Booked Nieuw Statendam for 8/2 - 8/9/23

[SSBrickNJ]

I placed a $700 REfundable Deposit (refundable up until May 4th)

for a cruise on NEW STATENDAM....cruise dates are Wed. 8/2/23 through Wed. 8/9/23

It starts and concludes in Copenhagen Denmark.

The majority of what we'll get to experience is in Norway.

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So those are the basics.

Please tell me all the reasons I should be excited.

I am excited, but I'm a Royal Caribbean Cruiser and this will be my wife and I's first HAL Cruise.

Feel free to share anything about the ports of call, the ship, the dining, the theater.

I'd be grateful to hear from anyone about whatever they wish to share.

Thanks!

Steve ( from Brick Township NJ / USA )

[Destiny0315]

I would join the Roll Call for this cruise on here. It has been active for a while and surely will pick up in the coming months. 

[SSBrickNJ]

I will probably do that sir, but I really enjoy the interaction on threads I create.

I'm hoping many will share their thoughts with me here.

Thanks!

Steve

[Cruising-along]

The Nieuw Statendam is my favorite ship, we've spent many weeks aboard her.  It's one of the Pinnacle class ships, IMHO the best.  More choices in dining (be sure to try the Tamarind and also the ham and cheese toasted sandwiches in the Dutch Cafe) and entertainment (BB King, Rolling Stone Rock Room) than on the smaller ships.  I hope Captain Noel O'Driscoll will be Captain when you go, he's one of the best!

[Nodakboiler]

We have been on the NS several times including the maiden voyage. There are many things to enjoy but we always book cruises on the ITINERARY. Are you hoping to enjoy the fresh air and nature of Norway? If you're expecting the evening production shows of RCI, you will be disappointed. Only you can decide if this is the cruise for you. A 7 day cruise is also not the best determining factor- stay on for the 14 day British Isles extension and get a true European experience!

[SSBrickNJ]

28 minutes ago, Nodakboiler said:

We have been on the NS several times including the maiden voyage. There are many things to enjoy but we always book cruises on the ITINERARY. Are you hoping to enjoy the fresh air and nature of Norway? If you're expecting the evening production shows of RCI, you will be disappointed. Only you can decide if this is the cruise for you. A 7 day cruise is also not the best determining factor- stay on for the 14 day British Isles extension and get a true European experience!

My wife's job will not allow her to be away for a 14 day period.

She and I are not retired.

Thanks for taking the time to post on my thread.

[RuthC]

Norway has to be my second favorite destination (Antarctica is first), and it is so much easier to get to/from than Antarctica. I have been to Norway more times than I can count, and would be happy to go there again. 

It doesn't matter which port I am embarking from, or what the itinerary is, I find something to enjoy every day in Norway. The same ports are different each time, especially in that the weather makes a big difference in the mood of a port, so it feels new each time. Just breathing the clean, fresh air makes me feel so alive. The people are friendly (they speak English very well, too) and helpful. 

Just typing this I am practically talking myself into going again next summer! 

The Nieuw Statendam is a nice enough ship, but personally I much prefer the smaller ships. They are easier to get around, and I meet the same people over again, so get to know them a bit better. Makes it easier to strike up a conversation. 

[jimbob22]

as others said, this is a pinnacle class ship (one of Hal's newest ships).  Looks like it's a 'viking' type sailing, so I'm sure they'll have a talk or two about the ports you'll be going to.  

 

A few years ago, we did a RC Baltic cruise, and it was on a similar sized ship, so I don't think the mega ships (with the most spectacular shows) do these itineraries. 

 

Seeing the different cities in Norway will be exciting, sailing on one of Hal's newest ships is just an added bonus.  The price of this sailing looks really good.   Certainly anyone that can get to it and do it, it's a unique itinerary at a great price on a gorgeous ship.  It will be like a really premium cruising experience at a fraction of the price of the more premium lines.

 

 

[SSBrickNJ]

1 hour ago, jimbob22 said:

as others said, this is a pinnacle class ship (one of Hal's newest ships).  Looks like it's a 'viking' type sailing, so I'm sure they'll have a talk or two about the ports you'll be going to.  

 

A few years ago, we did a RC Baltic cruise, and it was on a similar sized ship, so I don't think the mega ships (with the most spectacular shows) do these itineraries. 

 

Seeing the different cities in Norway will be exciting, sailing on one of Hal's newest ships is just an added bonus.  The price of this sailing looks really good.   Certainly anyone that can get to it and do it, it's a unique itinerary at a great price on a gorgeous ship.  It will be like a really premium cruising experience at a fraction of the price of the more premium lines.

