• 29 nights onboard ms Amsterdam
• All meals & entertainment onboard
• All port charges
• Flights are NOT included in our pricing, however we can organize unbeatable airfares in conjunction with your cruise - please ask your consultant for details

As a flagship of our five-star fleet the ms Amsterdam is a standard bearer for the line - the very best of the best. Everywhere, discover elegant signature differences. The private Neptune Lounge, reserved for the exclusive use of guests staying in Penthouse and Deluxe Verandah Suites. And from stem to stern, elegant art and antiques fill the ship - over $2 million worth, including the ornate Astrolabe clock tower and carillon in the atrium. Come, experience flagship status with Holland America.

CABINS
The Amsterdam's cabins are lovely and well-appointed.  A large inside double is 182 sq. ft., while a mini-suite is 284 sq. ft. with verandah. But the place to be, if you can afford it, is Navigation Deck. Its two penthouses (1,126 sq. ft. including verandah), and 50 suites (563 sq. ft. including verandah) are served by the Neptune Lounge, where the deck's residents will find a concierge who can take care of tour reservations, alternate dining reservations, and any other special needs. Other perks for Navigation Deck passengers include special tender passes for tender-boarding at will (no waiting for the tours to go first); priority debarkation; and use of the Neptune Lounge while awaiting tenders or ship clearance.

The Neptune Lounge offers snacks, goodies, and specialty coffees all day. Complementary hot and cold hors d'oeuvres can be ordered for cabin consumption, and the night's dinner menu is delivered each day, so you can decide where you want to dine. Amenities also include a special dinner in the Odyssey Italian restaurant, corsage and boutonniere on the first formal evening, exclusive breakfast and lunch service in the King's Room adjacent to the main dining room, and even high tea served en suite if desired. Moreover, laundry and dry cleaning are complimentary! This will be especially enticing for those taking the World Cruise.

ENTERTAINMENT
The Amsterdam offers typical cruise fare-Broadway-style revues, comedians, magicians, and concert artists. The bad news, for me: The Queen's Lounge showroom may be the last remaining bastion of harmonica music. Sometimes I am amazed at what will pass as entertainment, and yet every show was packed; cheers, laughter, and applause were the rule. I think that since the crowd on this ship tends to be older, they were just happy they didn't have to struggle with a VCR to be entertained.

CUISINE
The food in La Fontaine, the main dining room, was very good. Each night, our menu touted five appetizers, three soups, salads, six entrees (including a vegetarian dish), and desserts that kept my wife attached to the treadmill throughout the cruise. This is one of the few ships where the kitchen will cook your fish to order (I like mine rare). Just ask your waiter, who (as on every Holland America cruise we have taken) will learn and remember your dining preferences and peculiarities after the first night.

The centerpiece of La Fontaine is a 1,500 square foot stained glass ceiling featuring flowers in shades of green, orange, blue and yellow. Most passengers will not be aware of the complicated engineering required to install such a massive stained glass ceiling on a ship. In fact, many passengers won't even see its full lighting effect unless they are on time for dinner. The ceiling pours too much light into the dining room for sophisticated dining, so shortly after most are seated, the lights behind the glass go off. A dimmer (at a cost rumored to be $150,000 dollars) will reportedly be installed when the Amsterdam goes into her first dry-dock.

As good as the food is in La Fontaine, make sure you try the alternative Italian restaurant, Odyssey. Unlike most alternative restaurants in the cruise industry, the Odyssey is open for both lunch and dinner, and there is no surcharge for dining there. There is not even a mention of tipping, although the overall experience here motivated me in that direction. Signature dishes are Costoletta di Vitello al Carbone, sage and rosemary broiled veal chop, served on saut,ed eggplant and peppers with roasted red potatoes; Petto de Pollo Rustico, grilled chicken breast with mushroom, tomato concasee and gorgonzola, served on penne pasta; and Osso Buco alla Milanese, braised veal shank in rich red wine sauce with saffron risotto and asparagus. Be sure to make reservations early in your cruise