Nieuw Amsterdam Dec 11-23, 2021 Summary

[NCTribeFan]

Having just sailed Eurodam 11/16-11/24, I was looking forward to what differences I would find  on the sister ships.

 

I took the "scenic route" from RDU to FLL by going via Austin, Texas!  So, what typically is a 2-hr non-stop flight ended up pretty much a full day of travel.  The Austin airport was packed.  I spent the night at Hilton's Hotel Dello in Dania Beach because my usual hotel wasn't available.  For the price, it was fine.  Not somewhere that I'd make my preferred choice, but I'd stay there again.

 

I had 12:20 Group B boarding.  I called for an Uber at about 11:30.  My passport wouldn't scan so I had to go to a check-in desk to get my photo taken.  It was all very quick and painless.

 

Unlike on Eurodam, where I had booked a "free" casino offer and upgraded myself to Club Orange (so had priority stuff), this booking was a Have-It-All since I had applied 3 small-ish FCCs.  I wasn't able to get my favorite cabin (J1049) so had to take J1069, which was a connecting cabin, so the bed was turned 90 degrees.  That takes up more floor space, which isn't a big deal.  It's not like I'd planned to have a dance party in the cabin.  The cabin also had a chair across from the little table in front of the sofa.  What I didn't like was that the TV was over the end of the sofa.  To watch it, you either had to it lengthwise on the sofa, or in the chair.  Pretty much couldn't see it from the bed.  On Eurodam, the tv was smaller but was on the little angled shelf to the left of the desk and could be pulled out on a swivel.  Not like I watch TV when I cruise, but, still.  And it was really difficult to use the remote.  You had to push the arrow buttons over and over and over to get it to finally respond.

 

Toilet wouldn't flush that first day.  I had that problem on Zuiderdam when I was in 1049.  I told my cabin steward and a maintenance guy showed up quickly and got it sorted.

 

I think I liked the color scheme a bit more on NA but preferred the art work on Eurodam.  I thought E'dam was cleaner, too.  Yes, she'd just been in quarantine after arriving from Europe, but there were places on NA that were just not clean.  The worst I noticed was in the Dive-In area.  Sitting at a small table along the windows, the floor and the shelf-like area between the floor and windows had food bits.  It just looked like it needed a good sweep and mop.  It was like that the entire sailing.

 

Stopped at the podium for the specialty-dining in the MDR that afternoon to confirm my reservations, which I'd made online several weeks prior.  They were not in the system correctly.  I'd booked this as a 12-night sailing but it was also available to be booked as a 7+5.  I had friends boarding for the 5-night portion (veteran cruisers but HAL virgins).  We'd booked Pinnacle Grill for that night in FLL.  When I asked about that, I was told he couldn't access the next sailing.  OK, good thing I printed out my itinerary from my computer that showed my reservations!  I came back the next day and showed it to him.  Oh, well, we don't have 7 pm in Canaletto available tomorrow night.  But, I HAVE A RESERVATION!  See, right here!  I asked what the point was in being able to pre-book if the reservations don't appear in the system on the correct date and time?  His response was just that sometimes the system doesn't get it right. 

 

Food was better than it was on Eurodam.  It was, overall, excellent.  Crew and staff were just as friendly and helpful.

 

Following the advise from others when I complained about the noise/music level on E'dam, I used the app to say that I thought it was ridiculous to have blaring music in the public spaces at all hours of the day.  Who needs blasting bad pop music at 6:30 am when you're having your first cup of caffeine and want to sit quietly at a table by the sea view pool?  Except this time it was blasting bad Christmas music.  Bah humbug!

 

Had a typed message outside my cabin later that day as well as a blinking light on my phone.  Picked up the handset and, uh, nothing.  No dial tone.  I'd wanted to leave myself a wake-up call since we were losing an hour that night and I didn't trust my phone to properly update the time and wake me.  

 

 

[NCTribeFan]

I decided to pay a call to the service desk the next day since they'd tried to get in touch with me.  Rose came from behind the counter with a pad and we sat on the little sofa and talked about the things that I'd reported.

 

When I added in the issues with the dining reservations, and what the staff member's response had been, she said that was absolutely not right.  They had to honor a reservation I had pre-booked, especially since I had hard proof that I'd booked those days and times.  She took the names of my friends and said she'd make sure that our Pinnacle reservation was in the systsem.

