Just Back from Noordam (3/4 Saildate)

[dsawyer]

Did anyone from the 2nd sailing have a wonderful cruise? The reviews seemed to go downhill after the Inaugural. :confused:

[sail7seas]

So sail...

 

When will you be sailing on the Noordam??

 

 

We absolutely cannot wait to sail Noordam. Before we knew of our participation in Noordam's Dedication/Naming and our strong tie to her, we had booked many cruises for 2006. We're faced with the dilema of cancelling previously booked cruises (for some of which we already bought air) or trying to find another 11 days DH can be out of his office. We've cruised A LOT in the last several years and have a great many days booked for this year.

 

I don't know when we are going to cruise her but be absolutely sure, she is the next booking we are making. :)

[sail7seas]

Yes ... inquiring minds want to know.

You wasted all that good champaign all over her bell, so you really SHOULD cruise on her too. :D

 

:D Greg......No........No, No.... of course we didn't waste champagne!!! :) What fun it was pouring champagne on that beautiful bell!!! That is something we will never forget!!! I can see me in the Senior's Home telling some nurse about when we were Ambassadors and she'll say, "Sure, you were, sweetie. Sure you were@!@@! "

 

The next cruise we book will most certainly be our cruise on Noordam.

 

And I can't WAIT!!!!

[cruzlover56]

I was also on this cruise and posted some info on CC during the cruise. My husband and I are in our 50s and had our 12 year old son with us.

 

The demographic was a bit disconcerting at first. This was our fourth HAL cruise and first one not during school holiday's. As we looked over the sea of people waiting to board I felt my heart drop for my son as a full 90% were gray haired and very elderly. As I said to him older people can be fun and he responded yes, but not in the pool! He was one of 16 children on board.

 

A lot of the people I met were from the New York area and the fact that they didn't need to fly to the port may have pushed the age numbers up as well. I think it was the overwhelming number of people not close to our age group that made it a bit strange. I think it would have been the same if it was overwhelmingly 20 somethings. Interesting the CC'ers that got together for lunch were 30's to 50's age group.

 

This all being said we had a great time. We met more interesting and nice people this trip than any other. Yes, they were mostly retired folks, but people with something going on. The shore excursions we chose (snorkling) tended to attract a slightly younger group as well. Our son found things to do with us, Club HAL or by himself.

 

The staff were great as always. Pande was our dining stewart , Astawa was his assistant and Mamud was our room steward. They were all very personnable and eager to please. The food was very good. I would say the dining room food was better than the Zuiderdam. The portions are not large, but you can always have more than one. The four pounds I gained say I didn't go hungry.

 

Also I want to mention they started a new show called "Broadway comes to Queens" in the Queens Lounge. This a musical show with the 4 singing leads. It was very good.

 

A lot of what you take from your holiday is based on your attitude and willingness to roll with the punches. Was this what I was expecting? No. Did I make sure I had a great time? Absolutely.

 

Have to share this experience we had in Tortola

 

Here's an example of bad thing/ good thing. We arrived on Tortola at 3PM. We got on our shore excursion to Norman Island at 4PM. We now had only 2.5 hours of light left of an excursion advertised as 4 hours. We had a good trip out and snorkeled at the island but, after sailing back for a bit they started the engine then ran out of gas, then flooded the engine and then had to be pushed back to port. So now its 7PM we were supposed to be back before dark and we're drifting a bit. As I look up at the stars and hear the water slapping against the side of the boat and see the beautiful Noordam all lit up ahead, all I can think about is that its 4PM at home and my co-workers are still working. Gee guys take your time with that gas can. We got back to the ship at 8PM just in time to scoop up the last of the barbeque. Now that was a great shore excursion. :D

[dsawyer]

Thanks so much for posting again. I am so happy that you and your family enjoyed your cruise on The Noordam. :)

 

Thanks, for sharing your story about your time im Tortola. We are going to the Baths so I hope we don't run out of daylight or gas. Glad you got back safe and sound.

