LIVE from the Noordam-- a Disasterdam

[nb125]

I have a number of close relatives in Britain and love the country, it's culture, history, and many of the people - but you all did go and join the EUROPEAN Union (even though you showed the good sense to retain the GBP), so trying to claim that you are not European makes little more sense than my claiming that, as a Connecticut Yankee, I should not be referred to as American.

 

The people of this Country never chose to join the European Union but that is irrelevant. The phrase Europeans refers to people living in the continent of Europe. On our last cruise we met many American, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders. I would not say I met North Americans and Australasians.

Edited August 2, 2014 by nb125

[Chelly]

This thread has gone way off topic.:eek:

[Aquahound]

Wish that were true here in Florida! We live 2 1/2 hours away from the nearest port (Tampa) & 3 hours from Ft. Lauderdale but have never received special offers for last minute cruises..

 

Maybe it's a HAL thing, or you're just not looking hard enough. I book last minute deals all the time. Were talking oceanviews and verandas at $50/night or less. Every single one of my cruises that are less than 7 nights were booked within a couple weeks of sailing...and that's 4 already this year, with one more I just booked for later this month.

[sapper1]

I guess I missed seeing the second thread before it was merged. In any event, it appears OP never did find anything to his liking on the last five days of his cruise. You'd think he would simply have been glad to get off the ship and try to forget his miserable experience as quickly as possible rather than repeat himself.

 

The two threads did not stay that way for long so you wouldn't be the only one to miss that fact.

 

How hard to please does a person have to be to not have some fun on a cruise? I'll bet there are a number of people in the Third World who would change places with the OP very happily. Heck, I'd change places with him and be happy. I've seen a few broken coffee machines in the past so the horror would be lessened.

[chrispb]

The people of this Country never chose to join the European Union but that is irrelevant.

 

Never mind, we'll soon be out:):):)

 

For those curious about current UK agency prices for the Med, the Noordam is advertised for 11 nights this September leaving Venice:

Inside £879

Outside £969

Balcony £1149

Prices include flights from UK.

This particular agency is offering $50 OBC for balconies only.

[Lizzie68]

I have a number of close relatives in Britain and love the country, it's culture, history, and many of the people - but you all did go and join the EUROPEAN Union (even though you showed the good sense to retain the GBP), so trying to claim that you are not European makes little more sense than my claiming that, as a Connecticut Yankee, I should not be referred to as American.

 

That's baloney, with all due respect. The European union is a trading partner and financial partnership, it does not make Britain a part of Europe or the Brits European. (Not to mention there's a channel in between.) No more than Canada is a part of the US which is its biggest trading partner. But we've gone waaay off topic now, unfortunately.

[Fouremco]

That's baloney, with all due respect. The European union is a trading partner and financial partnership, it does not make Britain a part of Europe or the Brits European. (Not to mention there's a channel in between.) No more than Canada is a part of the US which is its biggest trading partner. But we've gone waaay off topic now, unfortunately.

This is in part an issue of semantics as "Europe/European" can have a different meaning depending upon the context. Great Britain is indeed a part of Europe when considered geographically: it forms part of the European continent. Politically/economically it forms part of the European Union. GB is generally viewed as part of Europe, just not part of the mainland.

 

Yes, Canada isn't part of the USA, but we are all North Americans. So if someone in Great Britain refers to me as being from the Americas, they're quite right. :)

[Lizzie68]

This is in part an issue of semantics as "Europe/European" can have a different meaning depending upon the context. Great Britain is indeed a part of Europe when considered geographically: it forms part of the European continent. Politically/economically it forms part of the European Union. GB is generally viewed as part of Europe, just not part of the mainland.

 

Yes, Canada isn't part of the USA, but we are all North Americans. So if someone in Great Britain refers to me as being from the Americas, they're quite right. :)

 

You need to brush up on your geography. Great Britain is definitely not a part of the European continent.

[peaches from georgia]

You need to brush up on your geography. Great Britain is definitely not a part of the European continent.

Well, the United Kingdom is on all lists and on all maps of the Countries of the European Continent. Last I heard Great Britain is part of the United Kingdom. ;)

 

If Great Britain and the UK are not in the continent of Europe what continent are they part of?

Edited August 2, 2014 by peaches from georgia

[POA1]

You need to brush up on your geography. Great Britain is definitely not a part of the European continent.

Learning time!

 

The European Union Explained*:

 

Edited August 2, 2014 by POA1

[Shmoo here]

You need to brush up on your geography. Great Britain is definitely not a part of the European continent.

 

Yes, Great Britain isn't part of the European continent (since it's an island). However, the United Kingdom is considered part of "Europe". The difference being Great Britain is the island comprised of England, Scotland and Wales. United Kingdom is that plus Northern Ireland and some smaller islands offshore.

