Review of Noordam New Zealand and Trans-Pacific cruise, April 7 – May 12, 2019

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got caught up with your wonderful reports.

 

Pictures are great.

[puppycanducruise]

Loving your pictures and comments.

Someday, I hope to visit New Zealand.

Looking forward to more.

Thank you.

[dodo bird]

 I am enjoying your review very much.  Great pictures.  Looking forward to follow you along.

 

[zelker]

Will be doing basically the same itinerary but in reverse (Vancouver-Auckland) in October so this is quite helpful.  Thanks!

[RetiredMustang]

April 18, Waitangi (Bay of Islands)

 

Our last stop in New Zealand was at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, up the peninsula north of Aukland.  It is a beautiful bay, and the tender pier at Waitangi is near the site of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between Britain and Maori chiefs.

 

We had booked an excursion called “Glow Worm Cave and Puketi Kauri Forest.”  We gathered in the show lounge at the directed time and were called soon after.  The tender ride was about 20 minutes. We got ashore and quickly loaded up the bus and took off.  The first stop was a short one, to see the oldest wooden and stone structures in New Zealand, from the 1830s I think the guide said.  He said missionaries arrived at that time, and built a wooden house and a stone store.   Here are photos of each, and one of both to show their relationship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then drove to the Puketi Kauri Forest for a guided walk on a boardwalk trail through the grove of ancient trees.  According to the sign, the walk is 390 meters long.  The kauri is a kind of pine, and is the largest tree in the world after the sequoias and redwoods of California.   They grow straight without much tapering for a long way before their branches spread out, which makes for a good chunk of limbless lumber.  Early settlers found some about 6 or more feet (2 meters) thick at the base; we saw one with a base thickness of about 4 feet (1.2 meters).  Our guide said it was probably 500-1000 years old.  The grove was protected before being logged, obviously.  Other sites exist, and the largest tree, the Lord of the Forest (Tane Mahuta) was many miles away, so we didn’t get to see it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, we went to the town of Kawaka to see some famous toilets, but the lone bus parking spot was taken, so we went on to the nearby Kawiti Caves, which like many ones in North Island, are inhabited with small insects (or possibly arachnids, I never quite got it) that have bio-luminescent organs on the end of their bodies.  They congregate on the ceilings of the cave, over the course of the stream, and let down strings of saliva or web-like stuff to capture flying insects drawn to their glowing butts.  No cameras were allowed inside, so I don’t have a photo, but they were actually pretty awesome.  We had lanterns to light our way in to viewing platforms.  We would then turn off the lights and let our eyes adjust to the darkness and look up.  There were tons of them, spread out over the tops of the caves, generally following the course of the stream, to attract the insects that flew over the water.   Here is a photo of the cliffs outside the cave, which shows the terrain.

 

 

 

The caves are a family-owned and operated business.   They had a small snack stand, and public toilets. 

 

This is not the same glow worm cave excursion as the one available at Aukland.  The description of the tour said there would be many steps that you would have to negotiate, but we found that there were only a few.  The path was wooden platforms with railings; there were a few short flights of steps, and some sloped ramps, but this was not physically difficult.  The guides split us into two smaller groups and one went in and back out while the other waited.  The guides handed out hand-held electric lanterns to several passengers, who spread out along the group.  They had two settings, bright white and amber.  We used the lanterns to guide our feet along the platforms or to watch for stalactites lying in wait for inattentive tall people, and when we got to appropriate wide spots, the guide would have us turn the lanterns off and after some moments of our eyes adjusting to the dark, we could see the worms along the ceiling, looking like lots of stars on a clear dark night.  A couple of people got disoriented on the slopes now and then, but a lantern-bearer would light their feet so they could see their way. 

 

After visiting the caves, our bus returned to Kawakawa and our driver/guide said he would pause briefly to let out passengers who wanted to see the spectacular public toilets, but they would have only about five minutes while the bus went to the train station parking lot and turned around and returned to pick up the passengers.  The toilets were designed by Freiderich Hundertwasser.  DW and I had seen some of his works in Germany and Austria, so we stayed on the bus to allow others to go see.  Info about the toilets can be found at http://www.bay-of-islands-nz.com/hundertwasser.shtml

 

 

We returned to Waitangi, and because all aboard was soon after, we just took a tender back instead of walking about the small village.

