As a frequent, but young cruiser, I've traveled on many different cruise lines, including NCL, Royal Caribbean, MSC, and Carnival. This was also my third cruise on Holland, the other two being on the Maasdam and the Statendam (the Nieuw Statendam's predecessor). Out of all the cruises I've been on, this ship by far had the most delicious food, both at the buffet and the main dining room.
My previous experiences on Holland America were certainly not as great as this cruise was; and the level of service, food, and entertainment were definitely much better. Holland definitely amped up their game with the Nieuw Statendam!
The buffet was my favorite part of the ship. I loved that the crew served the food to you at the buffet, rather than people touching food with their fingers and spreading germs all over the place. Not to mention that the food variety was terrific and literally almost everything tasted good. Oh my goodness - the deserts tempted me so much!!! I couldn't resist them; in fact, I would carry three of them to my table everyday. Additionally, you could get fresh salads prepared personally for you, made to order stir-fry at the Asian section, and burgers and hot dogs located near by (outside) the buffet. Also, located near the buffet, one flight up, was the pizza and deli place, where you could get made to order pizza and sandwiches.