HAL has greatly raised their level of cruising with the NIEUW STATENDAM. My family of four sailed on this new ship for a four day Bahamas cruise on 12-19. Our cabin was one of the Vista Suites on deck 6, not really a suite, but plenty of room for 4. Shower in bathroom very large. Excellent TV in room, with plenty of free movie choices. Cabin service was first rate.

The standouts on the ship are 1) Food and 2) Entertainment. We only ate dinner in the extra charge dining rooms, we wanted to experience them all and this was only a 4 day cruise. The extra fees were well worth the cost. I would give extra accolades to the Pinnacle Grill where the whole experience was must better than I have seen on the HAL ships. We also greatly enjoyed the Tamarind , which offered unique menu choices. The free outdoor deck lunch choices were also excellent...New York Pizza and a Burger Stand. Very few cruise ships get pizza right, but this one did. Extra cost ice cream shop was also a popular choice with our group. Service in all dining venues was excellent.

HAL offer a wide range of live entertainment on this ship (and KONINGSDAM) . The Rock Room was enjoyed by all of us, even if it was somewhat cringe to watch older baby boomers still dancing to rock music. BB King blues club and Lincoln Center Stage also were top notch choices. There was a large production show that offered good dancers, but the music here was prerecorded which turns me off. Read more