 

 

 

This was an enjoyable excursion, and well worth it in our opinion.  One note of caution, however:  stick to only one cup of coffee or tea at breakfast, and sip from your water bottle sparingly.  From our meeting time in the show lounge until we arrived at the Kawiti Caves and their public toilets was a total of four hours.  There were no facilities at all at the forest walk.  I did not see any restrooms at the parking area across from the oldest buildings, nor did I see any near the tender pier.  There may have been some, but we were not looking for one at the time.

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

April 21, Sydney turnaround day

 

After leaving New Zealand, we spent two days at sea and entered Sydney Harbour about first light on Easter Sunday.  We were one month into fall, and the days had shortened so that our approach to Circular Quay was mostly in twilight.  The Opera House had no lights on, so photos were tricky as we passed.  After we docked at Circular Quay, I was able to get a nice shot of dawn over the Opera House:

 

 

 

 

As morning wore on, it became clear that it was going to be a nice sunny but not too hot day, so we decided to debark Noordam shortly before 9 and mosey around the bottom of the south end of the Harbour Bridge and walk the shoreline to Barangaroo park and then back to the Rocks area to have some lunch at a pub.  Here are a couple of photos from our walk:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turns out we confirmed something we had already learned – we really stink at mosey, and were back at the Rocks area by 10, even after lingering over cappuccinos at an Italian coffee bar.  The pubs we had scouted out were still closed, and those restaurants that were open were still serving breakfast.   But, there was a street market going on that was pretty extensive, so we ambled around.  Here are some photos of the market, and of Noordam framing the Opera House:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After visiting the market, when things were open for lunch, we nabbed a pizza and wine at a place just south of the Quay, before going back aboard in the afternoon. 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

April 24, Tadine, Ile Mare’, New Caledonia

 

 

We sailed from Sydney on Sunday evening, and spent two relaxing days at sea before stopping off Tadine on Ile Mare’, which is a smaller island to the east of the main New Caledonia island.  This was a tender port, with not much there but beaches.

 

There were only two excursions offered – a transit to one beach, or a visit to a different village for a welcoming and a chance to hang at their beach with the villagers.   We had decided before coming on the cruise not to bring our snorkel gear, and since I have corrective lenses in my mask so I can actually see something when I snorkel, we tend not to use rental gear, so snorkeling at the beaches was not really an option for us.  Other than snorkeling we are not ones to hang around a beach.  I checked out the area around the tender landing on Google maps, and there didn’t seem to be much village to visit.  So, bottom line, we just stayed on the ship.   Some people who just went ashore to walk around the village of Tadine where the pier is told us later that there was a gas station and a general store, and that was it – no bars, restaurants or even public restrooms.   Here is a photo of a ship tender headed for Tadine:

 

 

 

 

DW and I discussed that a lot of people say they want to be on a deserted South Pacific island, but some or most of them really don’t.  Like us, they prefer their tropical islands with power, water, shelter, food, sanitation … and waiters, bartenders, etc.  To be fair, there are people who do like to hang around a beach, and maybe some of the passengers really enjoyed our visit to Ile Mare’.   So, sorry, but I really don’t have much to report about this particular port visit.

 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited May 28, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

April 25, Easo, Ile Lifou, New Caledonia

 

On Thursday, we visited another New Caledonia island, Lifou and the town of Easo.  Easo was larger than Tadine, with more infrastructure, and a market.  We had booked an excursion called “The Cliffs of Jokin.”   We mustered as usual in the show lounge, and then took a tender to the pier, when we walked through the market to a bus staging area to board our bus.

 

We drove several miles to our first stop, a vanilla plantation and botanical garden, where we walked a relatively short path to see vanilla plants.  The path was mainly level, but you had to watch your step because there were bits of coral sticking up in the pathway and you could trip if not careful.  We then were given a talk about how the vanilla is grown, harvested and cured.  Afterwards, we were given tastes of either coffee or tea flavored with the vanilla.  Here are some photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note, this is not the excursion that visited the shop where you could purchase vanilla products; there was a different excursion that included a visit to the shop.

