More or less live from the Noordam, 10/31/13 Journey to the New World

[innlady1]

Thank you 1 of 4 for the snow report. That's exciting and you made DH very happy. I have been doing 15 squats every time I use the bathroom in our cabin, so that should help me build up my strength.

 

We are really loving this cruise. If HAL hadn't come up with their silly new wine policy, I could see them becoming our favorite cruise line.

 

Don't get me started on that! It is such a shame...especially on these port intensive Mediterranean cruises where it's such fun to find new and interesting wines to enjoy on the ship. :(

[PunkiC]

In answer to your question, the crew are very nice, but not quite as nice as the primarily Filipino crew on Princess. I notice it most of all in the dining room where the service just isn't perfect.

Day Five, Cadiz, Spain

DH bounded out of bed bright and early and went to the gym, but I was still tired and stayed in bed until almost 8:00 a.m. Sometimes you just need to be lazy. When I finally got up I did some stretching and squats, while listening to my Spanish CDs, but I still have to do my push-ups and planks.

We poked around doing hand-laundry and getting ready and missed breakfast that ended at 10:00 a.m. Don’t they know this is vacation? Since they weren’t serving breakfast at 10:30 a.m., we had to settle for small sandwiches while we waited for the lunch service that started at 11:00 a.m. Princess always has food of some sort available so this was a bit of a surprise. When lunch finally opened, I followed my little sandwich with a cup of corn/pepper soup and a bit of salad.

Then our day in Cadiz began.

The ship docks right downtown in Cadiz and the Hop On/Hop Off was right outside the port so we decided to take it. At 17 Euros it wasn’t the amazing bargain that we found in Alicante (7 Euros), but it is still a great way to see the whole city fairy economically. It was quite cool today (in the 60s F) so most folks were wearing jackets to be comfortable.

Did you know that Cadiz is the oldest city in Western Europe? Neither did I. They had some Roman digs near the cathedral, but we were too lazy to go look at them up close. With all of the really old castles and cathedrals in Europe, even we Seattleites, who think that a 100 year-old house like ours is ancient, start getting a little jaded

We did go to El Corte Ingles to complete our stash of wine for the crossing. We now have enough to get us all the way to Fort Lauderdale. ;) We have also been on a quest for plain old Listerine but all of the Listerine we have found in Spain is flavored. Yuk! We finally found some mysterious amber mouthwash but I have yet to try it and have no idea how it tastes. In retrospect, there are things we should have bought in Dubai where they sell everything you can imagine, but we weren’t thinking about it at the time.

After returning to the ship, we rested again before dinner. DH on the deck reading the Times Digest and me on the bed reading my book with my Spanish CDs playing in the background. I think I absorb some of it by osmosis.

They had a Mediterranean Grill tonight out on the Terrace Grill. Nothing really appealed to me (I am such a finicky eater) so I decided o go into the Lido. Guess what? When they have special meals on the Terrace Grill, they don’t open the Lido. Well they did have the pizza and pasta station open so I had a plate of pasta inside (it was getting cold outside) an was soon joined by DH with his huge plate of Mediterranean grill foods, and the two other couples whom we had met in Todis in Civitavecchia and really like came along and joined us so it turned out to be a great time. Another couple at the table next to us also joined into our wine conversations and turned it into a party. We were some of the very few people in the Lido. J

After dinner we went down to the Ocean Bar to dance and I was please to be able to dance all the way through every dance for an entire set. My ankle and hip are finally healing up but I am still using the cane to protect myself from falling on the irregular streets and moving ship. When we dance, DH gets to be my cane.

We stopped in the store to look at moisturizer on our way back to our cabin and got talking with a clerk. He had an issue with acne and I was telling him about my Murad AHA/ABA cleanser which works miracles on black heads and acne. He was very interested so I told him to give me a small container and I would bring him some to try. He told us to wait a minute and when he came back with the small container for the cleaner, it also contained a full jar of the moisturizer I had considered buying. That was a pretty pleasant surprise. ;) Now I certainly don’t have to worry about running out of moisturizer on our crossing.

