On the Noordam!

canadianbear · May 5, 2015

Sorry for duplicate posts. Muster drill soon then leaving beautiful San Diego.

canadianbear · May 9, 2015

Just arriving finally in Victoria on a beautiful, warm evening.

canadianbear · May 9, 2015

Tuesday, May 5 San Diego

We signed up for a HAL trolley excursion (had to get rid of some OBC!). It was ok, driver was fun & knowledgeable but next time we will just walk or try something else. It was good in the sense that it helped us see the area.

Met several CC'ers at Sailaway. We were lucky enough to see IRL_Joanie's aft cabin and kjw869's penthouse. Thank you both for opening up your cabins to us.

We were warned that we could reach 60 knot winds & 20 foot swells over the next day or two.

The evening performer in the Vista lounge was comedian Kevin Jordan, a former LAPD officer. He was very, very good & had the audience in stitches. He picked on a couple of 23 year olds throughout the show too which was very funny.

Wednesday May 6: sea day/formal night

Another great breakfast in the Pinnacle. Their service has been very quick which has helped my husband enjoy it more. On other cruises it seemed the service was very slow so this has been a very positive experience for him-in other words I haven't had to drag him there!

We attended an informal meet & greet at the Crow's Nest which helped put more faces to the names on CC. Was nice meeting everyone.

It was formal night and although there were jackets at the front I did see one man in jeans & sweater. Perhaps his luggage was lost? My husband & I both had 2 lobster tails which were great. Part way through dinner we must have hit a swell and I grabbed glasses to hold them from falling over! I talked to others who had been at the 8 pm show and they sure felt it too. It has been rough seas today but I love it.

We went to the 10 pm show in the Vista lounge and watched Jeff Peterson & Indy (comedian and his dog). We've seen them before but still enjoyed the show.

Thursday, May 7: sea day

IRL_Joanie arranged for those CC'ers that wanted, lunch in the MDR with chocolate purses made especially for us for dessert. I've heard of them before but never had one-we were all served 2 each! They were very rich (and good) and most only ate one & took the others back to cabins. I have a photo but don't know how to post until I'm home.

The Captain came on during our lunch to announce that because of the rough seas & swells last night & today we would be about **4 hours late getting into Victoria.**. Instead of a 5pm arrival it would be closer to 9 pm.

Hubby & I ended up sitting in the Neptune Lounge after lunch and had a great time chatting with PathfinderEss and her husband. It's been fun seeing all the CC'ers on this part of the cruise.

By supper time we were rather lazy so went to dinner early and got s table for two. Turkey was on the menu and I had it. Instead of the show in the Vista (Noordam entertainers) we opted to go to the BB King Club and listen to them.

Friday, May 8-Victoria

My husband got up early to walk the deck but the signs were still up to not go outside so the treadmill for him. I love those mornings relaxing in bed!

The seas are calm again so finally the outside decks were opened up.

Around 11am the Captain announced we would be in Victoria earlier than the 9pm and hopefully be cleared between 8-8:30pm for people to get off.

Update....we are just arriving in Victoria.

Lizzie68 · May 9, 2015

Thanks for another great report canadianbear. Sad that your cruise is about to end but glad you had a great experience.:)

ger_77 · May 9, 2015

Was that Gary Hunter? He was the CD on a couple of Carnival cruises I was on way back in the day.

Yes, as a matter of fact it was. I looked him up on the internet just today and see that he and Mrs. Tweed are still going strong and that he's on the Crystal Serenity as CD and entertainer. We saw him in 1989 and to think he's still a CD speaks to his talents.

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

Copper10-8 · May 9, 2015

..............................The evening performer in the Vista lounge was comedian Kevin Jordan, a former LAPD officer. He was very, very good & had the audience in stitches. He picked on a couple of 23 year olds throughout the show too which was very funny.

...................................

Kevin brought/used his flashlight, right? Funny guy! His son works on the ships for HAL also now :)

erewhon · May 9, 2015

Thanks for your updates and the photos.

canadianbear · May 9, 2015

Yes Copper-he used his flashlight-he's hilarious and we saw him again tonight perform!

This is the "new design" tile we received-not sure how long it has been out or if a photo was provided.

I will look more closely at posts when we are home to see if there were questions I could answer.

We really loved this cruise and had a fantastic time celebrating so much to be thankful for.

madera1 · May 9, 2015

Thank you for sharing your trip with us. Glad you had a great time and were able to travel with so many other CC members. Hopefully when we take our 3 night coastal in 3 weeks we will have smoother sailing than you experienced.

canadianbear · May 9, 2015

I love arriving back at our home port of Vancouver. It's a gorgeous day out too.

qsuzi · May 9, 2015

Also wanted to thank you for sharing your trip with us. So much to see and o in San Diego and you were blessed with a beautiful day. Sail away from that port is also memorable. It must be so nice being able to disembark at your home port.

Edited May 9, 2015 by qsuzi

canadianbear · May 12, 2015

Boy it's hard to get back to reality after being away for 21 days! Like Lizzie68 said, it comes to an end way too soon.