[ekerr19]

WOW!

 

I must be missing a few things here... we had a great cruise on the inaugural, but then, we usually always do. I don't think we are old, in fact there has been one occasion we were told we were the youngest couple on the ship (years ago!) but still... we didn't even notice - except for the fact we were the only people up after 11:00pm - good thing my DH & I enjoy each other's company, lol!

 

Regardless, the Lido is not (and as far as I am concerned!) should never be self serve again. There are way too many people who feel like it is "OK" to touch and feel food and then return it - or put their hands on things that other people will be ingesting... I just don't get it. :confused: Do they not read newspapers? I saw a man on the Noordam scoop up a portion of Carribean Chicken salad that had spilled on the metal tray rail and toss it back into the salad bowl - this after it had been run over by countless trays, etc., and with his bare hands... good thing the "salad man" (as I came to call him) was there and witnessed it and removed the entire bowl.

 

I'm with Heather on this one - did anyone enjoy the 2nd cruise? We had an absolute blast and were hoping to hear good reports continue.

 

Thanks to cruzlover56 for your take on things - sounds like you had a great time!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thank you for a genuinely lovely and sensitive post. Your description of your evening approach towards Tortola and Noordam on your drifting boat actually brought tears to my eyes! It really did! I don't know why, except I could imagine it so well, thanks to your words. Your vivid image captured the essence of travel, which for me is the search for experiences that take us out of ourselves, even if only for a moment or two.

[PrincessMelody]

Thanks for the review Gmoney. Wow, 45 cruises...And you're 36?? Talk about well traveled!! How do you manage it? Are you a travel agent?

[FallBride]

The Passengers. And when I say this, I specifically mean the older demographic. I had an idea of what I was getting into, but it really hit home once I actually experienced it. I will openly admit that I did not enjoy sailing with so many people who required canes, walkers, wheelchairs and scooters, and if that makes me an ageist, so be it. It surprised me just how many people would stop in the middle of congested public areas for seemingly no reason. It is great that HAL caters to these folks, and it's great that there are choices in cruise lines so I can sail with a younger group of people. I'll take the kids anyday!

 

GMoney: First, congratulations on your engagement! WHAT A GREAT STORY!

 

Regarding the passengers on the Noordam Maiden voyage... DH and I (as first time cruisers) had avoided giving too much of a review on cc because there are more more experienced cruisers who can give everyone a better idea of how a cruise rates when they have something to compare it to. But as first timers, the ship, HAL staff, food, entertainment, itinerary were all better than we expected and we had a wonderful time.

 

However, I do want to comment on the passengers as well. DH and I are native NYers in our early 30s. Our families are from all five boroughs and the surrounding areas and most of our family members are over 60 years old. We have no issue with anyone's age (from 1-99). But we struggled with much of the same feelings you describe when we first got off the maiden voyage of Noordam.

 

We were cut off in line multiple times (I started to joke with DH that we must be invisible to others since so many people were pushing past us in the embarkation line). This continued through the whole cruise including any area where lines formed (Lido deck at lunch time, waiting to go into dinner or a show). Our feet were run over with scooters, we were chastised for dressing too formally on an informal night (the other couple in the elevator on the way to dinner thought it was a casual night and my DH's jacket was showing them up?:rolleyes: ) They complained that we won a game of pictionary because we were "a couple for so long" that were would naturally beat everyone else. (We laughed at that one since we didn't realized that married couples had an "in" when they draw pictures for one another!:p ) People reached for food across the front of us on line in the Lido.

 

Since this cruise did draw an older crowd (we knew this beforehand), it's was easy to say that ALMOST everyone who was rude to us was an older person. We also thought it might be that there were a lot of NYers on board (and we NYers are always polite, sweet, wallflower types:o ). When we arrived home and really reflected on our cruise, we realized that the rudeness was simply that of human beings (regardless of age or location).