We have one more stop in the Azores on our way to Fort Lauderdale, but I don’t imagine that the shopping will be all that great so I am happy to be thoroughly supplied with everything I need. I could use some more Vaseline which I slather on my eyes and lips at night, but I think I have enough to get by.

We are now in open water and getting a little ship action even in our cabin which is midships on the Verandah Deck so I would imagine that folks really feeling it up in the bow and in the stern, especially on deck 10. Neither of us have issues with nausea (old sailors that we are) but this is enough movement to get to those with tender tummies.

[erewhon]

Thank you for your reports from the Noordam.

[innlady1]

Thank you for your report. We took the Hop On/Hop Off Bus in Cadiz only...what a great way to get an overview of the city. We stayed on the bus, though. Next time, we'll use it in the other ports.

You're correct...not much decent shopping in Ponta Delgada...we did a tour with Rui Medeiros, and his driver stopped at the pineapple gardens - they had a lovely shop there, however.

I did buy some local wine at the port...

[PunkiC]

Day Six, the first Sea Day on the Atlantic

Today is the first day of our crossing the Atlantic and we are getting involved in real cruise type stuff.

We started the day with stretches and work outs and then went to breakfast in the Lido. I guess we really should try breakfast in the dining room but we never think about it and we really enjoy sitting with lots of different folks in the Lido and learning about them and their cruise experiences. I have also grown quite fond of the Eggs Florentine in the Lido.

After breakfast, we did check out the Dancing with the Stars class and were even more disappointed in the waltz class than we were in the jive. They were teaching a routine and lots of competitive hand moves to novices and it just wasn’t working. Dance classes on a ship should really be geared to teaching newbies enough to enjoy dancing on the ship not to do competitive routines that would look ridiculous in the Ocean Bar. Groan. L Another good reason to go back to Princess and Cunard.

Following the dance class we walked around a bit and then went back to the Queens Lounge/Culinary Arts Center to watch KK (the ship’s location guide) give a lesson in cooking paella, including samples. It was very interesting and very delicious. Since she so loves cooking, I am going to give her some of our amazing family recipes. DH’s mother’s aunt worked in the royal kitchen of Franz Josef, the last emperor of Austria, passed down some really fantastic recipes. Of course, they assume you have a staff of 66 to help with the prep work, but now and then they are well worth making.

When we left the cooking class DH spotted a bunch of porpoises jumping in the waves. We had swells of about 12 feet and the porpoises (there had to be at least a dozen of them) were loving playing in the bow wake. Very nice afternoon entertainment.

We then decided to head up to the Crow’s Nest to see how the ship action felt from the top, forward. There was lots of movement, but not so much that we didn’t enjoy the Trivia Game which was just beginning. We joined a team with three other people and got 7 right out of 14. I guess that’s about average. It was lots of fun.

After a bit more wandering around, we found a Mexican buffet on the Terrace Grill and we both made ourselves taco salads which we took inside and ate with a charming couple from Vancouver. Almost neighbors. Following lunch, DH wanted to do another tour around the food and grabbed something chocolate for dessert, which we enjoyed with another delightful couple from Jamaica. Meeting folks is one of our very favorite parts of cruising.

As everyone knows, a short siesta following lunch is mandatory on a crossing. ;) There were several interesting choices for activities this morning, but this afternoon, not so much, so DH is going to watch tennis for a while and I will read. I must say that we enjoyed the physical activities on Princess much more than the physical activities on HAL. On our crossing last spring on Princess we had tap dancing lessons, real ballroom dance lessons, and Zumba every day, while HAL focuses mostly on bridge. I guess that’s OK relaxing on a ship is a very good thing, but it does make it harder to get exercise.

Tonight we had dinner in the main dining room at a sharing table with six other people—all Canadians. I had fish cakes for an appetizer, a Caesar salad and white fish for dinner. I am not a very adventuresome eater and am usually happier with a simple plate of pasta in the Lido, but DH really likes to try lots of different things so we go to the MDR.

There really wasn’t much that appealed to us after dinner as there was no music for ballroom dancing for two hours and we didn’t feel like going to the show so we went to the shop to deliver the cleanser I had promised the charming clerk and then decided to go rest. Of course, I fell asleep and DH was too sweet to waken me, so that was the end of our evening. I am fighting off a cold so it I a good thing that I am getting lots of rest.

