We were eager to experience this new build after sailing on the first Holland America Pinnacle class ship, the Koningsdam, the previous year. The Nieuw Statendam (NS) is nearly identical to the K’dam and we had a wonderful, relaxing cruise to the ABC islands of the Dutch Caribbean. The most noteworthy change for us over the K’dam was the reconfigured Crow’s Nest, where we spent many hours enjoying the views, reading in comfortable lounge chairs, playing Canasta, and drinking cappuccinos. HAL moved the shore excursions desk to the Crow’s Nest and added numerous interactive digital displays with large maps and photographs of destinations as well as information about the ship’s itinerary, location, speed, etc. There appears to be more seating in the Crow’s Nest than on the K’Dam, with more tables for playing cards and games and an overall roomier feel. There are also two large bookcases with a selection of illustrated “coffee table”-type books focusing on travel, music, fashion, and the arts, so the library that was missed by some on the K’dam has been restored to some extent. Even better, the NS has moved activities such as trivia challenges to Billboard Online so the Crow’s Next is nearly always available to those seeking a pleasant and serene environment to relax in. The other notable change is the area that housed Lincoln Center Stage on the K’Dam (which now shares the Queen’s Lounge area with the B.B. King Blues Band), is now the Rolling Stone Rock Room with a rock band. We enjoyed the classical quintet but otherwise found the entertainment unexceptional (as we do on most cruise lines so we are not singling out HAL or the NS). As usual, the food on HAL was the highlight and the service was satisfactory in all dining venues despite a significant language barrier with some of the staff in the Lido Market buffet. We ate all of our breakfasts and lunches in the Lido Market buffet except for one Mariner’s Society lunch in the main dining room (which, alas, wasn’t as special as one would expect for a luncheon honoring repeat customers). Tea was served daily at 3:00 pm in the main dining and was much better than the tea served on the K’dam the previous year in the Queen’s Lounge. We had five dinners in the main dining room and the food was quite good for the most part. But by the end of the cruise we opted for the comfort and convenience of dinner in the Lido Market. The best dinner in the main dining room was an unannounced special menu one night with each dish created by a member of HAL’s Culinary Council. We also ate once in Rudi’s Sel de Mer and once in the Pinnacle Grill. I have to agree with Cruise Critic’s official reviewer that the specialty restaurants are not worth the upcharge, but I could say the same about our other go-to cruise line, Celebrity. We ate in all the specialty restaurants on K’Dam the previous year and were disappointed by all of them. We decided to give Rudi’s Sel de Mer another chance because of our fondness for Parisian brasseries, but the food, while perfectly fine, is uninspired, about which the same can be said for the Pinnacle Grill. The best thing we had in Sel de Mer was the tarte tatin for dessert. Specialty restaurants are all about charging you extra for expensive proteins like lobster, Dover sole, caviar, and dry-aged steaks, but no protein will save a dish that lacks creativity and flavor. In an effort to appeal to everyone and offend no one, they play it too safe. We were hoping the addition of David Burke items on the new Pinnacle Grill would save that experience, but the tenderloin with lobster dumplings was an epic fail. I had to search with my fork to find the pea-size morsels of lobster in the Chinese-style dumplings. (I have to take their word for it that it was lobster as it lacked any flavor). Worse, the French fries we ordered as a side arrived cold, limp, and greasy. (The no-extra-charge French fries in the Dive-In Grill by the pool are awesome.) Immediately after dinner at the Pinnacle Grill we headed to Guest Services and canceled a second reservation we had made before sailing. We enjoyed our veranda stateroom and the superlative and friendly service provided by our attendants Dede and Sius. The pleasing décor is the same as on the K’dam and the room has ample storage for clothing and other items (though bathroom storage is minimal). There is a good-size television directly opposite the bed with an excellent selection of recent movies (some still in theaters) available at no additional charge. The bathroom seemed a bit smaller than on K’dam but I don’t know if that’s faulty memory on my part. Overall, we wouldn’t hesitate to sail again on this beautiful ship.