 

 

After your glowing rave review of the ship and the financial value, I feel so blessed that my wife and I have a reservation for this early August.

Misc. questions:

What are the Fahrenheit temperatures that are typical for the first week of August?

Will men wear shorts now and then or should I plan on dockers or jeans?

I always enjoyed the help yourself buffet breakfast on Royal Caribbean ship ( Windjammer Buffet) ...........( Yet our last sailing was PRE Covid)

What is HAL's version of the Windjammer Buffet?

A nice spread?  Self serve or are there staff members who serve your choices onto your plate?

 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by SSBrickNJ

[jimbob22]

18 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

After your glowing rave review of the ship and the financial value, I feel so blessed that my wife and I have a reservation for this early August.

Misc. questions:

What are the Fahrenheit temperatures that are typical for the first week of August?

Will men wear shorts now and then or should I plan on dockers or jeans?

I always enjoyed the help yourself buffet breakfast on Royal Caribbean ship ( Windjammer Buffet) ...........( Yet our last sailing was PRE Covid)

What is HAL's version of the Windjammer Buffet?

A nice spread?  Self serve or are there staff members who serve your choices onto your plate?

 

 

temp: I have no idea.  Based on the googles, daily highs will probably be around 70.

For main dining room, I think men are not supposed to wear jeans.  I brought some navy blue golf pants (aka 'my dress pants'), and two (khaki, olive) 'tech pants', all from costco, all were around 20 bucks or less, all lighter than jeans. I could have gotten by with just the khaki and olive.  They have a 'dressy' night, but it's not enforced, although I'd wear at least a collared shirt and khakis for sure.  

 

And they have some kind of 'orange' party, so if you have any orange tie/shirt you could consider bringing it.

 

Hal has an excellent lido, very comparable to windjammer.  They serve most of the food--but you can say 'can I have a little more of that?'.  They'll put food onto your (not eaten off of) plate, or give you a fresh plate if need be.  It's very intuitive. 

 

It seemed like a high percentage of mdr entrees (if not all) would be served on the lido that night.

 

On youtube are many vids on hal koningstam, rotterdam, new statendam.  All three are basically identical in layout, etc.  

Edited January 2, 2023 by jimbob22

[SSBrickNJ]

19 minutes ago, jimbob22 said:

temp: I have no idea.  Based on the googles, daily highs will probably be around 70.

For main dining room, I think men are not supposed to wear jeans.  I brought some navy blue golf pants (aka 'my dress pants'), and two (khaki, olive) 'tech pants', all from costco, all were around 20 bucks or less, all lighter than jeans. I could have gotten by with just the khaki and olive.  They have a 'dressy' night, but it's not enforced, although I'd wear at least a collared shirt and khakis for sure.  

 

And they have some kind of 'orange' party, so if you have any orange tie/shirt you could consider bringing it.

 

Hal has an excellent lido, very comparable to windjammer.  They serve most of the food--but you can say 'can I have a little more of that?'.  They'll put food onto your (not eaten off of) plate, or give you a fresh plate if need be.  It's very intuitive. 

 

It seemed like a high percentage of mdr entrees (if not all) would be served on the lido that night.

 

On youtube are many vids on hal koningstam, rotterdam, new statendam.  All three are basically identical in layout, etc.  

Everything you said is very helpful.

Not sure about the "orange party" though 😁

Edited January 2, 2023 by SSBrickNJ

[SSBrickNJ]

I just found this.

The Buffet location on the ship is called "Epic Lido Market?"

LOL....I'm posting it first, then I'll watch it immediately after I hit "Submit Reply" 

Fast forward past the first 40 seconds of the video and then it focuses on the cruise ship's buffet offerings...

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Edited January 2, 2023 by SSBrickNJ

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

See you on the ship. 

[SSBrickNJ]

Wow!

This Epic Lido Market is FAR SUPERIOR to Royal Caribbean's Windjammer Cafe.

I am so thrilled with the wide variety of delicious options that are presented!

[StLouisCruisers]

24 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Wow!

This Epic Lido Market is FAR SUPERIOR to Royal Caribbean's Windjammer Cafe.

I am so thrilled with the wide variety of delicious options that are presented!

 

It's actually just Lido Market.  Though you could consider it an epic buffet!

 

Here is an explanation of the Orange Party for you.  

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-activities/cruise-activities/orange-party.html

[Cruising-along]

1 hour ago, jimbob22 said:

For main dining room, I think men are not supposed to wear jeans. 

