Condition of Noordam

[Carnevale]

Do you have any copies of the daily programs that you can post? We are on Noordam Sept 30 from Vancouver to Honolulu which is like your cruise in reverse so some of the daily patterns just might be the same. Thx for sharing your observations on the condition of the ship!

[Croozengal]

Do you have any copies of the daily programs that you can post? We are on Noordam Sept 30 from Vancouver to Honolulu which is like your cruise in reverse so some of the daily patterns just might be the same. Thx for sharing your observations on the condition of the ship!

 

 

 

Here are the dailies from the first couple of days. We just disembarked today so I will upload more later.

 

 

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[Croozengal]

Another daily program...

 

 

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[Croozengal]

No on demand, but did have DVD player.

 

 

 

Our tv (flat screen)/dvd combo was on a raised shelf at the vanity so we had full use of the space. Not sure if every Verandah cabin is set up like this but we were happy! Pardon my mess. Lol

 

 

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[Croozengal]

Hi! I have a few questions for our first family cruise! We board on June 24th' date=' a southbound Seward to Vancouver itinerary. I booked before finding out that the dry dock was postponed, but as long as things are clean, we aren't picky about worn fixtures! I'm looking forward to a cozy, classic cruise ship feel, looking forward to the unchanged Crow's Nest, library, and Explorations areas. And the unobstructed, walkable Promenade deck!

 

 

 

If you are easily able to find out, without interrupting your fun!:

 

 

 

1. What is the depth of the pool with the retractable cover, and whether it is heated enough to swim during an Alaska cruise, that would be very helpful to me!

 

 

 

2. I'm also curious to know what shows will run this summer--BBC Earth? Orchestra? Magician? I wonder what will be offered on your cruise and maybe that will help figure out the offerings for my trip.

 

 

 

3. How many Gala nights are there on a 7-day Alaska, and which night is it?

 

 

 

4. Have they at least put flat panel TVs in the rooms and updated to on-demand or is it still dvd checkout?

 

 

 

Thank you and have a safe and wonderful trip![/quote']

 

 

 

Hey! Just disembarked today! FABULOUS trip! Yes, the decor is dated but SUPER clean and comfy! A couple of answers I got to your questions:

 

1. The pool under the retractable roof is 4 ft 5 in on one end and 5 ft 4 in on the other. I could not find anyone that knew the temp but I felt it and it was very comfortable. There were both children and adults (even older adults) swimming in both that pool and the sea view pool. I only mention older adults as we all know children seem to suffer the coldest water if a pool is available. Haha. We had AMAZING weather the entire cruise. While I know our sunny days are not the norm, I would think that if you have a nice day(s) on yours, late June would mean even more comfy pool time than early May.

 

2. I’ve got a list together for you, I just need to get it sorted now that we are back. Stay tuned! [emoji4]

 

3. There will be two on a 7 day (ours was an odd 6 day before an odd 8 day. Haha so we only had one). The nights will differ based on the itinerary, I think if you call or email HAL cust service they will be able to tell you which nights yours are on.

 

4. Our tv was a flat screen but it did still have a dvd, no on demand. The dvd selection was quite extensive though. We were surprised. Our tv was also on a raised shelf above the vanity so we did get full use of the space. We liked that. I’m attaching a picture, although you can’t see the full vanity, but at least the corner with the tv/shelf. Excuse the mess!!

 

The other pic is of the sea view pool. You will see a lady in it, and this was the day we were cruising Endicott Arm and were almost to the Glacier!

 

Here are some pics of our cabin as well.

 

 

 

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[Cruise_More_Often]

A big Thank You to everyone providing information. It is really helpful.

[Croozengal]

Hey guys, having just disembarked, I will gather my thoughts and post more details in the next few days, but I figured I would post this while I was thinking about it. Do not miss the Martini Tastings at the Atrium Bar (Deck 1) with Fritz (bartender). He is an absolute pleasure, has a passion for his job and sprits (history of, etc), and also Journey! Ha! I’m not a “martini person”, but he introduced me to several martini cocktails I will definitely order in the future. It was normally at 6pm, each night, and you sample 3 different cocktails. He will tell you what drinks are offered the following night if you want to decide which nights to attend. It’s either $12 to “sample” all three or $5 each, if they offer one you know you don’t want to try. So much fun! Fritz is quite entertaining and you get a chance to chat with some fellow passengers in a quiet, more intimate environment. [emoji483]

 

 

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[Carnevale]

Croozengal, a big thanks for posting some dailies as they give a good feel for life onboard.

