I was lucky enough to be invited to Newcastle to visit the MS Nieuw Statendam, the latest ship from Holland America line.
The ship launched in January 2019, and is a perfect example of mixing traditional style and elegance with some very modern feeling areas of the ship.
Holland America Line, I have to admit, is a cruise brand that I’m not that familiar with. I’ve sailed with them before on Holland America Eurodam on a Caribbean cruise – it was shortly before I started this blog, you may have seen my review on eating gluten-free onboard Holland America Eurodam.
That though was before I had my blogging head on and before the events that made me go completely cruise potty, so I don’t think I appreciated the ship as much as I could have done – plus having spent most of our days on land enjoying Caribbean beaches and waters my memories of the ship are little bit fuzzy.
That’s why I was so excited to get to know a little bit more about this ship -slated as one for foodies and music lovers, I was visiting along with a few cruise blogger friends, and it was great to get to know some of the people that I’ve only so far spoken to online on Twitter.
Some key facts about Nieuw Statendam
First up some fun facts for you.
- Nieuw Statendam was built in Fincantieri shipyard and stands at 12 decks high with 99,500 gross tons and a maximum passenger capacity of 2650 guests.
- Niuew Statendam is the sister ship to Ms Koningsdam and is the second of Holland America’s pinnacle class ships.
- The name Nieuw Statendam alludes to the five previous ships named Statendam, the first of which was launched in 1898 – I didn’t even know Holland America line had such a long history! The most recent of the Statendam ships was built in 1993 (you know when all the best things entered of the world!). She’s now sailing as Vasco da Gama.
Fun facts out of the way, I’m going to take you through just a couple of things I found that made me fall in love with Nieuw Statendam.
The Atrium
The atrium was the first thing we saw when entering the ship and WOW did it take your breath away!
The Nieuw Statendam atrium spans over three decks and kind of reminds me of an eye with stainless steel structure winding around it and a DNA type helix in the middle.
It’s topped by a kind of mottled LED ceiling. Apparently in the daytime it’s supposed to look like clouds, whilst at night-time will take on the appearance of constellations.
Leading off from the atrium on higher decks are some bars and cafes while on the lower deck you can find the digital communication officer desk and the internet cafe.
It’s certainly quite different to the usual style of Fincantieri atriums on ships this size (my favourite of which being the atrium of Royal Princess) however it does lend a modern elegance to the entrance.
The Indoor/Outdoor Pool
On a sunny itinerary, there’s nothing better than spending the day relaxing on a lounger with a cocktail in your hand or taking a dip in the pool to cool off.
It can often be a shame to lose this on an autumn or winter itinerary or on a rainy day. We’ve been on cold-weather cruises before and missed the outdoor space.
There’s no need to worry about poor weather disturbing your swim on Nieuw Statendam as the retractable roof makes this an all-weather pool.
I’m pretty sure Matthew, who I was touring the ship with has some great footage of my reaction to seeing this pool for the first time – it really had the biggest wow factor out of everything that we saw that day!
The pool is surrounded by plenty of modern comfortable sun loungers complete with mattresses and towels laid out ready for us to use plus lots of seating with tables so that you can easily enjoy some food or drink by the pool.
You could also enjoy some private Cabanas if you wanted to section yourself off. As for the pool itself, it’s towered over by a large LED screen perfect for watching movies at night. As well as the pool itself there are 3 hot tubs perfect for enjoying the bubbles with a cocktail – I wish I’d have brought my bikini for a dip!
Fancy a snack? On the main pool level on deck 9 you can find the Gelato Bar, serving up a selection of delicious ice cream sundaes.
You can also find the Dive In burger bar serving burgers and hotdogs including gluten-free buns, something I’m always delighted to find!
Being able to enjoy a gluten-free burger by the pool was one of the big reasons why I found Holland America to be the best cruise line for gluten-free food in my experience.
Overlooking the pool area on deck 10 you can also find the New York deli and pizza bar – of course you can also find gluten-free pizza bases here.
The Aft Pool
Moving towards the back of the ship, Nieuw Statendam also boasts an outdoor terrace pool area. This features a further two hot tubs, a bar and plenty of loungers and seating. One of my favourite features about this area was the heaters in the ceiling in the covered areas – I can just imagine getting all cosy on one of the sofas wrapped in a blanket during in the evening.
Music Walk
I previously mentioned that Nieuw Statendam has been designed for foodies and music lovers – I’ll come back to talking about food (let’s face it one of my favourite topics), but first I need to give a shout out to the live music venues.
Nieuw Statendam features an area called the Music Walk which features a total of 6 live music venues.
The first is Lincoln Centre Stage which on this ship is combined with BB Kings. Those I’ve spoken to about Eurodam before might have heard me talk about BB Kings as being one of my favourite night time spots. It’s a live blues music experience bringing on board the best of the Memphis music scene, with some seriously fantastic cocktails – seriously you have to try the Strong Island Iced Tea!
