Holland America Line Visit the Tyne…

Last week I was fortunate to spend some time on Holland America Lines new ship the Nieuw Statendam when she made her first visit to a UK port, she docked in Newcastle on her 21 days, round-trip Viking Sagas & Northern Isles. What can I say she is stunning I didn’t know what to expect having not been on a Holland America Line ship before but I loved it.

She is a Pinnacle-class ship and sister to the Koningsdam. She’s a very modern ship with beautiful cabins that have a very high-end hotel room feel gorgeous bathrooms with lovely shower enclosures. I was lucky enough to see the interior and an obstructed view balcony so got the feel for both. The corridors have a very light and airy feel. With some very unusual carpets. The artwork around the ship is amazing with lots of quirky pieces,  there’s always something to catch your eye.

The main pool has a retractable roof which was closed whilst in Newcastle and I imagine would be for most of the sailing it was on however it’s great to have this as it was a lovely warm area to sit and relax or even take a dip. The seating was very modern with lovely large beds on the top deck.

She has a Dive-in burger bar and New York pizza served  poolside. The main dining room offers sophisticated dining. Whilst the Lido Market offers amazing buffet choices which looked incredible. Other specialty dining venues were Tamarind an Asian option Canaletto Italian,  Nami Sushi, and Rudi’s Sel DeMer serving timeless French classics.

For entertainment they had an amazing range they have a Music Walk which features  B.B Kings Blues Club to the Lincoln Center Stage showcasing outstanding live chamber music performances then you can move on to the Rolling Stone Rock room. These venues  are all located in the same area and are in addition to the Main theatre offering fantastic shows such as BBC earth experiences projected on the large screens accompanied to music.

The technology is also up-to-date with a buzzer to order drinks by the pool or at your table in the buffet restaurant, you do not need to wait for someone to come round. The crow’s nest holds Explorations Central which is Holland America Lines destination program gives you the opportunity to engage with experts and local insiders making each port of call more vivid and meaningful. They have large interactive screens with maps of up and coming ports and places to visit so if you don’t want to take the organised tour you have all the information needed to do it independently, I loved this as a lot of cruise lines only like to push there own tours and don’t offer much if you want to go alone. Onboard there’s people to give you advice and information needed to be as independent as you wish. 

Holland America Line was a new experience me and one that has left a lasting impression.  Thank you to Carly and Matthew at Holland America Line and Cruise.co. for giving me the opportunity to go onboard.

If you would like more information about Holland America Line  don’t hesitate to drop me an email on [email protected] or call on 0333 300 2639

Thanks for reading

Lauren x x