 

 

After the vanilla plantation, we drove several more miles to a point on the island where we could see the rock formations of the Cliffs of Jokin.   First, we were given refreshments – coconut water, fresh grapefruit, and fresh coconut.  There were restrooms available as well.  Then, we walked a short way to an overlook of the cliffs and the coral in the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we walked a short way and given a talk about the Melanesian people who settled and still live on Lifou, and were given an opportunity to visit a traditional chief’s house.  We were told that this was offered in lieu of the usual walk down the side of the hill to see the cliffs better, but that was off because of damage to the trail.

 

 

 

 

We then returned to the port area, where I got a photo of Noordam in the harbor, before we went through the market stalls back to the tenders:

 

 

 

This was a decent excursion, and not too hard to do.  But, if you plan to take this in the future, double-check to see if the trail has been re-opened, because I imagine the hike down and then back up would make this a much more challenging tour, although I suppose you could pass on the hike portion.

 

 

More later,

Dave

[erewhon]

Thanks for the updates, and super photos.

[Skipper's Mom]

Great report and photos.  Thanks so much!

[Sir PMP]

You boarded the Noordam in White Bay? There goes the story that big ships don't fit under the bridge and need to park across from the opera house..

[RetiredMustang]

April 27, Lautoka, Fiji

 

 

After a day at sea, we pulled into Lautoka port in the morning.  Lautoka is the second largest city in Fiji, and is on Viti Levu, the largest Fiji island, as is the capital of Suva, but that was quite a distance away.  The port was basically a working port, with places to stage buses for shuttles or shore excursions:

 

 

 

 

We had booked a tour called “Best of Nadi.”  Everyone pronounced it “Nondy”.   We walked ashore to our bus, and soon were on our way to Nadi.  It was an interesting drive, through villages and past fields of sugarcane and other crops, past a range of mountains called The Sleeping Giant:

 

 

 

After a while, we entered Nadi, a small city, and paused by what our guide said was the largest Hindu temple in the southern hemisphere.  It is a beautiful building, but we did not enter the grounds or temple itself.

 

 

 

We then drove to the business district for a rest and shop stop.  The large store allowed us to use restrooms, and had a small café for drinks and snacks in addition to selling souvenirs, clothing, etc.  There were other shops and a couple of restaurants in the area as well.  We walked along the main street for a while, and went to a money exchange to buy some Fiji currency.

 

 

 

 

 

After about a half-hour or so, we got back on the bus and drove to Vuda Marina and a resort, where we were given fruit and soft drinks or water.  There was a large yard with picnic tables, and a bar where you could purchase alcoholic beverages.  I can attest that the Fiji bitter is quite good.

 

 

 

 

 

Some men also gave demonstrations of such things as husking a coconut, shredding the meat and squeezing it to get coconut milk, and making a basket out of a palm frond.  There were also a few tables where handicrafts and cloth were being sold.

 

 

 

 

 

We then rode the bus back to the ship.  This was a pleasant and easy excursion, but I found myself thinking “That’s it?  That’s the best Nadi has?”  There was nothing wrong with what we saw and did, but nothing very exciting, either.  Oh well, we got to see some of the beautiful island, and have some snacks (and beer).

 

More later,

Dave

Edited May 29, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

April 28, Savusavu, Fiji

 

 

The next day, we stopped off Savusavu, a small town on a different Fiji island, Vanua Levi.  Noordam stopped in the beautiful bay, and ran tenders to the pier downtown Savusavu.

 

We had booked a tour called “Waisili Rain Forest Reserve.”  We had not poured over the trans-Pacific excursions before leaving home and bought them as we had for New Zealand ports.  Rather, we had waited until we sailed away from Sydney for the crossing and then read the excursions brochure before purchasing some excursions.

 

I will admit we should have done more due diligence and research on this one – had we gone to the HAL website shore excursions page and looked up this one, we would have read the one review and been forewarned and probably would not have purchased the excursion.  But, the brochure talked about waling a trail in the rain forest that had some uphill and may be muddy in parts, but had birds and plants worth seeing, basically.  It rated the excursion with a two-person symbol, meaning moderate difficulty.  We had expected a slow walk through gentle hills.  The reality was much different; the online description called it strenuous.  It was; I would not recommend this hike to any but very fit people.

 

It started off great – we tendered ashore and walked through a small shops area to the main street to board our bus, and then had a pleasant drive of maybe an hour along the road through villages and scenery.  Our guide was very young, but informative and enthusiastic.