 

I told her I typically don't complain and that none of the things were really a big deal, but it was just that my recent Eurodam sailing was about as close to perfect as could be, so all the little things that had happened were just starting to add up.

 

I didn't have anything else to complain about (and apparently complaining about the music volume is pointless but it only ever gets louder).

 

I did very little at Grand Turk but I did even sit near the pool for a little while because it was virtually empty.  Not being a fan of Margaritaville, I never get near the place.  When I went back to the ship, I tried to sit out on Promenade and read, which is my favorite place, but I could hear the awful Buffet drivel that was blasting from the beachfront.  Sigh.

 

Next day, we were at Amber Cove.  I'd never been there, so I opted to take a tour into Puerto Plata.  Apparently the new pier was going to be used for the first time the next day.  I think I'd rather dock there in town than out by Amber Cover.  Since Carnival Magic was also in port with her nearly 4,000 pax (5% of which would be unvaccinated, and of those, most would probably be screaming kids), I opted to not even bother with checking out the pool area.  Like GT, I'm not a fan of the fake-built-for-tourists-Caribbean-island ports.

 

Next day was San Juan, which I love.  Rain showers on and off which made for a steamy morning of strolling the streets.  I found my way to my favorite Coach store and bought myself a new small crossbody bad.  The one I was carrying was one I'd gotten there about 8 years ago.  Also picked up a little wallet for DD for Christmas.  Then just walked back to the ship.

 

HMC - they've cut back a lot of the vegetation that used to be there.  I used to be able to find a lounger that was in the shade but I think now the only way to find shade without walking nearly down to where the horses are located is to rent a clamshell.  It also appeared that crew members were using the big villas and they were having a good time, having brought their own music to blast.  I know they need to be able to get off the ship and relax, so I didn't begrudge them that.  I just wanted some shade and quiet.  I didn't stay long.  I was going to check out the lunch and see if it was better than we'd had on Eurodam (which was not impressive) but found my way to the Lobster shack instead.  The lobster roll was pretty good, but I wished I'd ordered the lobster tail & rice/beans.

[NCTribeFan]

Back at Port Everglades, I went to BB King's club at about 9:25 where we were all supposed to meet to be escorted down to immigrations.  Except, of course, not everyone showed up by 9:30  After a few announcements over the PA that passengers in transit needed to report there, a guy finally shows up.  He had nothing but his pack of cigs with him.  One of the security staff gave him her phone and he made a call.  Apparently, the wife was in the cabin and would have to get dressed.  Oh, and she's in a cast and using a scooter.  Finally, another pax asked him if he had his passport.  Not with me, was the reply.  Well, maybe you should tell the wife to bring those with her or else we'd be sitting there another 20 minutes.

 

When we finally headed down, we used the facial recognition system.  Very quick and easy.  Back on the ship in minutes.

 

Went up to the Lido bar, got a mimosa and sat and read.  Not sure what time my friends boarded, but I know it was significantly earlier than their 2:20 boarding time.  I had been concerned that they wouldn't like HAL.  They love Carnival.  But they both seemed to really enjoy the cruise and were impressed with the ship, the crew/staff, and the food.  So much so that they thought about seeing if they could stay on for the Christmas sailing.  So, hopefully, I'll have some cruise buddies sailing with me in the future on HAL.  I don't want to keep sailing on Carnival just so I can see my friends.

[NCTribeFan]

The 5-night itinerary was supposed to be Key West, Nassau, & HMC.  That was changed to Freeport, Bimini & HMC.

 

Although I typically go ashore at every port, regardless of how many times I've been there or whether I like a particular port, I stayed on the ship this time.  Walking around Lido that morning, the spa folks had their table out and a couple of chairs.  When I walked by and was asked if I'd like a neck & shoulder massage, I said sure and had a seat.  She immediately commented on the knots in my right shoulder.  Yep, I'll take a 75-minute massage for the 60 minute price, thanks!  She worked on those knots and worked and worked and they were still there 75 minutes later.  She booked me to come back on the last afternoon so she could work on them some more.  I was so sore the next day from the middle of the back of my head all the way down to the bottom of my ribcage.  Ouch.  I decided to cancel the 2nd appointment.  I really need to start having regular massages.