Not quite right.  

"Distressed" jeans are never allowed.  Nicer jeans are allowed on Smart Casual nights (but not on Dressy nights.)

[SSBrickNJ]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

It's actually just Lido Market.  Though you could consider it an epic buffet!

 

Here is an explanation of the Orange Party for you.  

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-activities/cruise-activities/orange-party.html

Orange you glad you know how to share links to help inquisitive people like me?

[SSBrickNJ]

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned that I should not expect main theater shows like I am used to on Royal Caribbean.

That's ok...yet....what SHOULD I expect to be able to see or experience in the main theater? 🤔

[jimbob22]

1 hour ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned that I should not expect main theater shows like I am used to on Royal Caribbean.

That's ok...yet....what SHOULD I expect to be able to see or experience in the main theater? 🤔

Someone had said they were on NS and there were NO shows in the main theater.  I'll see if I can find and inquire. Based on recent Koningsdam and Rotterdam, there should be something like 3 or 4 dance shows, one show that's really sort of a history presentation on HAL and a couple of BBC Earth (like NatGeo) shows where the Lincoln musicians provide the music.  

 

So these are not huge productions or aerial shows.  Even Royal, on their ships that do these types of itineraries, the shows tend to be more dance, acrobats, aerialists climbing up sheets.  I think they typically use their Serenade class ships for these types of routes, those are not gargantuan like the Oasis class (which have the grand cirque-type shows).

[SSBrickNJ]

55 minutes ago, jimbob22 said:

Someone had said they were on NS and there were NO shows in the main theater.  I'll see if I can find and inquire. Based on recent Koningsdam and Rotterdam, there should be something like 3 or 4 dance shows, one show that's really sort of a history presentation on HAL and a couple of BBC Earth (like NatGeo) shows where the Lincoln musicians provide the music.  

 

So these are not huge productions or aerial shows.  Even Royal, on their ships that do these types of itineraries, the shows tend to be more dance, acrobats, aerialists climbing up sheets.  I think they typically use their Serenade class ships for these types of routes, those are not gargantuan like the Oasis class (which have the grand cirque-type shows).

The theater on the website looks modern and big.

Why have such a theater unless you are going to do something worthy of attracting a decent sized audience.

I look forward to additional feedback...thanks! 🙂

Edited January 3, 2023 by SSBrickNJ

[HALcruiser2001]

2 hours ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned that I should not expect main theater shows like I am used to on Royal Caribbean.

That's ok...yet....what SHOULD I expect to be able to see or experience in the main theater? 🤔

There is a ton of information about this here on cruise critic and on the HAL site.  BBC earth, BBC earth + Lincoln Center performers, Dance Company with graphics on the large curved screen, etc.  Sometimes comedians.  All depends on who the ship has hired for your cruise.  In my research  of NS (have not been on HAL for 20 years, but booked for Feb '23), main theatre reviews are mixed.

Edited January 3, 2023 by bdd123

[SSBrickNJ]

37 minutes ago, bdd123 said:

There is a ton of information about this here on cruise critic and on the HAL site.  BBC earth, BBC earth + Lincoln Center performers, Dance Company with graphics on the large curved screen, etc.  Sometimes comedians.  All depends on who the ship has hired for your cruise.  In my research  of NS (have not been on HAL for 20 years, but booked for Feb '23), main theatre reviews are mixed.

Thank you. You inspired me to do a search and I found this...

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-activities/cruise-activities/bbc-earth-experiences.html

[jimbob22]

1 hour ago, SSBrickNJ said:

The theater on the website looks modern and big.

Why have such a theater unless you are going to do something worthy of attracting a decent sized audience.

I look forward to additional feedback...thanks! 🙂

the theater on NS should have been pretty decent sized, with good sitelines for all but the lowest seats. On Rotterdam, there was some kind of show/bbc every night.  It should have been the same on your cruise unless some of the dance crew was injured or ill. Obviously, the hal shows don't suit everyone's fancy.  They're not similar to the Royal Oasis class or NCL larger ship shows.

[HALcruiser2001]

24 minutes ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Thank you. You inspired me to do a search and I found this...

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-activities/cruise-activities/bbc-earth-experiences.html

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/cruise-ships/ms-nieuw-statendam/0.html

Start there if you have not already.  Search CC using a web browser, you can also search "this forum" to just search the HAL forum as well.  I.e.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q="world stage"&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=103

[Ilovesailaway]

Just did my 1st HA cruise on NS. Loved it. My first piece of advice is to check out the Dutch Cafe. So good lol.