Nieuw Statendam - Your Favorite Things

[CM1984]

 

For anyone that has been on the Nieuw Statendam - DH is interested in what is available in the evening to do after dinner, we looked on the HAL website, and we have cruised on the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.  Any ideas of something different based on your experiences?  What I have come up with so far:

 

--Movie on the Lido

--Show in Theater

--BB King (but so loud!)

--Rolling Stones

--Casino

--Stroll along the promenade

--Lounges with bars

 

We enjoy each others company enough to find some fun things to do together!  (Sounds odd, doesn't it? 😅)  Of course, we love meeting new people!  We are booking the Thermal Suite!  I had hoped some of you have new and different experiences!  And since at least 5 ships will be in St. Thomas, we are hanging on the ship this time - - - -  Thanks everyone!

 

Mimi, VA

[Ilovesailaway]

I loved the band at BB King when I was on in December... I know this subjective but I honestly thought they were the best I have seen at sea.

You ask about evenings but I feel it's worth a mention of how much I enjoyed the Dutch Cafe. 

I would stop there daily for a coffee and one of there delicious cookies.

[FlaMariner]

Great list....some things to add

 

Billboard Onboard.....we enjoy getting a piano "front row" seat

Thermal Suite.....we get the pass and enjoy going during the off peak evening time....you will many times have it to yourself

Upper deck outside walk......great view of the sky...where the running track is

 

[OlsSalt]

Topping off dinner with a Gelato by the main pool, if they have one like on the Konigsdam - excellent gelato - (small surcharge).

[RuthC]

I found nothing much of interest to fill the evenings after dinner on the Nieuw Statendam. 

The Step One Dancers in the main show lounge were at best all right. 
Since I had never seen the HAL story presentation I did go to that; that will be a one and done show for me, although it was worth seeing the once. 
We had a good singer/comedienne a couple of nights, a different comedian one or two nights, and an excellent piano player two evenings. 
That was about it for shows. 

After the show (the nights there was a show; there wasn't a show every night), I would stop in at Billboard Onboard, but after just a few minutes they went off on a long break, which is when Rolling Stone would start up. 
They are neither my style, nor my volume, so I headed out past the BB King performance, but they are also far too loud. 

There was only a Lido Deck movie a couple of times on my cruise (24 days), and I am not interested in the Casino. 
So, off to my cabin at far too early an hour to read and sort of watch TV. 
Really boring evenings on the Pinnacle ships, as far as I'm concerned.  

[five.]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

Thermal Suite.....we get the pass and enjoy going during the off peak evening time....you will many times have it to yourself

So true. We do this most nights and it's usually empty. It's wonderful. Last night on the cruise it will close early, either 5 or 6.

[CM1984]

13 hours ago, five. said:

So true. We do this most nights and it's usually empty. It's wonderful. Last night on the cruise it will close early, either 5 or 6.

This sounds wonderfully relaxing! 🥰

[albingirl]

It's all in the eyes of the beholder. We weren't bored in the evenings. We loved Bb King show and thought this one was outstanding. We are late diners, so that may have something to do with never being bored. 

 

 

 

[bebe08]

We sailed on NS in September and really enjoyed our cruise.  It was our first sailing on this class of ship.  We had the Thermal Suite pass for our cruise and enjoyed it but never went after dinner.  We really enjoyed the music options on the Music Walk.  We would wander between Billboard, Rolling Stones, BB Kings and really enjoyed it.  We did a few of the shows in the theatre as well which we enjoyed.  Also nice just to walk around the ship (both inside and out on deck) . We were never bored!  

[vicd1969]

You can also play board games or do puzzles on the Explorations Central deck, and view the scenery from there as well. Or enjoy late night snacks at the NY Pizza or Lido buffet. But yeah, HAL ships are more limited in entertainment options for non-gambling night owls, other than the music walk. 

[Sea42]

It sounds like there is plenty to do, if the things being offered are things you would enjoy.

I can see though that people who cruise frequently would be bored with the same old thing. I would certainly be bored cruising on the same line year after year.

[FlaMariner]

36 minutes ago, vicd1969 said:

Or enjoy late night snacks at the NY Pizza

 

Movie night snacks = good wings...and other fun stuff at the NY Pizza....A good one I forgot to mention!

[Banditswife]

22 hours ago, RuthC said:

There was only a Lido Deck movie a couple of times on my cruise (24 days), and I am not interested in the Casino. 
So, off to my cabin at far too early an hour to read and sort of watch TV. 
Really boring evenings on the Pinnacle ships, as far as I'm concerned.  

I wonder why they don't utilize that movie screen on Lido more.  We were on NS for 2 weeks last fall & I don't think they played movies on the screen very often at all.

[albingirl]

2 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

I wonder why they don't utilize that movie screen on Lido more.  We were on NS for 2 weeks last fall & I don't think they played movies on the screen very often at all.

They did when we were onboard and the noise was like thunder.  You couldn't speak to anyone if you wanted to be heard.  They blasted it just like the music.  A real turn off.

[AFNavigator]

3 hours ago, Banditswife said:

I wonder why they don't utilize that movie screen on Lido more.  We were on NS for 2 weeks last fall & I don't think they played movies on the screen very often at all.

We were on the NS in December.  I think they only played 2 movies and 2 football games the entire week.  One thing we noticed is how loud the bass was cranked up during the football games.  That must have been quite jarring for the cabins located in the area behind the speakers.  We walked down the hallway forward of the speakers and you could hear the bass booming nearly to the elevators.

[AFNavigator]

5 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Movie night snacks = good wings...and other fun stuff at the NY Pizza....A good one I forgot to mention!