 

In general, society is becoming more and more rude and people care less and less about other people's feelings. Most of the rude behavior was simply self centered. There was a single minded focus on getting what they needed whether you were standing there or not. I'm willing to bet that if I was on a cruise of 20 somethings and we experienced the same rudeness, we would be complaining about those dam young people! ;)

 

Since it was our much delayed and much anticipated honeymoon cruise, we had a great time anyway. The time we spent with the other cc'ers was lovely and the times we spent alone made it a wonderful honeymoon! There's nothing like sunset aboard a beautiful ship like Noordam! We would definitely sail HAL again since we got exactly what we wanted in ship size, style, elegance, itinerary etc. What I will do for next time is take more of a sense of humor regarding my fellow pax!

 

Every vacation has its ups and downs, and I'm sure every cruise does as well. There were many people we met that were wonderful to talk to and fun to hang out with (of all ages). Now that we have one cruise under our belts we can say that we learned at least three lessons from reading these boards beforehand that turned out to be absolutely true!

 

- Take twice the money and half the clothes

- Roll with the punches and have a sense of humor if things don't go as expected.

- The worst day at sea (even with 42 ft waves) REALLY IS better than the best day at work. DH and I joke when we get home from work that we wish we could just run up to the Lido deck for dinner!

 

:)

[HeatherInFlorida]

.......................Have to share this experience we had in Tortola

 

Here's an example of bad thing/ good thing. We arrived on Tortola at 3PM. We got on our shore excursion to Norman Island at 4PM. We now had only 2.5 hours of light left of an excursion advertised as 4 hours. We had a good trip out and snorkeled at the island but, after sailing back for a bit they started the engine then ran out of gas, then flooded the engine and then had to be pushed back to port. So now its 7PM we were supposed to be back before dark and we're drifting a bit. As I look up at the stars and hear the water slapping against the side of the boat and see the beautiful Noordam all lit up ahead, all I can think about is that its 4PM at home and my co-workers are still working. Gee guys take your time with that gas can. We got back to the ship at 8PM just in time to scoop up the last of the barbeque. Now that was a great shore excursion. :D

 

Julie, thank you so much for sharing this personal moment! Like Middleagedmom, I welled up! The way you wrote this I could actually feel the experience ... I know Tortola's harbor, having come across the channel in the daylight it's easy for me to imagine the lights of the ship in the darkness, the stars, the water slapping against the sides of the boat.

 

I'm with you ... take your time ... I have forever:)

[YankeesFan224]

Everybody thanks for the feedback,

 

I really want to make clear I have no issue with older people. I used to have a grandma and grandpa and I loved them very much, I was just very very shocked by there behavior It was really something I felt I had to talk about becasue it was so amazaing you would never guess it would be like that. I also have another reason for talking about it. On deck 3 its designed to be walked around like a track or you can jog it as often most of the dancers do. Me and my New fiance had a slow jog around deck 3. Most of the time you were weaving in and out of the people walking. Well to make a long story short my Finace was was on purpose cut off while jogging and she feel. She hurt her ankle pretty bad and we had to cancel 2 of our excersions due to her not being able to walk to well. The comment from the lady as she was on the floor was the deck is made for walking not jogging. This was on Day 2 before i proposed so I was a bit upset that the whole plan would be disrupted but as you can see from the pics it went perfect.

 

Let my clarify on my food comment also. In the dinning room things were fine but the size of the portions are pretty small. I understand you can order another serving but our guy Pat was covering 4 tables at least everytime I ordered something else the poor guy had to run back to the kitchen and it delayed everybody. The food quality was ok not bad, but not something to write home about.

 

Now the lido deck is a joke. First by not having food at 3pm is crazy. There are 2 sides to the lido. If they were smart close the breakfest on one side and then get that side ready for lunch. When lunch is ready on that side close the other side with breakfest and turn it over to lunch. There should always be food there. I cant tell you how many times both sides were closed with nothing or they shut one side down and the line was unreal. I agree to have the food served and not buffet style but be smart about how you do it. Also the food quality up here was poor If you dont like Pizza Burgers or sandwiches you are out of luck. And if you can tell from my pics I do like those things just not everyday for 11 days LOL.

