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HAL Ten Years Later! NIEUW STATENDAM Review


eroller
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NIEUW STATENDAM – February 24, 2019. 7-Day Western Caribbean Cruise from Fort Lauderdale

 

I’ll start off by confessing I’m not a fan of Holland America, well at least not of their older and smaller ships. I know that is quite contradictory to the legions of diehard HAL fans that love their smaller and more traditional ships. I’m just the opposite. My last cruise on HAL was almost ten years ago on NIEUW AMSTERDAM when she was brand new. It was an ok cruise, but we found nothing truly exceptional and other lines were better suited for us. In fact for this cruise we were originally booked on CELEBRITY EDGE but had to cancel due to some family obligations. As it turns out we had the week free after all, but EDGE was way overpriced so we settled on a last minute booking on NIEUW STATENDAM. I’m really glad it worked out that way as we had a fantastic time on NS and it was refreshing to revisit HAL after so many years. This cruise was also a great value and I feel we received a truly wonderful experience on a brand new ship at a relatively bargain price. I still want to sail on EDGE and it will happen, but not just yet.

 

Rather than write a formal review I’m going to touch on aspects of the HAL experience I really enjoyed, and those that perhaps fell a little short. Overall I loved NIEUW STATENDAM and would sail on her again in a heartbeat. I’m a big fan of Cunard and their new ship will be built off the same platform as NS (with modifications of course), and I feel I got a little preview of what to expect at least with the hardware.

 

I’m generally a fan of technology and I embrace it, but frankly I wasn’t expecting much with regards to HAL. I was wrong. HAL has really stepped up its game regarding technology and I was impressed. Some examples are a great new app that was easy to use and worked like charm, interactive TV (with free movies), call button on various tables (inside and out) to order drinks. Yes it works! Fantastic always connected internet for $99. Freestyle Coke machine. Beer dispensers that are key card activated, and most surprisingly waiters in the dining room using hand held devices. We had as-you-wish dining and upon entry to the dining room they ask for your cabin number and assign you a table. I was surprised that our waiters would call us by name since we had never seen them before. One showed me that our names and pictures appeared on his hand held device when we were assigned a table in his section. Very impressive!

 

Another aspect of the experience where I feel HAL has stepped up its game is cuisine. We purchased a dining package that included 5 different speciality restaurants. We enjoyed them all. My partner loved Nami Sushi the best, and my favorite was Rudi’s Sel de Mer. All were excellent though, and although we only dined in the main dining room twice, it was also very good. Special mention must be made of the burgers at Dive-In up by the midship pool. These are the best burgers I’ve had at sea (sorry to Guy’s on Carnival), made to order and very fresh. You receive a pager which notifies you when your order is ready, and it’s well worth the wait. Best of all there is no surcharge for these gourmet style burgers. There would be on many other cruise lines. The Lido Market had a great variety of options and was well laid out, and we never had a problem finding a table. We had lunch there almost every day. One afternoon we tried the pizza at New York Deli and quite enjoyed it. Princess Cruises likes to brag that it has the best pizza at sea, but I think this eclipsed that. One afternoon I enjoyed crepes at the Grand Dutch Cafe and that was a nice treat. Overall I enjoyed having so many dining options and truly noticed an upgrade in quality, variety, presentation, and taste from past HAL cruises. In fact a big improvement. Service was also elevated, and everyone from bar waiters to our cabin steward could not have been more professional and friendly.

 

Entertainment, music, and nightlife are aspects that never impressed on past HAL cruises. In fact I remember the ship being a dead zone at 10pm. This is probably why I have avoided HAL more than any other reason. While I’m no spring chicken, I’m not over the hill just yet either. I still enjoy an evening out socializing and listening to music, dancing, or watching a show. It’s no secret that HAL has a reputation of catering to a more senior crowd, putting that as politely as possible, and the lack of the ship feeling alive really disappointed me on past HAL cruises. Not the case on this one! While the crowd was generally still senior, it was more mixed and diverse. Add to that a new emphasis on music with Lincoln Center Stage, Billboard Onboard, BB King’s Blues Club, and the Rolling Stone Rock Room and now you have a ship that is alive and filled with music! I enjoyed them all but the dueling piano players in Billboard Onboard were my favorite. They were excellent and had different themes each night like 80’s, Hot 100, or all request. Another pleasant surprise was the production shows. The showroom is now in-the-round, and very high-tech with a giant video wall all around the back and sides. Gone are the traditional cast of 4 singers and 8 dancers with mediocre talent. In their place are a cast of truly professional dancers. No singers. The show that really impressed me was called Humanity. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen on a ship before and was quite refreshing. The production made excellent use of the video wall incorporating it into the show, but not having it take center stage or become the main attraction. The dancers were truly the stars. The second show was called Stages. It was also good but lacked the originality of the first show. There were also comedians and probably a magician but they are not my thing. The Cruise Director is not someone I usually pay attention to and they don’t have much impact on my enjoyment, but I thought the CD on NS was exceptional. Maybe because he was so easy on the eyes, but also because he was very low-key. Instead of the in your face used car salesman type from Vegas, he was from South Africa and very restrained. A class act.

