Mariner's Inaugural Brunch on the Noordam

[General Max]

HAL is sending out invitations to an Inaugural Brunch to be held on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 on board the Noordam in New York City harbor. They have a cut-off limit of a certain number of days and are only sending invitations to those in the NYC area states.

 

I think HAL is making a mistake on this since they are failing to consider any Mariners that have booked on the Inaugural cruise and are from Arizona, Iowa or outside their marlet target of NYC and are flying in early. I am sure Reverend Neal has the required number of hours, he is flying in 3 days early and is available to attend and take pictures BUT happens to live in Dallas.

 

HAL's mariner department's comment to me was. "You are going to be on the ship anyway for the cruise. Why would you want to go to the Brunch? Yes we will be on the ship and we don't have the number of days. (They told me you need more than our 32) but we will also be in New York City early just like Reverend Neal.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[ekerr19]

I had heard this yesterday as well, the invites are for VIP's in the NYC area to tour the ship and have lunch. I did not know it was going to happen on the 22nd. I wonder how that will impact the departure? It seems it would require some planning to get everyone on and then off again before the crew prepares for embarkation...

[General Max]

I did not know it was going to happen on the 22nd. QUOTE]

 

Thank you ekerr, I have corrected it to the 21st which is the day before embarkation. Tuesday is the correct day.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[ekerr19]

I did not know it was going to happen on the 22nd. QUOTE]

 

Thank you ekerr, I have corrected it to the 21st which is the day before embarkation. Tuesday is the correct day.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

 

Oh, ok - I wondered about those logistics! My TA did not tell me the date - just that there was lunch (brunch, I guess) for people in the NYC area - she said "people" I don't know where I got the VIP from - and in case she is reading this - I don't want to mis-quote her, lol! ;) But, she does think something will be done for the actual pax, so I have faith...

[General Max]

I personally would like to crash the Brunch on the 21st; being an "out of towner" and all that. Maybe Reverend Neal will join me.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[RSGS315]

We live about 60 miles south of New York, and we don't feel like driving to NYC for Brunch, so we declined.

We are Diamond Plus members with Royal Caribbean, and they will invite us for an Inaugural/Christening Ceremony plus a one or two night cruise, at no cost to us.

Now, that's class!!

Ginnie

[PRINSENDAM]

We live about 60 miles south of New York, and we don't feel like driving to NYC for Brunch, so we declined.

We are Diamond Plus members with Royal Caribbean, and they will invite us for an Inaugural/Christening Ceremony plus a one or two night cruise, at no cost to us.

Now, that's class!!

Ginnie

 

 

Ginnie,

 

HAL has done similar one and two night cruises for guests etc on most if not all of their new ships since 1993. The only exception I know of was STATENDAM in '93, which was delayed leaving the shipyard and so the first guests on board were the maiden voyage passengers. Most recently OOSTERDAM and WESTERDAM have both done nowhere cruises for guests prior to their maiden voyages.

 

I suspect that the reason NOORDAM is not making any nowhere sailings and instead just having guests on board alongside in Boston and New York is because of WEATHER! There is little point in loading the ship with 1,950 guests just to go to sea off the Jersey coast in the middle of winter. Previously the new ships have made their inaugural sailings from Lauderdale... and usually in summer. PRINSENDAM made her nowhere sailings out of New York a few years ago... again it was in summer.

 

I'm sure more Mariners would be invited to these junkets if there were space and time. To invite everyone would just not be very practical and there is very little point inviting Mariners who live in other States who just wouldn't travel to New York for an overnight or a brunch. When the ships kick off from Lauderdale most of the invitation will go out to people in that area. This time it is New York's turn.

 

BTW... the best VIP function I ever attended was in 1995 on Carnival's IMAGINATION... 7 days in the Caribbean!!!! Now THAT was class!;) Good fun too.

 

Stephen

[ekerr19]

I personally would like to crash the Brunch on the 21st; being an "out of towner" and all that. Maybe Reverend Neal will join me.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

 

Max - I really don't think you need "crash" - we can also get you tix... let me know -

 

laura

[General Max]

Max - I really don't think you need "crash" - we can also get you tix... let me know -

 

laura

 

Laura, thank you. I just meant it as a joke for Reverend Neal. I am trying to get a group interested in a limo for that day. I thought it would be nice to arrive in a limo and enjoy the lunch.

 

Again, thank you for the offer of the invatations but I think the invites are coded and you will need to get a boarding pass and clear ship security---particularily in NYC.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[RevNeal]

I've given thought to asking about an invite to this luncheon, but I don't really see the purpose. Yes, it would be great fun, but it's really more intended for those who will not be aboard for her maiden voyage. There will be SOME who will be, but most will not. At least, that's what I've been told.

[itravel2much]

We were invited to dinner and a show in Boston on Feb. 17. We are going!!!

[PRINSENDAM]

I had an invitation arrive by DHL Express delivery this morning! Not from HAL but from Fincantieri to attend the handover celebrations in Venice on 28th January. Unfortunately we will be cruising in STATENDAM at the time. Nice souvenir to keep though.