 

I see a pianist played regularly in the Ocean Bar. Is there still a dance floor there? And if so, did the pianist play music people danced to?

 

Great to hear you had a good time! The info and photos you are posting are really appreciated.

[Dev'sMom]

Hey! Just disembarked today! FABULOUS trip! Yes, the decor is dated but SUPER clean and comfy! A couple of answers I got to your questions:

 

1. The pool under the retractable roof is 4 ft 5 in on one end and 5 ft 4 in on the other. I could not find anyone that knew the temp but I felt it and it was very comfortable. There were both children and adults (even older adults) swimming in both that pool and the sea view pool. I only mention older adults as we all know children seem to suffer the coldest water if a pool is available. Haha. We had AMAZING weather the entire cruise. While I know our sunny days are not the norm, I would think that if you have a nice day(s) on yours, late June would mean even more comfy pool time than early May.

 

2. I’ve got a list together for you, I just need to get it sorted now that we are back. Stay tuned! [emoji4]

 

3. There will be two on a 7 day (ours was an odd 6 day before an odd 8 day. Haha so we only had one). The nights will differ based on the itinerary, I think if you call or email HAL cust service they will be able to tell you which nights yours are on.

 

4. Our tv was a flat screen but it did still have a dvd, no on demand. The dvd selection was quite extensive though. We were surprised. Our tv was also on a raised shelf above the vanity so we did get full use of the space. We liked that. I’m attaching a picture, although you can’t see the full vanity, but at least the corner with the tv/shelf. Excuse the mess!! The other pic is of the sea view pool. You will see a lady in it, and this was the day we were cruising Endicott Arm and were almost to the Glacier!

 

Here are some pics of our cabin as well.

 

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Thanks SO much for scouting out all this information for us! The pictures were very helpful, I think we'll be just fine with the Noordam! I hope you had a great time and got plenty of time to relax in between the ports! :)

[penny49]

Do you have any copies of the daily programs that you can post? We are on Noordam Sept 30 from Vancouver to Honolulu which is like your cruise in reverse so some of the daily patterns just might be the same. Thx for sharing your observations on the condition of the ship!

We were on the Noordam for 40 days Sydney around NZ back to Sydney and to Vancouver BC....fifth time on her and she still holds up well...the talk of the cruise was her upcoming 33+million dollar make over ....say goodbye to the library and the crows nest as you know it...the explorations cafe will be combined with the crows nest bar and had a few chats about that ...seems the new EXC interactive displays will be in the crows nest ....and am sure the old Library area will be something similar to billboard on board...and hope they enlarge the Lincoln on stage as well ....should be interesting they are doing it in 2 phases half the ship at a time....

[OlsSalt]

We were on the Noordam for 40 days Sydney around NZ back to Sydney and to Vancouver BC....fifth time on her and she still holds up well...the talk of the cruise was her upcoming 33+million dollar make over ....say goodbye to the library and the crows nest as you know it...the explorations cafe will be combined with the crows nest bar and had a few chats about that ...seems the new EXC interactive displays will be in the crows nest ....and am sure the old Library area will be something similar to billboard on board...and hope they enlarge the Lincoln on stage as well ....should be interesting they are doing it in 2 phases half the ship at a time....

 

Darn it, I was hoping to add her to complete my Vista collection, but no more if/when she loses the library.

[Ladyaruba]

How does the Happy Hour 2nd drink work if you have a drink package? Do they just deduct the $2 instead of full price?

