Nieuw Amsterdam- final thoughts-
- A Wandering Doc
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Let me start by saying that I absolutely love this itinerary. 35 nights sailing through Hawaii and French Polynesia, with a 3 night deviation stay in an over water bungalow on Moorea, is the stuff dreams are made of. I can think of no better way to escape Michigan winter and icing on the cake is the many friendships formed along the way. Friendships that will absolutely carry on long after debarking.
Those who know me can attest that I generally live in a place of gratitude and have an exceptional record of finding tequila and salt when life hands me lemons. Nothing I’m about to mention takes away from ones ability to have a marvelous journey on the Nieuw Amsterdam.
With that- if next years 35 day legendary to Hawaii and French Polynesia were on the Nieuw Amsterdam, I’d likely cancel.
Primary reasons- physical condition of the ship itself (with no dry dock scheduled in the near future) and lack of food variety. For those that apppreciate the cliff note version, you can stop reading right here. The rest of you have been warned…..
Note- below was written the night before HAL announced a 500 million dollar revitalization project. The data is still relevant, and it begs the question, is 500 million enough?
When it comes to ship drydock spend, I’m fairly convinced that HAL is not getting the same love (read cash) as the competition. CCL is pretty tight lipped on the exact spending, but here is the summary I came up with last year:
8 Million was spent on Volendam dry dock (61 G/T). Sounds like a lot until you read that Celebrity spent 50 Million on the Constellation (91K G/T) and RCCL spent 100 Million on Allure (240K G/T). Accounting for size differences, HAL would have needed to spend 33 million on Volendam when compared to Connie and 25 Million when compared to Allure of the Seas. Eight million isn’t that much.
HAL's Oosterdam (82k gt) was reported as a 20 million dollar renovation but compared to Aida's Sphinx class (69K G/t); Aida is spending 5x the money to revamp the entire Sphinx class and those ships are actually smaller (and newer) than Oosterdam. Apparently CcL is willing to invest in drydock spend to revamp small ships (just not HALs small ships).
Another example- Mariner of the Seas and Oosterdam both launched in 2003. Mariner is larger at 140 GT (compared to 82 GT)but she Received $120 million in improvements compared to Oosterdams 20 million. See a pattern?
These are just a couple examples, I have many more. But based on this data set, and my personal experience on the Nieuw Amsterdam, I feel fairly confident when I make the the claim that CCL is not spending enough money on some of HALs older ships to keep them looking clean and crisp. HaL does have the oldest fleet in the main stream industry and sadly, the age shows on the NA.
Where the NA fell short for me-
General upkeep- Yes, all ships show some rust, but the NA had more rust than I remember on other ships. I’m not new to cruising (over 50 cruises spanning nearly 40 years, blah blah blah), so I do have some comparisons in my back pocket. There were areas where the metal was actually splitting and peeling up on the magrodome. I should note that the soft furnishings (carpets, chairs, etc ) were in very good shape considering, but paint was chipping in several areas (especially the lido pool area). My shower curtain had two holes, elevators were consistently out of service, and my balcony railing desperately needed varnish, as did many of the ships railings.
Food variety- without Pinnacle class offerings (NY Deli sandwiches, the Grand Dutch cafe, and my wokman making fresh stir fry nightly), food variety was greatly lacking on this 35 night voyage. Perhaps I would be fine for a couple weeks, but on the long legendary voyage it’s going to be Pinnacle class or bust for me.
Water dripping - buckets were noticeable. Everywhere. This ship leaks. The Rolling Stones drip eventually got fixed week 3, but several drips were constant the entire voyage (ocean bar, hallway on 8, mid ship elevators, etc..). There is a water seeping under the floor in the lido which causes the tile to raise at the corners and they have to come though and physically tape the tiles down since it’s a tripping hazard. Not a good look.
Nasty Smells- all ships have some smells, but there were more sewer smells on NA than I remember on other ships. I had a sewer smell in my cabin that was mitigated by requesting a change in the air filter, but I still got a wiff each time the air kicked on. There is a malfunction between the lido bar and the doors to the lido buffet (port side) that causes the most nasty rank smell- like vomit. According to one of the bartenders in the lido, that smell has been present his entire contract (6 months so far) with complaints every single sailing. Apparently HAL can’t find the cause to fix the smell (although they work in the area often). Staff does clean with bleach and it helps for a day or so, but the stench comes back with a vengeance.