 

We reached the reserve, and got off and had time to visit restrooms.  The men’s room was a wooden shack, basically an outhouse building.  Although it had a toilet; the whole thing was filthy and ramshackle.  DW said the women’s facilities were not much better.  Our guide from the bus led us off single file.  The path started on a gentle slope, and then dove steeply down.  There were what seemed like hundreds of rough steps, some as high as 18-24 inches (40-60 cm), and most often muddy.  The trail was so narrow, there was no possibility of stopping or trying to read the few info boards along the way.  I presume that the lead guide provided some sort of commentary, but anyone more than a few people behind could not hear.  Also, those behind basically had the same view as the back-row dogs in a sled team.  There were no vistas, no open areas, and even if there were, you wouldn’t have seen them because you couldn’t take your eyes off the trail to keep from falling; some slipped and fell anyway.

 

 

 

 

At the bottom, there was a small stream and cascade.  We rock-hopped the stream to a small pavilion.  There were a few places to sit and rest, far too few for all of us.  And, the guide immediately started on the way back up, first hopping the stream another time to continue the path. 

 

 

 

 

The climb back up was as steep and muddy, with high steps on a narrow path.  We have made many hikes over the years along portions of the Appalachian Trail and side trails in Shenandoah National Park, and recently a few hikes in Olympic National Park.  We are not fit hard-bodies, and are getting older, but we generally do fine using a system of uphill hiking wherein we count strides, then stop for deep breaths and a drink of water, and then repeat.  The trail was too narrow to do this, as those behind could not pass.  At one point, there was a small bench, and we pulled off to let most of the rest pass before resuming.  We were not the last ones out, but nearly so; this hike kicked our backsides. 😁  The best view of the day was from the top by the bus.

 

 

 

We might have done this hike of about 2 miles/3km on our own, where we could take our time, but given the lack of anything much to see, we may not have done so even then.  When we returned to the ship, we heard from others who had taken a hike to a waterfall who had had similar experiences.  We spoke with a member of the Shore Excursions staff, who told us that HAL HQ has a policy of not refusing anyone to go on an excursion, but relied on their guests to make their own determinations of what they were capable of doing.  We agree with that policy, but did point out that HAL does need to give us sufficient info to make an informed decision.  This tour should have been listed as a three or even four-person difficulty hike.

 

But, I did get a nice shot of Noordam in the bay on the way back. 

 

 

 

 

There were a couple of bars in Savusavu and we thought about getting a drink before getting on the tender, but the bars were packed and we realized we were muddy messes, so we returned to the ship, showered, and got our (well-earned in our opinion) drinks from Vincent and Dexter in the Ocean Bar instead.

 

This is a beautiful place, but I recommend you research carefully when someone offers to take you on a hike. 

 

More later,

Dave

Edited May 29, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

April 29, Pago Pago, American Samoa

 

 

After crossing the international date line, we had another April 28 at sea, before pulling in to Pago Pago at dawn. 

 

 

 

We chose a shore excursion called “Myths and Legends of Tutuila” because it seemed to offer opportunities to see a lot of the island of Tutuila, the largest of American Samoa and where the capital Pago Pago is situated.  Much of the island and surrounding sea is a U.S. National Park and a marine sanctuary.

 

 

We boarded several island buses, that looked like a cross between a school bus and a jeepney; some were shorter than others.  Here is a shot of the one we were in:

 

 

 

 

We drove in convoy first down the coast a short way to the Tauese P.F. Sunia Marine Sanctuary building, named for a former governor, where we were shown a series of films on a globe suspended from the ceiling.  Some dealt with the sanctuary itself, and one explored the annual race of large canoes. 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we got back on the buses and drove around the coast road (the only one there is) to a small town called Leone, where the first missionaries landed in 1830, and where a tsunami struck in 2009.  There is a monument to the tsunami on the beach, where we stopped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then re-boarded the buses and drove to the home of the former governor of American Samoa, Tauese P. F. Sunia.  He was well-regarded, and his home is kept as a museum by his children.  An open wing next to the house contains his tomb and that of his wife.  We were given snacks of coconut and papaya, and drinks of juice and water, and were able to tour parts of the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, it was back on the buses.  As we drove among the sites, our guide told us some of the myths and legends of the island, including of the turtle and the shark, and of Tia Seu Lupe, where chiefs would come to vie for the hands of other chiefs’ daughters by trying to capture the most pigeons.  The last stop was at the Fatu-ma-Futi, the Flowerpot Rocks.  Our guide told us the myth/legend, IIRC, that these were two lovers, a man and a woman, trying to escape some danger in the sea by swimming to shore.  She almost made it, and he stood up to urge her to keep going; both turned to stone before they could make the shore.  Here is a photo of the rocks:

 

 

 

We then returned to Pago Pago, and we walked about and did a little shopping before returning to the ship.  Our excursion was pleasant, not physically difficult, and allowed us to see a bit of the island.  Well worth the time and cost, in our opinion.

 

More later,

Dave

Edited May 29, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

May 1, crossing the equator

 

 

O.K., this is not a port visit, nor a shore excursion, but the ship held a traditional crossing ceremony as we passed from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere (or at least near the time of the actual crossing).

 

The ceremony has been held on ships at sea for centuries, if not longer.  In short, when you cross the equator, you enter the realm of King Neptune.  If you have never done so before, you are known as a polliwog, and must be brought before the King to receive his permission to enter his realm.  You are brought before him while charges are read of the crimes you have committed, and he passes judgement.  All are judged guilty and must kiss the fish he has prepared.  Sometimes, some of the polliwogs are condemned to be thrown in the sea (Seaview pool in this case), while others are spared.  Once you have received your punishment, the King grants you entrance to his realm, and you become a shellback, welcome to cross at any time.  On HAL, only crew is subject to the King’s wrath, but in this case on Noordam, guests were allowed to kiss the fish if they wanted, and ship’s photographers were happy to take their pictures for purchase in the shop later.

 

We have crossed a few times on Maasdam, but it is always fun, so we went to watch again this time.  I went first to get a close-up of the fish:

 

 

 

 

And then I went one deck up so I could overlook the whole setting.  DW took a spot near the stern. 

 

 

 

 

 

It got a little dicey when a shower hit just as the CD was starting his spiel, but the crew set up an umbrella for him, and the shower quickly passed and the ceremonies commenced.  Here are shots I got, in order, of the arrival of King Neptune and his queen:

 

 

 

 

The parading of the polliwogs around the deck and then past the King and Queen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the parading of the first three accused to face the king and hear the charges:

 

 

 

 

The King had just ordered the three to kiss the fish when the skies opened and a downpour as fast and drenching as only a tropical one can be let loose.  I ducked around the corner to the door to the aft stairwell, and was quick about it, but was completely wet before I got under cover.  DW said she had to contend with a larger crowd, and figured she might as well take her time as she was already drenched and couldn’t get any wetter.

 

We heard later that the ceremony continued after a few minutes, but we did not see it – we were in our cabin, changing clothes and hanging up the old ones to dry.    Still, it was fun to see most of the ceremony, and at least the rain was warm.

 

More later,

Dave

Edited May 29, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[SilvertoGold]

Great photos and much appreciated because we got caught in that downpour and made a run for it inside.  We thought the crew memebers were great sports, especially the Executive Housekeeper who lead the line of pollywogs. Too bad HAL has done away with having the senior officers a judges.

Edited May 29, 2019 by SilvertoGold

[Krazy Kruizers]

Catching up on your reports.

 

We have been fortunate to attend several King Neptune's ceremonies.  They are fun.  Sorry you had rain.

 

Great pictures.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your updates.

Will you write a review of your Fiji excursions on the HAL website?

[RetiredMustang]

10 hours ago, erewhon said:

Thanks for your updates.

Will you write a review of your Fiji excursions on the HAL website?

 

I have never been able to figure out how to do that, so no.

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

May 5, Honolulu

 

 

After four days at sea, we arrived in Honolulu early in the morning.  Here is a photo I took as we approached our berth next to the Aloha Tower.

 

 

 

 

We did not book any excursions in Honolulu; DW lived there for a few years as a child, and as I was a career U.S. Navy man, I traveled there many times, once with the whole family.  There are wonderful things to do in Oahu, but we have done all that we wanted to.  Instead, we emulated much of the crew, and walked up Fort St. to shop at Walmart and other stores (and hit an ATM to get some Hawaii currency 😀).  Then we came back to the Aloha Tower market for lunch. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The market has been mostly taken over by Hawaii Pacific College, but there are some restaurants there, including Hooters, a western bar, and Gordon Biersch.  The Old Spaghetti Factory has also opened since last time we were in Honolulu.  We ended up at Gordon Biersch so DW could get a cheeseburger.

 

After lunch, we went back to the ship.  HAL had sold the cruise in segments, including Sydney-Honolulu, and Honolulu-Vancouver.  A lot of people had gotten off that morning, and about as many were embarking for the first time.  When we got back, there were still a number of people embarking the ship and it took some time to go through security.  Once through, though, we were able to go directly to the ship.

 

More later,

Dave

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[RetiredMustang]

May 6, Nawiliwili, Kauai

 

We stayed in Honolulu until late, which allowed guests to attend a luau or other evening event, and sailed a relatively short distance to Nawiliwili on Kauai island.  As we entered the port in the early morning and passed the lighthouse and airport, the weather looked a bit iffy.

 

 

 

But, it later cleared and we had a very pleasant day.  We had previously visited the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, so this time we booked an Excursion called “Kings, Trains and Wateralls,” although it turned out there was only one train and one waterfall.  We got on a bus and took a fairly short ride to the island’s capital of Lihue and then on to the nearby Kilohana Plantation; in fact, some of the old plantation grounds have been developed into a large shopping area.  We drove to the old manor house and immediately embarked on the Kauai Plantation Railway for a ride of about 45 minutes around the plantation grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

The train took a mostly circular route around the grounds, and the train guide discussed the history of the old sugar plantation, and how the family had converted it in part for development and the rest for working farms, while the manor house was turned into small shops, a restaurant, and a bar.  The farm grew fruit and vegetables for the restaurant, and some sugar cane that was crushed and used to make signature mai tais in the bar.  During the train ride, we stopped by a pasture and were given the opportunity to feed special bread to the pigs, goats and one donkey that came running as we stopped. 

 

 

 

 

Our guide said the train stops several times a day, and the bread is formulated to fit the animals’ nutritional needs.  He also said that, despite our assumption, the pigs did not become features of the nightly luaus, but that they had other sources for those pigs.

 

We returned to the manor house, and had some time to shop and wander.  Here are an exterior photo of the house, and an interior of the bar:

 

 

 

 

 

We then drove back to the highway and went a few miles north, past the town of Wailua.  Our guide discussed that this was the traditional land of the island’s kings.  He discussed some history of the area and pointed out a few things, including a couple of old stone foundations, but we did not get off the bus.  We continued on and turned up a road and went a short way to a roadside rest area and viewpoint.  We could walk from the bus parking area about 100 yards/meters to a viewpoint overlooking Opaekaa Falls.  Another 100 yards and a careful road crossing led us to an overlook of the Wailua River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we took a detour through the old central business district of Lihue on the drive back to Nawiliwili pier.

 

 

This was a pleasant and easy excursion that did not involve long periods of riding on a bus.  It was not that physically taxing – you needed to get on and off the bus and the train, but the walking was on hard and mostly flat surfaces.

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

May 12, Vancouver

 

 

After we sailed from Kauai, there followed five relaxing days at sea before we pulled into Canada Place in Vancouver on Sunday morning.  We had booked the Quick Shuttle bus to Seattle, and chose Expedited debarkation.  We had expected to be asked to debark by 8 a.m., but the schedule said we could go any time up to 9 a.m.  We didn’t wait that long, but if HAL is doing that in other ports, it is nice to know.

 

So, that wraps up Part I of my review.  I will now start Part II, in which I will post such things as Voyage Planners, When and Where pages, and dinner menus for those who wish to look at them.  Here are a few general observations/opinions:

 

 

 

Food

 

 

This is a very subjective thing, but we generally enjoyed the food on board.  There were things we did not like, and some that we really enjoyed, such as for me the liver and onions, mushroom soups, prime rib, and duck – but no doubt your lists would be different.  Very few times did we opt for an “available every day” dish.  We noticed that they served lamb a lot, not just a dinner but also at lunch in the Lido.  There were many Aussies and Kiwis on board, especially the first part, and we noticed that many of them really liked having lamb often.  There were also a lot of other meats on the Lido lunch carvery, like strip loin, roast pork, pork belly, turkey, etc.  The problem wasn’t choice, but trying to limit ourselves.