Before I forget, I'd like to thank everyone that posts on CC for providing hints and valuable information for everyone-I still learn new things all the time. A special thank you to sail7seas for helping me with my decision on which hotel to book for our first time in Ft Lauderdale. The Hyatt Pier 66 tower king room was fabulous with the view of the cruise port. They were so kind to us when they brought us wine and snacks for our anniversary and when my luggage was lost.

SilvertoGold-you are so right about Samantha talking all the time while quiet Mani cooks! I must say though he is getting better at handling her.

KrazyKruizers-I did pack spare undergarments in my carry on. To be honest, even after 32 years of marriage I just can't share a suitcase with my husband even if it is only some stuff!

Carnevale-The Ocean Bar has "The Band" playing and several were ballroom dancing. You have to really read the On Location though for the times as they vary and some evenings not there at all.

Thanks for anyone that read this and posted-it was a fabulous trip. I will try to post a couple of photos but that isn't my strong suit.:o

canadianbear · May 12, 2015

This is an attempt to upload a photo of all the towel animals that survived our trip. It is the first time a cabin steward has left them all in our room!

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canadianbear · May 12, 2015

This is a photo of the chocolate purses that IRL_Joanie requested for the CC'ers that wanted to try them at lunch in the main dining room. Never had them before-they are very rich (but good!). No way anyone could eat both so lots were taken back to cabins to share.

http://

canadianbear · May 12, 2015

We went snorkeling with Hurricane Divers in Huatulco. The water was quite rough to begin with but we managed to snorkel in 3 of the bays. Our underwater camera worked well (I am just not great at taking photos but I think I got a couple of decent ones).

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canadianbear · May 12, 2015

We had so much fun and signed up for the HAL snorkel excursion in Cabo but it was cancelled due to rough seas.

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canadianbear · May 12, 2015

In Costa Rica we took the Odyssey Tour and saw the crocodiles (some times too close for my comfort!)

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Lizzie68 · May 12, 2015

In Costa Rica we took the Odyssey Tour and saw the crocodiles (some times too close for my comfort!)

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That's cool! Same place our excursion went to, as we used Odyssey, too.

canadianbear · May 12, 2015

And of course, the reason for the cruise, The Panama Canal!

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sail7seas · May 12, 2015

Boy it's hard to get back to reality after being away for 21 days! Like Lizzie68 said, it comes to an end way too soon.

Before I forget, I'd like to thank everyone that posts on CC for providing hints and valuable information for everyone-I still learn new things all the time. A special thank you to sail7seas for helping me with my decision on which hotel to book for our first time in Ft Lauderdale. The Hyatt Pier 66 tower king room was fabulous with the view of the cruise port. They were so kind to us when they brought us wine and snacks for our anniversary and when my luggage was lost.

SilvertoGold-you are so right about Samantha talking all the time while quiet Mani cooks! I must say though he is getting better at handling her.

KrazyKruizers-I did pack spare undergarments in my carry on. To be honest, even after 32 years of marriage I just can't share a suitcase with my husband even if it is only some stuff!

Carnevale-The Ocean Bar has "The Band" playing and several were ballroom dancing. You have to really read the On Location though for the times as they vary and some evenings not there at all.

Thanks for anyone that read this and posted-it was a fabulous trip. I will try to post a couple of photos but that isn't my strong suit.:o

So happy you had a good stay at Hyatt Pier 66. We enjoyed a great many stays there through the years.

ALso happy you had such a great cruise. Hope to sail with you again one day. :)

erewhon · May 12, 2015

Thanks for sharing your fabulous cruise and photos.

Copper10-8 · May 12, 2015

Welcome home CB; nice having lunch with you and DH (enjoyed talking shop with him); shoulda stepped on that trap door on the bridge wing ;)

Carnevale · May 12, 2015

Boy it's hard to get back to reality after being away for 21 days! Like Lizzie68 said, it comes to an end way too soon.

Before I forget, I'd like to thank everyone that posts on CC for providing hints and valuable information for everyone-I still learn new things all the time. A special thank you to sail7seas for helping me with my decision on which hotel to book for our first time in Ft Lauderdale. The Hyatt Pier 66 tower king room was fabulous with the view of the cruise port. They were so kind to us when they brought us wine and snacks for our anniversary and when my luggage was lost.

SilvertoGold-you are so right about Samantha talking all the time while quiet Mani cooks! I must say though he is getting better at handling her.

KrazyKruizers-I did pack spare undergarments in my carry on. To be honest, even after 32 years of marriage I just can't share a suitcase with my husband even if it is only some stuff!

Carnevale-The Ocean Bar has "The Band" playing and several were ballroom dancing. You have to really read the On Location though for the times as they vary and some evenings not there at all.

