Our Anniversary cruise on the Nieuw Statendam : Is the honeymoon over ?

[BJzink]

7 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I really don't like the looks of the new Club Orange that is available for the Neptune Suites and Pinnacle Suite.  Chairs look terrible.  JMO

 

We prefer the Pinnacle where you can look out and watch the world go by.

 

HMM -- even the art work doesn't appeal to us.  I guess we are just a bunch of old people.

We are just used to more elegant décor (think:  castle, palace, mansion décor) I am also not a fan.

 

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I really don't like the looks of the new Club Orange that is available for the Neptune Suites and Pinnacle Suite.  Chairs look terrible.  JMO

 

We prefer the Pinnacle where you can look out and watch the world go by.

 

HMM -- even the art work doesn't appeal to us.  I guess we are just a bunch of old people.

 

We agree , you're not the only ones .

[DeeniEncinitas]

We personally won’t book on this ship. For us the smaller HAL ships are nice for us! NEPTUNE SUITES are smaller I do not like the Orange Club!!  I enjoy the NS on Eurodam Nieuw Amsterdam and so on!!

Remember this is my opinion only for us.

I will be on The Eurodam out of my home town San Diego this Saturday RT Hawai’i Tahiti. I hope no Orange Club for us with our NS! I love my PG breakfasts😊

Denise😊

[shipshapertoo]

3 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

Sorry about that . As this point we can't ask the neighbors in 5204 if they also had the creaking a few nights like we did . However there was another issue between our common wall which was the sound of dripping and or running water . We didn't hear it until things got quite on the 1st evening . After that it seemed to be more or less continuous .

Perhaps someone who has stayed in 5204 will share their experience.

Thanks scubacruiserx2 for your reply and for the added information about the sound of dripping or running water. I put a call into HAL, since I am not sailing until 2020, it might be a good time for me to change cabins now. I love aft veranda balconies. Actually any bonafide balcony. I was on Celebrity Edge this past January in an infinite veranda and hated the IV (infinite balcony as Cel calls it). It was really more like an enclosed porch and was so tiny that 2 chairs and a little table barely fit on it. So Nieuw Statendam 's aft balcony will feel like a breathe of fresh air to me.

[Bimmer09]

Joe and Pat, now that I have finished my Cuba review I dove into your Antarctica review today and read it all the way through. Fantastic photos as always! Was the zoom a 2.8 or an F4? The light seemed good so I guess it could have been the F4. 

Food on the ship looked very good and you sure took advantage of room service in your suite.

 

South America is on my bucket list and has been since your 2013 review when the glaciers caught my eye, plus Buenos Aires speaks to me. Are the steaks as good as I imagine them to be? I know the Malbec is! The issues with taxi companies letting you down and scamming were a bit disheartening to me so I can only imagine the stomach -churning that went on at the time.

You rolled with the punches though so kudos to you both for the can-do spirit!

 

It was a great bonus as I was getting to the end to see you'd be getting right back on a ship for your Valentines cruise and here we are. It seems some regular HAL sailors aren't very impressed with some aspects of the new ships. Is it a matter of the modern decor I wonder or have there been cut-backs or a diluting of the HAL experience?

 

Looking forward to more!

Norris

[scubacruiserx2]

14 hours ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

We personally won’t book on this ship. For us the smaller HAL ships are nice for us! NEPTUNE SUITES are smaller I do not like the Orange Club!!  I enjoy the NS on Eurodam Nieuw Amsterdam and so on!!

Remember this is my opinion only for us.

I will be on The Eurodam out of my home town San Diego this Saturday RT Hawai’i Tahiti. I hope no Orange Club for us with our NS! I love my PG breakfasts😊

Denise😊

 

Congratulations on your cruise on the Eurodam . We had a NS on the Eurodam to Alaska and felt like it was the BEST !

 

We walked passed the crowd and into our suite

 

 

 

 

• 

We decided to save the bubbly for a rainy day .

The suite had a his and her's closet and 'rock star' robes . We named them that because when you opened the door , spotlights shined on them .

 

 

You can read more about our Eurodam cruise to Alaska here :

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

13 hours ago, shipshapertoo said:

Thanks scubacruiserx2 for your reply and for the added information about the sound of dripping or running water. I put a call into HAL, since I am not sailing until 2020, it might be a good time for me to change cabins now. I love aft veranda balconies. Actually any bonafide balcony. I was on Celebrity Edge this past January in an infinite veranda and hated the IV (infinite balcony as Cel calls it). It was really more like an enclosed porch and was so tiny that 2 chairs and a little table barely fit on it. So Nieuw Statendam 's aft balcony will feel like a breathe of fresh air to me.

 

You're welcome . We did get a glimpse of the Edge in port ahead of us . Our previous cruise on HAL was 22 days in a NS on the Zaandam where the balcony was about 4 times the size and the stateroom was double the size of the one on this cruise . So it was quite a step down from the larger to the smaller for us .