 

My friends went to one of the beaches on Bimini.  I just got off the ship, walked down the pier, and rode the tram around to see what it was like.  Walked back to the ship and spent the day eating, drinking, reading, and relaxing.

 

Unfortunately, we could make the call at HMC.  I was really looking forward to going back to the Lobster Shack!  That's only the 2nd time out of many sailings that I've missed that port.

 

My luggage tags said 8:15 disembarking, but we were called at about 7:50.  I was at the airport even earlier than I had been when I disembarked from E-dam.  I know booking a flight for 11:05 is very risky, I've done it several times and have always been at the gate with lots of time to spare.  I thought it might be really busy because it was the day before Christmas eve, but it wasn't bad at all.  The flight wasn't even full (it was totally full on 11/24), so it was nice to have an empty middle seat.

 

I did a self-test on Christmas Eve afternoon using the last of my 3-pack eMed tests (it expired on 12/19).  I still haven't done laundry!

[Alabaster Cruiser]

Did you make it 5o the casino?  If so, how was it?

[NCTribeFan]

FTR, I did not see Origin Story.  I didn't see it on Eurodam and had planned on seeing it this cruise but it was only offered at 8 pm on embarkation evening.  I'd met some other solo cruisers and we'd gone to dinner at about 6:45 and were seated at a table for 6.  We didn't have our entrees until just after 7:40.  I was not going to rush, so I just missed it again.  I thought "maybe" it was be on the 18th, when the 5-night leg began, but it was not.  So, maybe it they're still doing this, I'll finally get to see it when I sail to Alaska in June.

 

The piano bar folks were slightly better than the ones on Eurodam, but still not great vocalists.  And since the Roulette wheel is literally just across the hallway, I heard way too much from them.  I did see a couple of the same shows I saw in November.  While the BB Kings band was excellent, as always, I didn't think they were quite as good as the band on Eurodam.  The string quartet was excellent.  I found that I'd usually stop at the Pinnacle bar and get a glass of Prosecco then listen to them before dinner.

[NCTribeFan]

I didn't have much luck at the slots except the next-to-last sea day.  I did OK a couple of nights at Roulette.  I did NOT receive any casino offer on the last day, which rather surprised me.  My 1st-time-on-HAL friend, who was only on for 5 nights, did get an offer with some OBC.  She's hoping she'll start to receive some of the free cabin offers like I've been getting.

 

I may email the casino group and just ask if I have any current offers out there.

 

I'm very interested in the Rotterdam April 2023 eastbound TA.

[aliaschief]

Thanks for your review. We also had difficulty with tv remote on NA until we realized we had to direct and point remote to the right corner of tv not the middle!

[NCTribeFan]

Oh, I tried holding the remote right in front of the bottom, right corner and sometimes it would help, but it usually still did nothing.  The right and left arrows were harder to get to work than the up and down.  Go figure!

 

Having an inside cabin, I usually turn on the tv and have a look at the bow cam first thing when I get up.  And I like to see where we are, route-wise. It was just a bit frustrating to stand there pushing buttons for what felt like 10 minutes just to get a look outside.

[Boatdrill]

2 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

...I used the app to say that I thought it was ridiculous to have blaring music in the public spaces at all hours of the day.  Who needs blasting bad pop music at 6:30 am when you're having your first cup of caffeine and want to sit quietly at a table by the sea view pool? 

Thank you for speaking up about this. I've complained for years in the post-cruise surveys about the unnecessary overhead music being played everywhere, especially by the pools in the morning. I swim in the morning, and often I'm the only person at the SeaView or Lido pool areas. The music is very annoying, and ruins an otherwise tranquil morning on a lovely ship.  

 

[Boatdrill]

2 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

 I found that I'd usually stop at the Pinnacle bar and get a glass of Prosecco then listen to them before dinner.

Do you recall if the PG Bar is busy the first night of the cruise ?

[aliaschief]

2 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Oh, I tried holding the remote right in front of the bottom, right corner and sometimes it would help, but it usually still did nothing.  The right and left arrows were harder to get to work than the up and down.  Go figure!

 

Having an inside cabin, I usually turn on the tv and have a look at the bow cam first thing when I get up.  And I like to see where we are, route-wise. It was just a bit frustrating to stand there pushing buttons for what felt like 10 minutes just to get a look outside.