The ship action has gradually subsided and I sort of miss being rocked to sleep. ;)

[sail7seas]

What wonderful reports. I'm really enjoying sailing along with you.

Thanks so much for sharing with us.

 

Hope you are fighting off the cold and feel better soon. :)

Enjoy.

[mamaofami]

I'm really enjoying your thread. I hope you don't get that cold. It's refreshing to read your report since someone who just came back from the Noordam reported that it's looking shabby.

 

Do you know who the captain is?

[innlady1]

I hope you have more success than I did fighting off your cold! I developed one on our crossing and still have it! Enjoy Ponta Delgada...try to take a tour to see the lakes...they are magnificent.

Edited November 6, 2013 by innlady1

[mamaofami]

Those lingering colds seem to come along with the cruise fun. Not a good way to end a vacation. Hope the OP and Innlady feel better soon.

[bcnvcanada]

Enjoying your report. One question though, Where is Todis that you got the wine in Civitavecchia? Is it near the post office? We leave next week for our crossing. Thanks

[comfortcove]

Thanks for your reports, it sounds like a relaxing cruise. I too am concerned about the report of Noordam being beat up and shabby. Another thread makes the cabins sound like a Days Inn type ambiance! We sail next month.

 

Enjoy your crossing!

[PunkiC]

Day Seven, another beautiful Sea Day on the Atlantic

Thanks for your condolences on my cold. Fortunately I have some Vicks and Dayquil so I am in pretty decent shape. I also got a flu shot right before we left so I think I am covered. When I travel, I always take some Vicodin and a round of antibiotics, just in case, but I have never yet had to use them.

With regard to the Todis in Civitavecchia, it is straight up Corso Centocelle (the main street) from the McDonalds at the port gate, an easy walk. The cross street is Viale Guido Baccelli. This is definitely the place to buy wine. We bought wines that were as inexpensive as 2 Euros and they were all good. In Alicante we were paying 6 or 7 Euros per bottle and one of them was really bad. We should have gone instead to El Corte Ingles where they were selling good wines in the 3-4 Euro range. Go figure.

I have no idea what would have prompted someone to describe the Noordam as shabby. It is a beautiful ship and it is in very good shape. The mirror in our bathroom medicine cabinet door has a couple of spots where the mirroring is flaking, but other than that, everything is perfect.

One thing I don’t like in our cabin is the fact that we have a stool instead of a chair at the desk—I like the back support. When we first arrived we had asked our steward to remove all of the contents of our refrigerator. We later discovered that he had place all of the contents in the storage space under the stool. That was a little disappointing as that is where we had planned to stash some of our wine. ;)

We just love, love, love sea days so this is a wonderful cruise for us. The sun is shining with intermittent rain showers creating beautiful rainbows over the ocean. I suspect that this crossing is much more pleasant than the Mayflower.

DH got up at 6:00 and did laps around the promenade deck. I kept the bed warm until at least 8:00 a.m. before getting up to do some exercises, and hand laundry and get ready or breakfast.

After a very leisurely breakfast we went down to Deck 4 where they were scheduled to have traditional Noordam Atlantic Crossing Pea Soup, but it was too windy so they moved it to the back of the Lido deck. I still haven’t figured out all of the story behind the tradition, but it was fun and very well attended. The Captain was there with his gorgeous little boy who has blond curls and big blue eyes. He must have been about 18 months old. I believe he is the only baby on board. Possibly the only child.

Following the pea soup party, I decided to give bridge a try. I attended a beginning class and then played a couple of hands with some shipboard friends. While it has always seemed quite mysterious, bridge is pretty much the same as any other card game with suits, trump, etc. I will go to classes throughout the cruise and see how much I learn. Who knows where this could lead.

After bridge, I finally hooked back up with DH up in the Lido and had bite of salad We are going to late dinner with friends so we decided to rest a bit now and have another small bite around 4:00 or 5:00 to carry us until 8:00. We never eat that late.

