Nieuw Statendam Review
Information of Cruisers interested in Dancing
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This review is intended primarily for those who dance and have cruised before, especially on HAL in previous years, in order to provide information we wished we had had prior to our cruise on the Nieuw Statendam in the spring of 2019. We had read a good many other reviews of the ship prior to booking as well as reviews of her sister ship the Konigsdam to try to get a feel for the musical entertainment and dancing opportunities on board. A couple of these expressed disappointment that dance opportunities to which previous HAL cruisers had become accustomed were substantially curtailed. These were quite accurate. In virtually every other respect we were very pleased with the ship, but more of this later.
The new Pinnacle class ships center their entertainment on “Music Walk,” the deck-two (and partially three-deck) venue for the BB King Blues Club, the Rolling Stone Rock Room, and Billboard Onboard. Each of these venues have dance floors.
BB King shares its two-story venue with Lincoln Center on Stage essentially replacing the Queens Lounges on other vessels. The stage is larger, the dance floor smaller by about 30% and rectangular rather than semi-circular. The floor itself appears to be padded hardwood that is perfect for dancing. Patrons who dance with drinks in their hands often slosh onto the floor, but waiters, when asked will come out and wipe up spills. The need to clean the floor with some frequency leaves it sometimes dry and unwaxed and thus difficult for smooth dancing. The main problem for more serious dancers is that the music in so monotonous (constant fast tempo east coast swing and blues suitable for west coast with only the occasional cha cha or rumba 3-4 times per evening. The genre of music attracts many 60s-free-style dancers (who have every right to the floor), making it very crowded and sometimes frustrating to dance anything other than what they are doing. There are typically three sets per night and one night off for the band per week. Exercise care leaving the dance floor; it is one step up to the exit and it is easy to fall.