Nieuw Statendam

We are at sea! Yes, I know that’s not news, as we’ve been at sea many times. This time, we are on the newest Holland America ship, the Nieuw Statendam. (BTW, “nieuw” is pronounced “new.”) In the past, Holland America has boasted about their collection of small and mid-sized ships. About 3 years ago, that changed, and the company decided to go big and the NS is their second big ship. At 2600 pax it’s good sized, but not nearly as big as Royal Caribbean’s “Oasis of the Seas” or “Harmony of the Seas” which hold over 5000 pax.

For a large ship, she feels cramped. The buffet seems crammed together as do some of the other larger venues. Our balcony stateroom is tiny with enough room for a king sized bed, a teeny sofa, and a small desk. The bathroom is small too, but very well laid out. Given the cramped space, they made two areas extra special. The main showroom and Spa are huge. This morning I delighted in the best mineral hot tub on the sea. I’m going back to that hot tub every day. It’s a private affair, offered to the first 40 people who sign up (and pay) for it. I was lucky to be among the first 40. Definitely worth the price of admission. The main showroom is built on the round, not encumbered by posts and boasts 3 enormous screens. The dancers will perform tonight and we can’t wait to see what it will look like.

As of now, I have not taken any good pictures of the ship...they will be coming when I get around to it. In the meantime, we are enjoying being “at sea.”