Or is this just for pay as you go people

[olya1972]

Hello all. We have just disembarked Noordam, eight nights Alaska cruise. We found the ship in excellent condition. Our regular balcony cabin was very well maintained, no broken shelves, worn out carpets or poor condition of couch or other furniture as I have seen other people report. All areas of the cabin looked and functioned well. The same is true for the rest of the ship. I am not sure how people come with assessments that this ship is in bad need of upgrades. Must be a matter of perspective as everything else is. Our last sailing was three months ago on Anthem of the Seas, one of Royal Caribbean's newest ships. We enjoyed Noordam as much as Anthem and didn't find it deficient in any way. It's just a different type of experience. Overall, service and food were good. We didn't attend a lot of entertainment venues as it was tour intensive trip for us. One production show we saw was kind of old-fashioned, other lines like NCL and RCCL used to run shows of that caliber 15 or so years ago. That said, Lincoln stage was excellent, HAL BBC show and enrichment lectures were very good as well. I don't have any daylies or room pics to post. I can say that we would definitely sail Noordam to Alaska again ( or to any other port intensive itinerary). I am the OP and would like to thank all who responded to this thread.

[Dev'sMom]

olya1972, I'm glad to hear you were happy with the ship! Thanks for reporting back! Sounds like my family will like the BBC show and enrichment lectures when our turn comes in about a month :)

[Ladyaruba]

Hello all. We have just disembarked Noordam, eight nights Alaska cruise. We found the ship in excellent condition. Our regular balcony cabin was very well maintained, no broken shelves, worn out carpets or poor condition of couch or other furniture as I have seen other people report. All areas of the cabin looked and functioned well. The same is true for the rest of the ship. I am not sure how people come with assessments that this ship is in bad need of upgrades. Must be a matter of perspective as everything else is. Our last sailing was three months ago on Anthem of the Seas, one of Royal Caribbean's newest ships. We enjoyed Noordam as much as Anthem and didn't find it deficient in any way. It's just a different type of experience. Overall, service and food were good. We didn't attend a lot of entertainment venues as it was tour intensive trip for us. One production show we saw was kind of old-fashioned, other lines like NCL and RCCL used to run shows of that caliber 15 or so years ago. That said, Lincoln stage was excellent, HAL BBC show and enrichment lectures were very good as well. I don't have any daylies or room pics to post. I can say that we would definitely sail Noordam to Alaska again ( or to any other port intensive itinerary). I am the OP and would like to thank all who responded to this thread.

 

Having never been on a cruise ship before, we have nothing to compare it to, so it should be perfect!

Thanks for the update!

[Bruinboy]

Very thoughtful of you to report back. Glad you had a great time.

 

 

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[dsgriggs]

Thanks all for such great info! I will be on the Noordam on Sept. 30 for a 24 day Vancouver to Sydney. Can anyone comment on current internet/wifi offerings?

[Princeandstella]

Has ordering from the MDR menu been stopped now?

[oakridger]

2 hours ago, Princeandstella said:

Has ordering from the MDR menu been stopped now?

Do you mean ordering from the MDR for room service?  It is still available from what I have seen on posts from people currently onboard any of the ships.  Curious why you are asking?

 

~Nancy

[zelker]

Do we know for SURE that the Noordam will go through drydock in September 2019, prior to her repositioning to Australia/New Zealand in October?  Asking because we cancelled the same trip this year because they cancelled the 2018 planned drydock and we don't want to get caught again.  

 

Also, assuming she really IS going to be refurb'd in 2019, do we know what interior things are planned?  E.g., will suites finally be updated to have the large interactive flat-panel on the wall, USB plugs, electrical plugs, and reading lights on either side of the bed, etc.?  (so that the SS's will look like this when she's done) 

[BitburgBoy]

So, is the refurb happening and when?

[BJzink]

On 11/4/2017 at 2:21 PM, sammiedawg said:

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

Depends on which is more important - great itinerary or fancy ship.  I'd take the itinerary every time -----but that's just me.

[zelker]

20 hours ago, BitburgBoy said:

So, is the refurb happening and when?

 

Yes, this year (beginning of October).  Will be done in Vancouver, after it finishes Alaska and before it heads to Hawaii and the South Pacific on its way to OZ/NZ.

[BitburgBoy]

Great news on the refurb. Thanks for the update. FYI, my TA said it was scheduled for September. Hoping it happens as we are  on the 40 Day Cruise Sydney to Vancouver in April,2020.

Edited April 13, 2019 by BitburgBoy
Misspelling

[zelker]

Well, yes "technically" it is starting at the end of September (the 29th) but mostly happening in October.  We're boarding her in Honolulu on October 20th for the 33 night cruise to Auckland (which starts in Vancouver as a 40 night on October 13th and is the opposite itinerary of what you're doing).