We just can’t get used to the fact that on HAL the Lido is not always open, so our plan for a bit of salad was foiled again. The only thing we could find was some awful HAL pizza (not even close to wonderful Princess pizza) and some pasta, which is very, very good. We had them fix up a small plate of penne with garlic, onions, tomato, black olives and capers with some meatless red sauce and parmesan, which we shared. We only ate about half of it, but that was enough to hold us over until dinner.

We dressed for formal night (DH loves to wear his Armani tux) and went downstairs. We checked out the show “Rock Legends” but were very underwhelmed and after three songs went to the Ocean Bar to get in a few dances before dinner. We sat next to a Mexican couple who did not speak English and I was thrilled that somehow my newbie Spanish covered everything we wanted to say. I am liking learning Spanish a lot.

Our new shipboard friends (two couples) have set dining at 8:00 at a table for 8, so they had invited us to join them. Our travel agent had gifted us a bottle of Champagne, so we took it along to share with the table. We had a wonderful time and were once again the last people to leave the dining room, which for us is a very common occurrence. We all talk a lot.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention that when we first arrived in our stateroom, there were balloons on the door and we had received the champagne, a bottle of Scotch and two bottles of vodka as gifts. Joe likes Scotch but has decided to take the bottle home. I like vodka and have been enjoying a drink before dinner. We don’t really like Champagne all that much but this was way better than what we have had on Princess and it was fun to share it with our friends. We still have no idea why we received the balloons, but they sure make it easier to find our cabin. ;)

 

Don't worry about the condition of the ship. It is just lovely--some people just like to complain. As to the Captain, yes I know him by sight and he knows me so we always chat a bit when we see each other, but I forgot his name. He is very charming and friendly. I will figure it out and post it tomorrow.

Edited November 7, 2013 by PunkiC

[comfortcove]

Thanks so much for the reports on condition of the Noordam, all I have read everywhere is that she is an elegant ship. DH might remove of my family travel agent in chief role if I booked a bad ship! We sail in twenty nine days! I have had that stool experience as well. Stewards use it for linen storage sometimes too.

 

Your cruise sounds lovely and relaxing. I hope you feel well soon. I am going to get a flu and pneumonia shot today, if possible. I had both last December and do not want to repeat that this year. thanks for the reminder! We were in a hotel mid month when i got sick, and came home to drag through the holidays

 

 

Have you visited the piano bar? Are they offering any photo or apple product classes onboard? The bridge lessons sound like a great thing to do transatlantic. Enjoy everything!

[bcnvcanada]

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE DIRETIONS TO TODIS. We are thinking that

we will make two trips so that we can bring back 12 bottles for the crossing. Thanks again.

[PunkiC]

Day Eight, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

Our cruise is half over. L They popped our bubble by putting disembarkation information in our mail box this morning. What’s up with that?

Before I forget, the Captain is Jeroen Van Donselaar, and the Hotel Director is Mark Pells, according to the invitation that cordially invites us to a Mariner Society Lunch, tomorrow at noon. This will be our first such lunch and probably our last as we won’t be sailing HAL again if they don’t modify their new wine policy. Too bad as there are many things we really like about HAL.

It was very cool and misty as we were docking in Ponta Delgada, but it looks like the overcast may burn off as the day progresses. I hope so. I don’t mind it being cool, but I don’t like it being misty or rainy.

After our workouts the overcast had burned off and we were blessed with the most gorgeous rainbow that covered the town from one end to the other. It was so perfect that we were wondering if they had just painted it on the sky. The crazy thing is that it stayed there for about an hour, putting on quite an amazing show for the tourists. After taking several dozen pictures of the rainbow, we headed up to breakfast and found that they had already closed down the poached egg station a half hour early. They sure make it hard to eat on this ship. Maybe that’s a good thing.

As we were leaving the ship, heading into town, I heard a baby crying and knew instantly that it must be the Captain’s little boy. As we walked a little farther down the way we saw the Captain, his wife, and maybe the mother-in-law, with the sad little baby. He really wanted a nap. They said they were going to take him back to the ship and let him sleep.

