Noordam - A Passage to New Zealand

[richwmn]

Menus for this evening.

 

[Copper10-8]

On 10/14/2019 at 10:22 AM, richwmn said:

There is still a library and Explorations Cafe in that area. The library is now smaller, about half its former space taken over by Microsoft for the computer classes. At a glance, the shelves have few books than in the past. Many games on the shelves.

 

 

Hi Rich, enjoying your "play-by-play" to Kiwi land. Say hi to Erewhon/Phil please

 

Question; you refer to Microsoft and their computer classes now being in the Crow's Nest on Noordie. Her Digital Workshop used to be on Deck 2, starboard side aft, just as you exited the main dining room before you got to the Explorers Lounge. Can you tell us what happened to that room after her most recent dry-dock? Thank you Sir!

[richwmn]

Good morning from Noordam.

Here are today's activities

 

[richwmn]

Just now, Copper10-8 said:

 

Hi Rich, enjoying your "play-by-play" to Kiwi land. Say hi to Erewhon/Phil please

 

Question; you refer to Microsoft and their computer classes now being in the Crow's Nest on Noordie. Her Digital Workshop used to be on Deck 2, starboard side aft, just as you exited the main dining room before you got to the Explorers Lounge. Can you tell us what happened to that room after her most recent dry-dock? Thank you Sir!

Sorry if I misled. The Crow's Nest was unchanged in the latest Dry Dock. The wonderful area that all ships had, still exists.

The large area on Deck 2 which was the Exploration Cafe' and Library has been reconfigured and is smaller. Microsoft Studio now takes the place of part of the Library. There is a portrait studio in the area which I believe was where Microsoft had classes.

[Copper10-8]

2 minutes ago, richwmn said:

Sorry if I misled. The Crow's Nest was unchanged in the latest Dry Dock. The wonderful area that all ships had, still exists.

The large area on Deck 2 which was the Exploration Cafe' and Library has been reconfigured and is smaller. Microsoft Studio now takes the place of part of the Library. There is a portrait studio in the area which I believe was where Microsoft had classes.

 

No misleading involved!  I misinterpreted your post and was under the mistaken impression that Microsoft now did their thing in the Crow's Nest which got my attention because it is not enclosed up there and not real conducive to teaching computer classes.

 

So Microsoft moved from Deck 2 aft, starboard side to Deck 3 forward starboard side, Explorations Cafe/Library, correct? That still leaves my question what happened to their former classroom on Deck 2, starboard side, aft 

[richwmn]

Entertainment Options

 

Starting with the World Stage we had Ace McDermott. As with all the shows I have attended on this cruise, and that is most of them, Ace played to a full venue. Ace is billed as a Mentalist.  Now looking at movies and TV shows we get a bad overall impression of Mentalists. In the movie "Now You See Me", Woody Harrelson describes Mentalism as educated guesses, recognition of responses, and luck. Ace didn't appear to use any of those. He correctly gave answers when the people where out of his eyesight. It was a pretty good show.

 

BB King and Billboard continue to play to big crowds.

 

On Sea Days, Trivia has been held twice a day with an included Happy 30 Minutes. All trivia has been held in the Billboard Area and for the last two days it has been filled to capacity. Questions were sufficiently difficult, but the winners each session only had 1 or two questions wrong.

 

Cruise and Travel Director Ross gave a very good talk on Pago Pago yesterday, again to a packed audience. That is our next stop tomorrow. Quite a bit of information on what is there and how it came to be.

 

[richwmn]

Just now, Copper10-8 said:

 

So Microsoft moved from Deck 2 aft, starboard side to Deck 3 forward starboard side, Explorations Cafe/Library, correct? That still leaves my question what happened to their former classroom on Deck 2, starboard side, aft 

You are correct, Microsoft Studio takes up part of the old Library on Deck 3, forward of the Explorations Cafe'. I will have to look again, but I believe that Microsoft used to have an area aft of the Explorers Lounge and before the rest rooms. I believe that is where I saw signs indicating a Portrait Studio.