 

We were just hoping for more pool parties and some sort of fun on board as far was we were concerned there was none of that. I am used to midnight buffets and a handful of fun parties and we were very disapointed.

 

 

I guess after reading all of your post's I would give Hal another shot and that is only due to the fact that the crew was the best group of people I have ever run into. But I need a better mix of ages. I am not looking for a carnival style cruise but a nice group of people so there is some life on the ship could have made this a great time. Also Revamp the lido deck as that and the onboard activities had to be the most disapointing things I saw on this cruise.

 

Thanks

Dave

[dsawyer]

Try the Island Princess for your Hawaii cruise. :)

 

First the price of the cruise is decent and it has a great itinerary.

 

Second, the Harbor Court (Princess name for the buffet area) is open 24/7. There is always something available to eat even at 2:00 a.m if you want it. Its a self-serve type set-up which I prefer.

 

Third, it has anytime dining - you can go to the dining room to eat when you are ready and not on a fixed schedule. If you like the traditional, eat at the same time, dining agenda, Princess offers that as well. Also, the portions are very large.

 

Fourth, even though a 15 day cruise (the 2 week Hawaii cruise) is always going to be an older crowd, Princess will probably average 15 years younger. The entertainment does go on much later at night - at least to 1:00 a.m. on the Hawaii itinerary. There are always at least 3 or 4 shows per night to choose from.

 

Fifth, Princess is NOT a Carnival-like cruise with people drunk and partying everywhere. It is very elegant but not stuffy.

 

If you don't like Holland America, you will absolutely not like Celebrity (even stuffier and more rigid schedule). You may like Royal Caribbean but their cruises have gone over the roof in price.

 

I am a Princess lover. It fits me perfectly. However, after 11 Princess cruises, we are taking a break this year. :)

[dsawyer]

Since you were engaged at sea, why not get married on your Hawaii cruise? Either on one of those lovely islands or in the Wedding Chapel which is very lovely on The Island Princess. :)

 

P. S. They have several deck parties during the cruise.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Dave, you're obviously a very reasonable, nice guy. That is obvious to me. I just think you could have described how everything happened without mentioning that the people were "old". The fact is it was the behavior that bothered you, not the age. I'm just saying it's a bit nicer to be considerate of everyone's feelings. People tend to be very sensitive about their age ... particularly as we grow older.

 

The more I read about your feelings about not having enough food along with the fact that you would have liked more pool parties, etc., I'm really thinking HAL may not be the cruiseline for you. It does tend to be a more sedate cruise line.

 

As far as the food, perhaps you're not used to smaller portions, but HAL (and Celebrity) tends to serve in a more nouveau cuisine style which is obviously not to your liking. For some of us (like me:o ), there's way too much food. So it's all relative to what you're seeking.

 

Carnival owns HAL. They continue to separate the lines because while Carnival appeals to some, it doesn't appeal to others. Same with RCI ... they own Celebrity, but somewhat distance themselves so that the 2 lines can be viewed as separate entities. They appeal to completely different people (as a rule).

 

So I think DSawyer is right ... given what you've told us either Princess or RCI would be much better for you.

[YankeesFan224]

Heather

 

Thanks for your comments and I aplogize for the older comment Just was not sure how else to describe it.

 

See now the thing that puzzles me is I have sailed Celebrity twice Both times on the Zenith. Once out of NY and the other our of PR I loved that ship and thought things were great. I did not think it was to refined and I though the Food was some of the best I ever had sailing.

 

Again the food quality was not the problem for me. It was the way they presented and scheduled it in the Lido. The only negative on the restraunt was portion size. I remember the crab cake night and they were the size of quaters and there were 2 of them. So i agree with the other member who posted on that.

 

SO based on what you all are saying I think I am looking for a RCL cruise Next March or April to Hawaii.

