We’re sailing towards our first port of call on this 7-day Western Caribbean cruise on the beautiful Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam, and the day is being spent at sea. As I mentioned in yesterday’s report, Holland America Line ships, except for the Rotterdam, carry far fewer passengers than the mega ships that are pumped out of shipyards these days.
With 2,100 guests on board, there’s definitely more of a focus on attentive service, better food quality, and upscale touches. Public restrooms have rolled terrycloth hand towels, dining tables have fresh flowers, hallways and elevator lobbies are adorned with art and sculptures, and things move at a much slower pace.
The cruise director isn’t out there to lead bingo or hairy chest contests at the pool. The “cruise and travel director” onboard is rarely seen outside introducing shows, doing educational presentations, and popping in for meet-and-greets with senior officers. Announcements over the public address system are minimal, with just a morning and evening announcement featuring a brief overview of the schedule, as well as the captain’s mid-day navigational update from the bridge.
Since the line caters to a much older demographic—those who are definitely 55+ and well-traveled—onboard events and the overall schedule are tailored around this group. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the things happening around the ship today:
Morning Highlights
- Mass at 8 a.m. to start the day
- Adult coloring in the art studio
- The Cooking Show, which today features a lesson on how to make sea bass fish tacos
- Pickleball
- Line dance lessons
- Origami folding
Afternoon Highlights
- Mahjong
- Shuffleboard tournament
- International beer tasting
- A presentation entitled “Mexico Up Close”
- Watercolor painting in the art studio
Evening Highlights
- String quartet
- Photos around the ship
- Production show “MOVE” in the main theater
- The Rolling Stone Rock Room band with sets from the ’60s, Classic Rock, and Disco
- Dual piano players in Billboard Onboard
For Mariner Society Members (that’s the fancy term for Holland America Line’s loyalty program), the day started off with a reception, which unfortunately I had to miss due to work commitments. Generally, it’s a time when senior officers meet with guests, and a few cocktails and passed small bites are served.
Lido Market Breakfast Menu
Breakfast is served in the main dining room as well as up at the Lido Market, the ship’s buffet. Here’s a look at what’s being offered in the Lido.
When it came time for lunch, you could nosh again in the main dining room, the Lido Market, the Dive-In (where burgers, dogs, and fries are served), or grab some New York-style pizza (which it isn’t) up at the Sea View Pool (aft).
Since I’m part of the $250,000 slot tournament, I drew a 3:30 p.m. time slot for my chance to press my luck in the qualifying round. Approximately 360 players are registered for the tournament, and today’s round will narrow that pool down to 120. Eventually, it will come down to 48 people winning prizes, with the top prize being $100,000 in cash.
The tournament play works like this: You’re assigned a time and a machine number, and you’ll have three minutes to keep hitting the “spin” button over and over in a continual pattern until your hand is ready to fall off. Your other hand is then used to tap diamonds that appear on the screen, each assigned a point value. You keep slapping and tapping until the time is up, and you get your score.
At 8 p.m., the leaderboard will be posted with the names and scores of those 120 who will be moving on to the next round.
Unfortunately, I was a couple hundred thousand points shy of making the cut. The 120th-ranked player had a score of 6.8 million, and I was at 6.0 million. So much for taking home that grand prize!
However, I haven’t had bad luck at the casino so far. On my first night, with just a few spins on a machine using my tournament-provided free play, I won $450. I played for about an hour after my slapping and tapping, had some small wins, and still have around $250 in my casino bank, which has all been earned from free play. I haven’t dipped into my own money yet, and fingers crossed that trend continues.
Classy Night on Nieuw Amsterdam
The theme for the evening is “Classy.” Not “Elegant,” but “Classy.” On Holland America, most people dress business casual every evening, and a few switch it up to be a tad more formal with a tux for the men and a cocktail dress for the ladies. It’s definitely not a requirement, and most don’t partake, but a few did dress up quite nicely for their Classy Night photos around the ship.
As the afternoon turned into evening, a noticeable change happened. Things got rocky! Over the weekend, Tropical Storm Sara hit the area we’re sailing towards, and while the storm has faded, there are remnants left that are causing strong winds and heavy seas.
There were several instances of people tripping and falling as the ship rocked and rolled. Outside decks were wet, and even up on my balcony on deck 8, the sea spray from the waves below felt like a light drizzle.
Just to be on the safe side, I popped some seasick medication, even though I never get mal de mer. It’s just better to get ahead of it just in case—once you get seasick, you’re in for a really lousy couple of hours!
As I contemplated where I was going to head for dinner, I stopped to see my friends Reema and Emmanuel working at the Ocean Bar. Remarkably, this normally busy spot to grab pre- and post-dinner cocktails was empty. Since it’s the bar that services the three-story atrium with cocktail tables and cozy nooks to sit and people-watch, there wasn’t much going on.
I decided to hit up the main dining room for dinner. For those that follow my adventures, you already know that, for the most part, I avoid the main dining room on cruises. Why? Because typically, the food is awful.
However, this is Holland America, and the food is always fantastic no matter where you choose to eat—and what’s even better—if you choose to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the Lido Market buffet, it’s NOT self-service! So no need to worry about touching those serving utensils hundreds have touched before you.
The main dining room is open seating, meaning you don’t have an assigned dining time, nor do you need a reservation. You simply show up and are taken to a table in the beautiful two-story dining room where the red and black decor is stunning.
Main Dining Room & Lido Market Dinner
Here’s a peek at the menu for both the dining room and the Lido Market:
I started off with the prosciutto and a shrimp cocktail.
Next, I moved on to the main course, which was lamb chops. Cooked medium rare, they were tender and well-seasoned. I asked for a side of pasta, which wasn’t offered on the menu, but was easily accommodated.
When it came time for dessert, I went with a hot fudge sundae.
I had no complaints about any of the items I enjoyed at dinner and service was on-point!
Next to me was a great group of people who I shared conversation with: a husband and wife, their daughter, and the wife’s sister. They were celebrating the husband’s 94th birthday!
After dinner, I decided to take in some of the live music in the Rolling Stone Lounge, and the band absolutely did not disappoint. With the passenger age, I always find it amazing that a lounge with this type of music on all their ships would be a draw—and it is.
Every. Single. Night.
While a few people were dancing and trying not to fall as the ship and the band rocked, cocktail servers weaved in and out of the various tables and booths, serving up libations as the full house took in the music.
Somehow, I ended up getting dragged onto the dance floor.
I can’t dance.
Once the band completed their final set around 11:45 p.m., it was lights out for this venue, and it had already been lights out for the others about 90 minutes ago. So, it was off to bed.
Next up… Costa Maya, where I was just two weeks ago, and it was a complete cluster with the amount of people. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
As always, thanks for following along!
Personal Day-By-Day Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Review: