Noordam - Holidays Christmas/New Years - Need advice/opinions

[PaulyWalnuts]

I've been approached by a family member to reconsider our current holiday cruise. We're currently booked on Explorer of the Seas for 12 nights departing from Bayonne NJ; however, I have a cousin that is more interested in the 14 night holiday sailing from New York on Noordam.

 

I'll be honest and hope I don't step on too many toes. I've never stepped foot on HAL, so, this is all hearsay... But, doesn't HAL have an older crowd? I'm 57, and, I'm afraid I'll be the youngster onboard if we do decide Noordam.

 

I've read the reviews and I must say - they are glowing, positive and, it sounds ALMOST too good to be true

 

So here are my concerns:

 

- What's the age range onboard during holiday sailings - especially those of you who have sailed on Noordam

 

- Is the food as really as good as you all seem to say? How would it rate compared to say Princess? or even Carnival?

 

- What do you think is HAL's best features as a cruise line?

 

- What do you think Noordam's best features are as a ship?

 

- Noordam is smaller than Explorer, how does it handle the Atlantic in the winter?

 

Anything else you'd like to contribute is more than welcome.

 

We have junior suites on Explorer and would book the same if we switch over to Noordam.

 

So...here's your chance to "sell" the ship to me.

 

Thanks for your time and responses in advance

 

-

[CANBRFAN]

I sailed on the Noordam with my husband last March out of NYC, at the time we were 44 and 48. We were no doubt the youngest people on this ship. I believe the average age was about 75-80. The age group doesn't bother me at all, I love older people, we spoke with many interesting people. For me, the problem was there was basically nothing to do on this ship. We were on an 11 day cruise and only one time, we witnessed pool games and they lasted about 1/2 hour and this was becasue there were no participants! There was no music by the pool, no pool bar open after 8:00pm and even when it was open, there was just nothing going on. We just found it really dull and really boring to be honest. If you really want nothing but a relaxing vacation, then this is your ship. However, cruising over the holiday season might be different. I'm sure there will be more families on board which I'm sure will be more exciting. The ship itself is just beautiful, the food was really good (Nick and Nora's on the Carnival Miracle was much better than their supper club) and the staff are outstanding. I also liked the idea that you didn't have to go to the main dining room every night for dinner. You could go to the alternate restaurant which is always casual dress and basically they have the same food, with some service. For myself, I was really seasick on this cruise, to the point where I had to leave the supper club and go back to my room. However, that's just me, my husband was just fine. If I had the choice, I would stick with RCCL. I have sailed on RCCL before and really enjoyed it. Good luck in whatever decision you make.

[RuthC]

HAL is more of a traditional, elegant line than some others. There are cloth towels in the public restrooms, real flowers displayed about the ship, and beautiful artwork. The focus is more toward the sea than a glitzy atrium. It tends to be a quiet, refined cruise.

The demographic on a Vista ship---which the Noordam is---is a bit younger than the other classes. I've sailed the Noordam out of NYC twice, and would gauge the age-range in the 50's-60's predominating. Holiday cruises bring out more families, so that brings the age-range down.

The Noordam itself is beautiful! The Vistas are too large for my taste, but I do love this one. Oh, and I think she rides very well---I could barely feel her moving. :(

As to food, I'm finicky and I've never missed a meal or gone hungry. I love the Lido for breakfast! Room service on the last morning is a luxury I truly enjoy.

And do you know you can stay in your cabin until you disembark? Now that's nice! :)

Good luck in your decision.

[DH88]

We are also booked on the Explorer 12/23 and are toying with doing Noordam. We have heard that the school breaks bring out a younger crowd; however, they are longer cruises and people don’t like to miss school. We are going on Noordam for Easter break so we will have a better idea once we return.

We did Navigator over the summer and it was always a party and Noordam doesn’t sound like that. We also thought about the size of the ships as a concern during December. The ports are also different so maybe there is somewhere you would rather see and that could help your decision. At the present time, we are sticking with Explorer due to itinerary, size and activities. However, if we really enjoy Noordam I wouldn't hesitate to switch because sometimes RCCL can be overwhelming as well.

[GMoney]

I've done 2 Xmas cruises on Noordam (22 days total) and a whole lot more on RCI. I'd change from EX to Noordam in a heartbeat for mnay reasons, but here's the easy one:

 

EX does not have a covered pool; Noordam does.

 

Even if you don't plan to swim a lot, at least you can sit by the pool, read, whatever and enjoy the chillier days. Why RCI put a Voyager class ship on this itinerary makes no sense.

 

Easy reason #2: Noordam's thermal suite and hydro-pool. (Again, all the more reason for RCI to have put a Radiance class ship on this route).

 

Here are some opinions on your other questions:

 

> Noordam pax are older for sure, but the holiday sailings will skew younger. I'm 37 and I survived. :)

 

> The food is good. Breakfast and lunch are very similar to RCI; dinner is a bit better in terms of quality and selection. Everyone will have a thought on this. In my mind, it's not enough to base a cruise decision on.

 

> I think HAL does a better job with holiday celebrations at sea.

 

> Noordam is by far my favorite cruise ship, and I generally prefer bigger RCI shps with more fun, features and activities.

 

> Cloth napkins and real flowers don't influence my cruise too much, but I love Explorations Cafe / library, the aft pool, and the thermal suite.

 

> Th only downers in my mind are the entertainment (generally weak and targeted at the older folks), and the design of the Lido (too small and cramped; RCI's Windjammer is much better).

 

Switch to Noordam and don't think twice about it. You will have a great time.

[m&dluv2cruise]

Don't worry you will not be the youngest. My wife and I are booked on that cruise and we are 42 & 48 plus we are taking our young daughter.

[gizmo]

PaulyWalnuts,

 

You won't find the type of entertainment the the Bada Bing has !!:rolleyes:

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I've been approached by a family member to reconsider our current holiday cruise. We're currently booked on Explorer of the Seas for 12 nights departing from Bayonne NJ; however, I have a cousin that is more interested in the 14 night holiday sailing from New York on Noordam.

 

I'll be honest and hope I don't step on too many toes. I've never stepped foot on HAL, so, this is all hearsay... But, doesn't HAL have an older crowd? I'm 57, and, I'm afraid I'll be the youngster onboard if we do decide Noordam.

 

I've read the reviews and I must say - they are glowing, positive and, it sounds ALMOST too good to be true

 

So here are my concerns:

 

- What's the age range onboard during holiday sailings - especially those of you who have sailed on Noordam

 

Pauly: I haven't sailed on Noordam yet, but my family and I did a 14-day holiday cruise this past December/January on the Amsterdam to the Southern Caribbean/Panama Canal, rt from Fort Lauderdale. The age range was all over the place, but probably the average age was in the 50-60 range. There were a number of multi-generational family groups onboard. We had 80 children/teens on the ship and a decent representation of those in their twenties.

 

- Is the food as really as good as you all seem to say? How would it rate compared to say Princess? or even Carnival?

 

Can't compare, as I haven't been on the other lines, but the food covers the spectrum from decent to very good, with the occasional inspired dish or lack-luster dish.

 

- What do you think is HAL's best features as a cruise line?

 

The crew and staff.

 

 

Anything else you'd like to contribute is more than welcome.

 

HAL goes all out for the holidays. On our cruise, we had a Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, and a Protestant minister to help passengers celebrate their faith. There were beautiful decorations everywhere. The crew and staff sang Christmas carols for us from their native countries, Santa Claus made a visit to the ship with presents for every single child onboard, and there were festive foods with all the trimmings for both Christmas and New Years. There were dance hosts who gave dance lessons up in the Crow's Nest almost daily, as well providing the single ladies with a dance partner. Historical lectures were offered on the building of the Panama Canal, there were flower arranging classes, wine-tasting seminars, a "Build-a-Bear" session for the children, games, trivia, etc. Some of these activities are not free, however. The Daily Program will tell you.

 

Club HAL hosted a family evening of holiday arts, crafts, goodies, and prizes that was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. The children wrote notes and left cookies for Santa, and had their pictures taken with him on Christmas day. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea......:)

 

We have junior suites on Explorer and would book the same if we switch over to Noordam.

 

So...here's your chance to "sell" the ship to me.

 

Thanks for your time and responses in advance

 

-

 

 

Hope my response helps you to make your decision. May you and your family have a wonderful holiday together, no matter where you end up cruising!:)

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

We were on the Noordam this past New Year's (we are early 40's w/ 7 year old son), it was the best cruise ever! We have sailed X, RCCL, NCL, Princess, and by far this was the best! It was so good in fact, that we have already booked for the X-Mas/New Years cruise this year and counting the days! Food was excellent. Best service of any cruise line we have been on. Since it is a Holiday cruise, there will probably be other families with children on board, so the age should be younger as it was this past New Year's cruise. The Noordam is BEAUTIFUL! The only downside, IMHO, is that there aren't too many activities during the days, but that's OK. DS loved club HAL and the ship. How are we doing? We convinced you yet? Forgot to mention, if you are going to book, don't wait too long. When we tried to book last September the ship was sold out and we had to be on a waiting list for 2 months.