[celmed]

Really fascinating to read the different perceptions from the same cruise.

 

Rude people are rude people regardless of age, but I've found older folks in general (evidently not the Noordam group this time, but so be it) tend to be less rude because, as my husband says, more of them were "raised right." I'm 39, and I'd have to say I see more rude people my age than in the 60-plus bracket.

 

I'd much rather be seated at a table full of seniors than a table full of 30- or 40-somethings who want to impress you with their material gain. Older people have such great insight because they've been around longer! Really lovely to talk to (again, a generalization -- there are the exceptions).

 

Anyway, just had to throw in my two cents. Will be interesting to see what the demographic is like when I'm on the Noordam from Rome.

[WNYCRUISER]

As I get settled back in here at home, I thought that I should throw in my two cents. I have grand plans of making this short, but I am already afraid to think that it is not going to be, so if it holds your interest, bear with me.

 

We had a lovely time in NYC prior to our boarding, and this being my first time in the Big Apple, I found it much easier to get around than I expected. We drove and parked at the pier for the duration. Upon entering the terminal, the fun began. We met some lovely people while standing in line, and got to chat with many while we were waiting to check in.

 

EMBARKATION: Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to leaving from Fort Lauderdale, where in our experience, you were on the ship within half an hour of being dropped at the pier. Such was not the case in leaving NY. For any familiar with the termninal building, when we got in line, we were nearly to the exit doors that led to drop off/ pick up ramp. We stood for about twenty minutes without moving more than a couple of feet. Then, someone broke the line, and ushered us to the opposite wall of the terminal building. Great! I thought, they have decided to open up two lines to make the process go quicker! WRONG MISTER! They took us to a corral on the other side of the terminal. At the end, we encountered a closed gate, and there we stood for another hour and one half, as if someone had forgotten us. Three "employees" were stopped during this wait, one in particular was asked "are you a HAL employee?" to which she responded "unfortunately, yes"!! Each of the three was going to "go check and see what the hold up was and get back to us".......you guessed it, no one returned. After the first hour, someone came along and handed us a number.....One gentleman jumped out of line, and went to speak with the security guard at the door closest to us, and his response, in short was we have been doing this for thirty years, and its running just fine, and if you get out line one more time to ask me about it, you will be standing there a whole lot longer. Many could not bear to stand that long, and went for any seat they could (of which there were very few), or any place to rest. The uproar finally came when our line saw people getting on the ship that arrived at the pier after us! Many mutterings went around about the ship getting back in late because of bad weather. Understandable....could they tell us this???...no, there is no PA system. Others said, well, the ship is new to this port, etc. etc. But, someone correct me if I am wrong, haven't cruise ships been going in and out of NY for some time? Is one line all that much different than another? And doesn't HAL use NY during the Fall Canada/ New England season? The new ship/ new port wasn't flying with me. As we were finally allowed into the scanner area, someone took the previous handed out numbers from us, saying they don't mean anything anyway! Arrival at the pier 12:05PM..Embark Vessel 2:35PM (and there were others who waited longer)

 

I had to chuckle when we neared the muster drill scheduled at 4:00PM. At about 3:30 PM they announced that the muster drill would be delayed, as they were waiting for some 500 or so passengers to arrive from various airports as they were delayed! Wow, 25% of the ship delayed in flight when I don't recall hearing of tremendous storms through the country. One only had to stand on the promenade deck, and look across into the terminal building and see 500 weary eyed travelers that they could not check in fast enough.

 

We set sail about 15 minutes behind schedule.

 

ABOARD: Since we were late embarking, we went straight to our room (VC) to drop off our carryons. We were met within five minutes by Adrian, our attentive and elusive room steward. He presented us with our Welcome Aboard Daily Program, pointed out the current dining choices before we set sail, a reminder of the upcoming muster drill, and where to find our lifejackets, a rundown of the itinerary, including dress for each night, and a number to dial to contact him, should we require anything further. He was wonderful, and surprised us most nights with towel animals.