Ponta Delgada is a really nice little port easily accessible on foot and very picturesque. The islands were discovered in the early 1400’s and became an important part of the trade route once the new world was discovered. We wandered around on foot and found a shopping center with free Wifi which we enjoyed for a bit before we headed up to the market, which was mostly fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. Very interesting. After checking out the market, we headed back down to the center of town and visited the cathedral which was started in the early 1500’s and is typical of the architecture here in Ponta Delgado—white stucco with dark lava stone trim. Even the streets and sidewalks are lavishly decorated with local stone in beautiful patterns. When I return to the world of unlimited free internet, I will post some pictures. We wanted to sit in the square and have a glass of wine, but there was this guy doing a very poor imitation of early Dillon in the square and my ears just couldn’t take that, and I really loved early Dillon. As an alternative we wandered back down the shore to the Solmar shopping center where they have decent free internet and had a glass of wine, wrote out the postcards to our kids and relaxed for a while before heading back to the ship.

On the way to the ship we stopped at a very nice wine shop and got a couple more bottles of wine—I am sure we won’t be able to drink it all on the crossing and found a post box to mail our postcards. When we got to the ship we decided to get some late lunch, only to find that the food was pretty limited in the Lido. I ended up having another Mexican salad from the Terrace Grill which I took into the Lido where DH was looking for food. I found him and our new cruise friends who wanted to play some bridge after lunch. I opted for another nap. I am such a good napper. J

Our pre-dinner nap was totally luxurious. We met our friends again at their 8:00 table for dinner. I had a vegetarian Indian dish which was just so/so. I did like the gazpacho. It always amazes me that someone who eats as little as I do can be so fat. L Since I am back into exercising and walking a lot more on the ship and in ports, I can definitely tell that I am firming up again and I think even losing weight. It is totally discouraging to see how far out of shape one can get after spending only three months on the bench. Skiing at Whistler for Thanksgiving awaits our return to North America so I have no choice but to get back in shape.

Maybe I can start a new fad of fitness cruising.

It was amusing to learn while hanging out is Solmars on the free internet, that the girl sitting next to us was reading this blog.

[innlady1]

Mark Pells is a wonderful Hotel Director...very nice and very friendly...he always pulls out all the stops for the Cruise Critic Meet and Greets.

If you're invited to the Q & A with the Captain, Hotel Director, and CD on the last day, can you ask about the wine policy. The HD bristled when I asked on the Nieuw Amsterdam as did the HD on the P-dam when LindaM asked.

We think they've been "warned" by Seattle.

Marco Van Belleghem seemed to be a very funny, friendly, and outgoing Hotel Director so this seemed out of character for him.

Enjoying your reports...enjoy the Crossing. It's so relaxing! And many interesting things going on.

[PunkiC]

What time of day was the Q&A? I don't even mind crashing if I don't get invited.

[innlady1]

What time of day was the Q&A? I don't even mind crashing if I don't get invited.

 

I can't find my invitation but believe it was at 3:00 PM. And held in the Hudson Room. So, on the Noordam, I believe it would be held in either of the two rooms near Explorations Café/Library.

No problem crashing...they didn't check off names or invites...and did give wine go soothe the pain of having to sit through it. :eek:

[innlady1]

If Mark Pells "gets his back up" over this, then we know they've been brainwashed by Seattle. ;) He handled three or four Meet and Greets that I arranged and was always a super friendly, nice guy.

[innlady1]

Punki, the Q and A is at 3:00 PM the day before disembarkation; I don't think I mentioned which day it is. At least that is what it was on both segments of our cruise...

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking us along.

[Fragile-Beauty]

PunkiC

 

I have enjoyed your reports. I was hoping you could find out something for me.

 

We are sailing on the November 15th Caribbean 10 night cruise from FLL. I read on another thread that if the ship has not been in a US port for awhile they will be late embarking on that day due to US safety inspections etc.

 

Can you ask the pursers desk if they know if that is true that they will be undergoing more inspections than usual upon arrival at Fort Lauderdale? If that is the case I will wait until mid afternoon to board as there is no need all of us sitting around the port.