[sab490]

We have always been RCCL/Celebrity fans and love the big ships. We have been on Voyager twice, Adventure, and Navigator. We were a bit hestitant about taking Noordam last December. Being about your age we had the same concerns - smaller ship and older crowd. Our fears were totally unfounded. Yes there were a lot of elderly passengers, but there were also many our age and younger. It was a very nice mix. We thought the food was far better than any RCCL cruise (except we like Chops much better than the Pinnacle Grille) and the service was the best we have ever experienced on any cruise including Celebrity. We were so impressed we booked again for this coming December.

[Len3]

We're sailing on the Volendam, March 13th - our first on HAL. We have taken the entire family on Christmas/New Years cruises of NCL and RCCL. From everything that I've read on these boards, HAL does attract an older group. We're happy with out choice of the Volendam, but we're 62 and 57. I really don't believe that the rest of my family would have a great vacation on HAL - just not enough for them to do.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

We're sailing on the Volendam, March 13th - our first on HAL. We have taken the entire family on Christmas/New Years cruises of NCL and RCCL. From everything that I've read on these boards, HAL does attract an older group. We're happy with out choice of the Volendam, but we're 62 and 57. I really don't believe that the rest of my family would have a great vacation on HAL - just not enough for them to do.

 

Len, please do give us your impressions when you return; I'd love to read your review:) . I think a port-intensive itinerary on HAL works much better for young people than an itinerary with mulitiple sea days, as shore excursions provide a good variety of activities.

 

 

Karin

[2boyzmom]

It's funny- even though we went on a huge ship a few weeks ago ( Crown Princess with 3400 people) we did not participate in one activity. Actually- we never participate! My husband and I work 40-50 hours a week each and don't want to go go go all the time. This is exactly why we chose the Noordam for next year :) Give me a decent bar, a casino and I'm happy!

[Lynne Myrna]

We have been on Royal Caribbean.....it cannot compare with HAL. Yes, RC is glitzy, & it has the big parade, etc.....but you will not have the quality, service, (especially the service).....& the food is terrific..it is an elegant experience....& that's why we are doing it again. As Ruth has mentioned, who else gives you cloth towels in the public bathrooms? Fresh fruit in your stateroom? Genuine smiles from the staff? We had been on the Noordam for the x-mas holiday, it was so very festive & elegant.....what more can I say....we love cruising on this beautiful ship.

[Funny Daddy]

Having done almost 300 days on the HAL, I am going on cruise nr. 16 + 17 in a couple of weeks, you can say I am a little bit biased!

1. Avg age 90 plus

2. food better than princess, carnivore and RCL combined

3. best feat: classic tradition

4. Captain + crew better than all the other ones

5. Advise: take RCL and damageyour liver!!

[INSIDERS CABIN]

Having celebrated Christmas and New Year's on board HAL over the years, accompanied by our 2 sons, I urge you to try it. Festive decorations were all over the ship, beautiful trees, florals. I remember one year on the Ryndam when the dining room was breathtaking in white and lights-a canopy overhead and draped chairs. The holiday menus are 5-star, the whole family is dressed up-it couldn't be better. And it's warm outside! Our youngest was 10 one new year's onboard the Rotterdam, and we have great pictures of him popping balloons at midnight while we drank champagne! And, yes, the Christmas carols sung together with the crew at the holiday crew show.

 

In a few words: RCCL is hectic, busy and crowded . The priority is getting you out of your cabin into the public areas. Bars and Entertainment are priorities. Breakfast and lunch are not. Princess is lively, with great entertainment venues, but all of the ships on the tourist routes are now big ships (with the exceptions of the offbeat routes) . Food was not as interesting-it was very good, I just didn't try anything that I had not had before. HAL has such caring and gracious service; we enjoy the pace. We also enjoy being together as a family and spending a part of each day together on our own verandah.

 

HAL's dining experience compares favorably with our favorite independent starred restaurants in Chicago--but no waiting for reservations for Saturday night, no long drive home, plus we can experiment with all the courses without running the bill into the stratosphere and HAL has never run out of a featured entree. Where else (but home sweet home) could we afford to watch our sons eat double entrees of lamb chops-or burgers at 11, followed by burgers at 5 followed by dinner at 8?

 

Holiday demographics are younger cruises with lots of multi-generational families on board, which is a very nice way to get the clan together. There are plenty of 18-22 yr. olds since it is winter break for most schools.

 

And M.O.M. you are so right--this was pointed out to us when we were looking for cruises with the kids for school holidays. The cruise director said just don't do the panama canal--too many days without a chance to run around on land.