 

The new ship had many of the features we loved about the Zuiderdam that we have sailed on twice before, plus those added extras. The Explorations Cafe' was a great upgrade for the line. It always seemed to be a hub of activity, and well used. The expanded area in the aft pool, that included tarped seating areas for lounging and dining was a big plus in my book.

 

The food was above par, and I can tell you I did not go hungry! The food in the Vista was very good, and well presented. While we ate only a few times in the Lido, when we did, and when we walked through, the food looked plentiful, and nicely done. (And who would miss eating with the likes of Burt Reynolds on board!) The Terrace Grill was a nice spot for the old favorites of burgers, dogs, tacos, nachos, etc.

 

There were many activities throughout each day, that seemed to try to have a mix that would cater to a large demographic. We are not ones to try to join in every activity, but were able to pick and choose what fit us when the timing was right.

 

THE QUICK POINTS:

THE GOOD:

The newness of the ship, and the upgrades they have in place.

The crew was fantastic all across the board, and since most came from other ships, there was not the bumbling newbie syndrome one might expect.

The itinerary was great, and while most ports seem to have been talked about so much, I will only mention Dominica, which was new for us. It is not a beach island, nor one for tremendous shopping, but if you are so inclined, it is well worth it to get off the ship, and go on a tour of the island. Such a friendly people, and so proud of their island. As well they should be, it is truly a wonder of nature.

Announcements were not boisterous, nor too numerous for my taste.

 

THE BAD:

Enough was said above about the embarkation. However, I found it interesting when we docked on our return. In most ports in the islands, it takes only four dock workers to tie up the ship. When we returned to NY, I counted no less than 15 workers, and a good 1/3 of them who grabbed no more than their coffee cups. Must be a supervisory position. Disembarkation was almost as slow as embarkation. They had express disembarkation where you carry off your own luggage at about 7:15AM. They then never started calling other passengers off until 8:30 or 8:45AM.

One HAL employee was noted as saying, once we dock, we are no longer in control. It is the port authority that tells us who and when they get off....that is why we don't like docking in NY. I think that statement goes a long way to explain a lot of the happenings at the NY Pier.

 

It will likely never change on the Vistas, and I cannot speak as to how it is on other ships in the line, but I have never liked their marketing strategy of the funnel effect they use to get everyone to pass through the photo gallery and the shops on board. Talk about a bottle neck!

 

Have all the art auctions you want, I likely won't attend, but please refrain from clogging the hallways with framed works. I'm sure somewhere they have posted the you break it you bought it sign.

 

When we first cruised, the spa people hit you up as you were entering the Lido for embarkation lunch, now they are in the pier hawking their wares before the photogs lassoo you for the embarkation photo! Luckily we were able to side-step both of them for the most part the rest of the cruise.

 

IN CONCLUSION: (Bet you couldn't wait for this) We had a wonderful time aboard the Noordam. There was not a thing that happened that stopped us from having a good time. Would we go out of NY again? In a minute, but next time, will know what to expect at the pier. Would we sail the Noordam again? We are already looking into next year. (We would have considered booking on board, but the 25.00 credit didn't seem worth the trouble.) The Noordam is a Dam fine Ship in a Dam fine Line, and we were proud to be a part of the inaugural season.

 

And a quick story....

On the last night after packing, I filled out the room service breakfast card, and hung it on the door. At about 2AM I woke up in a cold sweat fearing that I had not ordered enough for breakfast. Figuring the card was already gone, I went back to sleep, knowing I could make a quick dash to the Lido for more. Thankfully, someone must have been reading my mind, for when room service knocked, and I opened the door, I was greeted by a small statured server who almost collapsed under the weight of the food. Yes, someone was so kind as to mark up my room service card, and order enough food for twelve people! It was like having the Lido next to your bed. My first reaction-shock, second-laughter, third-what a waste for someone to do this. The server was very apologetic, and said no problem, kids sometimes.