 

I know this isn't the ultimate source for reliable information, but here's a link about Europe from Wikipedia (the map there shows the UK as part of what's considered Europe:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe

[Fouremco]

You need to brush up on your geography. Great Britain is definitely not a part of the European continent.

Wow!!! You might want to look at this map from the Encyclopedia Britannica:

 

 

As I said, this is largely a question of semantics, which is why I referred to geographically. This quote from Wikipedia provides a nice perspective:

 

The narrowest meaning of continent is that of a continuous area of land or mainland, with the coastline and any land boundaries forming the edge of the continent. In this sense the term continental Europe (sometimes "the Continent") is used to refer to mainland Europe, excluding islands such as Great Britain, Ireland, Malta and Iceland, and the term continent of Australia may refer to the mainland of Australia, excluding Tasmania and New Guinea. Similarly, the continental United States refers to the 48 contiguous states in central North America and may include Alaska in the northwest of the continent (the two being separated by Canada), while excluding Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

From the

perspective of geology or physical geography

, continent may be extended beyond the confines of continuous dry land to include the shallow, submerged adjacent area (the continental shelf) and the islands on the shelf (continental islands), as they are structurally part of the continent. From this perspective the edge of the continental shelf is the true edge of the continent, as shorelines vary with changes in sea level.

In this sense the islands of Great Britain and Ireland are part of Europe

, while Australia and the island of New Guinea together form a continent.

As a

cultural

construct, the concept of a continent may go beyond the continental shelf to include oceanic islands and continental fragments. In this way, Iceland is considered part of Europe and Madagascar part of Africa. Extrapolating the concept to its extreme, some geographers group the Australasian continental plate with other islands in the Pacific into one continent called Oceania. This divides the entire land surface of the Earth into continents or quasi-continents.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Fouremco

[peaches from georgia]

Yes, Great Britain isn't part of the European continent (since it's an island). However, the United Kingdom is considered part of "Europe"......

The UK is considered part of the European continent. It's land mass is not contiguous with the rest of Europe since it is an island, but it definitely is considered European and part of the European continent.

 

Hawaii is not contiguous with the US, but is still a part of our country. The Caribbean Islands are not contiguous with the US and Mexico, but are still part of the North American Continent.

[OVgirl]

Never mind, we'll soon be out:):):)

 

For those curious about current UK agency prices for the Med, the Noordam is advertised for 11 nights this September leaving Venice:

Inside £879

Outside £969

Balcony £1149

Prices include flights from UK.

This particular agency is offering $50 OBC for balconies only.

 

Just checked Canadian pricing for Noordam, Sept. 5

These prices are per person in double room.

Inside (N-special price) $1543CAD

Outside (HHspecial price $1744CAD

Balcony (VH-special pricing) $2145CAD

Signature Suite (SZ-special pricing) $3447CAD

Nepturne Suite (SC) $4649CAD

Pinnacle Suite $9158CAD

These prices do not include flights or onboard credit.

Edited August 2, 2014 by OVgirl

[navybankerteacher]

You need to brush up on your geography. Great Britain is definitely not a part of the European continent.

 

No one ever said Britain was part of Continental Europe - but to say that citizens of a member state of the European Union are not a European is simply inane. Britain is an island - physically linked to the European content by a tunnel - it is as much a part of Europe as Manhattan Island is part of the US - and of Noth America.

 

The Britisher who stated that the people "...never chose to join the European Union..." might ask him/herself just what sort of government exists - which goes and joins a union without the concent of the people.

 

I do not blame some of you for regretting joining the EU - but even if you secede, you will still be European - you guys are special - But you are not that special that your island must be deemed its own continent.

[Host Walt]

Just to remind everyone, this is the topic of this thread.

 

My family paid over $17,000 for a Neptune Suite for 22 days on the Noordam in the Mediterranean. We are on day 17 or so and this is by far the worst cruise we have ever been on. The ship is tired and beaten as is the crew. Service is failing everywhere on the ship. The espresso machine in the Pinnacle Grill has been broken for 15 days and no effort is made by the staff to get a specialty coffee elsewhere. The Maitre D has been absent on two of only 4 visits we have been made to the PG. We have found the PG staff to be among the least responsive anyhwhere and with an attitude to boost. The coffee machine in the Neptune Lounge also broke down for 5 days. Laundry is returned with the same stains that ther were sent with. Getting our Signature Beverage Package Card took 4 days because we were told they were very expensive. After spending as much as we have on a Neptune Suite, the response was insulting.

 

 

The ship is full of Europeans that have been offered cut-rate deals to sail because there are not enough Americans, Canadians or Australians to fill the ship. This is not a luxury line by anyone's measure. The pool cushions are old and stained. The carpet throughout all areas is in dire need of replacement. The Noordam has seen better days. Cutbacks are evident since most passengers are locals who paid reduced rates. Pity those of us who paid full freight.