The Nieuw Amsterdam is 16 years old, so one should expect some niggles with an aging ship. Pre covid debt, CCl kept ships about 20 years, so in that context, NA would be nearing her lifespan. However; it has been suggested that CCl will be keeping ships 30 years, which means NA could be around for quite some time. The excessive rust, smells, leaks, and lack of food quality/variety will keep me from booking another 35 night cruise on anything other than a newer/larger/more amenity driven Pinnacle class.
Now, there are Areas where HAL shines -
1- HAL crew is some of the best- Not once did I come across staff even remotely grumpy (well ok, the barista helper in the mornings at the lido but everyone is grumpy getting their first cup of coffee). This crew will fill just about any request made by a guest. Even guest services was on the ball on the NA (and I’ve had some very interesting experiences with guest services).
2- Better entertainment than previous years - according to my friend Phil (whom I trust) , there is a young guy now in charge of ship entertainment for all of HAL and it shows. The world stage cast brought tons of energy. I went to some shows twice and I’m not really the showgirl type. The singers and dancers put on more “performances” throughout the ship than just the world stage, showing up at every evening party with a little song and dance and hosting the daily line dance class, etc.. It’s great to see energetic youth bouncing around the ship. The other evening performances were pretty typical HAl (mildly funny comedians, violinist, etc….) but it does seem more emphasis is being placed on quality entertainment. I really enjoyed the DJ at the seaview pool in the afternoon. Gave the area some life. But just goes to show this “new” HAL isn’t for everyone because we chatted with the DJ one evening in Rolling Stones and he said he was getting tons of complaints from people who want to read and nap poolside. Personally I say, too bad! The rest of the entire ship is a napping zone. Find another place for your snoozy and give those of us who want a little action one venue during the day. For those that like classical, it was back. Here is a link to all 35 days of activity if interested in seeing what is offered- https://www.awanderingdoc.com/post/legendary-daily-programs-35-nighy-hawaii-tahiti-marquesas
3- More parties and activities (although Hal did not send out any memos pre-cruise so people were unaware to prepare for additional Parties like they did in 2024 and 2025). Although the Ball and Masquerade parties were still held in Rolling Stones, the NA held Gatsby, costume, and Orange party up on the lido where parties should be. They also added several “night under the stars” - which are mellow music performed at the lido. These were not well attended, likely due to the acoustics in the lido when listening to a solo guitarist, but it’s a sign that They offered a ship scavenger hunt for a golden tulip where the CD read clues at 3:00 and guests scampered off on a hunt. There was the typical boat race but they also added a ship team event that mimicked the amazing race. These new additions were very much appreciated by this atypical HAL cruiser.
4- Room service was on point every single order. Not one mix up and HaL room service is still complementary. At the time of writing, guests could still order off the MDR menu for room service delivery, but rumor is that policy is changing. Room service still being included is a nice perk for HAL. I have no problem tipping $5 to have coffee delivered each morning (the coffee delivered in room service is way better than the coffee served at the lido, but not nearly as good as the speciality coffee stations).
5- Itinerary price point. This Legenday Voyage isn’t cheap, but it’s not what I consider expensive either considering the number of days and what is included. Itinerary price point is the primary reason I continue to sail HaL- great itineraries at competitive pricing. I’m booked on this itinerary in both 2027 and 2028 (on a newer Pinnacle ship) so that speaks volumes to my overall satisfaction with the HAL product.
I’ve added the following photos to demonstrate the areas that make NA appear a little shabby. It’s possible that if your cruise was only a couple weeks long you might not even notice the blemishes? It’s also possible some people consider think this is “normal” wear and tear (I don’t).
Nothing shown here will prevent a guest from having an incredible journey, as most is just cosmetic, but it would be nice if the powers that be paid a bit more attention to the overall ship upkeep/appearance. I’m sure the pics may make it look worse than it is so keep that in mind also. As mentioned, the soft furnishings were generally in very good shape, so these areas in need of attention really stuck out to me, especially when on the ship for 35 days. I think HaL can, and should, do better here-
