Stpatsirish Posted November 21, 2016 #1 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Here is a review of our cruise: Pre cruise hotel – Rodeway Inn Fort Lauderdale - This was a bare bones, completely adequate hotel for our pre and post cruise stay. We were picked up at the airport, without issue, at 11pm night before our cruise. Clean room, good shower. Breakfast was included, buffet style and par for the course. We were delivered to the cruiseport, as promised, in the morning. I think our bus left shortly after 10am. Embarkation – This went smoothly although there was a delay. There was an inspection that day so we were asked to go to the Lido deck and relax as our cabins were not ready. We tried out the new pizza, which was great, and met a few fellow travellers while we waited. We were in our cabin an unpacked before sail away which we enjoyed on our verandah. We had the pleasant surprise of flowers, champagne and chocolate strawberries when we arrived, thanks to my sisters in law and their families and enjoyed them during sail away. Cabin – we had a verandah guarantee and were assigned 6052 about a week before we sailed. It was an accessible cabin and in a good spot, near the front elevators. We did not request an accessible cabin but having the large shower with a seat was helpful, as I am awaiting knee surgery. It had a larger balcony on an angle. We had great cabin stewards who did their job well and were unobtrusive. When we did need them they were prompt and helpful, particularly when my earrings were lost under the safe. Meals – Most of our dinners were in the main dining room, with 2 dinners at Tamarind and the Pinnacle. All our meals were very good with the Tamarind being the standout meal of the trip. The only downside was our server, in the main dining room, who was neither friendly nor attentive. But Mr. van Horn, the Asst. Dining Room Manager made up for that, as he was funny and entertaining. Making gifts out of paper napkins and showing off his ESP abilities. We had a 6 top, early dining. We met 2 great couples, also from Canada, and thoroughly enjoyed their company. Sorry, but it was nice not having to discuss the US election at every meal. Our breakfasts were either in the dining room, ordered from room service (the old menu still) or in our Lido cabana. We are not fans of buffet dining so we did not eat there, except for the last morning and a couple of times that we grabbed a perfectly fine premade sandwich on the go. We found that very quick and handy. We also had the burger and hot dog from the Dive In. They were also very good. Lido Cabana – This was our first cabana and we would certainly do this again. We splurged on this as we were gifted some of the excursions. I am glad we did, as one of our ports was cancelled and it meant we had 3 sea days. We liked the convenience of having our own place at the pool, with a table and chairs, 2 person lounger and a steward just for the cabanas. We had out breakfast there twice and lunch a few times, with Patrick making those arrangements for us. Every afternoon we received a glass of sparkling wine, chocolate covered strawberries and frozen grapes. The cabana was stocked with robes, towels, bottled water, Evian misters, fruit and ice. Patrick was amazing and very attentive. Shows – we went to a couple of shows in the showroom – the magician/comedian Fred Moore and Synergy (electric violins). Both shows were entertaining and enjoyable. We spent an evening in the piano bar and an evening at BB Kings. We enjoyed both shows. We did not go to the movie theatre but did watch a movie in our cabin. We also went to the Marriage Game and another game I forgot the name of. The Marriage game fun and funny. The other game was forgettable. Our cruise director Carson was charming, funny and likeable. Ports and excursions – As it was with the previous cruise this season, we missed Grand Turk due to high winds. Knowing this beforehand (that it was missed) I booked the Lido cabana as my backup plan so we had no issue with missing it. It was the weather’s fault, not HAL’s. We did get an alternate schedule for the day, adding more on board entertainment. The pools were very busy as well. We stopped in San Juan and went into town, grabbing a city tour for 20.00. We also did some shopping for bottled water and snacks at Walgreens before going back to the ship. The next stop was St. Maarten, where we had a tour booked with Bernard’s Tours to Maho Beach. The ship did not offer just a trip to the beach so we booked independently. We had a great few hours at the beach, having lunch and watching the planes at the airport. All aboard was 2:00 with sail away at 2:30. At 2:30 there were still 6 passengers missing. The captain announced that he would give them 15 more minutes. At 2:45 he announced that we would be delayed until 3 so that he could do the necessary paperwork to leave the last 2 passengers behind, which he did. We sailed away at 3 with no one running to catch the ship. Hopefully they heard the extra blasts he gave of the horn as we left them behind. Our last stop was Half Moon Cay – what can I say – it was beautiful. My husband went horseback riding and we had a cabana booked there that we shared with a couple of our dinner mates. The cabana was supplied with fruit, pop, water, veggies, shrimp, chips, salsa, guacamole, table and chairs, fridge, ice, towels, table and chairs, loungers, air conditioning, a fan, shower, snorkelling equipment and floaters for the water. We brought a bottle of wine that we brought on board. It was a great day. Disembarkation – this went very smoothly and we were picked up by the hotel, where we could check in early for a mere 20.00. They also took us to the airport the next morning. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I am sure I have forgotten something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stpatsirish Posted November 21, 2016 Author #2 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Sorry, I should have mentioned the ship. She was in good shape and we had no issues. No long wait lines. Upkeep was good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snooksi Posted November 21, 2016 #3 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Thank you so much for your review and I really enjoyed it. We will be sailing the NA for the Eastern itinerary, as well, on the Christmas cruise. I can only hope the weather cooperates, so we don't miss any of the ports as we have excursions planned at every port. Other than spending as much time on our balcony as possible, I think the place I am most looking forward to is Half Moon Cay. It will be our first time there (everything I've read says it's incredible). I also booked a cabana and it sounds like an absolute day of paradise!! We can't wait!! Sounds like you had a great cruise and thank you again for sharing your experience with those of us still waiting!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted November 21, 2016 #4 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Thank you for taking the time to write your review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise and your Lido Cabana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted November 21, 2016 #5 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Nice to know you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for your feedback. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyndibru Posted November 22, 2016 #6 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Thanks for your review! My DH and I are taking this cruise 12/4 on the Nieuw Amsterdam as well. I am curious about your San Juan city tour -- who was this with and what did you see? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stpatsirish Posted November 22, 2016 Author #7 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Re: San Juan city tour We had not planned to do anything in San Juan but because our stop in Grand Turk and our excursion there was cancelled, we decided we needed to go on land that day. San Juan was a lovely surprise. We had not booked anything but while we were getting ready to look for some shopping we saw a lot of tour buses offering different tours - rain forest, kayaking, city tours, etc. All the tour operators were uniformed and explained their tours ahead of time, including price. We chose to do a 1 1/2 to 2 hour city tour, which took us through Old San Juan, stopping at the government building for photos, through new San Juan, past the Old Fort, stopping there for photos, to a lovely beach for a 15 minute photo stop, as well as stopping at a shopping area. Anyone wanting to get out at the shopping area could walk back to the ship on their own, as it was in sight, just at the end of the street. The guide was very informative and the cost was 20.00 each. I could not tell you the name of the company but all the tours seemed to be conducted by them and they were all wearing blue shirts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted November 22, 2016 #8 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Thanks for the report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stpatsirish Posted November 23, 2016 Author #9 Share Posted November 23, 2016 One last point- our biggest disappointment was the Explorations Cafe. It was difficult to access, as you could only get there on the forward elevators, they ran out of treats early, they closed early and the server there was more interested in chatting on the phone than helping customers. I usually enjoy a chai latte, but after being disappointed there twice, we did not return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyndibru Posted November 23, 2016 #10 Share Posted November 23, 2016 Thanks for the further info on your San Juan tour. Very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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