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Login Fluid lines and dramatic spaces make the Holland America Nieuw Statendam a modern beauty. The second in the line of Pinnacle-class cruise ships, its design draws inspiration from the elegant curves of musical instruments. When not relaxing in well-appointed suites or staterooms, guests will have a multitude of innovative dining and entertainment options—from Rudi’s Sel de Mer to Nami Sushi to the Rolling Stone Rock Room, B.B. King’s Blues Club, and the visually stunning two-level World Stage.
Best Cruise Ship Awards
Nieuw Statendam’s inspired design and entertainment options earned it Best New Cruise Ship and Best Mid-Size Cruise Ship awards, among other accolades. Passengers and cruise critics love this sublime ship.
As long time Princess cruisers, we decided to give Holland America a try. One day prior to this cruise we drove to the Holiday Inn Express on State Road 84 in Ft. Lauderdale. We had a comfortable room and went to the provided breakfast by 7 a.m. to avoid the crowds. On Saturday morning we drove directly to the Palm garage at 9:30 a.m. There were no handicapped spots available but we got a spot on the 3rd deck. The spots were very tight. We took the elevator to the first floor and a crossing guard waved us across the road to Terminal 26. A porter promptly took our suitcase and we headed to check in. Before long we were seated in a lounge of priority handicapped guests. The ship was not cleared to board until 11:30 so it was a long wait but the good news is the cabins were ready and we headed directly to ours. We were in a fully accessible Neptune Suite and the room and balcony were amazing! Nicely laid out, spacious and with comfortable furnishings. I went to the New York Deli and got delicious corned beef sandwiches and then stopped at the Neptune lounge to get Diet Cokes. I met the concierge staff Princess and Crystal who were friendly and helpful throughout the week. After completing our mandatory safety video and trip to our muster station we were happy to see our suitcase arrived and spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and enjoying the balcony. Our room steward Pande and his assistant Komar did an excellent job the entire week, meeting our needs, keeping the room spotless and our ice bucket full. Each time we left a laundry bag I was so pleased that they returned our clothing back to us within 24 hours along with a personal note from the laundry staff. Throughout the cruise we were delighted with the many touches like this. We settled into ship life easily. Morning started with a trip to the Crow’s Nest to get coffee and tea to take back to the room, along with a stop at the Lido Market for a pastry or muffin. Later we headed to the New York Deli for a nice breakfast. There were many choices such as eggs fried or scrambled, bacon, sausage, bagels, bagel sandwiches, fruit, juices, coffee and more. We enjoyed this peaceful spot with an ocean view. Lunch was varied. We tried the Lido Market with endless choices, really good burgers and fries at the Dive In, salads at the New York Deli and soup and quiche at the Grand Dutch Café. We usually ate dinner at the Club Orange Restaurant. We liked many of the meals there especially the beef tenderloin and dover sole entrees. We found the prime rib and pork chop entrees to be overcooked. We ate one evening at the Pinnacle Grill which was a very nice settling, although we found the filet mignons ordered medium to arrive medium well. It must be noted that at all venues the pastries and desserts were delicious. At Grand Turk we had reserved a handicapped accessible cabana at Margaritaville from Holland shore excursions. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed several hours relaxing, having a margarita and a Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch. At Key West we had to go through an immigration process that was extremely organized and efficient. Shortly after, I left the ship for the one-hour trolley tour I had booked while my husband stayed on board. The trolley driver was very informative and made the tour fun. During other days I used the hot tubs, took a line dancing class, we played games, read books and went to various talks. Our favorite daytime talks were Coffee with Clare and City on a Sea. Our evenings included listening to music at Billboard onboard, Rolling Stones Lounge and B.B. Kings Blue Club. The music at B.B. Kings was excellent with 4 musicians and 2 vocalists. We also went to the World Stage to see comedian Alycia Cooper and comedian/magician Doc Dixon. We found both of these very entertaining! On disembarkation morning we got coffee and cereal from room service which was a nice surprise as this is not available the last morning on Princess. We waited in our stateroom until our luggage group was called at 7:30 a.m. The disembarkation was very quick and easy and by 8:00 we were in our car headed home. We’re very glad we gave Holland America a try. While we enjoy the larger Princess ships a bit more, we would definitely do a HAL cruise again if the dates and itinerary worked best.
Have been cruising on HAL for years and love cruising on the Nieuw Statendam. The ship is gorgeous, spacious and spotless. We always cruise in a Neptune Suite on HAL and they are by far the best on their newer Pinnacle class. Food overall was very good. Our worst meal was in Rudi’s Sel De Mer, which was disappointing as I was very excited to try! It was laughably bad. A few more children than usual due to spring break. HAL has gotten very bad with having almost no activities during the day and nothing really starting until the late evening. Half Moon Cay is amazing as usual, even with the construction for the new areas and pier. Drink service in the casino was VERY slow. Much easier to just go to a bar rather than wait on a waiter. Crew was mostly fantastic, but a few grumpy ones which is VERY unusual for HAL. Overall a great time.
