Nieuw Amsterdam - Eastern Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale
Holland America's Signature-class Nieuw Amsterdam sails a classic 7-night Eastern Caribbean loop from Fort Lauderdale, calling at Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, and the line's private island RelaxAway at Half Moon Cay. With refined dining, the Lincoln Center Stage music venue, and B.B. King's Blues Club, this is a premium mid-size ship experience through the best of the Eastern Caribbean.
Price Range
$$
Mid-Range
*Prices vary by cabin type, sailing date, and availability. Confirm rates with Holland America Line before booking.
Ship Details — Nieuw Amsterdam
View full Nieuw Amsterdam details
Year Built
2010
Tonnage
86,700 GT
Passengers
2,106
Crew
929
Decks
12
Class
Signature
Itinerary & Route Map
Loading map…
Where this cruise calls, day by day
6 ports and 2 sea days over 7 Nights.
- Day 1Fort Lauderdale, FL port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Fort Lauderdale, FL
United StatesDepart Day 2 · At sea
- Day 3Grand Turk port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Grand Turk
Turks and Caicos IslandsPort - Day 4San Juan port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
San Juan
Puerto RicoPort - Day 5Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
U.S. Virgin IslandsPort Day 6 · At sea
- Day 7Half Moon Cay port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Half Moon Cay
BahamasPort - Day 8Fort Lauderdale, FL port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
Fort Lauderdale, FL
United StatesArrive
What to know about this sailing
Drawn from 17 traveler threads about Nieuw Amsterdam on Eastern Caribbean routes (2014–2025), 251 threads about the route on other ships, the itinerary data and the port notes above.
This four-port set is a Carnival Corporation staple, and the order is geographic: Grand Turk first as the nearest call, then east to San Juan and St. Thomas on consecutive days, a sea day back west, and Half Moon Cay on the last full day before Fort Lauderdale. The private island therefore closes the week rather than opening it, and the two real port cities land mid-cruise. The same stops turn up in route threads going back to 2015 on Carnival Glory among others, which is why a 2024 poster listed every one of them among the ports they were tired of; Nieuw Amsterdam's version differs in the ship, not the map. That is the comparison that matters. Nieuw Statendam, Holland America's newer Pinnacle-class ship, runs an eastern loop from the same pier for about the same fare, but its map swaps San Juan and St. Thomas for Amber Cove and Nassau, so the choice between the two Holland America easterns is old ship with real ports against new ship with resort compounds. Royal Princess covers San Juan and St. Thomas from Fort Lauderdale for slightly less, Celebrity Edge for a couple of hundred more, and Carnival Horizon takes nine nights over the same three islands for the least of any of them.
The Nieuw Amsterdam threads are about who the ship is for. A couple in their twenties and thirties who did this eastern loop in December 2016 called it relaxing and enjoyable, then went looking for a younger line and were sent to Celebrity and Princess; replies pushed a 2022 poster who is not a beach person toward the ship's nine-night version over Norwegian Escape on itinerary and food. Two 2023 threads from parents of teenagers got the same answer: a Holland America regular counted about ten teens on a March-break sailing, half of whom never used the teen club, while another reply argued a Royal Caribbean megaship at spring break is its own nightmare and that free ice cream, Dive-In burgers and a late buffet keep teenagers fed if not entertained. A 2025 poll on main-dining food put Holland America first by a distance. The warning is condition. A 2025 poster fresh off the ship described buckets in the corridors catching leaks, failing air-conditioning and a fan issued to make the cabin bearable, and said never again on this hull; a Holland America loyalist replied that they had heard the same, which is the strongest reason in the archive to price Nieuw Statendam before booking, unless San Juan and St. Thomas are the point. This suits adults who want Old San Juan and Magens Bay on a quiet ship with good food and can live with an older hull; not families expecting a teen scene, and not anyone for whom a hot cabin would wreck the week.
Questions about this sailing
Is Nieuw Amsterdam's Eastern Caribbean cruise a good choice with teenagers?
Only with realistic expectations. On a 2023 thread, a family with about a dozen Holland America cruises counted roughly ten teenagers on a mid-March sailing, about half of whom stayed with their parents rather than use the teen club; another reply from the same year said spring-break weeks bring more of them, and that a Royal Caribbean megaship in that week is a crowd problem of its own. Siblings who entertain each other do fine, per an Alaska thread from the same parents; a lone teen on a 2022 sailing was bored silly.
Nieuw Amsterdam or Nieuw Statendam for the Eastern Caribbean?
They are different trips at nearly the same fare. Nieuw Amsterdam's loop has the two real ports, Old San Juan and St. Thomas, plus Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay; Nieuw Statendam's swaps the cities for Amber Cove and Nassau. The ship is the other half of the answer: a 2025 poster reported leaks and failing air-conditioning on Nieuw Amsterdam, a reply said it needs the kind of refresh Celebrity Summit got, and another noted it has far less public space than the Pinnacle-class ships. Pick Nieuw Amsterdam for the ports, Nieuw Statendam for the ship.
Eastern or Western Caribbean for a first cruise or honeymoon?
A 2015 honeymoon thread put this exact eastern loop (Grand Turk, St. Thomas, San Juan, Half Moon Cay) against a Cozumel, Montego Bay and Grand Cayman week, and the eastern won for beaches: the U.S. Virgin Islands, Trunk Bay on St. John, and ports posters called richer, less crowded and cleaner. The western case is history and mainland adventure, ruins and jungle, which the eastern lacks outside Puerto Rico. One reply cautioned that August through October is hurricane season on either side.
Onboard Amenities
Cruise Highlights
About the Ship
What Travelers Say About Nieuw Amsterdam
Reviews of the ship itself — the same for every Nieuw Amsterdam sailing. Distilled from 85 traveler threads, passenger reviews and travel blogs.
Nieuw Amsterdam is a 2010 Signature-class, midsize Holland America ship carrying around 2,100 guests at double occupancy. It punches above its size on dining - widely regarded as one of the best-fed fleets in its segment - and on service, with a refined, traditional and unhurried vibe that skews toward an older, sophisticated crowd.
What People Love
- Among the best dining in the Holland America fleet, with strong specialty venues including Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind, Canaletto and the Morimoto by Sea added in 2024
- Midsize ship at around 2,100 guests, so venues rarely feel crowded and the atmosphere stays relaxed and uncrowded
- Outstanding for Alaska - the bow opens to passengers for excellent glacier and wildlife viewing
Common Complaints
- Cabins feel dated and small by modern standards, with worn decor and compact bathrooms cited as in need of refurbishment
- Skews heavily older, with an average passenger in their early sixties and programming aimed at a 55-plus crowd
- Mobility traffic - scooters and walkers in narrow hallways are noted by some guests