 

NIEUW STATENDAM is a Pinnacle-Class ship, the second in the fleet following KONINGSDAM. These ships share many attributes with the older Vista and Signature Class ships and offer a similar layout. What impressed me with NS was how much more open it felt. The ship was bright, spacious, and open with many two level spaces. I felt the older Vistas and Signature Class felt much more dark and closed in. The theme of NS is “music” and most of the art work is music related. I loved it. Many art pieces are really clever and deserve a second or third look. I enjoyed just walking around looking at all the art. With the more modern art, as well as brighter and more vibrant carpet and fabric choices, the ship feels so much more alive, contemporary, and relevant than her older fleet-mates. Sometimes I wondered if I was on an HAL ship, and for me that was a good thing! Being so new the ship really had that new car smell which I loved. One tradition that was retained is fresh flowers, and they are everywhere. Some of the arrangements are quite large and spectacular. I’m glad HAL has retained this tradition and I know it comes at a substantial cost. One tradition that didn’t make the cut is a large, unobstructed promenade deck. Like many new ships, the lifeboats now sit directly on the deck instead of above it, with just a narrow and obstructed walkway behind the boats. At least on NS it’s a full wrap-around deck even if there are no views on most of it. With two pools (one with magradome) and lots of deck space, this sun worshiper never had an issue finding a deck chair. I love an aft deck with pool and NS did not disappoint in this regard. I also enjoyed a spa pass for the week, and again the spa on NS is a big improvement over the Vista/Signature Class ships. The spa pool is round and larger in size, plus it’s connected to the thermal suite which is a far superior layout. There is also a very nice ocean facing free sauna located in a men’s changing area, and I’m glad HAL still offers this complimentary option to all passengers. Forward is the gym which is well equipped and with great views. I was quite pleased overall with the ship itself, from décor to layout and amenities. Our balcony cabin (6199) was especially comfortable and well laid out, with a modern bathroom (no dreaded shower curtain), interactive TV, USB ports bedside, and lots of other thoughtful touches. There was plenty of storage space, even two drawers under the bed. I liked that the TV was built into a wall unit instead of just hanging on the wall and sticking out. The bed was ultra-comfortable and being so new, everything worked great and was fresh and new.

 

I’m a strong believer in attention to detail, and perhaps this is what impressed me most with HAL. So much attention to detail and some very nice premium touches at a great value. Some examples are free on demand movies; chocolates each evening at turndown; free room service; hot room service breakfast items; daily fresh fruit delivered to the cabin; the best shower head and water pressure I’ve experienced at sea; unlimited pool towels; logo china/silverware in the dining room; make up mirror in the cabin; HAL logo blanket for use in the cabin/balcony; fresh flowers everywhere; extra thick and soft cotton bath towels; linen towels in the public restrooms; souvenir log of the cruise; ship tile for Mariner Club members; Mariner Club luncheon. These small touches really make a difference, and they are even more impressive at the price point HAL charges.

 

So what fell short? Not too much actually and nothing I would consider major. Funny enough I missed a morning TV program by the Cruise Director. Most cruise lines have this and for some reason watching it has become a tradition for me. Along those lines I wasn’t a fan of the “When & Where” daily program. I get that HAL is probably trying the streamline and modernize the daily program, but I didn’t like the layout or how condensed it is, especially the dining times. It just doesn’t flow well IMO. There is no signing of checks on NS. This is good and bad. Good because there is less paper use, but bad if you like to keep track of receipts. Using the app solved this problem for me, and I could see our charges instantly. Club Orange. What a failure. It’s the one specialty restaurant we didn’t try. It has absolutely no atmosphere and is the least attractive space on the ship. Honestly it looks like a cheap cafeteria and to think it’s meant for suite passengers. You can tell it was originally designed as a demonstration kitchen and perhaps it should have been left as that. It was empty every time we passed by. Although there was a ton of music along the three venues of the Music Walk, what was missing was light cocktail music. A solo pianist or a solo guitar player. Two perfect spots for this would have been the Ocean Bar (which even had a small dance floor) and the Crow’s Nest (Explorations Cafe). Both these lovely venues were void of any music at night, so they were pretty much empty. That is a shame as it would have been nice to sip cocktails in both venues with some nice cocktail music playing. Lastly I’ll mention the HAL Mariner’s Club. I think it’s probably the worst past passenger club in the industry. I sail on most all cruise lines and I’m at the top level of several, and the benefits can be quite impressive, but not the case with HAL. I’m only a two star Mariner (I’ll be 3 stars after the next HAL cruise), and the benefits are fairly non-existent. The Mariner Lunch is nice but it costs HAL nothing. I prefer more tangible benefits like free internet, free speciality dining with a complimentary bottle of wine, free cocktails each evening, free mini-bar set up, etc. I’m not one to sail on a line just because of past passenger benefits, but in the case of HAL there is absolutely no incentive to move up to higher levels. I know not everyone will agree but that is my opinion.