 

 

Personal items left on the pool deck and in the dining room have never been found.

 

We do not recommend the Noordam and especially the Neptune Suites there to anyone anymore. After booking Neptune Suites for the past six years on HAL, we have seen service gradually decline to the point that it is downright awful on this ship. We are taking our business to Oceania or Celebrity.

 

 

While an argument could be made that Noordam indirectly refers to Zuid Holland, a province of The Netherlands which includes several islands south of Rotterdam and thus may not be considered part of the European continent because those islands are not physically connected to mainland Europe, this thread appears to have become the victim of that dreaded message board malady known as topic drift.

 

That's a rather circumlocutious way of saying, let's get back on topic, shall we?

 

Thanks.

 

(ps, this post was written in a part of the US that is not a part of the North American continent, Catalina Island, which is 26 miles across the sea from the mainland. ;))

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...this post was written in a part of the US that is not a part of the North American continent, Catalina Island, which is 26 miles across the sea from the mainland. ;))

 

Yet considered part of Los Angeles County, strangely enough. And a beautiful part at that.

 

Back on-topic: I have never sailed on the Noordam, but have been considering a couple of her cruises. I will be very interested in hearing updates from others on her condition and staff.

 

Hopefully the OP's cruise was a one-off.

[Fouremco]

Just to remind everyone, this is the topic of this thread.

 

 

 

 

While an argument could be made that Noordam indirectly refers to Zuid Holland, a province of The Netherlands which includes several islands south of Rotterdam and thus may not be considered part of the European continent because those islands are not physically connected to mainland Europe, this thread appears to have become the victim of that dreaded message board malady known as topic drift.

 

That's a rather circumlocutious way of saying, let's get back on topic, shall we?

 

Thanks.

 

(ps, this post was written in a part of the US that is not a part of the North American continent, Catalina Island, which is 26 miles across the sea from the mainland. ;))

A distance that many of us remember thanks to the Four Preps' 1957 hit. :)

 

Oops, sorry, more drift! :eek:

[Vict0riann]

Yet considered part of Los Angeles County, strangely enough. And a beautiful part at that.

 

Back on-topic: I have never sailed on the Noordam, but have been considering a couple of her cruises. I will be very interested in hearing updates from others on her condition and staff.

 

Hopefully the OP's cruise was a one-off.

 

There is another report on Noordam on the forum right now: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2076736 - maybe there are two Noordams out there, as Shrimp's Noordam doesn't seem like the one referred to on this thread!

[Cruzin Terri]

I plan on doing a few live reports when I board on August 25 as mentioned previously in this thread.

Terri

[kazu]

I plan on doing a few live reports when I board on August 25 as mentioned previously in this thread.

Terri

 

Please do remember to report if the tenders are air conditioned or not:p:D;)

[Fouremco]

There is another report on Noordam on the forum right now: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2076736 - maybe there are two Noordams out there, as Shrimp's Noordam doesn't seem like the one referred to on this thread!

Yes, what an amazing difference! It's so nice to see an amazingly positive thread from someone who clearly enjoyed herself.

[innlady1]

A distance that many of us remember thanks to the Four Preps' 1957 hit. :)

 

Oops, sorry, more drift! :eek:

I'll drift for that! :eek:

[whogo]

Personal items left on the pool deck and in the dining room have never been found.

Don't you hate it when you put a personal item on a lounge chair early in the morning and it is not there when you look for it in the evening?:)

 

Seriously, I would like to hear more from cruiser4801. It is worrisome to hear a loyal HAL cruiser become so disenchanted with the line.

[CaliforniaAC]

I read this entire thread. Wow!

 

We have sailed the Noordam a number of times, and we will be on the Collectors' Caribbean that embarks after the TA this November too.

 

We have done the Caribbean on the Noordam after the TA sailing numerous times.

 

We did have a really bad experience on the Noordam when we boarded. Much worse than the OP had.

 

BUT... My point here is not what happened then. My point is what happened next.

 

When I filled out my summary at the end of the cruise, I actually included a letter that stated only what happened.

 

When I boarded my next HAL cruise a number of months later, there was a letter in my cabin for me, stating that it was their understanding that I had a negative customer experience on the Noordam, and they asked me to inform them immediately if anything was not to my approval.

 

What this told me was that my comments from the Noordam were passed on to Seattle, and that what I said was important to them. They do take customer satisfaction seriously. The only part that had me a little worried was that a note had to have been made in my file, otherwise, how would someone know to put a letter in my cabin:o.

 

So, take the time to fill out the survey at the end of the cruise. Good or bad.

 

AC

Edited August 2, 2014 by CaliforniaAC