[Copper10-8]

4 minutes ago, richwmn said:

You are correct, Microsoft Studio takes up part of the old Library on Deck 3, forward of the Explorations Cafe'. I will have to look again, but I believe that Microsoft used to have an area aft of the Explorers Lounge and before the rest rooms. I believe that is where I saw signs indicating a Portrait Studio.

 

Correctamundo Rich! So Black Label took over the former Digital Workshop; thanks and enjoy the remainder of your nice voyage! 

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Sorry Rich, one more please, last one, promise! Is the Deck 1 Atrium Bar, at one time known as the "Olive Pit," still in place or have they removed it in the Esquimalt dry-dock?

[richwmn]

Reflections

Two weeks ago we boarded Noordam. Different people boarded for different lengths of time, starting with 6 days from Vancouver to Honolulu, then 26 to Sydney, and finally 40 days to Auckland. For me, it is the 40 days to Auckland, my longest cruise by 2 days.

But this cruise is unusual in that it starts with 6 sea days, followed by 3 ports and another 5 sea days. Voyage of the Vikings was so port intensive that sea days were welcome. The sea days have, to me, been very good. There is plenty to do, unless it is things you do not enjoy. Not everyone enjoys lectures, comedians, and mentalists. Friday night was a pianist which I didn't attend due to a lack of interest. She may have been wonderful, just not my cup of tea.

Crew, as always, has been wonderful. My preferences are know by many crew members which makes things very easy. The Captain, Hotel Manager and Beverage Manager are all approachable.

All this makes the sea days a lot easier to take.

 

[BarbarianPaul]

One other thing I’m loving about the Crow’s Nest. Without the excursion desk and all the library and board game elements, it feels a lot more serene and peaceful. 
 

Also, the ship never feels overcrowded, even the Lido buffet, where we never have to search too long for a seat. Today there’s also a Sunday brunch in the dining room, which will be a new experience for us.

[Krazy Kruizers]

29 minutes ago, richwmn said:

You are correct, Microsoft Studio takes up part of the old Library on Deck 3, forward of the Explorations Cafe'. I will have to look again, but I believe that Microsoft used to have an area aft of the Explorers Lounge and before the rest rooms. I believe that is where I saw signs indicating a Portrait Studio.

 

You are correct as to where the original Microsoft Studio was.

[Krazy Kruizers]

19 minutes ago, richwmn said:

Reflections

Two weeks ago we boarded Noordam. Different people boarded for different lengths of time, starting with 6 days from Vancouver to Honolulu, then 26 to Sydney, and finally 40 days to Auckland. For me, it is the 40 days to Auckland, my longest cruise by 2 days.

But this cruise is unusual in that it starts with 6 sea days, followed by 3 ports and another 5 sea days. Voyage of the Vikings was so port intensive that sea days were welcome. The sea days have, to me, been very good. There is plenty to do, unless it is things you do not enjoy. Not everyone enjoys lectures, comedians, and mentalists. Friday night was a pianist which I didn't attend due to a lack of interest. She may have been wonderful, just not my cup of tea.

Crew, as always, has been wonderful. My preferences are know by many crew members which makes things very easy. The Captain, Hotel Manager and Beverage Manager are all approachable.

All this makes the sea days a lot easier to take.

 

 

 

Even though we like a lot of port days, now that we are older we do welcome the sea day breaks more often.

[richwmn]

Just now, Copper10-8 said:

Sorry Rich, one more please, last one, promise! Is the Deck 1 Atrium Bar, at one time known as the "Olive Pit," still in place or have they removed it in the Esquimalt dry-dock?

Would you be talking about this area? Pictures taken a few minutes ago.

By the way, ask whatever you wish. My cabin is near the mid ships elevator so it is very easy to get to any part of the ship to verify.