 

Lastly you might wonder where we sailed to? Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, and Half Moon Cay. I’ve been to the Caribbean so many times that ports were insignificant. It was all about the ship. One exception is Half Moon Cay. It’s a delight and very well executed. Probably my favorite of all the private out islands next to Disney’s Castaway Cay.

 

Bringing this all to life are 575 photos covering all venues of the ship, and one video of a horn exchange between NS and KONINGSDAM as we departed Half Moon Cay. I’ve also included some menus and all the daily programs plus some general ship information. I hope you enjoy!

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eroller/albums/72157706810856841

Edited by eroller
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I enjoyed your review and shared many of your reactions. I did the same itinerary as you did, but in April, and we had same itinerary on Edge in January.

 

We sail HAL and Celebrity every year. IMHO, the Nieuw Stat won hands down over Edge. The Music Walk entertainment, as you so well described, was excellent, and there were numerous comfortable lounges and spaces all over the N.S.  Not so on Edge. The Edge infinite veranda was a big disappointment to me. The N.S. ship layout throughout is so much better, designed for passenger comfort instead of to be quirky, attention-getting, and trendy -  like Edge is.

 

(One exception to your review is that we were pleasantly surprised by Club Orange and impressed by the excellent staff and service. We ended up skipping the specialty restaurants and loved our Club Orange dining for breakfast and dinner. A great addition for Neptune suite passengers, but if any don’t like the concept, they still have the main dining room option.)

 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

Edited by Caribbean Chris
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3 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

I enjoyed your review and shared many of your reactions. I did the same itinerary as you did, but in April, and we had same itinerary on Edge in January.

 

We sail HAL and Celebrity every year. IMHO, the Nieuw Stat won hands down over Edge. The Music Walk entertainment, as you so well described, was excellent, and there were numerous comfortable lounges and spaces all over the N.S.  Not so on Edge. The Edge infinite veranda was a big disappointment to me. The N.S. ship layout throughout is so much better, designed for passenger comfort instead of to be quirky, attention-getting, and trendy -  like Edge is.

 

(One exception to your review is that we were pleasantly surprised by Club Orange and impressed by the excellent staff and service. We ended up skipping the specialty restaurants and loved our Club Orange dining for breakfast and dinner. A great addition for Neptune suite passengers, but if any don’t like the concept, they still have the main dining room option.)

 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

 

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the review and that we shared some of the same impressions.  Thanks for your insight into Club Orange.  I'm glad you had a great experience there.  That is good to hear.  I couldn't comment on the food or service, but I thought the atmosphere left a lot to be desired.  It did not fit the part of an upscale speciality restaurant catering to the highest paying guests onboard.  My opinion anyway.  Hopefully the wonderful food and service made up for it.  

 

Thank you also for your comments on EDGE.  I know the reviews have been mixed, especially concerning the Infinite Verandas.  Funny enough my friends that sailed on her the same week we were on NS really loved EDGE and those Infinite Verandas.  They were quite impressed.  This came as a little bit of a surprise because they are more traditionalists.  I still want to sail on her and will, but when the hype dies down along with the prices.  I'm a bit of a techie so I think I would enjoy all the tech onboard.    

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Thanks for the great review and your photos are beautiful.  They bring back some wonderful memories - we were on the Inaugural sailing of the Nieuw Statendam in December.

   We loved the ship and agree with most of your reactions/opinions.  

Where I have to disagree is with your take on HAL's loyalty benefits.  We have reached 4 star status and  really value the free laundry and the 50% discount on wine packages, specialty coffees, and specialty restaurants.  The priority check in and boarding is nice too.  I do realize that everyone is different and what they see as a "value added" benefit is different as well.

 

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Thank you, great review and photos!  *Only* 132 days until we board the NS for 6 weeks in the Med -- can't wait.

HAL has changed a lot in the last 10 years -- I'm glad you gave it another try.  We'll be on the Edge next year, looking forward to that too.

 

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10 minutes ago, eroller said:

Thank you also for your comments on EDGE.  I know the reviews have been mixed, especially concerning the Infinite Verandas.  Funny enough my friends that sailed on her the same week we were on NS really loved EDGE and those Infinite Verandas.  They were quite impressed.  This came as a little bit of a surprise because they are more traditionalists.  I still want to sail on her and will, but when the hype dies down along with the prices.  I'm a bit of a techie so I think I would enjoy all the tech onboard.    

