Holland America Line celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2023 and has 11 ships including its second newest vessel Nieuw Statendam, which launched in 2018 and is identical to 2021’s Rotterdam.
HAL was taking European immigrants to America back in 1873 but it now offers cruises to 98 countries and territories and sails to Antarctica, Australasia, Asia and South America its most popular destinations are the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada & New England, the Panama Canal and Europe.
With its ships registered in Rotterdam, HAL retains strong links with the Netherlands and operates charity initiatives such as fund-raising walks around the ship’s exercise track in aid of causes such as Cancer Research UK.
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Covid protocols
No Covid vaccinations are protocols are currently required, although everybody must fill in the standard health questionnaire before boarding and it’s advisable to check the Health Protocols Tool page at hollandamerica.
What’s it like onboard?
It’s a very relaxed atmosphere, with a casual dress code day and night except on sea day evenings when you’re encouraged to be more “dressy” – HAL doesn’t do formal.
This is a mid-sized ship with a maximum 2,666 guests but it never feels overcrowded, even at breakfast time in the buffet.
There are free activities all day ranging from pickleball tournaments – HAL is a cheerleader for this more sophisticated version of beach bat and ball – to watercolour painting and even knitting lessons, with paid-for activities such as mixology classes making cocktails for $15 and TRX suspension training classes for $20 if the free gym is not enough for you.
Evenings are busy too, with shows at World Stage and Movies By The Pool when the weather’s good enough, while the Music Walk offers live blues, rock and pop – nearly all at the same time.
The WOW factor
Holland America Line promotes itself as the best brand for explorers, foodies and music lovers and it certainly delivers with excellent bands at the Music Walk’s BB King’s Blues Club, the Rolling Stone Rock Room and Billboard Onboard duelling pianos.
But it’s the quality of food that is the WOW factor on Nieuw Statendam. I would expect excellence at paid-for speciality dining but the food was also superb in the complimentary restaurants, which is where some cruise lines have faltered while they try to recover from the devastating losses of the Covid pandemic.
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Staterooms
Suites come in four categories, starting at Vista and rising to Signature, Neptune and Pinnacle – all with access to a private lounge and The Orange Club for breakfast and dinner.
Most of the cabins are Verandah staterooms, though, with HAL’s signature queen-size Mariner’s Dream bed and Euro-Top mattress, that can be made into twin beds if required.
Balconies have deck chairs or loungers and these cabins are likely to have a sofa – sometimes a sofa bed – as well as a fridge containing a mini-bar, a large TV with a good choice of free films as well as news and sports channels and a good-sized bathroom with a neat glass-cubicle shower.
For those who want an outside cabin but no balcony, there are Ocean View cabins that can sleep up to four with a double or twin bed plus a sofa that converts to a single bed and a pull-down bunk bed above it.
Family Ocean View cabins sleep five and have two bathrooms, one with a bath, while inside cabins are much in demand and have Mariner’s Dream Beds, TV and excellent shower room but no sofa.
Some cabins also have special access to the spa.
Dining
The spectacular Dining Room is designed to look like the inside of a musical instrument and it cream and yellow décor looks fabulous at any time of the day.
It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner – brunch on some sea days – and you can book a table for dinner at a time to suit you or just walk in when you’re ready, although you may be sent off to wait with a buzzer at peak dining time from 7-8pm.
On the Navigator App The Dining Room, below, is described as fine dining, despite being complimentary, whereas the Lido Market, a spacious airy buffet that runs both sides of deck 9, is in the casual dining section along with Dive-In, a free burger bar next to the Lido pool, which has a retractable roof.
Also complimentary is the New York Deli & Pizza on deck 10 overlooking the Lido pool, where you can get pizzas made to order at lunch or dinner time as well as salads and deli sandwiches. It also serves a limited breakfast.
Paid-for speciality dining starts with the Italian restaurant Canaletto, a sectioned-off area of the Lido Market buffet, which costs $25 per person. The most expensive is Rudi’s Sel de Mer – an exceptional seafood brasserie that costs $55 each – with Pinnacle Grill steakhouse also excellent at $46.
The Pan-Asian restaurant Tamarind shares the same Oriental-styled space as Nami Sushi on deck 10 but while Tamarind is $35 the sushi restaurant, with a menu by master sushi chef Andy Matsuda, is a la carte.
Each restaurant adds 18 per cent service charges to the bill, so it’s worth considering HAL’s Have It All package, which for cruises 6 to 9 days long includes one speciality dining credit, $100 credit towards excursions, the Signature Beverage Package for drinks $11 or less and WiFi Surf Package for one device. This costs around $60 per person per day.
Club Orange is a private dining venue for suite guests serving breakfast and dinner, although it is possible to pay for access at $35 a day but only if you book before your cruise.
There’s also room service, which not only has some complimentary items but will also deliver speciality restaurant meals to your cabin at lower prices.
Paid-for speciality tea and coffee is available at the top deck’s Crow’s Nest and Deck 3’s Grand Dutch Café but they also serve complimentary cakes, cookies and a range of savoury snacks.
Lifestyle
When the ship’s in port most people are keen to get off and explore, either on one of the many excursions or by themselves. Free maps and advice about buses, trams and trains are usually available in every cruise terminal, although free ship shuttles are rare.
Those who choose not to get off can enjoy their choice of sun loungers, and uninterrupted swimming in either the Lido or Seaview pools and there might be special offers at the spa.
It’s free to use the spa’s saunas and although it costs $49 a day to use its thermal suite the hydrotherapy pool full of heated mineral water is a special treat. There are also beauty and hair treatments available.
There are other opportunities to elevate your cruise, too, such as paying to use the Retreat sun deck, which has a large hot tub and is free for suite guests, and paying to eat in The Orange Room – also free for suites.
The gym is well equipped with free morning or late afternoon stretch sessions and paid-for classes, and there are free quizzes at various times plus the inevitable paid-for Bingo.
This is a family-friendly ship with a free kids’ programme to keep them entertained during the day in two age-appropriate rooms equipped with toys for the very young and screen games for teenagers. Paid-for evening babysitting may be available but there is no guarantee.
But if you are child-free on warm weather cruises there’s no nicer way to start your evening than by getting a drink at the Seaview Bar on deck 9 and watching the sun go down from the deck 10 open-air lounge above it before heading off to dinner.
Entertainment
Stroll along the Music Walk on deck 3 and you can listen and dance to the bands at BB King’s Blues Club or Rolling Stone Rock Room as well as watching the duelling piano players at Billboard Onboard lounge.
But some Nieuw Statendam itineraries will also have entertainment from classical musicians selected by New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
These musicians previously shared the same space as BB King’s but there have been suggestions of performances in the World Stage theatre in future.
This is where you’ll see members of Step One Dance Company, described as elite dancers from around the world, as well as acts such as comedians, conjurers and musicians such as the British band The Runaround Kids, who were outstanding on our cruise.
There were no BBC Earth Concerts on our cruise, although these screenings of BBC nature footage with live music to accompany it are expected to return.
And there’s also an Orange Party during each cruise, so don’t forget to pack something orange to wear.
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