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MS Noordam IV Glass Staircase..

AAAAmerican

By AAAAmerican,
in Holland America Line

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted

The glass staircase on the Noordam has always "worked." The issue has been one of safety. The way Captain Scott put it back on the Noordam's maiden Voyage was that he didn't want to risk a passenger slipping and falling on those particular stairs when the ship was in high seas and, so, when the ship was at sea they would close those stairs to foot traffic.

 

Has there been an update?

 

Here's a picture of them:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/revneal/.Pictures/noordaminaugral/publicrooms1/atrium2h.jpg

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted

Oh, the Stairs DO function ... they are not just art.

I just wonder why they don't do something to "fix" the issue ... like frost the glass so that people don't get confused and stumble when the ship is in motion.

 

I've actually seen someone stumble on those stairs due to being able to see through them. When the ship is moving I can imagine that the problem is amplified several-fold.

 

I didn't know that they're still closing down the stairs when the ship is underway. I wonder if the regulations for doing so vary depending upon how many knots the ship is making and what the sea-conditions happen to be. Even if there are only "wavelets" on the water, if the ship is doing more than 10 knots Safety may require them to be roped off. I wonder.

 

I'll try to remember to ask when I'm aboard in January ... unless Lady Bird beats me to it. :D

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sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
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I suppose the ultimate decision as to whether to leave the staircase open or not is ultimately up to the Captain.

 

It's absolutely beautiful but I, personally, found it a little disorienting. I held the rail carefully when we used it.

 

It is stunning though, isn't it?

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hammybee

hammybee

Posted
Posted
Oh, the Stairs DO function ... they are not just art.

/QUOTE]

 

 

I think we are saying the same thing. I remain curious however, about the designers intent of a glass stairway which seems to me to be more art than function, for reasons of safety as well as appearance.

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Atomica

Atomica

Posted
Posted

I'm a little surprised the stairs don't have some kind of no-slip strips on them, just to help with traction. The staircase is absolutely beautiful, but I wonder: do you think they close the stairs off because people might slip, or because they might become disoriented and slip? Perhaps they need to frost the glass some more?

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sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
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Who here remembers when Maasdam first came out she had a mirrored floor in the Crows Nest? It was stunning cracked mirrored pieces but the reflection was most unwelcome by the ladies. We were at her Inaugural and were very surprised by it. It was quickly replaced. ;)

 

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Copper10-8 "Live from...." Rare

Copper10-8

Posted
Posted
Who here remembers when Maasdam first came out she had a mirrored floor in the Crows Nest? It was stunning cracked mirrored pieces but the reflection was most unwelcome by the ladies. We were at her Inaugural and were very surprised by it. It was quickly replaced. ;)

 

 

Guilty! But I wasn't looking! I danced looking at the ceiling!

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jhannah

jhannah

Posted
Posted

On our sailing the stairs were open only on a few occasions. I did not find them particularly slippery. There is a slight texture to them. But I never went down them with leather shoe soles. The glass is so thick I would imagine it would tend to distort what you might see through them. However, I never got underneath and played the voyeur! ;)

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted
Who here remembers when Maasdam first came out she had a mirrored floor in the Crows Nest? It was stunning cracked mirrored pieces but the reflection was most unwelcome by the ladies. We were at her Inaugural and were very surprised by it. It was quickly replaced. ;)

 

 

LOL ... goes to show you that the shipwrights were all guys. :D

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bepsf

bepsf

Posted
Posted

As one who always trips on the staircases - particularly those in the atria on Vista ships - I didn't find this one any more difficult to navigate than the others.

 

I seem to recall a strip of etched glass at the leading edges of each step - intended to help with traction and offer a visual cue to the edges of the stairs.

 

I think the thing that makes these more difficult to use than others is their steepness, particularly at the inside rail which is where folks tend to want to walk as opposed to the outside rail (against the wall, as it were)

 

Tho I do love the Olive Pit! I wonder if Bong is still there mixing his fancy cocktails? He was a hit on Oosterdam where he had guys lined up 3-4 deep to get his drinks, and it was great seeing him again on Noordam too!

 

BTW - Greg, have you booked for the Jan 6 cruise yet? Scotty just booked us yesterday...

:D

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Grumpy1

Grumpy1

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Aug 19 to Aug 29 cruise, the glass stairway was blocked off every time I went past it. Seas were pretty calm most of the time. Just a suggestion for any circular staircase, the treads can be very narrow toward the inside and it is very easy to miss a step when going down. I use the inside going up, because your toes can go under the next tread giving you a more secure footing. Going down toward the outside, the treads are wide enough to provide good footing. the forward stairwell on Prinsendam from deck 4 to 8 is carpeted circular, but the treads toward the inside are very narrow. I've seen several people coming down that have missed the tread or slipped off of it.

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LizB1

LizB1

Posted
Posted

I found the glass staircase to be very confusing. I guess it's because I now wear trifocals so decided not to go any further than three steps. DH did use them and had no problem.

 

Brian...glad to hear you and Scotty have booked the January 6th cruise. Am looking forward to meeting those who were on the Inaugural and hope there will be a CC get-together.

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Copper10-8 "Live from...." Rare

Copper10-8

Posted
Posted
.........Tho I do love the Olive Pit! I wonder if Bong is still there mixing his fancy cocktails? He was a hit on Oosterdam where he had guys lined up 3-4 deep to get his drinks, and it was great seeing him again on Noordam too!:D

 

Bong...............James Bong and his wife Theresa, a bar waitress, usually found on the same ship Bong is on; great people!

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