I booked a New Years cruise on Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam out of San Diego. I had a casino offer for a free Guaranteed Verandah (balcony) Stateroom on the sailing. I added Club Orange to my reservation and was able to get a confirmed Verandah Spa Stateroom on Deck 10. I had never booked a Spa Stateroom and didn’t really know what to expect. Spoiler alert: the only difference I could tell is the proximity to the spa.
The Nieuw Amsterdam is a Signature Class ship that first set sail in 2010. I’ve sailed on two smaller and older HAL ships in the Vista Class (Oosterdam and Zuiderdam) and on two larger and newer ships in the Pinnacle Class (Nieuw Statendam and Koningsdam). This would be my first sailing on a Signature Class ship and my 5th Holland America Line cruise overall.
I was assigned room 10022. Deck 10 and Deck 11 rooms are at the front of the ship and are all Spa class of rooms. There are only 46 staterooms on Deck 10 and only ten staterooms on Deck 11. The staterooms on Deck 10 are just below the Crows Nest and just above the spa and gym.
As you enter the room, the bathroom is on the left and three closets are on the right.
The closets offer plenty of storage. The closet closest to the bed has the safe, robe, beach towels and a yoga mat (one of the benefits of the Spa class room).
My room had the bed closest to the door and the small couch and desk next to the window.
the bed faces a small wall mounted TV. It offers free on demand movies and a couple of live channels, including the NFL Network so I was able to watch the Seahawks play live.
The bed can be set up as one bed or two singles. My bed didn’t have any mattress topper and wasn’t very comfortable. I believe the other Holland America cruises I have been on had a mattress topper. I asked my room steward and he was able to get one.
On either side of the bed is a small table along with light controls and a USB-A power outlet. There are no standard power outlets but there are a couple at the desk.
The small couch and a table are next to the bed. Unlike other staterooms I’ve been in, there is no storage above the couch which make the room feel more open.
Opposite the couch is the desk with mini fridge built in underneath.
The balconies in the Spa Verandahs are smaller than in standard Verandah rooms, at least on Deck 10. The standard balconies are maybe two feet deeper.
The bathroom has a small tub with a handheld shower head and shower curtain. The newer Holland America ships have a shower with glass door.
There is a wood mat under the sink that is another of the spa amenities. I am not sure if you are supposed to use it in the tub or outside the tub, but I ended up moving it out of the bathroom as it took up floor space and a set up for a stubbed toe.
There is really no difference between a Verandah Spa and a standard Verandah stateroom except the location on Deck 10 and 11. I would not pay any amount to upgrade to one of these rooms unless you really had a need to be on Deck 10 or 11.