Edited October 27, 2019 by richwmn

[richwmn]

I'll take Copper's question about the Atrium bar as a starting point for a
post about the bars aboard Noordam.
First up will be the Atrium Bar. Although it has been a part of all HAL
ships at least including the Vista Class it is a bar that has been
underused. I have rarely seen even a bartender there so it was no surprise
when HAL started removing it.
Northern Lights. This was an early attempt by HAL to attract a younger
crowd. The vision was that this "out of the way" area would be a gathering
point for the 20 - 40 year old passengers to stay up partying till the wee
hours of the morning. This never panned out and resulted in another area
that has been used less and less, to the point that so far on this cruise it
has only been used by the first bar hop. I'm not sure about the second bar
hop last night.
Ocean Bar. This is a very nice, large area on Noordam. While there is a
piano and small dance floor, according to Louis the bartender the piano
won't be used. The Ocean Bar on the R & S Classes, and formerly on the
Vistas was the venue of a small dance trio, or maybe a bit more.
Crow's Nest. This still exists on Noordam, but doesn't show up as being used
for much. It is still a nice area to sit and relax.
Billboard On Board. This is still listed as the Piano Bar on receipts. Note
to HAL, most likely this can be reprogrammed without too much trouble.
Billboard is the venue used for trivia, bingo, and other activities. The
last two days it was overflowing for trivia, during which drinks are happy
hour pricing.
B.B. King. Formerly know as the Queen's Lounge, this venue is full from
about 8 in the evening till midnight. One interesting thing is that for the
15 minutes between sets, drinks are happy hour prices.

[strickerj]

Thanks for all the great info! I’ll be on Noordam to Alaska in May next year. I was kind of wondering why there’d be a nightclub on board if HAL attracts an older crowd... no surprise it it’s underutilized. I’m curious about the Atrium Bar though - was it changed during the dry dock renovation?

[kazu]

1 hour ago, richwmn said:

First up will be the Atrium Bar. Although it has been a part of all HAL
ships at least including the Vista Class it is a bar that has been
underused. I have rarely seen even a bartender there so it was no surprise
when HAL started removing it.

 

 

that's interesting Rich.  On both our Westerdam cruises, it was packed and the bartenders were working hard. 😉.  I totally get if it is gone though as it appears from what you are saying that is not the case all the time.

 

1 hour ago, richwmn said:

Billboard On Board. This is still listed as the Piano Bar on receipts. Note
to HAL, most likely this can be reprogrammed without too much trouble.
Billboard is the venue used for trivia, bingo, and other activities. The
last two days it was overflowing for trivia, during which drinks are happy
hour pricing.

 

 

Good to know.  Thank you.  Billboard is new to us as we have spent the last few years on an R ship and the Prinsendam.

 

1 hour ago, richwmn said:

 

B.B. King. Formerly know as the Queen's Lounge, this venue is full from
about 8 in the evening till midnight. One interesting thing is that for the
15 minutes between sets, drinks are happy hour prices.

 

another great tip 😄 - thank you 🙂 

[bennybear]

Just curious,  are they repeating the menus?  We found some repeated exactly on our last back to back. 

[erewhon]

Thank you for all the interesting information.

[erewhon]

4 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Hi Rich,  Say hi to Erewhon/Phil pleasej

 

Hi John, hope all is well with you.

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

Tonight's menus have been posted, here they are

 

[richwmn]

@Copper10-8,

@erewhon

John, I would be happy to say hi to Phil for you in person, but I have no contact info for him. Y'all can reach me by email at my screen name here at gmail.com

We will be in Sydney 11/9 and Melborne 11/11

Rich

 

[Copper10-8]

15 minutes ago, richwmn said:

@Copper10-8,

@erewhon

John, I would be happy to say hi to Phil for you in person, but I have no contact info for him. Y'all can reach me by email at my screen name here at gmail.com

We will be in Sydney 11/9 and Melborne 11/11

Rich

 

 

Hi Rich, Erewhon/Phil resides in New Zealand so your 11/18 stop would be a grand opportunity to hook up

[SempreMare]

Great thread! 

 

Do your closets have these nifty flip down ledges like on the Westerdam?   

(Is this Neptune-lounge specific? )

 

[richwmn]

Just now, SempreMare said:

Great thread! 

 

Do your closets have these nifty flip down ledges like on the Westerdam?   

(Is this Neptune-lounge specific? )

 

If I'm not mistaken, that is a feature of every cabin, no matter the classification, on all ships