Nieuw Amsterdam Review
Nice Cruise - Horrible Wi-Fi internet access
Rating by category
Additional details
For my wife and me, this was our 24th cruise (8th on a Holland America ship). BE FOREWARNED --- if internet access is important to you, you need to choose another cruise line or be prepared to deal with HORRIBLE (virtually non-existent) Wi-Fi service. We had also been on the Nieuw Amsterdam several years ago, and the internet access was much better even back then. Every other cruise line used by us (e.g. Royal Caribbean and Princess) has been far better at providing Wi-Fi Service. The only other practical option for internet access on this ship was to wait for a port call and go to places there that offer Wi-Fi service. In some ports you can use the $10 per day cellular service international packages (e.g. Verizon and AT&T), and get good internet access that way, and also then make any desired telephone calls. But, don’t count on anything in this regard on this ship. Since we highly rely upon internet access, we will not be cruising with Holland America again until they get this problem solved. The people at guest services were nice, and they admitted the problem. But, they said that they were unable to do anything about it. We left about 600 unused minutes (for which we prepaid and were not reimbursed) because lack of service made that available internet time totally useless. ALSO, the ship only had two computers for use by passengers --- and these are buried down across from guest services on Deck 1. Previously, the ship had a number of computers up in the Explorations Café. Those are no longer there. This factor (combined with the poor internet service) resulted in lines at those two computers the day before return as many passengers needed to print out boarding passes for their flights back home.
Otherwise, our cruise was a positive experience. The ship was renovated over the winter, and this favorably shows. Virtually everything looks new. Compared to our last cruise on this ship, it seems like the crew had been given a “pep-talk” about being nicer to passengers. Every member of the crew/staff was friendly and engaging --- and they always did their utmost to assist.
Here are some specifics that might be helpful:
Cabin Review
Superior Verandah Suite
A signature suite is a great bargain. There is plenty of room (with a large balcony) and the bathroom has two sinks with a whirlpool tub and separate shower. There are multiple electrical outlets with multiple separate USB ports for charging portable IT devices. There are two desk areas (one that I used as an “office” and the other that my wife used as a “vanity/make-up area”). There is so much available storage that about half of it we did not even use. The large wall-mounted LED TV screen is great compared to the desk top TV’s previously provided. We were impressed with the soundproofing of the cabin. Little, if anything, could ever be heard from other cabins (adjoining, above or below).
Port Reviews
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
We arrived in Fort Lauderdale the day before embarkation and stayed at a nearby Marriott. We ate dinner at the IslaMoroda which is the restaurant tied with the Bass Pro facility. It has a nice "maritime-fisherman's" ambiance, and the food (concentrating on seafood) was reasonably good.
At the hotel, we signed up for shuttle service to Port Everglades the next morning. We are finding that the hotels now use a shuttle service that charges for that service in an amount that is almost as much as taking Uber or a taxi. With these outside services, you can often end up in a large van or bus like we did this time. We were the only two people going to our ship and were the last one’s off of the bus. We had to wait and wait as each other ship terminal preceded our drop off. It took us over an hour to go from the hotel to our ship terminal. Others at the hotel that chose to take Uber or cabs paid only $5 to $10 more than we did, and it took them around only 10 minutes to get to the terminal. So, use Uber or a taxi rather than the companies that provide shuttle service for the hotels.
Grand Turk
At Turks and Caicos, the Margaritaville near the pier there is great (nice pool --- much bigger than the one in Falmouth, Jamaica which is also near the pier there). There are a few shops in the area near the pier, but collectively they do not offer a lot merchandise.
St. Thomas
Both San Juan (Puerto Rico) and St. Thomas appear to have recovered pretty well from the hurricanes of last fall. We had been to both ports on previous cruises, and we really did not notice much difference from those previous times. We like the wide array of shopping and restaurants closely available in each of these ports, as opposed to ports at smaller places. In San Juan, you can pretty well get to a lot of places simply by walking there --- as opposed to St. Thomas where you need shuttle or taxi transportation unless you only go to the Havensight Mall immediately next to the pier.
Half Moon Cay
Half Moon Cay is the best private island facility of all of the cruise lines that we have used (great beach). There really is no meaningful shopping there. This cruise did not give sufficient time to really enjoy Half Moon Cay. This is especially the case since the tendering process from ship to shore takes a fair amount of time. Since we had to be back on board by 2:30 p.m., most passengers were returning shortly after the lunch barbeque. Put another way, a good sunny “beach day” was wasted.
San Juan
Both San Juan (Puerto Rico) and St. Thomas appear to have recovered pretty well from the hurricanes of last fall. We had been to both ports on previous cruises, and we really did not notice much difference from those previous times. We like the wide array of shopping and restaurants closely available in each of these ports, as opposed to ports at smaller places. In San Juan, you can pretty well get to a lot of places simply by walking there --- as opposed to St. Thomas where you need shuttle or taxi transportation.