In 1999, my wife and I realized a long-time dream when
we sailed around the
world on Holland American's Rotterdam, so we were excited about trying out
her recently-launched sister ship, the Amsterdam, on an 11-day transcanal
trip from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica to Fort Lauderdale. My initial
impression: Although Amsterdam is the Rotterdam's sister ship, she has a look
all her own. Indeed, if the Ritz-Carlton hotel company owned a ship, it would
look like the Amsterdam. With museum-quality art at every turn, this is a
mahogany mansion at sea. And if Volvo designed a cruise, it would be exactly
what I experienced--solid, no glitz, but dependable, and with care to detail.
Our transfer from San Jose airport to our hotel was handled seamlessly by HAL
representatives. Our hotel stay was comfortable, and the next day's two-hour
bus trip to the port was a breeze. Amsterdam check-in was the fastest and
smoothest I have encountered in 30 years of cruising.
Entering the ship, I was immediately struck by The Astrolabe Clock. The pride
of Holland America's principal interior architect, Frans Dingemans,
the Astrolabe is a three-story contraption that tells the time not only on the
ship, but in cities around the world. It even tells what the stars and
planets are doing over the city of Amsterdam at any given instant.
On our 1999 cruise, the Rotterdam had only one computer, for e-mail only. The
Amsterdam boasts a seven-terminal Internet cafe. However, to make room for the
Internet cafe, the Amsterdam's designers replaced a good hunk of one of the
great gathering places on the Rotterdam: the cappuccino/espresso free coffee
bar still functions, but space to sit around with fellow passengers is
limited. Also missing in this general area is the traditional red popcorn
cart that normally sits outside the movie theatre, with full popcorn bags
ready before each film showing. The popcorn was still there, but served
grudgingly by an uninterested attendant. Still, she was the only staff person
on our trip who was not enthusiastic, eager, and effusive in their offers to
help. Even with an Indonesian and Filipino crew, there were no communication
problems. All crew members that I encountered spoke English well.
CABINS
The Amsterdam's cabins are lovely and well-appointed. A large inside double
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is 182 sq. ft., while a mini-suite is 284 sq. ft. with verandah. But the
place to be, if you can afford it, is Navigation Deck. Its two penthouses
(1,126 sq. ft. including verandah), and 50 suites (563 sq. ft. including
verandah) are served by the Neptune Lounge, where the deck's residents will
find a concierge who can take care of tour reservations, alternate dining
reservations, and any other special needs. Other perks for Navigation Deck
passengers include special tender passes for tender-boarding at will (no
waiting for the tours to go first); priority debarkation; and use of the
Neptune Lounge while awaiting tenders or ship clearance.
The Neptune Lounge offers snacks, goodies, and specialty coffees all day.
Complementary hot and cold hors d'oeuvres can be ordered for cabin
consumption, and the night's dinner menu is delivered each day, so you can
decide where you want to dine. Amenities also include a special dinner in the
Odyssey Italian restaurant, corsage and boutonniere on the first formal
evening, exclusive breakfast and lunch service in the King's Room adjacent to
the main dining room, and even high tea served en suite if desired.
Moreover, laundry and dry cleaning are complimentary! This will be especially
enticing for those taking the World Cruise.
ENTERTAINMENT
The Amsterdam offers typical cruise fare-Broadway-style revues, comedians,
magicians, and concert artists. The bad news, for me: The Queen's Lounge
showroom may be the last remaining bastion of harmonica music. Sometimes I am
amazed at what will pass as entertainment, and yet every show was packed;
cheers, laughter, and applause were the rule. I think that since the crowd on
this ship tends to be older, they were just happy they didn't have to
struggle with a VCR to be entertained.
Holland America claims the average age of its passengers is dropping, but
that was not evident on this trip: The Amsterdam crowd was elderly. At the
beginning of our cruise, the music mix on deck, repeated every couple of
hours, was from the 40s and early 50s. By day three, I was hearing "How Much
is That Doggy In the Window?" in my sleep. It was a relief when, after a few
days, the mix changed. Some New Age background music seeped in, a bit of
guitar jazz, and memories of WWII started to fade.
Actually, it is the cruise staff that is getting younger. The ship's cruise
director is 22 years old, and our cruise was his first time in that job. He
was in way over his head, and seemed almost afraid to talk when I said hello
to him at the Lido buffet.
