All the Bars Onboard HAL Nieuw Amsterdam
Every bar on the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam toured, tested, and reviewed!
Our Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam cruise took us to some fabulous spots in the Caribbean – Aruba, Curacao, and Half Moon Cay (Bahamas). And while those spots were certainly fabulous, there were some spaces on the ship itself that were just as intriguing as the white sand beaches. Nieuw Amsterdam has 9 bars and lounges that are accessible to all passengers onboard. And with Holland America's Have It All package (15 drinks per day, $11 or less), we had a convenient excuse to try out the accessible bars and lounges.
We tried a variety of drinks for our very scientific review. Beach classics like margaritas, mojitos, Mai Tais, and Bahama Mamas. Pre-dinner cocktails like Bee's Knees and the Wasabi (featured in Tamarind). And we sipped on a lot of classic cocktails, too: Negronis, Manhattans, Penicillins, Old Fashioneds, and more.
With all the testing under our belts, we decided to rate the bars using a 1 thru 5 Negroni scale — in honor of Diana's favorite drink. We considered the ambiance, speed of service, and overall quality of the drink. So which bar wins out? Who was our favorite bartender? Watch the video!