Condition of Noordam

We have sailed on HAL only once, on Oosterdam, just as it came out of dry dock in May 2016 to Alaska, SA Suite. I just came across what seems to be a very good itinerary for 8 days to Alaska from Vancouver, round trip, on Noordam. I started reading about the ship and found many comments about it being in need of upgrades, but planed refurbishment is being postponed. In fact, it appears that the very cruise I am looking to book is a newly scheduled cruise in the time slot earlier designated for that refurbishment. To those who recently been on Noordam, what is your opinion of the ship vs Oosterdam. We sailed NCL Breakaway, Gem, Dawn; RCCL Alure, Explore, Grandure, Rapsody; Celebrity Equinox and similar ships. That said, we liked Oosterdam very much. Is Noordam a ship for us or would it be a great disappointment compared to other ships I have listed? As much as itinerary is important to us, the condition of the ship is just as important. Thank you all who will reply.

We have sailed on HAL only once, on Oosterdam, just as it came out of dry dock in May 2016 to Alaska, SA Suite. I just came across what seems to be a very good itinerary for 8 days to Alaska from Vancouver, round trip, on Noordam. I started reading about the ship and found many comments about it being in need of upgrades, but planed refurbishment is being postponed. In fact, it appears that the very cruise I am looking to book is a newly scheduled cruise in the time slot earlier designated for that refurbishment. To those who recently been on Noordam, what is your opinion of the ship vs Oosterdam. We sailed NCL Breakaway, Gem, Dawn; RCCL Alure, Explore, Grandure, Rapsody; Celebrity Equinox and similar ships. That said, we liked Oosterdam very much. Is Noordam a ship for us or would it be a great disappointment compared to other ships I have listed? As much as itinerary is important to us, the condition of the ship is just as important. Thank you all who will reply.

We just got off the Noordam in Sydney 12 days ago. The condition of the ship is very good considering it’s age and traffic.They are currently upgrading a couple of minor public rooms. We spent 28 days on board. We have a fantastic trip. The ship is only part of the experience. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The food was outstanding. The fellow passengers were respectable and friendly. My advise would be if the itinerary is what your looking for will you will receive excellent value for your money.

We are planning to rebook the same trip in a couple of years.

This was our 18 cruise. The first with HAL. We are sold on there passenger experience

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I was on the Noordam from Vancouver to Seward and found the ship in good condition. Hopefully, I will be heading back to Denali on Noordam in 2019.

Schooner-ca. We are on the Noordam in March 40 days sydney to Vancouver, did you have any lectures etc on board during your sea days? Thank you

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I was on Noordam this summer for an Alaskan cruise. I enjoyed Alaska but didn't care for HAL. The Royal Caribbean ships are much more my style - brighter and nicer, staff is friendly, etc.

Food, service and entertainment on HAL was average. HAL was good with my transfers after the cruise. We usually had the best dock at each port and arrived early to ports.

Go and enjoy Alaska! The ship is the transportation to destination. For my next cruise to Alaska, I'll probably choose another cruise line.

Patti

We have sailed on HAL only once, on Oosterdam, just as it came out of dry dock in May 2016 to Alaska, SA Suite. I just came across what seems to be a very good itinerary for 8 days to Alaska from Vancouver, round trip, on Noordam. I started reading about the ship and found many comments about it being in need of upgrades, but planed refurbishment is being postponed. In fact, it appears that the very cruise I am looking to book is a newly scheduled cruise in the time slot earlier designated for that refurbishment. To those who recently been on Noordam, what is your opinion of the ship vs Oosterdam. We sailed NCL Breakaway, Gem, Dawn; RCCL Alure, Explore, Grandure, Rapsody; Celebrity Equinox and similar ships. That said, we liked Oosterdam very much. Is Noordam a ship for us or would it be a great disappointment compared to other ships I have listed? As much as itinerary is important to us, the condition of the ship is just as important. Thank you all who will reply.

We did an Alaska cruise on Noordam this spring. We were underwhelmed by the ship. Maybe sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam earlier in the year made us less accepting of the Noordam.