[3rdGenCunarder]

20 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

 

 

 

Club Orange interior

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't like the look of those chairs. CO on K had better chairs. 

 

CO on K:

 

[scubacruiserx2]

13 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Joe and Pat, now that I have finished my Cuba review I dove into your Antarctica review today and read it all the way through. Fantastic photos as always! Was the zoom a 2.8 or an F4? The light seemed good so I guess it could have been the F4. 

Food on the ship looked very good and you sure took advantage of room service in your suite.

 

South America is on my bucket list and has been since your 2013 review when the glaciers caught my eye, plus Buenos Aires speaks to me. Are the steaks as good as I imagine them to be? I know the Malbec is! The issues with taxi companies letting you down and scamming were a bit disheartening to me so I can only imagine the stomach -churning that went on at the time.

You rolled with the punches though so kudos to you both for the can-do spirit!

 

It was a great bonus as I was getting to the end to see you'd be getting right back on a ship for your Valentines cruise and here we are. It seems some regular HAL sailors aren't very impressed with some aspects of the new ships. Is it a matter of the modern decor I wonder or have there been cut-backs or a diluting of the HAL experience?

 

Looking forward to more!

Norris

 

We're glad that you could complete your review and had a chance to see ours as well . All of the lenses are F 4 since we could not afford the F 2.8's . We did enjoy spending time and eating in the NS and on the balcony when we could . If you are considering Antarctica on a larger ship like the Eclipse or the Zaandam the next season may be the last . We still have not been able to finish our visit on the Zaandam to BA when the chance to go on the Neiuw Statendam became available and so we are in the midst of 2 reviews . We had some good steaks and not so good steaks in BA but our best were here in the US  ( and some good one's in London ) .

 

The Nieuw Statendam is a much different ship then the Zaandam , Eurodam or Westerdam which we have enjoyed in the past , all without the Club Orange .

[Krazy Kruizers]

4 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I don't like the look of those chairs. CO on K had better chairs. 

 

CO on K:

 

 

Those chairs on the Koningsdam are much better looking.  More support for the back.

 

The chairs I kept seeing were the ones on the Nieuw Statendam and that is why I kept saying that I didn't like them.

[scubacruiserx2]

11 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I don't like the look of those chairs. CO on K had better chairs. 

 

CO on K:

 

 

They do look more comfortable and will help to keep the din down .

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

 

Those chairs on the Koningsdam are much better looking.  More support for the back.

 

The chairs I kept seeing were the ones on the Nieuw Statendam and that is why I kept saying that I didn't like them.

 

This is the first time I paid attention to what the NS chairs are like. I can't believe how different they are. The ones on the K were comfortable--I could sit back, read my little newspaper and sip my coffee while I waited for breakfast. The NS chairs don't look as inviting. 

 

The glass wall on the K was also just random bands of frosted glass, not the giant silverware pattern on the NS. Those huge forks are creepy!!!

 

[scubacruiserx2]

More from our pre safety drill walk .

 

We stopped and made reservations at the Tamarind

 

 

We didn't see any other way to access the aft except to walk thru the empty restaurant where this statue was

 

 

Loud music was being played here that we could hear and feel through the balcony doors vibration , well into the night

 

 

 

We decided to walk away from the noise forward to look at some of the other 6 ships in port

 

 

 

 

Going lower

 

 

 

This was the first time on HAL that our safety drill was held indoors 

 

[Bimmer09]

9 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

 If you are considering Antarctica on a larger ship like the Eclipse or the Zaandam the next season may be the last . 

 

The Nieuw Statendam is a much different ship then the Zaandam , Eurodam or Westerdam which we have enjoyed in the past , all without the Club Orange .

Joe, thanks for the swift response.

If next year heralds the final non-expedition ships sailings to Antarctica then we have literally missed the boat. I know from our 3 cruises to Alaska that the glaciers are on the retreat after thousands of years inching their way to the sea. I think I showed some in my Star Princess review. Global Warming at work but of course if you stick your head in the sand it doesn't exist (LOL!) Thanks for taking us there. The video clips showed how quiet it is there and I daren't let Carol see them or she would want to move there.

 

I can't see everything in person alas.

 

Is Club Orange  a Suites-only restaurant on HAL, or open to all?

 

Cheers!

Norris

[AncientWanderer]

On 3/7/2019 at 3:55 PM, DeeniEncinitas said:

We personally won’t book on this ship. For us the smaller HAL ships are nice for us! NEPTUNE SUITES are smaller I do not like the Orange Club!!  I enjoy the NS on Eurodam Nieuw Amsterdam and so on!!

Remember this is my opinion only for us.