This was one of the greatest cruises we've ever sailed. The food was high quality, the entertainment was great, and the service was awesome! There are some some signs that the ship is aging, but aside by that, the staterooms were clean, and our steward was passionate with us. He learned our names within the first day. People think that Holland America Line is for older peole, but being a kid, it was awesome! Though I can't tell how good the fitness center was, there were some other things kids can do. The High Score kids club had arcades and other video games plus some sitting area. There were some areas to get your daily walks or jogs. The Lido Market had a variety of food from different parts of the world, and they were high quality. The entertainment was mainly in the World Stage Theater. There were some music area like B.B Kings Blue Club or Billboard on Board. I think this ship is recommended for families because there was a lido pool or board games in the Crow's Nest. Embarking the ship was a breeze and was quick getting on the ship. Will definitely go again the Nieuw Statendam. Shout out to the main dining room server Arief and his assistant server Andrew. Shout out to Raymond our steward. Shout out to Nike the Dive-In restaurant cashier (dive in is complimentary).
Embarkation – • Had to see Guest Services in order for hubby to get the Navigator app on his phone. They solved the problem rather quickly. • Good food at buffet. Need to get used to the fact that they have to serve you. • Many uncleared tables. The wait staff seemed overwhelmed. • Poor beer selection (I only found out later that better beer was available at the Dutch Café.) • Our stateroom was very spacious with lots of storage. No balcony, but two bathrooms! • Bed firmness and pillows not optimal but satisfactory. • We met our steward, but never his assistant. Two turndowns a day and ice. Yes! • No live music at sailaway. • Hey Mr. DJ evening show: o A for music & sound o B for singers o C+ for lighting (everybody was in blue or purple – not natural flesh tones) o C for choreography. • Dinner at Pinnacle Grill (specialty restaurant) o Wife had filet mignon A+ o Hubby had sea bass C+ • Have to sign for all bar drinks. What a hassle! Sunday – Half Moon Cay – • We spent 11 am to 3:30 pm on the island. • We walked the entire beach but never went into the water except for bare feet. Very fine sand. • There was a gentle breeze but sun was hot. • They had a BBQ lunch that was pretty good, but from only 11 am to 1 pm, which was a pretty short window for lunch. • They ran out of soft serve ice cream, juice and lemon aid by the time we got there. • The beach chairs were hard to come by until after lunch. • No island music to speak of but a solo guitarist played at one of the bars. We really liked him. • We had to tender but the boats were large so we didn’t have to wait too long to return. • We didn’t have many food options once we got back and showered. Had some drinks and had to wait until the buffet opened to eat before the Super Bowl. • We watched the Super Bowl in the theater. No problem finding seats. It didn’t really fill up until just before half time. We didn’t get to see product commercials, just ESPN promos. • They served tapas and pop corn in both the buffet and theater prior to the game. • There were no fan activities to promote excitement like tossing inflatable footballs or staff cheering one side over the other. • After the game they had comedian in the theater. He was A- B+. He interacted with the audience well. Monday – Sea Day • We had to set clocks ahead so we opted for room service breakfast. Eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, Danish, coffee, juice. I rate the breakfast an A. • Once again, we find that this ship closes their buffet down in early to mid afternoon, so we found that service often didn’t jive with our schedule. Their having to serve you is sometimes confusing because sometimes they pass your plate to another server when you want something added that’s down your line. Then you don’t always get the portion you’d select, etc. • There were facecloth-sized terrycloth towels in the public restrooms to wipe your hands on. To me, that seemed more wasteful having to wash those than to use paper towels. I suppose it’s supposed to make the experience more luxurious. Wife didn’t have a problem with this. They can be reused after washing. With all the laundry on this ship, what’s a few more towels? • The evening show was called Song & Dance. The chorography this time was excellent, as were the 2 male singers. The walls along the side of the theater were covered with LEDs that had constantly moving scenes on them. We rated this one A+. • We ended the evening at the Rolling Stone and Billboard lounges. The Rolling Stone band was great and the two pianos in the Billboard lounge picked up when the Rolling Stone venue ended with more mellow pop songs, so the music never stopped. Tuesday – Puerto Plata, DR • Went on a coffee tour to a plantation where we planted coffee beans, saw how they roast and grind them and then sampled the result. We also had an authentic Dominican lunch of chicken, beans and rice. • The show that evening was an illusionist who we found to be excellent. • After we went to see the band again. The solo guitarist joined them for some songs and that really amped them and the crowd up. • We also went to another music trivia. It seems like we are getting worse at this as time goes on. Wednesday – Grand Turk • We decided not to take a tour this time and just hang out. We had a leisurely breakfast at the buffet and then hit both the beach and pool by Marguarittaville. The