On the Nieuw Statendam March 31 to April 7

[LewiLewi]

We are 4 Star Mariners and have sailed with HAL on most of their ships over the last 30 years. We are currently in a Neptune Suite, which is lovely and spacious. But, so far, I am not as happy with HAL as I used to be. Lunch at the buffet was crowded and almost impossible to find seating. We finally took our food outside to eat it. Breakfast in the cabin was a disaster this morning. Cold toast, no plate. A small tablespoon of weird jam, a cold and slimy looking frittata, inedible. I am usually not a complainer, but I hope things improve. Dinner last night was okay. We chose to dine in the MDR because CO was crowded and the wooden backed chairs were not comfortable to sit in for long periods of time. We noticed that the MDR menu and the Club Orange menu were different; more dessert choices on the MDR menu. Other than the Peruvian chicken, the entrees were the same. My son waited an extra 40 minutes for his steak; the waiter told us that the steak came from another kitchen and therefore the wait. I really hope that things improve, we used to enjoy cruising on HAL.

[LewiLewi]

We had tea in our cabin this afternoon, and really enjoyed it. Besides the three tiers of sandwiches, scones, and cake, they have added hot and cold hors d’ouvres, including dumplings, spring rolls, shrimp cocktail and cheese. This was far more extensive than what they served a few years ago. I hope we will continue to enjoy the next few days as far as cuisine is concerned.

[YourWorldWithBill]

7 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

We are 4 Star Mariners and have sailed with HAL on most of their ships over the last 30 years. We are currently in a Neptune Suite, which is lovely and spacious. But, so far, I am not as happy with HAL as I used to be.

. I really hope that things improve, we used to enjoy cruising on HAL.

Since we're on the NS for 13 days in May, I'm glad that I can prepare myself by reading your email. The CO room on the Rotterdam was very nice and not over crowded, so - again - at least I won't hope for too much. We always find the buffets crowded. And I order breakfast in the room, so..... 

Thanks for the note.

[LewiLewi]

Things are continuing to improve. Our dinner tonight was very good, served in a timely fashion. We ordered three different entrees, and enjoyed all of them. There was an excellent show in the theatre tonight, Divas, that we really enjoyed. Service on board is very good. I am hoping breakfast in the cabin tomorrow morning will be acceptable.  

[ski ww]

Sounds like things are picking up. Enjoy your cruise.

[LewiLewi]

I have just returned to Ft. Lauderdale and have final comments after my week on NS.

Breakfast in the cabin did improve after the second day. I specifically wrote in my order, underlining “well done” for eggs and bacon. Also ordering off menu for yogurt parfaits, cheese omelets, etc. I think that being in a Neptune Suite helps. I’m not sure if this would work in a regular cabin.

Entertainment on the ship was very good at night. This has certainly improved since my last cruise on NS two years ago. 
Food has also improved. There were plenty of items to choose from on the MDR menu. We enjoyed every entree we ordered. We did not find it necessary to order any extra entrees from the Club Orange menu. The service from the wait staff was excellent after the first night. I did order the Peruvian chicken from the CO menu the first night and it was excellent. 
I am a light sleeper and noise can be and was an issue for me. I heard creaking and some loud banging noises when the ship was sailing at night, and changed cabins twice, finally getting an inside “sleeping cabin” for at night. The inside cabin was extremely quiet and I had the best night’s sleep. I wonder why inside cabins are so much quieter than larger outside cabins?

I also heard that many people under entertainment areas like BB Kings, had to change cabins in order to sleep. If HAL knows that this is a problem, why sell these cabins in the first place? Or put money into insulating them to alleviate this problem.

All in all, we all enjoyed this week on board. Staff was wonderful. Also recommend Tamarind, Canaletto, Pinnacle for lunch and Dive In for great burgers.

[Sred123]

We were also on this cruise (3rd cruise on the NS in the last year). This particular cruise was the end of spring break and so was completely full with a much younger crowd.  In addition, the staff was very tired and getting ready for the transatlantic trip this week (lots of turnover and so lots of staff at the end of their contracts).  So I considered this an unusual trip.  We were on the NS in January and loved every second of it. I think you will have a great trip! 

[oakridger]

Thank you for the reports and I'm happy to hear that you had an enjoyable cruise!

 

~Nancy

[KAKcruiser]

I read that your port of Grand Turk was changed to Amber Cove.  Do you know why?