This celebration cruise on Holland America’s newest ship, Nieuw Statendam, was an excellent experience. There were a few cons but so many positives I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this ship.
I wanted to share some final thoughts on the ship, food, entertainment and service.
Ship
The Nieuw Statendam is beautiful and continues the Holland America tradition of extensive artwork and fresh flowers throughout the vessel.
Cabin
We took advantage of an upgrade offer moving from an obstructed view balcony to an aft balcony, 5223, a couple of weeks before our sailing.
We both felt the cabin was narrower than the one we had on Nieuw Amsterdam, but well appointed.
The “arms” of the couch were velcroed on and came off anytime we leaned on it which was awkward.
The bed was very comfortable and we had plenty of outlets for charging plus my cpap at the nightstand.
The large screen made watching movies very easy; I wish there was a way to change the angle for viewing from the couch.
This was the best cruise cabin shower I’ve every experienced.
The sink had good lighting and the vanity has plenty of storage for the two of us.
Art
Holland America ships all have a theme and this one’s was music.
The art supporting the music was more modern at times than what I’ve seen on older vessels but still interesting and stopped me in my tracks several times to soak it in.
It took me all week to find this piece in the main dining room hidden behind stairs.
The art included sculptures, paintings, photos and more.
It even included this guitar collage.
Flowers
The onboard florists were very talented and I always enjoyed seeing the arrangements throughout the public areas.
They are one of the touches that gives Holland America their unique identity.
Cons of Nieuw Amsterdam
My three disappointments with this sailing all had to do with the ship’s design.
- Buffet – The pathways by the food stations in the buffet were much too narrow. It was always a challenge to get from one end to the other during meal times due people in line and those trying to walk by at the same time.
- Pool Deck – The pool decks are beautiful but don’t have enough space for loungers leaving most of the ship unable to enjoy the pools on sea days.
3. Theater Size – The main theater is impressive with screens nearly all the way around but there was a distinct lack of seats that left many out of attending the shows.
A second complaint is that there wasn’t anyplace to put drinks while in your seat other than holding it. This discouraged me from taking advantage of bar service in this venue.
I’m hoping these issues are addressed on the upcoming sister ship, Ryndam.
Food
We visited all the food venues with the exception of the Tamarind Grill. We never had a bad meal this week and were very happy to experience the New York Deli a couple of times.
I just wish we had more time and could have tried other menu items than pastries at the Dutch Cafe.
There are lots of food pics on the other trip posts so I won’t repeat more. 🙂
Entertainment
We took advantage of Music Walk venues (Rock Room, BB Kings Blues and Billboard Onboard) most nights and enjoyed entertainment in the main theater a couple of nights. I think Holland America is on the verge of cutting back too much on main shows and will watch this closely as they’re competing for my dollar against Norwegian and Royal Caribbean who excel in this area.
The cabins had a great selection of movies on demand including recent releases (similar to what airplanes offer). You could pause and come back to where you left off which was very convenient.
Service
The service continued to be excellent in all venues whether we were in a bar, eatery or guest services.
Not to leave them out, we had very good service from our room stewards whom seemed a bit over worked but were always available for our requests. They deserve every penny of their gratuities (plus the extra I gave).
We don’t have another Holland America cruise scheduled at the moment, but with two future cruise deposits in the bank, we’ll get something scheduled; maybe on the upcoming Ryndam?
Don’t miss my previous posts for this trip:
Next Vacation: Nieuw Statendam
Pre-Cruise Travel
Embarkation Day
Sea Day 1
Grand Turk
San Juan
St. Thomas
Sea Day 2
Half Moon Cay
Disembarkation
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