 

Stephen

[bepsf]

I had an invitation arrive by DHL Express delivery this morning! Not from HAL but from Fincantieri to attend the handover celebrations in Venice on 28th January. Unfortunately we will be cruising in STATENDAM at the time. Nice souvenir to keep though.

 

Stephen

 

Stephen -

 

I'm not doing anything important that day - Can I take your place?

;)

[blue whale]

We just received an invitation to visit the Noordam on February 22nd (not the 21st) for lunch and the dedication (10:30-3). We live in the NYC area and have taken a number of long cruises with HAL so those may have been the reasons for our getting the invitation. Other people we know got an invitation for the February 21st event. When I called in our acceptance, the gentleman at the desk indicated that there was to be a series of events to which prior pax might be invited.

 

A few years back after HAL fixed up Prinsendam, we were invited for lunch. They gave us a tour of the ship and various officials of HAL talked to us in the theater. Then we headed to the dining room for lunch. There was no crush of people, because we were broken up into smaller groups for the tour. At the end, HAL gave us a glass replica of the ship. We felt that it was a worthwhile day for us, and now as a result, we will be sailing Prinsendam in the fall. We are also sailing Noordam on the March 15 voyage.

 

Incidentally the man on the phone told me that we could park up on the pier, in the envelop we would receive there would be a ticket that authorized us to park, and the parking would be free! Now all we have to do is hope that there will be no snow that day.

 

We also heard that travel agents will spend the prior evening on the ship. That's just gossip.

[PRINSENDAM]

 

 

We also heard that travel agents will spend the prior evening on the ship. That's just gossip.

 

 

Actually it isn't. TA's have functions on board both in Boston on the evening of the 18th and in New York for the evening of 20th and 21st. This is in addition to various brunches etc for Mariners.

 

Stephen

[RuthC]

Stephen---or anyone else for that matter!---do you know Noordam's schedule for arrival/departure in Boston and NYC? It appears there are several days in each city. :confused:

[sail7seas]

I know for sure Noordam will be in New York on February 21 early. She may be arriving before that but is scheduled to be there by then.

 

[ekerr19]

I still don't understand the logistics of a brunch and dedication from 10:30 - 3:00 on the day of sailing?!? :confused:

 

To me, that's cutting things awfully close - normally we are onboard by noon - and I thought the ship is scheduled to depart at 5:00. That gives them only 1 1/2 hours to get the guests off and the pax on.... I'm really confused.

[WISCruiser]

I still don't understand the logistics of a brunch and dedication from 10:30 - 3:00 on the day of sailing?!? :confused:

 

To me, that's cutting things awfully close - normally we are onboard by noon - and I thought the ship is scheduled to depart at 5:00. That gives them only 1 1/2 hours to get the guests off and the pax on.... I'm really confused.

 

I am also totaly befuddled by those times, ekerr19... I just received my Docs yesterday and in the cruise doc ticket booklet, inside they state the ships Itenerary and times their going to be at each port and the 1st line item is embarkation from NYC (natch') and the times they have listed for embarkation is 2:45 - 4:45 (sail time); man that is hardly any time to get pax onboard in a resonable orderly fashion. What gives?!?

[PRINSENDAM]

I know for sure Noordam will be in New York on February 21 early. She may be arriving before that but is scheduled to be there by then.

 

 

 

 

Sail 7:

 

The ship is due to arrive at New York at 7.00 am On Monday 20th.

 

Stephen

[GayleArc]

We also received an invitation for the 22nd, 10:30 to 3. We did this when they had it for the Prinsendam and the passangers boarded while we were at

the luncheon. As we were getting off the ship we saw a few passangers still

boarding, but there was no problem. We will be in the dining room when you board and then off the ship soon after.

[sail7seas]

Sail 7:

 

The ship is due to arrive at New York at 7.00 am On Monday 20th.

 

Stephen

 

 

Thanks, Stephen. I was interested in knowing when she was due in New York.

[bepsf]

Laura--

 

When I was last on Oosterdam the day we were leaving the ship in Seattle, TA's were boarding w/ their guests for tours and a luncheon in the Vista Dining Room and new pax were boarding at the same time - all seemed to work out just fine.

 

You gotta remember, these folks are masters of crowd control

;)

[ekerr19]

I am also totaly befuddled by those times, ekerr19... I just received my Docs yesterday and in the cruise doc ticket booklet, inside they state the ships Itenerary and times their going to be at each port and the 1st line item is embarkation from NYC (natch') and the times they have listed for embarkation is 2:45 - 4:45 (sail time); man that is hardly any time to get pax onboard in a resonable orderly fashion. What gives?!?

 

Well, I guess they've done it before, so I hope (as Brian mentions) it all goes smoothly... just leaves more room for problems and snafu's if you ask me. Why not just stick with having people tour the day before?

 

There was a reason HAL stopped the practice of letting pax bring guests onboard. ;)

 

We'll keep our fingers crossed - but I hope we don't have to wait until 2:45 for embarkation - that's way too late for me.