 

The Asian station at the Lido rotated through many cuisines, including a few times Indonesian, which I love.  Noordam does not (yet, anyway) have the New York Pizzeria, but still has the station on the Lido line where you can serve yourself individual slices.  These pizzas are much better than they were several years ago, and feature real yeast crusts.  During the first part of the cruise, though, either the ovens were set too low or the pizzas were taken out too early, because they weren’t quite fully cooked, especially those with multiple toppings.  But, the problem was fixed after a few days.

 

They had several Cellar Master dinners, both in the Pinnacle and in the Canaletto.  We were tempted by one in the Canaletto, but decided we would learn from the one time we did one on an earlier cruise – too much food for us.  The dinners seemed popular, though.

 

We had early fixed seating, which meant 5:30 for the New Zealand portion.  On Sydney turnaround day, we noticed that early seating had changed to 5 p.m. … which was the time of boat drill.  DW asked the reservations guy if that were a typo or if the time had indeed changed.  He said he thought it had changed, and a young officer chimed in and said that HAL always went to 5 p.m. early seating in the summer.  Well, I had kept the When and Wheres from our summer 2018 Alaska cruise on  Noordam, and I checked and early dining was at 5:30 then.   The first night did not matter, as boat drill delayed everyone anyway, but the second night there were more than one party who were miffed when they arrived at 5:30 and found that their table had been given away.  This is something I’ve noticed on HAL ships – a little communication beforehand would have solved this.  A note in the box of all back-to-backers would have worked better than assuming that they all would have noted the time change in the When and Where. 

 

 

 

Wine

 

 

This was an odd cruise for wine.  Sometimes in the past, we had SBP cards, either as a promotion or ones we bought.  This time we decided not to get them, because last fall on Rotterdam there was a lot of confusion about what it covered.  So, we decided to frequent happy hour, and take advantage of our 5-star discount on wine packages for the dining room.

 

During the New Zealand portion, the by-the-drink menus in the bars had a pretty standard list; I drank mostly McPherson Shiraz and DW drank Danzante Pinot Grigio.  Shortly after turnaround, the wine list changed, and those disappeared.  There were no merlots or shiraz available at all.  I don’t know, nor did the bar staff for sure, if it was because they were running out of some wines, or if James Suckling was implementing changes and if the new list would become standard.  I switched to a Sangiovese and then to some pinot noirs, while DW drank sauvignon blanc. 

 

In the MDR, our package choices were what they had been in previous cruises, but again the ship started running out of some wines and substituted.  We were fine with that, since the substitutions were good, especially a sauvignon blanc called Dusky Sound.  At the end of the cruise, our final 8-bottle package ran out and instead of buying a 4-bottle package, we decided just to purchase by the bottle.  We asked for a Columbia Crest Grand Estates merlot one night, and our wine steward said he would make sure he held us a bottle, as it was phasing out of the wine list.  We noticed that several wines were discounted, leading us to believe they were going to be discontinued as well.  On the other hand, there were new ones on the list, many with a “recommended by James Suckling” marker.  I understand he is making changes, but I don’t know when they will all shake out.  I hope he keeps a good mix of varietals and price points.

 

 

In any case, pending any questions, this is the end of the main narrative part of my review. 

 

More later,

Dave

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by RetiredMustang

[dfish]

On 5/26/2019 at 2:47 PM, RetiredMustang said:

Our rooms were ready for us when we arrived – HAL guarantees the rooms will be available if you book through them; we found out from the desk staff it is because HAL books the night before as well. 

Is this common?  I didn't have this happen when I flew to Amsterdam in 2017 with HAL air and HAL hotel.  I had to wait until 3:00 pm to check in.  

[RetiredMustang]

4 minutes ago, dfish said:

Is this common?  I didn't have this happen when I flew to Amsterdam in 2017 with HAL air and HAL hotel.  I had to wait until 3:00 pm to check in.  

 

Sorry, I don't know if it happens all the time everywhere, but it did for us in Sydney this time. 

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

PART II - Printed items

 

April 7