 

We enjoyed meeting the rest of the CC'ers on board, and enjoyed a wonderful lunch together.

[WNYCRUISER]

On deck 3 its designed to be walked around like a track or you can jog it as often most of the dancers do. Me and my New fiance had a slow jog around deck 3.

 

It is clearly posted in several locations on deck 3 :

Mind Your Head

Watch Your Step

NO Jogging

 

Jogging is done on deck 10

[HeatherInFlorida]

WNYCruiser ... loved reading your review. Thanks for sharing! I love your attitude! Stuff went wrong, stuff happens, you had an amazing time ... none of it got in your way.

 

Glad you didn't go hungry;) !! It's never happened to me on any ship that sails the sea:)

[YankeesFan224]

It is clearly posted in several locations on deck 3 :

Mind Your Head

Watch Your Step

NO Jogging

 

Jogging is done on deck 10

 

There were many people jogging. Deck 10 is treadmills in the Gym no track. We did not want to be inside during vacation.

 

Also you mention the abundence of activities wich of those are you reffering to the Bingo or the Art auction or the put together movie theater. Because there was nothing else to do.

 

I guess its all in the eye of the beholder, But I would not at all recomend this cruise to anybody under 50. If you are looking to just relax and not do much of anything then this cruise gets an A+ on a well put together ship.

 

If you have been on many other crusies and are exspecting music fun and atmoshpere then this is not the ship for you.

[GMoney]

GMoney/Patrick, I will be staying in an SS room in November on the Noordam. Can you share any room photo's, or balcony photo's?

You can send to my Email if you like: Loralu122@yahoo.com

I would really appreciate it.

Thank you

 

Hi - I'm sorry - I didn't take any pictures. :( Enjoy your cruise!

[GMoney]

Thanks for the review Gmoney. Wow, 45 cruises...And you're 36?? Talk about well traveled!! How do you manage it? Are you a travel agent?

 

Hi - No, I'm not a TA. I've just been very fortunate. All the cruises have been since 1999 too. :)

[twoofus]

Patrick,

 

Just really curious how you were able to book the day before the cruise and what kind of deal you got.

 

Im often able to do this but wouldnt know how to proceed.

 

Please share!

 

Thanks! (if you want to email me borntoberoyal@aol.com)

[dollymadison]

It's not ageism. It's an accurate accounting of an experience on a HAL cruise. And yes, I love HAL. It is not discrimination to accurately reflect the day-to-day experience on a cruise - that's what I read cruise reviews for.

 

The scooter/wheelchair/cane prevelance is just another factor to take into account when deciding on your cruise.

 

Of course allowances need to be made for assistive devices and those who need them. However, my personal experience on HAL cruises has been that many of those who use those devices have become somewhat less than polite in their usage. I have been intentionally butted from behind by a walker in an elevator when a person thinks that I am not moving quickly enough. Once, while slowing down my pace to allow a wheelchair access in front of me, the cane-bearing person behind me berated me loudly for not moving quickly enough.

 

Go figure!:confused:

[sail7seas]

There were many people jogging. Deck 10 is treadmills in the Gym no track. We did not want to be inside during vacation.

 

 

 

Because, as you say, there were many people jogging where it was clearly posted No Jogging Permitted....... Well, of course, you know that does not make it okay. It is NOT okay.

 

We walk for our exercise around the Promendade Decks. We don't stroll but rather walk at a brisk rate. We cannot enjoy our walk when joggers are continuously banging into us and pushing us aside. Sorry if it is a rule that joggers do not like, but we cannot pick and choose which rules we wish to follow.

 

You can jog ashore in the various ports if you prefer that to treadmills. Or you can use the treadmills. But, you cannot use the Promenade Deck if it is posted No Jogging Permitted.

 

In the past, we have tried to accomodate joggers and when we heard their pounding feet behind us, we would step aside to let them pass. No More!!! We will continue at our brisk walking rate and if we impede the joggers from passing, that's okay. They are not supposed to be jogging.