CUISINE
The food in La Fontaine, the main dining room, was very good. Each night,
our menu touted five appetizers, three soups, salads, six entrees (including
a vegetarian dish), and desserts that kept my wife attached to the treadmill
throughout the cruise. This is one of the few ships where the kitchen will
cook your fish to order (I like mine rare). Just ask your waiter, who (as on
every Holland America cruise we have taken) will learn and remember your
dining preferences and peculiarities after the first night.
The centerpiece of La Fontaine is a 1,500 square foot stained glass ceiling
featuring flowers in shades of green, orange, blue and yellow. Most
passengers will not be aware of the complicated engineering required to
install such a massive stained glass ceiling on a ship. In fact, many
passengers won't even see its full lighting effect unless they are on time
for dinner. The ceiling pours too much light into the dining room for
sophisticated dining, so shortly after most are seated, the lights behind the
glass go off. A dimmer (at a cost rumored to be $150,000 dollars) will
reportedly be installed when the Amsterdam goes into her first dry-dock.
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As good as the food is in La Fontaine, make sure you try the alternative
Italian restaurant, Odyssey. Unlike most alternative restaurants in the
cruise industry, the Odyssey is open for both lunch and dinner, and there is
no surcharge for dining there. There is not even a mention of tipping,
although the overall experience here motivated me in that direction.
Signature dishes are Costoletta di Vitello al Carbone, sage and rosemary
broiled veal chop, served on saut�ed eggplant and peppers with roasted red
potatoes; Petto de Pollo Rustico, grilled chicken breast with mushroom,
tomato concasee and gorgonzola, served on penne pasta; and Osso Buco alla
Milanese, braised veal shank in rich red wine sauce with saffron risotto and
asparagus. Be sure to make reservations early in your cruise!
I can't talk about food without mentioning the Lido breakfast and luncheon
buffets, where Holland America outshines some of the best in the cruise
industry. Along with the tons of choices offered at both mealtimes, the
Lido's breakfast service included fresh-squeezed orange juice and omelets
cooked to order; lunch featured stir-fry, pasta and deli stations. Free ice
cream is available most of the day, as is pizza by the Lido pool. Deck
service around both pools is frequent; Jacuzzi patrons can get lemonade while
they bubble. On the other hand, I usually do my sunning away from the pool
areas, and there, I found deck service to be nonexistent.
ACTIVITIES
The Amsterdam is quietly busy. Bingo, lectures, art tours, Trivial Pursuit
team competitions, bingo, art auctions, golf putting contests, volleyball and
sunbathing occupy most of the passengers. I like this. I am on board to
vacate, not to participate, so I appreciated the less frenetic pace of the
Amsterdam, Snowball Jackpot notwithstanding.
LASTING IMPRESSION
Lee Kliman, who has sailed on all the major premium lines, but never before
with Holland America, summed it up this way: "This is the best overall cruise
experience we have ever had!."
For me, he wasn't far from wrong.
The Amsterdam will summer in Europe, spend the fall in New England and
Canada, then resume her Panama Canal duties until she heads around the world
in January of 2002.
Gross Tonnage: 61,000 tons
Length: 780 ft. (two feet longer than her sister ship)
Geoff Edwards is a veteran radio and television broadcaster. He received an Emmy
as best talk show host for his work on TV's MID MORNING LA, and was nominated
for an Emmy as best Game Show Host for NBC's JACKPOT. For nine years he
hosted the California Lottery's BIG SPIN. National television shows
include TREASURE HUNT, HOLLYWOOD'S TALKING, CHAIN REACTION, AND SHOOT FOR THE
STARS, and THE BOBBY DARIN SHOW. In radio, he was top rated in Los Angeles on
both KMPC and KFI. As an actor, he has appeared in over twenty television shows
and movies. Geoff is an experienced world traveler whose sense of humor adds a special
flavor to each travel experience. He has been cruising for over thirty
years. In addition to his travel broadcasting, he is a freelance travel
writer.
we sailed around the
world on Holland American's Rotterdam, so we were excited about trying out
her recently-launched sister ship, the Amsterdam, on an 11-day transcanal
trip from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica to Fort Lauderdale. My initial
impression: Although Amsterdam is the Rotterdam's sister ship, she has a look
all her own. Indeed, if the Ritz-Carlton hotel company owned a ship, it would
look like the Amsterdam. With museum-quality art at every turn, this is a
mahogany mansion at sea. And if Volvo designed a cruise, it would be exactly
what I experienced--solid, no glitz, but dependable, and with care to detail.
