caribbeanboy Posted November 24, 2018 #1 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Which is the better one for a Caribbean cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlsSalt Posted November 24, 2018 #2 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Not even close for us - it would be the Nieuw Amsterdam - for one reason only - you get the Tamarind Restaurant and more interesting overall ship's layout. However, for us it is always itinerary first, then the ship. Osterdam is fine and very serviceable. Both have the wonderful larger sized verandah cabins (SS, SY, SZ etc Signature class) which we think are the best in the fleet, if you were considering this cabin class - below Neptune but above regular verandah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted November 24, 2018 #3 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Agree -- Nieuw Amsterdam for us as well. We love the Tamarind restaurant. And this ship has the Tamarind Bar -- great for views while having a pre dinner drink or an after dinner drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ski ww Posted November 24, 2018 #4 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Have not been on the Oosterdam, but loved the NA, in the end I don't think it matters. We also pick itinerary & then ship. What ever ship you're on enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted November 24, 2018 #5 Share Posted November 24, 2018 1 hour ago, ski ww said: Have not been on the Oosterdam, but loved the NA, in the end I don't think it matters. We also pick itinerary & then ship. What ever ship you're on enjoy your cruise. Agree. If you haven't been on both, I don't think you will need to wonder what you missed. Enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catl331 Posted November 24, 2018 #6 Share Posted November 24, 2018 The Tamarind is a plus, but O'dam is a fine ship too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATC Posted November 24, 2018 #7 Share Posted November 24, 2018 O has a non-smoking Casino. NA does not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherryG Posted November 24, 2018 #8 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Just returned from the NA last Sunday and it was our 4th cruise on this ship. The upgrades and renos are very nice and we love everything about this ship. All 4 cruises on her have been in the Caribbean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatcat04 Posted November 24, 2018 #9 Share Posted November 24, 2018 1 hour ago, ATC said: O has a non-smoking Casino. NA does not. According to a report from Nov. 10, NAs casino is smoke free now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Copper10-8 Posted November 24, 2018 #10 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Nieuw A all the way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aotmc Posted November 24, 2018 #11 Share Posted November 24, 2018 First, offering a different view: the Tamarind is no reason for me to pick a ship. I like it, but I can go with out it for a sailing. I have plenty of dining options at home that are comparable, as well as plenty of dining options on board that I enjoy in different ways than the Tamarind. The major thing I do prefer with the Vista Class (Oosterdam), is the size. They are not terribly smaller than the Signature Class (NA), but feel much less crowded to me. They have about 100 less staterooms. Of course, depends on if your sailing is at capacity or not. Things I always consider when comparing two cruise options: 1.) Ports visiting & how many days are sea days vs. not. 2.) Price per night (inclusive of travel to/from. ex: I can drive to Baltimore, I'd have to fly across country for a pacific cruise) 3.) Smoking policy (I am not a smoker, and it triggers my asthma... but if I were a smoker, this would also affect my choice) 4.) Size of ship, passenger count relative to size, etc. 5.) Activities on board, ship amenities, & food options (this applies more if I am comparing two diff lines) 6.) Other ships in port at the same time, and tendering. This wouldn't stop me, but it would be a tie breaker for me. I don't care for crowds, so if I look it up and there are several large ships in port the same day, I avoid. I also don't love tendering, but like I said, it wouldn't matter much unless it's a tie breaker between two options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlsSalt Posted November 24, 2018 #12 Share Posted November 24, 2018 1 hour ago, aotmc said: ...... 6.) Other ships in port at the same time, and tendering. This wouldn't stop me, but it would be a tie breaker for me. I don't care for crowds, so if I look it up and there are several large ships in port the same day, I avoid. I also don't love tendering, but like I said, it wouldn't matter much unless it's a tie breaker between two options. This is the real tie breaker for me .......takes time to research this, but probably more payoff value for this than any other factor if your dock partners are any of the larger ships, or more than one other ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATC Posted November 24, 2018 #13 Share Posted November 24, 2018 4 hours ago, fatcat04 said: According to a report from Nov. 10, NAs casino is smoke free now. Last summer someone REPORTED that the Koningsdam was non-smoking. I was happy since I was going to be on it in Nov/Dec for 24 days. Of the 24 days three were non smoking and the Casino still stank on those days. On smoking days the smell was noticable in the music venues one deck below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatcat04 Posted November 24, 2018 #14 Share Posted November 24, 2018 19 minutes ago, ATC said: Last summer someone REPORTED that the Koningsdam was non-smoking. I was happy since I was going to be on it in Nov/Dec for 24 days. Of the 24 days three were non smoking and the Casino still stank on those days. On smoking days the smell was noticable in the music venues one deck below. Maybe we can get more confirmation of the smoking policy on NA as the Caribbean season progresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenSmoothieCruiser Posted November 25, 2018 #15 Share Posted November 25, 2018 We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam this past week and the casino is 100% non smoking. The only smoking option is one side of the pool with a small section of tables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbeanboy Posted November 28, 2018 Author #16 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Thanks. I booked the Nieuw Amsterdam for December 9. Got an amazing deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatcat04 Posted November 28, 2018 #17 Share Posted November 28, 2018 On 11/25/2018 at 3:43 PM, GreenSmoothieCruiser said: We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam this past week and the casino is 100% non smoking. The only smoking option is one side of the pool with a small section of tables. Thank you for reporting back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmst63 Posted November 29, 2018 #18 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Will be taking our first trip on the N.A. in February, the limited smoking area's will be a PLUS for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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