I will be on The Eurodam out of my home town San Diego this Saturday RT Hawai’i Tahiti. I hope no Orange Club for us with our NS! I love my PG breakfasts😊

Denise😊

Have a great cruise, DeeniEncinitas!  San Diego girl here, too, and love the Eurodam.  We'd be on that ship, too, but for two new grand babies.  But yay for the grand babies!  Have fun!

Oh, and edit to add, and to keep on topic, we don't care for the look of the Club Orange either.  Not formal enough for us.  

Edited March 9, 2019 by AncientWanderer

[DeeniEncinitas]

5 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

Have a great cruise, DeeniEncinitas!  San Diego girl here, too, and love the Eurodam.  We'd be on that ship, too, but for two new grand babies.  But yay for the grand babies!  Have fun!

Right now we are dressed warm on our balcony and watched the sunset over the water! Sunny today here in Leucadia but right now cold and windy! DH smoking a cigar and were having cocktails!

Congrates on your grand babies! We have one grand puppy that is our baby😳 she’s Paisley!

Denise😊

 

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

..... that the glaciers are on the retreat after thousands of years inching their way to the sea. I think I showed some in my Star Princess review. Global Warming at work but of course if you stick your head in the sand it doesn't exist (LOL!) T.......

Cheers!

Norris

 

it has been 10,000 year since the last Ice Age,  so of course some glaciers will be in retreat. Others are growing.

[perfect match]

Hi Joe & Pat! Glad I found you! 

 

From the sounds of what you're saying,  NS didn't make a good first impression on you. I hope it gets better.

 

We loved Koningsdam so much I've seriously been thinking of booking our next cruise on her younger sister, NS. We loved the shower on Kdam, I think our deck 6 vs balcony looked bigger than yours, I loved the shower, no glare issues, and no creaking or shims visible anywhere.

 

After this start to your review, I'm now leaning more towards going back on Kdam, or maybe trying a different HAL ship. Three of our last 4 cruises have been/will be next month on the big girls over on RCI. While we really enjoyed Oasis and are looking forward to Symphony, I'm ready for a slightly different experience on our next cruise. 

 

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your cruise! Guess I should go back and finish Antarctica, though.

[Caribbean Chris]

On 3/6/2019 at 5:05 PM, scubacruiserx2 said:

We have been unable to upload or post photos until Photobucket starts working again .

 

Since the fairly recent Cruise Critic website overhaul, I noticed I can add photos directly into a post from my computer/tablet/phone (without needing to paste a link to a host service like Photobucket). Look for “click to choose files” link at lower left and just select your desired photo. If you change your mind, easy to delete it.

 

Meanwhile, thanks for your review. I’m especially interested in Club Orange since we’ll be in a NS on the Nieuw Statendam soon for our own anniversary cruise - 39 years. (Next year’s 40th will be 18 days to Hawaii on Eurodam.)

Edited March 9, 2019 by Caribbean Chris

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great pictures.

 

The more I see of that Edge -- the more I dislike her.  She is ugly!!  JMO

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Great pictures.

 

The more I see of that Edge -- the more I dislike her.  She is ugly!!  JMO

 

And that orange "magic carpet" thing moves up and down past balconies. How would you like to be sitting on your balcony and a levitating bar full of people goes by????

 

[scubacruiserx2]

2 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Great pictures.

 

The more I see of that Edge -- the more I dislike her.  She is ugly!!  JMO

 

 

She is ugly - and her mother dresses her funny .

[scubacruiserx2]

10 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

And that orange "magic carpet" thing moves up and down past balconies. How would you like to be sitting on your balcony and a levitating bar full of people goes by????

 

 

 

Perhaps a little like this video we shot from our our cabin on the Zaandam in South America

 

 

 

 

All that we needed was more people and a bar .

[Despegue]

8 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

it has been 10,000 year since the last Ice Age,  so of course some glaciers will be in retreat. Others are growing.

This Is climatological incorrect.

there is indeed a VERY SMALL percentage of glaciers that is growing (Hubbard being one of them actually). But over 90mpercent of the glaciers is in retreat, and in accelerated retreat.

Global warning is a fact. Just like the Earth is a Globe, Vaccination SAVES lifes and Evolution is reality. You can have your opinion, but base them on facts rather than on uneducated crap found on obscure websites or incompetent “politicians”

[killsport]

16 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

How would you like to be sitting on your balcony and a levitating bar full of people goes by?

For the sake of accuracy, the Magic Carpet doesn't move with people on it. It is stationary when it has passengers.

 

Having said that, the Edge (which my wife went on with 11 other friends/family) was a real failure for them. Although the food was good, the entertainment and spaces to lounge/talk was a huge issue (not to mention the Infinite Veranda ... I mean oceanview with window). To a person, each of them said they won't sail Edge again (unless bargain basement prices). Most of these passengers were Elite on Celebrity and ages ranged from late 30's to mid 70's.

 

Now back to our regularly scheduled program (and hopefully more NS updates).