 

thank you

 

Karen

[innlady1]

PunkiC

 

I have enjoyed your reports. I was hoping you could find out something for me.

 

We are sailing on the November 15th Caribbean 10 night cruise from FLL. I read on another thread that if the ship has not been in a US port for awhile they will be late embarking on that day due to US safety inspections etc.

 

Can you ask the pursers desk if they know if that is true that they will be undergoing more inspections than usual upon arrival at Fort Lauderdale? If that is the case I will wait until mid afternoon to board as there is no need all of us sitting around the port.

 

thank you

 

Karen

 

Not Punki here, but we were on the NA on the TA crossing...and she had all the inspections once reentering the USA on 10/27. I believe that is true for all ships. So I'm sure the embarkation is later than usual.

[Cybercsp]

Let me add to the positive comments about Mark Pells. He was a great host. I am hoping that he will still be onboard in April of 2014 when we board.

[PunkiC]

Day Nine, Crossing

Thanks for your comments. I will check with the purser's desk in the morning and see if they know anything about the ship inspection. Yes Mark Pells did appear to be very friendly, but the Captain acts like we are long lost friends. That's pretty nice.

Today we begin the long haul across the ocean with a beautiful sunrise, and some good sized rollers. We are midships on deck 5 and still felt a fair amount of ship action during the night. The people in the cabins up by the Crows Nest must have had a pretty wild ride.

We are gaining an hour every night and I love it and should return from this cruise very well rested. I think the extra sleep is helping me fight off the cold. I had a much better time yesterday than the day before.

I wash all of my clothes by hand and dry them on the deck, along with DH’s gym clothes, but DH, sends his T-shirts, polo shirts, tux shirts, white socks to the laundry. Yesterday he filled a bag with 7 t-shirts, 3 polo shirts, two tux shirts and 8 pair of socks and sent them to the laundry for $30.00. We sent them out in the morning and they were back in the afternoon when we returned to our cabin. We were very surprised by that. It looks like that one bag of laundry will cover us for the whole trip.

Today on the agenda we want to see the presentation “The First Mediterranean People” at 10:00, bridge lessons at 11:00 and lunch with the Captain at 12:00.

We took too long blabbing at breakfast to make it to the lecture at 10:00 a.m., although DH did catch the end of it while I went down and got a copy of our statement to see how much OBC we had left. Since we don’t get the $500 military OBC that we usually get with Princess and only started the cruise with $700, we have to be more careful in our spending, especially since we have to buy all of our internet and pay for our laundry. On a typical Princess cruise of this length we would have started with almost $1,200 OBC.

The intermediate bridge class ran over by twenty minutes, so the beginner’s class started 20 minutes late. Since we also had to leave a little early to make it too the Captain’s lunch, I am not sure how much I learned today. I am sure I will learn more by playing later on in the day.

The Captain’s lunch was fun. He asked us to have our picture taken with him so we did. I am sure they will try to sell it to us. ;) The lunch was pleasant and we met some very nice new folks and enjoyed the lunch and the free champagne.

After lunch, I went to kibbitz the duplicate bridge. I watched carefully and learned a lot. That took from about 2:00 p.m. until 4:15 p.m. The players were impressively supportive and went way out of their way to help me understand what was happening. Now I need to get DH involved. The bridge rooms are always totally packed.

On our way back to our room to rest, we heard the band playing so we went up and got our dance shoes and danced for a couple of hours before we decided to rest before dinner. The band is really quite good.

There are some cruise things that just don’t matter to me, but I will report them anyway for those of you who care. We have had very cute towel animals on our bed every night. DH usually takes pictures. The best part for me about the animals is that they result in an extra towel. J

We aren’t pool people, but there appeared to be lots of vacant lounges for folks who wanted to hang out by the pool, but, of course, this isn’t exactly tropical weather. The chairs on the promenade deck were more crowded with folks happily reading in the sun than they ever are on Princess.

I bring my own books when I travel, but the library appeared to be very well stocked and was always full. In general, people on HAL seem very friendly and sociable.

We once more closed down the dining room with our friends, after which I was ready for bed. I know they have late night entertainment, but 10:30 is about my limit. Am I getting old? ;)