Same frustration and we had two TV’s as we had lucked out and had the Pinnacle Suite.

[aliaschief]

18 minutes ago, Boatdrill said:

Do you recall if the PG Bar is busy the first night of the cruise ?

Depends when you go was our experience. We had late fixed dining in October and some nights it was busy but after a bit it would open up.

 

Want a quiet non busy bar try the Tamarind for pre dinner libations. Great views!

[Boatdrill]

1 minute ago, aliaschief said:

Depends when you go was our experience. We had late fixed dining in October and some nights it was busy but after a bit it would open up.

 

Want a quiet non busy bar try the Tamarind for pre dinner libations. Great views!

Good idea. Usually no one has discovered Tamarind on embarkation day (night).  

 

[Florida_gal_50]

Thank you for your review.  It’s annoying about restaurant reservations on a b2b.  They can never see them until the first cruise is almost over 🙄.  Thanks for taking one for the team on the music front.  Too bad they don’t listen.

[NCTribeFan]

We only had about 900 pax on the 7-night leg (slightly more than we had on Eurodam).  Someone told me there were only 750 on the 5-night portion, so no area was very crowded at any time.

 

I do love having so few people on the ship.  Service is outstanding.  Of course, those who work for tips would probably like more people but it also means they aren't working as hard.

 

The demographic on the 5-night portion was definitely much younger.  There were lots on younger couples and families that appeared to be parents and young-adult children.  And there were kids.  Of course, there were people on my deck that seemed to be travelling together but were several cabins apart.  They'd stand out in the hallway and shout at each other from their doors.  I did stick my head out once and told a couple of kids to stop running and shouting in the hall.  I know I'm just an old "boomer" but doesn't anyone teach kids any manners?  Tell them how to behave in public?  That every place they go isn't their own private playground? 

 

On the pleasant side of things, I'm always astounded when, after seeing a crew member a couple of times, they start calling me by my name.  Drink servers in the casino, on Lido, in the Pinnacle bar all would call me by my first name when I walked in.  Love that!

[wdw1972]

10 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

We only had about 900 pax on the 7-night leg (slightly more than we had on Eurodam).  Someone told me there were only 750 on the 5-night portion, so no area was very crowded at any time.

 

And there were kids.  Of course, there were people on my deck that seemed to be travelling together but were several cabins apart.  They'd stand out in the hallway and shout at each other from their doors.  I did stick my head out once and told a couple of kids to stop running and shouting in the hall.  I know I'm just an old "boomer" but doesn't anyone teach kids any manners?  Tell them how to behave in public?  That every place they go isn't their own private playground? 

 

One would hope, but one would be disappointed.  Rudeness seems to be more of the norm these days.  Kudos to you for speaking up (I would have done so as well).  Thank you for your review - sounds like a nice time for the most part.  Certainly cruising is better than being at home (or work) 😉

 

Sue/WDW1972

[12cruise2]

Oh, my gosh, you sound like me!  We were on for several weeks Nov/Dec.  On Dec. 1, the entire ship's piped in music switched to 100% cheezy Christmas music--silly, giddy stuff, not nice carols or traditional music--and 100% of the time!  I complained, but of course nothing was done.  I said usually there is a gradual transition from the usual music to holiday, a larger percentage holiday as it gets closer to the date.  Aye.  I will say that the Christmas music got better quality as time went by!  That Lido pool area and its horrible, constant loud music, is just an area I can't spend any time around.  We, too, enjoy the promenade deck lounge chairs.  My husband and I work the NY Times crossword--which takes longer and longer each day as they progressively get more difficult.

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your cruise.

[NCTribeFan]

OK, so question about non-refundable OBC.  I had $500.  With my Have-It-All including drinks, dining, wi-fi, and tips, I had very little to spend it on.  I swear that in the past, any funds I drew in the casino on my account eventually was offset by NR OBC.  It did not appear that this was happening, so I spent a chunk of it in the spa, and bought a couple of things in the gift shop that I usually wouldn't purchase.  I even went for the upcharge surf & turf in the MDR the last night and also had my friend's lobster put on my account.  In the end, I had a whopping $18 left over.  I went to the service desk and asked that it be applied as additional tips for my cabin stewards.  I was told that wasn't possible because it was non-refundable.  I didn't want a refund, I wanted it "spent" on the ship.  Nope.  Couldn't do it.