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Dutch Cafe yet.  Good food and drinks...and the most reliable source of Hoegaarten beer onboard.

it would be great to see the Dutch Cafe added to empty or under-used space on some of the non-Pinnacle ships.

[jenp123]

I do not find the pinnacle ships boring, but maybe I just make the best of what is offered.  

 

 

On the musicians nights off, there is usually some sort of music trivia or games in one of the venues.

 

 

The rock room band on NS in February was really good so I spent a lot of time in there. If someone finds it too loud, a suggestion is to sit in the billboard lounge so you can hear the music, but also enjoy each other's company. If I don't care for the billboard entertainers, I will normally sit in the rock room during their set and read a book or play cards. It is nice to still be out and about, but not have go participate fully in the show.

 

 

-BBC earth in the theatre is really good 

 

 

-there is usually some sort of comedian on board. They play in the theater or sometimes in bb kings venue

 

 

-crows nest is a very beautiful and quiet space at night. Games, puzzles, reading with drinks or coffee make for a relaxing night

 

-orange party in bb kings venue. They serve some appies, people wear orange clothing or accessories and the dance floor is pretty busy that evening which is fun if you like that sort of thing

Edited February 22, 2023 by jenp123

[FlaMariner]

21 hours ago, AFNavigator said:

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Dutch Cafe yet. 

 

We love the Dutch Cafe also....even the pea soup is excellent!....but for us, it is usually a lunch stop.....Never think of it for an evening activity.

[AFNavigator]

18 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

We love the Dutch Cafe also....even the pea soup is excellent!....but for us, it is usually a lunch stop.....Never think of it for an evening activity.

True the Grand Dutch Cafe isn't really an evening "activity" but was certainly a place we visited all different times of the day.  In addition to good Dutch-focused drinks and food, it is located in a good crossroads to while away time people watching.

[AFNavigator]

21 hours ago, jenp123 said:

-orange party in bb kings venue. They serve some appies, people wear orange clothing or accessories and the dance floor is pretty busy that evening which is fun if you like that sort of thing

Our Orange Party experience in December was pretty underwhelming.  We expected some sort of grand party but that didn't turn out to be the case.  Beyond the limited appetizers the staff passed out, the "party" was essentially just a regular BB Kings session with people wearing orange clothing.  At the end of the band's regular session duration, the band departed and recorded music was put on.  I expected the band to play longer for this special event...didn't happen.  45-50 minutes in, that was the end of the live music.  The crowd quickly dwindled after the live music ended.

[Riversedge]

1 hour ago, AFNavigator said:

Our Orange Party experience in December was pretty underwhelming.  We expected some sort of grand party but that didn't turn out to be the case.  Beyond the limited appetizers the staff passed out, the "party" was essentially just a regular BB Kings session with people wearing orange clothing.  At the end of the band's regular session duration, the band departed and recorded music was put on.  I expected the band to play longer for this special event...didn't happen.  45-50 minutes in, that was the end of the live music.  The crowd quickly dwindled after the live music ended.

Totally agree with you.  On our first cruise after they started Orange night we brought orange clothing, neon orange bracelets and prepared to have fun.  What we found was that it’s mostly a way for HAL to sell special drinks.  People were packed in, band was too loud and there was nowhere to sit.  We tried it again on another cruise and decided it’s all a ploy for them to make money and now we don’t bother to go any more.  

[Marelaine]

On 2/22/2023 at 10:26 AM, albingirl said:

It's all in the eyes of the beholder. We weren't bored in the evenings. We loved Bb King show and thought this one was outstanding. We are late diners, so that may have something to do with never being bored. 

 

 

 

Is there a different show in BB King and Rollingstone every night or do the bands play the same sets every night? Were there any Lincoln Stage concerts? This will be our first HAL cruise and the music is what I'm excited about.

 

[Iamthesea]

1 hour ago, AFNavigator said:

True the Grand Dutch Cafe isn't really an evening "activity" but was certainly a place we visited all different times of the day.  In addition to good Dutch-focused drinks and food, it is located in a good crossroads to while away time people watching.

Sounds like a great spot for people watching as just across the way is Guest Services.  Now that's a fun place to watch people!!! 😉 

 

Off topic, but I still remember the time that we were on a ship after a hurricane hit Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.  Our ship was sent out to sea for an extra 2 nights past our disembarkation date because the docks were damaged.  There was a gentleman at Guest Services demanding that he be let off of the ship because he had important business to get back home to.  He even threatened to have a helicopter come land on the ship to take him off. 🤨🙄🤣 

[Banditswife]

2 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

Sounds like a great spot for people watching as just across the way is Guest Services.  Now that's a fun place to watch people!!! 😉 

 

Off topic, but I still remember the time that we were on a ship after a hurricane hit Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.  Our ship was sent out to sea for an extra 2 nights past our disembarkation date because the docks were damaged.  There was a gentleman at Guest Services demanding that he be let off of the ship because he had important business to get back home to.  He even threatened to have a helicopter come land on the ship to take him off. 🤨🙄🤣 

I agree that Gr Dutch Cafe would be a great place to "people watch."

Love the off topic story- they should have shown him the exit- into the ocean with you sir.

We had a Carnival ship that lost propulsion power causing us to miss 2 ports- we enjoyed the show- all these crazy people almost causing a riot.

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Banditswife

[robotpony]

We found the music walk both great for entertainment and for meeting people. We had been aiming to get back to our cabins earlier on our last cruise, but found ourselves chatting with new friends until late most nights. Much of the cruising experience is more than just what there is to do, but who is on the cruise.