Meanwhile Lincoln Centre Stage provides a partnership with one of the world’s leading centre for performing arts, showcasing some amazing musicians over your days at sea including chamber music in the evening and afternoon recitals. Perfect if you want something a little more relaxing than neighbouring venues.
Also onboard you’ll find the Rolling Stones Rock Room, the newest addition to Holland America Lines. This feature a five-piece band playing the best of the four decades of rock and roll. Rock and roll isn’t really my kind of music (I’m more of a musical theatre and Disney gal!) but I know it’s something that you rock fans will love.
Opposite the Rolling Stones Rock Room you’ll find Billboard On Board. This is where two live piano musician entertain you with music you know and love. We got involved in some music quizzes at Billboard on Board during our Christmas Cruise – we absolutely nailed the Christmas music one!
The final official music venue of the ship is World Stage They say that all the world’s a stage and this venue is no exception – its huge!
The World Stage is an almost immersive venue, with seating curving around a circular stage.
It’s surrounded by a two story 270 degree LED screen allowing performers to showcase music, song, dance and more, including BBC Earth Live experiences.
The Blending Bars
Moving back onto food and drink, within Music Walk you’ll find the aptly named Notes.
For whisky aficionados this is an absolute wonder – it may be a small bar but it packs a punch with over 120 labels from across the world – from what I could see it looks like there are options for palate matching and creating your perfect flavour profile. I wouldn’t say I’m a whisky aficionado yet however after my Chivas Regal Blending Experience I am partial to a whiskey and ginger ale.
If wine is more your thing you can enjoy Blend, the first of venue of its kind for Holland America and the only purpose-built wine blending venue at sea.Here up to 10 guests can create their own wine blend from a selection of 5 barrels of red wine.
This is an intimate venue perfect for groups travelling together or special occasions – you can take away the wine that you’ve created to enjoy at dinner or in the privacy of your stateroom.
Main Dining Room
Moving back onto food, the main dining venue for the ship is The Dining Room, the destination for formal seated sophisticated dining and waiter service. It’s a gorgeous two-story venue with a swirling staircase leading from one floor to the other. The ceiling is adorned with a colourful art installation – it’s a light and airy room with beautiful views of the ocean from the aft windows.
We enjoyed a delicious meal with a tomato and mozzarella salad to start, lamb for the main and delicious gluten-free desserts. Washed down of course with some very welcome wine to toast the gorgeous ship and a great day with friends!
Lido Marketplace
If formal dining isn’t your thing, you can also choose to eat at the Lido Market.
This is a casual dining buffet service restaurant but it’s unlike any other buffet you will see on a ship! The selection of food was just incredible!
We walked through whilst it was fully laid out, and honestly my mouth was watering despite having already eaten. There was everything you could wish to try, from delicious freshly baked breads, crisp fresh salads, cheese boards, roasted meats, freshly roasted vegetables and delicious desserts.
There was also an “available daily” gluten-free pantry where I could see all the items on offer throughout the day – this included gluten-free English muffins, gluten-free bagels, baguettes, loaves, sesame seed buns, chocolate chip cookies, rice crackers and rice cereals. Seeing branded bread brought me a lot more joy than it should have done – those of us that are gluten-free know too well the struggle of getting on board to find plenty of homemade cornbread that is more akin to a tasteless Victoria sponge than a nice slice of bread!
I’ll admit I couldn’t get close enough to the buffet to see whether the hot food options were allergen marked, however we did notice the dessert options were allergen marked so fingers crossed it would make for easy eating for those of us with allergies!
I’m not sure what the arrangement is on Nieuw Statendam, however on Eurodam we walked along with plates whilst the kitchen staff served the buffet food – ensuring that the staff are in control of the tongs rather than customers hopefully reduces a little cross-contamination risk. Also in the buffet were Coca-Cola self-service machines and beer on tap.
Speciality Dining
Of course I’ve already mentioned the burger bar and pizza bar around the pool area – these two venues along with the lido market and the dining room are all included in the price of your cruise.
If you’d like something a little bit different and more intimate there are also a selection of additional cost restaurants onboard Nieuw Statendam including Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, an authentic Italian restaurant, and Tamarind, which includes a taste of Asia.
You can also enjoy 24-hour room service which is included in the cost of your cruise.
Overall thoughts on Holland America Nieuw Statendam
It’s hard to make a decision based on just a few hours…no, actually that’s a lie. I was only halfway around the ship when I decided I just HAVE to try a cruise on her someday!
Nieuw Statendam has been cruising Europe, and is due to go Transatlantic in October 2019 ready to sail the Caribbean.
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Not sure if you had the opportunity to cruise Holland. But, if you do make sure you book the orange room for dining. Unreal experience for gluten free.