We considered the itinerary you are looking at but since it is on the Noordam, which will not have been refurbished, it is unlikely we will book. And Noordam was our favorite ship at one time :(

We were on her in May in a signature suite. We found the overall public rooms good, But were disappointed in our suite. They still have the old TVs on The desk. The bathroom was spacious but the pinky beige counters and tubs need refurbishment. One of the chairs on the balcony needed replacement desperately. We were comfortable, but had expected more. The food and staff were very good.

We were on her in May in a signature suite. We found the overall public rooms good, But were disappointed in our suite. They still have the old TVs on The desk. The bathroom was spacious but the pinky beige counters and tubs need refurbishment. One of the chairs on the balcony needed replacement desperately. We were comfortable, but had expected more. The food and staff were very good.

Thank you for the reminder of the pinky beige counters. >shudder< :) I completely agree with the "had expected more". That's exactly how we felt.

We did an Alaska cruise on Noordam this spring. We were underwhelmed by the ship. Maybe sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam earlier in the year made us less accepting of the Noordam.

 

 

We considered the itinerary you are looking at but since it is on the Noordam, which will not have been refurbished, it is unlikely we will book. And Noordam was our favorite ship at one time :(

It's an amazing itinerary for roundtrip cruise, isn't it? We have been to Alaska twice and I never came upon a sailing that has both Haines and Icy Straight Point. We have been to Juneu and Ketchikan twice, once to Sitka and Skagway. Is this itenerary that rare?

Thank you all for your replies. If anyone has recent pictures of the cabins, can you please post them.There are a lot of pictures here on CC, but I am not sure from how long ago are they. BTW, this time we are looking to book balcony cabin, not suite ( too expensive).

It's an amazing itinerary for roundtrip cruise, isn't it? We have been to Alaska twice and I never came upon a sailing that has both Haines and Icy Straight Point. We have been to Juneu and Ketchikan twice, once to Sitka and Skagway. Is this itenerary that rare?

Thank you all for your replies. If anyone has recent pictures of the cabins, can you please post them.There are a lot of pictures here on CC, but I am not sure from how long ago are they. BTW, this time we are looking to book balcony cabin, not suite ( too expensive).

I have not-much desire to go back to ISP, but am intrigued by Haines. However, I don't think we are intrigued enough that we will take the Noordam. I can take the fast ferry from Skagway to Haines, if I am that interested. Not expensive, and not a lot of time to get there from Skagway.

Like VennDiagram, the Noordam was once our favorite ship. We had many cruises on her. The last in February of 2012. She had lost her “sparkle”. We much prefer the NA. However, I cruise for itinerary first.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If anyone has recent pictures of the cabins, can you please post them.There are a lot of pictures here on CC, but I am not sure from how long ago are they. BTW, this time we are looking to book balcony cabin, not suite ( too expensive).

My balcony cabin looked just like the picture in the catalog. Just think old, orange carpet!

Patti

We did the Trans Atlantic in a SS suite on the Koningsdam recently

The bathroom has a jacuzzi tub without a shower curtain and no shower head. It has a pull up wand which will deposit water on the bathroom floor if the user is not careful

The tub is not U shaped but more of a shallow V. My wife complained that only someone with a small posterior would be comfortable

The shower stall at the end of the bathtub was small also

I dropped my face cloth and had to open the glass door and step out to retrieve it!!

We agreed that the HAL ships prior to the Kdam had better tub/shower arrangements

Why even consider a ship that has seen its better days? I would have big time buyers remorse.

We enjoyed our cruise on Noordam this past summer but do agree it is in need of refurbishment. The staff was great and the food good(not great). We were in a Neptune Suite and it was very nice, the bathroom was adequate, but agree about the separate shower, we used it once and then opted for the tub/shower combo as the shower stall was not set up for actual use, the shower head was either too high and sprayed on the floor or too low to use...the tub/shower combo was fine.

It is an older ship so if you are looking for the sparkle of a new build this won't be for you.

Why even consider a ship that has seen its better days? I would have big time buyers remorse.

Well, I guess in our case it's all about an itinerary that I'm not finding elsewhere.

Well, I guess in our case it's all about an itinerary that I'm not finding elsewhere.