water temp in both places was about 75 degrees. • The surf was a little rougher here and wife had a problem getting out of the water. • We walked this beach a bit too and saw people riding horses. • Today was orange day where the guests and crew wear something orange. I’d say about 85% of guests participated. It was pretty neat to see a sea of the same color all over the ship. • Very slow service at dinner tonight. They had an “orange party” in the BB King lounge, but there was a sea of people there jumping up and down so we opted to just go to see the band instead. • Tonight the comedian returned. He was funny, but not as good as the first show. Thursday – At Sea • Had breakfast in the dining room. Big mistake! They sat us with 2 other couples, which was fortunate because then we had someone else to converse with for an hour and a half! That’s how long it took us to sit, order and eat. Service was VERY slow. The food was good though. • The slow breakfast service made us miss most of the operations of the ship talk that we wanted to see. • Hubby attended a health talk that was just a sales pitch for their $99 “body test”. • We then spent some time reading in the Crow’s Nest and then had a snack for lunch. • We went back to the room a bit and then caught a bit of the solo guitarist and then music trivia with one of the piano players. She did an excellent job but it was hard guessing the title and artist of songs when the original recording wasn’t being played. • For dinner in the dining room, hubby had duck for the first time. It wasn’t bad, but just a little weird consistency. • The show tonight was a tribute to Las Vegas divas who had played the strip. It was very well done! • We wrapped up the evening again listening to the Rolling Stone band. Friday- Key West • Today, all the guests on the ship had to be checked in by Homeland Security because we were coming in from a foreign port but not yet leaving the ship. We had to meet them in the theatre and show them our passports. Then it was off to the buffet for breakfast. • Walked a bit down Front and Duvall Streets before deciding to do the hop-on, hop-off trolley. We didn’t hop-off though. We stayed on for a 90-minute tour through Key West. It has changed quite a bit since we were last there 15+ years ago. Lots of new condos where Mallory Square used to have performers and buskers on the waterfront. • We then headed back to the ship for lunch and back to the room to pack. • We then went to listen to the solo guitarist’s set for the last time. Then it was back to the dining room. Hubby’s brisket was good but wife said her strip steak was tough. It was really the only bad meal she’s had on the trip. The waiter was very concerned about it and wanted to bring her another entrée, but she really wasn’t very hungry. • The show tonight featured the ships 6 dancers. It was an excellent show with very effective use of lighting and props. • Our bags didn’t have to be out until midnight, so we waited until after show to place them. • It figures… Hubby discovered on the LAST day that the Dutch Café had some better beers: Leffe Blonde & Tripel and Duval. He spotted them on the shelf when wife was getting a coffee. They were not even listed on their beer menu. Bummer!! Saturday-Disembarkation Day • We had breakfast in the dining room. They called us a little earlier than we were scheduled, so we had a 45 minute wait for our Lyft driver’s scheduled time. Disembarkation went very smoothly and we found our bags right away but the scene was chaotic once we got outside with everyone trying to get to their transportation.
Step into a private haven characterized by light, space and elegance. Our interior designer, guided by guest feedback, was given the freedom to completely reimagine staterooms aboard. The result: welcome modern touches such as bedside USB ports and frameless shower glass doors, as well as luxe appointments like customized wooden cabinetry.
Grab one of our signature burgers by the pool at Dive-In, choose sophisticated ambiance in our elegant dining room, spend a romantic evening in the Pinnacle Grill or enjoy in-room dining any time of day.
Dazzling entertainment options abound on board Nieuw Statendam. The new Lincoln Center Stage and Billboard Onboard venues join the already popular B.B. King’s Blues Club for a complete new “Music Walk” experience.
Whether you want to workout in the Fitness Centre, learn yoga, pamper yourself with a massage and spa treatment, or enjoy a game of basketball, there's a perfect onboard activity for everyone.
Rejuvenate at our Greenhouse Spa, take a Pilates class or simply relax and unwind.
Holland America Line's youth activities program, Kids Club, offers an array of entertaining events for kids and teens ages 3-17, supervised by a full-time, professionally trained staff. They'll have an opportunity to join other kids their age for arts and crafts, sports, video game competitions, scavenger hunts, challenging team games and themed parties.
Note: Kids Club is not offered on cruises of 25-days or longer, including all Legendary and Grand Voyages. We will offer a selection of children’s activities throughout these longer voyages for any children who may be onboard.
Safety Comes First
Safety is our primary concern and strict policies are in place for effective supervision. Adult guests are not permitted to remain in Kids Club unless attending to a special-needs child.
Please note: During voyages with a high number of families onboard, we will make all efforts to accommodate interested parties. However, participation in our program cannot be guaranteed. Hours of operation may change to better serve our guests.