 

I was sure I'd read here that people did that often when they had leftover OBC.  Maybe I was wrong about that just as I was wrong about being able to use it in the casino (I know they always say it can't be used in the casino, yet I've always used it in the casino!).

 

So, I get home and have a look at my final statement and it sure appears that the measly $18 ended up offsetting my total charge.

 

I'm confused and I'd really like to understand how this works for next time.

[Florida_gal_50]

That’s odd that they couldn’t take that amount and put it towards the crew.  I “think” it has to go into the pot for everyone that receives gratuities but I’m sure someone has their fingers poised to correct me 😛.  I don’t think you can direct it to one or two people.

[NCTribeFan]

I probably shouldn't have waited until the last night to ask about it.  I could've asked Rose and possibly got a definitive answer to all my OBC questions.

 

Good news is I'm now a 3* Mariner!  That will come in handy on my Alaska B2B bare-bones casino fares I booked.  Without a drink package, I'll revert back to my usual wine package (with a discount this time) and I'll get drinks while gambling.  I'm not sure I'll opt for Club Orange (I'm on Zuiderdam) but I'd sure like to get my special J cabin again.

 

I've gone online and looked at the Rotterdam TA April 2023 about 6 times already since I got home.  I need to give my credit card a breather before I book anything else, though.  Starting to get mildly concerned that my late January Carnival cruise may end up being cancelled if things with this latest variant don't calm down soon.  Really hoping there isn't another round of cancellations.

 

A note about mask wearing - it didn't seem that the crew was nearly as attentive as they were on Eurodam.  There, if you set foot indoors w/o your mask on, someone immediately pointed it out.  I found myself leaving an outdoor space and getting to my next destination indoors and discovering that I had neglected to put my mask back on but no one had said anything.  It was enforced in the casino (mask on except for taking that sip of your drink).  Still think it's silly that that's the requirement in the casino yet people right across from us in the piano bar could sit elbow to elbow all evening without a mask on.  And unlike BB King's on Eurodam, where there were signs stating masks had to be worn on the dance floor, I rarely saw anyone wearing them on NA (and no signs indicating that it was required).

 

As always seems to be the case, there's just no consistency fleet-wide.

[Florida_gal_50]

I feel they were lax on the koningsdam as well.  I only ever heard one person asking an older teen to put a mask on and he refused.  People often “forgot “ to put their mask on when going in the hallway until they saw me with mine on. It’s automatic for me because I have to have it on at work and pretty much everywhere we’re I live.  A lot of people in the casino weren’t wearing them or doing the chin mask.  I didn’t go to any shows or bars at night so I can’t comment on that.  I just want to keep my exposure to covid to a minimum where I can do that,

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

10 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I feel they were lax on the koningsdam as well.  I only ever heard one person asking an older teen to put a mask on and he refused.  People often “forgot “ to put their mask on when going in the hallway until they saw me with mine on. It’s automatic for me because I have to have it on at work and pretty much everywhere we’re I live.  A lot of people in the casino weren’t wearing them or doing the chin mask.  I didn’t go to any shows or bars at night so I can’t comment on that.  I just want to keep my exposure to covid to a minimum where I can do that,

I've seen conflicting information in news articles.  One said that there were unvaccinated children onboard.  Other articles said everyone was vaccinated.  I am concerned about what I am hearing, I felt pretty confident leaving on out cruise this week, but now I have growing concerns.  I have cancer, and am in good shape, but need to be a bit more cautious. 

[Florida_gal_50]

15 minutes ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

I've seen conflicting information in news articles.  One said that there were unvaccinated children onboard.  Other articles said everyone was vaccinated.  I am concerned about what I am hearing, I felt pretty confident leaving on out cruise this week, but now I have growing concerns.  I have cancer, and am in good shape, but need to be a bit more cautious. 

I don’t blame you for being cautious.  I was on the koningsdam November 7 to 21/21 so over a month ago.  I never saw any young children on my cruise.  This jerky teen was the only “child” I ever saw.  I want to say he was around 15 or 16 but he might have been younger or older.  I’m not a good judge of age sometimes.  If you are getting on the koningsdam I’d be willing to bet that they’ll be super careful after this last brush.  I didn’t feel worried on the ship but I tend to be super cautious so what might bother me would not register with others.