We did the 14 day RT Seattle Alaska cruise a few years ago. I booked it despite having major misgivings about the ship. Yes the itinerary was great. And my misgivings about the ship were completely justified. We were at a large dinner table (fixed) and everyone else at our table swore they'd not sail HAL again, ever. Because of the sub-standard condition of the ship, the bad food, the overall feeling of "bargain basement" (and that cruise is in no way a bargain basement one). Our cabin neighbours said the same thing, too, after having no resolution to the plumbing issues in their cabin for days and days after boarding.

Different ship, same concerns, on this particular itinerary. Yes I want the itinerary but ...

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? Shame on me.

Schooner-ca. We are on the Noordam in March 40 days sydney to Vancouver, did you have any lectures etc on board during your sea days? Thank you

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

No. We did not. One of our dinner companions did. He was happy with them. We spent our sea days on the back deck reading. We had very good weather for most of the trip.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

Different ship, same concerns, on this particular itinerary. Yes I want the itinerary but ...

.

What ship were you on? Thanks, Shirley

What ship were you on? Thanks, Shirley

The ship that I didn't want to take, but did for the 14 day Alaska itinerary, has since left the fleet (Statendam).

We were on Noordam in a Neptune suite Vancouver to Sydney and got off on 22 Oct. It was still on the "old" colour scheme in the cabin but the overall condition of the ship and fittings etc was excellent. Our only complaint would be the small TV. It is due to be refurbished April 2018 (I think).

As discussed elsewhere we did notice the cutback in the cruise directors staff and on board activities. That was not an issue for us as we do our own thing most of the time.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[quote name= It is due to be refurbished April 2018 (I think).

Sent from my iPad using Forums[/quote]

Has this been confirmed? I can't find anything online. Also will the refurbishment be extensive to bring it in line with the work done on Westerdam?

I'm looking into potential family vacations with my parents and sibilings (age group 20s/30s and mid 50s) for January 2019 and would consider Noordam in the Westerdam condition.

Additionally if I can go slightly off topic does Holland America attract a younger age group over the January break?

We boarded the Noordam today for 16 nights to the South Pacific. At the last

moment we were upgraded, free of charge, to a SY Suite. General condition of the ships is good. However, it is in need of a refurb which I believe it is receiving in a few months. Only disappointment is that the Retreat has been entirely removed and won’t be back up until the refurb.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We boarded the Noordam today for 16 nights to the South Pacific. At the last

moment we were upgraded, free of charge, to a SY Suite. General condition of the ships is good. However, it is in need of a refurb which I believe it is receiving in a few months. Only disappointment is that the Retreat has been entirely removed and won’t be back up until the refurb.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

(bolding by me)

I really don't want to hijack this thread but it really would be interesting to have a drydock/refurbishment for Noordam confirmed for 2018. When we booked a cruise for November 2018 we were assured by the cruise consultant on board Prinsendam that a drydock would take place in May 2018 - so we booked despite rather high prices. On the other hand I noticed no free time slot in 2018 - after sailing NZ, Australia and the South Pacific Noordam is due to sail the Alaskan waters. There seem to be 2 weeks "free" time in 2019 though. So who can give exact information about the correct dates and when will that be? HAL obviously doesn't give that information - there's nothing on the website, even if the deckplans for Noordam show plans before and after May 2018.

(bolding by me)

 

 

 

I really don't want to hijack this thread but it really would be interesting to have a drydock/refurbishment for Noordam confirmed for 2018. When we booked a cruise for November 2018 we were assured by the cruise consultant on board Prinsendam that a drydock would take place in May 2018 - so we booked despite rather high prices. On the other hand I noticed no free time slot in 2018 - after sailing NZ, Australia and the South Pacific Noordam is due to sail the Alaskan waters. There seem to be 2 weeks "free" time in 2019 though. So who can give exact information about the correct dates and when will that be? HAL obviously doesn't give that information - there's nothing on the website, even if the deckplans for Noordam show plans before and after May 2018.

Cruise mapper.com confirms there is no drydock gap in 2018, so I'd say it won't happen then. As I posted earlier the ship was in great shape last month.

In my opinion the best persons to ask would be an onboard cruise consultant, or the Noordam captain or engineer at the Q&A session.