Thanks for anyone that read this and posted-it was a fabulous trip. I will try to post a couple of photos but that isn't my strong suit.:o

Many thanks for the dancing update and for your great posts about your cruise! We were looking forward to our turn on that dance floor in the Ocean Bar in August. Really appreciate that you got back to me on this.

canadianbear · May 13, 2015

I submitted my review on CC but it hasn't been approved yet. This is pretty much it:

Cabin: Neptune suite 7047. We loved our suite especially for this longer cruise. The use of the Neptune lounge and Pinnacle for breakfast are great. We normally book a Signature suite but took an upsell to this one and it was well worth it as we were celebrating an anniversary. We used the unlimited laundry included lots as well and I am amazed how quickly they get it back. You can get it folded or on hangers and we had no issues with anything-just impressed. There was an electrical outlet close to the bed which enabled me to use my CPAP machine without the extension cord.

Stateroom staff: best we have ever had, thank you to Rohman & Roni-they anticipated our needs and the first day we asked for something specific to be done every day and they never forgot. Great job! They always kept our fruit bowl stocked and ice in our cabin which was appreciated without asking. We also always had fresh flowers in our cabin that they replaced if they were dying.

Food: We have never had a bad meal on HAL and love their food and presentation. We ate at all venues and enjoyed them all. Our preference is the main dining room and have never had a bad meal there. There was also an outdoor aft BBQ which was fantastic. I was not eager to do this but we did and they had salmon, ribs, pork, chicken, prawns and more. The prawns were my favorite. The Dive-in also has improved.

Main Dining room: We had anytime dining. Seems the staffing level has diminished which puts much more pressure on the staff and they barely have time to breath let alone chat to guests which is a shame. We dined here for lunch a couple of times and for dinners often.

Pinnacle Grill: We had breakfast here often since we were in a Neptune Suite and the service was top notch. Previous cruises we have found it very slow but not this time. We also dined one evening and we both had the filet mignon which was perfectly cooked and delicious. Again, staff were fantastic. $29 pp.

Canaletto: A bit disappointed this time as they have changed it up. They suggest a lot of sharing. I would prefer smaller dishes and not be encouraged to share. You DO NOT have to share though. Food was good but not sure we would try it again. Miss the big antipasto plate they used to take around. $10 pp.

Entertainment: BB Kings Club was very good but as others have said, very loud. Great band. Ocean Bar had good dancing music (and listening) and wish it was every night. Have to check the "On Location" to make sure the times there is entertainment as some evenings they don't and the time can vary. We did not go to Piano Bar so can't comment on that. In the Vista lounge when the Noordam Entertainers performed, I enjoy those shows but my husband not so much. I do think that HAL lacks in their entertainment in the evenings though. We have only been on Princess once before and found

they have several venues at the same time and you could pick which you preferred. (for example either you like the music that you can ballroom dance to or if not there was another venue to choose from). We just felt HAL was lacking in this area.

Entertainment guests on this cruise were: Bande Artistique; Comedian Buzz Sutherland; Count Dimas; Sephira; Sister Twist; Michael Menes; Matilda and Patrick Murray (ventriloquist); Salvtore Hasard; Kevin Jordan; Indy and Jeff Peterson. All were good but our favorites were comedian Kevin Jordan who was hilarious and Salvatore Hasard who could play numerous instruments and had a fabulous voice.

Desserts: I have to comment on this because I think they have improved. I never liked their cheesecakes before but tried one this time and it was very good. I also tried the German cake (with coconut) and it was fabulous.

Pools: We used both Lido pool and aft pool. The Lido pool I can stand up in and the lounge chairs are very comfy. We spent most of the time though in the non-smoking area of the aft pool, at a table in the shade as we play cards.

Library, computers and Explorations Cafe: These are all located in the same spot. The library is huge and very impressive and used lot-the librarian/computer helper is kept very busy. Lots of computers to use but we were disappointed that they did not offer unlimited internet like they did for the Westerdam Panama cruise that left before us. It sounds like they are trying it out on various ships and I think would be a smart thing to do. We bought the 250 minute package for $100 but it is very frustrating with the amount of time wasted just trying to get connection at times. Other times it was quick. Loved getting my latte at the Cafe and the staff are very nice.

Flowers: The flower arrangements around the ship are beautiful and I'm glad to still see them. Hope they don't cut back too much on those.

We flew to Ft Lauderdale 2 days early (luckily we did because AA lost my luggage until the next day) and stayed at the Hyatt Pier 66 Tower King room. It was a beautiful room with a view of the cruise port. The grounds and pool were beautiful and having the marina there for my husband to drool over the yachts was worth it!

Final thoughts: We loved going through the Panama Canal and spent the day outside. We enjoyed the whole cruise but did not take excursions in all ports. In Columbia we booked with other CC members with Dora Tours and had a very interesting excursion. Mercedes was our tour guide and she was excellent. In Costa Rica we also did another excursion

with CC members and booked with Odyssey Tours who again were very good. In Huatulco we did a snorkel trip and had another one booked through HAL for Cabo but it was canceled due to rough seas. In San Diego we took the HAL trolley which was interesting. The other ports we either just wandered at the port or stayed on the ship to enjoy the quietness by the pool.

qsuzi · May 13, 2015

What a complete and wonderful review. Thanks so much!

On the Noordam!

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