Cruising on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam
This is certainly not our first time cruising or chartering the Nieuw Amsterdam but it will be the second charter Worldwide operates in the restart era. The purpose of this cruise was to prepare for an upcoming charter November 6. We were sailing roundtrip Seattle without going to Canada, to visit Alaska.
Embarkation was relatively easy. In addition to normal documents, you needed proof of vaccination and an Antigen test that must be taken 48 hours prior to sailing. Be sure to pre-register on the Navigator APP as it makes checking in so much faster using the Face Recognition stations. The terminal staff where helpful and overly friendly. No other changes from the norm.
A few facts about the Nieuw Amsterdam. She carries 2,160 passengers and a crew of 929 in normal times. Right now she is operating at about 50% occupancy as they get the crew back up to normal operating size.
Most of the cabins are with a veranda and are about 260 sq ft. This ship is ideal for worldwide cruising as she has a Mega Dome covering the midship pool area making it available for all weather use.
Once on board you’re in the capable hands of the Nieuw Amsterdam crew. Which was happy to be back to work and gave us a great welcome. After taking 3 cruises since June 26 of this year, we have found that it’s true that the crew are just as happy as the passengers to be here. The crew do a fantastic job and offer genuine hospitality to all guests.
On a personal note in July of 2017 our dining room waiter on this very ship, overhead our conversation about an upcoming vacation to Bali. He mentioned he would be on vacation during this time and would be happy to show us his island. Well we all have heard similar things and took this with a grain of salt. But he did call us and we did get together in Bali where for two days we saw Bali in an incredible way we will never forget. But there was more, and that was an invitation to his house for dinner with his family. Truly an experience of a life time for us. We were reunited on this cruise in the dining room, once again! Very special.
The Nieuw Amsterdam now has a total of 9 dining and snacking venues plus one great seafood restaurant pop up venue during each cruise. The new dining venue is Nami Sushi, in addition to Canaletto (Italian), Pinnacle Grill (Steaks and Seafood), Tamarind (Asian), Lido (buffet), Main Dining, Pizza, and what I think is the best burger bar afloat, the Dive-In. Room service is still without a surcharge and a full menu. Explorations Café is you coffee shop with a changing selection of snacks. All of the food is of the best quality, well presented and offers you a pretty endless variety daily.
There are numerous lounges with entertainment nightly. One of the most popular is the BB Kings Blues lounge featuring the music of various BB King selection full bands, excellent music. Next on the music walk is Billboard Onboard with dueling pianos. The main showroom, the Mainstage, offer a refreshing variety of big stage entertainment from very contemporary full productions to Magicians and Illusionists.
The Nieuw Amsterdam offers great variety at a very good price. Now tours, beverages, specialty dining and wifi can all be included in the price. We have charter this ship for numerous times and clients all of which repeat for very good reason.
This report was prepared by Steve Bloss on September 18, 2021. The views expressed as solely those of the author and not necessarily those of WWTCA.