 

There's no question Edge can be fun and luckily we booked along with close friends very early so had a somewhat reasonable fare in Aqua class. I'm glad we checked it out. But for me it was a one-shot.

 

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10 minutes ago, Daisyloo said:

 

Where I have to disagree is with your take on HAL's loyalty benefits.  We have reached 4 star status and  really value the free laundry and the 50% discount on wine packages, specialty coffees, and specialty restaurants.  The priority check in and boarding is nice too.  I do realize that everyone is different and what they see as a "value added" benefit is different as well.

 

 

 

I'm happy you enjoy the Mariner benefits.  As you mention, we all have different perceptions of value and what benefits are important to us.  For me, especially as a 2 and soon to be 3 star Mariner, I find the benefits of little value or use.  Nothing to entice me to stay loyal to HAL, which is their purpose.  Of course I'll still sail on HAL because I had such a great experience, sticking to the new ships which I like of course!  

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I'm pretty sure  you would also like the Koningsdam - she was the first Pinnacle class ship.  Almost identical to the Nieuw Statendam.

We are looking forward to the new ship coming out, and hope to sail on her someday too.  

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56 minutes ago, eroller said:

 

 

I'm happy you enjoy the Mariner benefits.  As you mention, we all have different perceptions of value and what benefits are important to us.  For me, especially as a 2 and soon to be 3 star Mariner, I find the benefits of little value or use.  Nothing to entice me to stay loyal to HAL, which is their purpose.  Of course I'll still sail on HAL because I had such a great experience, sticking to the new ships which I like of course!  

 

We sailed on NS last week of March and had many of the same impressions as you.  I feel the dance productions will get old.  I didn't like that there was no place to put down a beverage in the show room so didn't order any like I would otherwise.

 

Like you, I find the Mariner benefits useless as a 2 star.  Oh well, after my next cruise I'll move up and get to start enjoying the perks. 🙂

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1 minute ago, akeka said:

 

We sailed on NS last week of March and had many of the same impressions as you.  I feel the dance productions will get old.  I didn't like that there was no place to put down a beverage in the show room so didn't order any like I would otherwise.

 

Like you, I find the Mariner benefits useless as a 2 star.  Oh well, after my next cruise I'll move up and get to start enjoying the perks. 🙂

 

 

I have to agree about the dance production shows.  While I enjoyed them and found Humanity especially impressive, I think there are a lot of limitations and there is only so much you can do.  On a longer cruise where more shows have to be performed, it could get monotonous sticking to the same format.  

 

Looking at the 3-star Mariner benefits, I saw nothing that had me looking forward to them.  

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What a great review and I have to say I had a very similar experience as you on the Koningsdam.  Last HAL ship I sailed was the Eurodam and loved her, but it lacked something.  Sailed on the Koningsdam and LOVED this style ship so much so that my family loved her so much that 13 of the 19 of us booked the NS for 10 days March 2021 and are really looking forward to this cruise................

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1 hour ago, eroller said:

Looking at the 3-star Mariner benefits, I saw nothing that had me looking forward to them.  

 

25% discount on select wine packages, specialty restaurants, and specialty coffee are the biggies. Plus the welcome aboard drink-as-much-as-you-can-in-an-hour cocktail reception are the big benefits. I appreciate them! Re the cocktail reception, I had my first one on Nieuw Amsterdam last November, and I asked if anyone like an officer was going to say anything. The response was: "no, you just drink!"

 

And yes, cruise director Ross is definitely memorable and the best CD in the HAL fleet.

 

Thanks for an awesome review. I'm very anxious to sail Pinnacle class.

Edited by Cruiser Bruiser
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30 minutes ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

 

25% discount on select wine packages, specialty restaurants, and specialty coffee are the biggies. Plus the welcome aboard drink-as-much-as-you-can-in-an-hour cocktail reception are the big benefits. I appreciate them! Re the cocktail reception, I had my first one on Nieuw Amsterdam last November, and I asked if anyone like an officer was going to say anything. The response was: "no, you just drink!"

 

And yes, cruise director Ross is definitely memorable and the best CD in the HAL fleet.

 

Thanks for an awesome review. I'm very anxious to sail Pinnacle class.

 

 

Glad you enjoyed the review!  

 

Those benefits just don’t wow me.  What does wow me is completely free.  Like free internet, free drinks every single night, free mini bar set up, free laundry, free specialty restaurant dinner with a bottle of wine, free lunch in La Verandah.  Those are some of the higher level benefits I receive on Princess, Cunard, NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity.  

 

Again we all have a different value perception regarding benefits.  No right or wrong.  Just what is important to you.    

 

Ps. My favorite CD used to be Richard Spacey on Royal/Celebrity ... until Ross! Lol. 

Edited by eroller
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