sea. Two hours the next day were spent seeing the laundry, galley, backstage of the theatre, waste management and storage of all kinds. Our tour was coordinated by Noel the On Board Marketing Manager but each section had a separate representative explaining their own areas. We were treated to a gift bag and a complimentary drink afterward. Our tour was just 3 of us so it was very easy to ask questions and hear the information being provided."

 

How early can you sign up for this tour? Can it be done online prior to the trip? Thanks!

[sue1898]

 

How early can you sign up for this tour? Can it be done online prior to the trip? Thanks!

You must wait to sign up until you board. I would suggest doing it as soon as possible because 8 is the maximum. We did it right away but as it turned out there were just 3 in our group. 3 is the minimum.

Edited July 24, 2016 by sue1898