Yet Another Noordam Alaska Review

[pogieone]

If we all could stand another Noordam Alaska cruise review, here it is. My wife (we’re in our mid 40’s) and I cruised 5/20-5/27 and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I won’t rehash what other CC’ers have written, but I have a few things to say.

 

I just wanted to mention that we had a blast on our cruise in part from booking with AAA Sojourns. We had a group of 60 who came to see cooking demos and attend cooking classes with Gary Danko. Foodies may recognize the name, if you don’t just google him. We received little gifts each day and had a Sojourn Escort who had good advice on the ports and such. We may not have gotten the cheapest price, but we got a great value. The AAA travel agent we used was very helpful.

 

The positives…

 

The Noordam is a very nice ship. The decoration is very subdued. It appears to be well maintained and the common areas were clean. The crew says hello or good morning/afternoon/evening whenever you make eye contact. The Lido deck assistants were there if you needed some help with your tray, drink, or table, but they did not get in the way if you wanted to be left alone. The Vista dinning room was well appointed and the food was good or very good on most nights. Our waiter was attentive and pleasant.

 

Our cabin 4166 was incredible. It was a Deluxe Verandah but had a verandah twice as long as a standard. We had enough room for 4 -6 people to admire the view at one time. The stairway that is on the ship’s floor plan is an emergency exit and we did not hear any noise from there. Our cabin steward, Rony, was very helpful.

 

Embarkation went very smoothly, we registered online so most everything was already filled in. We waited 5 minutes in line for an agent, spent 5 minutes with her and then 5 minutes in line then on to the Noordam.

 

The Pinnacle Grill was very good and the service was very pleasant. Being able to watch the snow capped mountains go by was an added treat.

 

Disembarkation was very smooth. The passengers were able to wait in their cabins until their colors were called. Very civilized. Disembarkation started at 8 am and the cab dropped us off at our hotel at 9:15. Much better than the Pride.

 

And now the not so positives…

 

While the ship appeared to be clean, there was a faint sewer-like smell in the public restrooms and in the head in our cabin. Not enough to complain about, but annoying none the less. This was not the case on the Carnival Pride or the Grand Princess. The Lido Grill also had a faint unpleasant odor. The next comment is very subjective and is difficult to quantify. Unlike the other ships we have sailed on, there weren’t really any out of the way places in the public areas to sit and read or watch the world go by. Yes there were many lounges that were empty, but one didn’t feel really alone in those places.

 

The Vista dinning room was a whirlwind of activity literally running by our table on the upper floor. Assistant waiters were rushing to and fro with trays of food. While not the most awful event to witness, it did take away from having a leisurely dinner. Of course, with fewer guests to cater to, the Pinnacle Grill was a more civilized place to dine. The problem with the Pinnacle was not the value of the meal, but the variety was lacking to encourage us to return again. The beef was prepared flawlessly. The same could not be said for the Vista. The filet on the last formal night was inedible (as was the risotto). The food was better on the Pride.

 

One more thing, they only served soup on deck one day, in Glacier Bay from about 3 to 3:30. It was a seafood bisque-ish soup, not pea soup. Oh well…

 

Alaska was wonderful. The scenery was breath taking. The cruise was wonderful because it was a cruise and a vacation. Little things don’t get in our way, but I guess I was expecting more from HAL.

[Seago2]

Thank you for your review! You didn't miss anything with the pea soup- mine was highly reduced and oversalted.

[TonitheTiger]

Thank you: I'm sailing in August on the Noordam with my DH. :D We also book with AAA South. Its nice to hear a all rounded review.

 

Many thanks

TJ

[Old As Dirt Mom]

........

 

I just wanted to mention that we had a blast on our cruise in part from booking with AAA Sojourns. We had a group of 60 who came to see cooking demos and attend cooking classes with Gary Danko. Foodies may recognize the name, if you don’t just google him......

 

 

...............

 

 

Glad to hear that overall, your cruise was good. Thanks very much for your review, and I'm glad you enjoyed the classes with Gary Danko. However, here's another perspective on your AAA Soujourns group and the cooking classes:

 

I have heard from another passenger who was also on your cruise, that because your group had booked the cooking sessions with Gary Danko, cooking classes in the Culinary Center were NOT available to the other passengers. My understanding is that your AAA group were the only ones who had access to any cooking classes in the culinary center on this particular cruise. Now, perhaps there were free cooking demos offered to the other passengers, but that I don't know. I only know that the cooking classes were not available.

 

So I see this as another instance where a group function triumphs over the individual passenger, and a promoted amenity is not available to pax who are not affiliated with a particular group.

 

I'm not criticizing you at all, Pogeione, not am I implying that it's your fault, because very obviously, it isn't. You didn't realize the utilization of the culinary center by your group was essentially a monopoly of the culinary center, but HAL did.

 

I am bracing myself for this type of incident to happen with ever greater frequency, as the cruising industry increasingly caters to groups, which are the big money-makers for the cruise lines.

 

 

Karin

[hammybee]

I too was on this cruise and immediately tried to sign -up for the very limited seating, cullinary arts cooking class, scheduled for Friday. I was told it had been cancelled, as sometimes happens. Come Friday, it was obvious that the area was being used by a group.

 

It's my perception ( right or wrong) that the group was responsible for bringing Gary Danko onboard, to lead the private class. If this is so, it was indeed a private event and I have absolutely no problem with this.

 

What I don't know is the reason why HAL did not hold the class, as originally scheduled, or before /after the private event. The multi-purpose space is underutilized (empty) most of the day time, on @sea days.

[MissWindyCity]

Glad to hear that overall, your cruise was good. Thanks very much for your review, and I'm glad you enjoyed the classes with Gary Danko. However, here's another perspective on your AAA Soujourns group and the cooking classes:

 

I have heard from another passenger who was also on your cruise, that because your group had booked the cooking sessions with Gary Danko, cooking classes in the Culinary Center were NOT available to the other passengers. My understanding is that your AAA group were the only ones who had access to any cooking classes in the culinary center on this particular cruise. Now, perhaps there were free cooking demos offered to the other passengers, but that I don't know. I only know that the cooking classes were not available.

 

So I see this as another instance where a group function triumphs over the individual passenger, and a promoted amenity is not available to pax who are not affiliated with a particular group.

 

I'm not criticizing you at all, Pogeione, not am I implying that it's your fault, because very obviously, it isn't. You didn't realize the utilization of the culinary center by your group was essentially a monopoly of the culinary center, but HAL did.

 

I am bracing myself for this type of incident to happen with ever greater frequency, as the cruising industry increasingly caters to groups, which are the big money-makers for the cruise lines.

 

 

Karin

 

I too was on this cruise and immediately tried to sign -up for the very limited seating, cullinary arts cooking class, scheduled for Friday. I was told it had been cancelled, as sometimes happens. Come Friday, it was obvious that the area was being used by a group.

 

It's my perception ( right or wrong) that the group was responsible for bringing Gary Danko onboard, to lead the private class. If this is so, it was indeed a private event and I have absolutely no problem with this.

 

What I don't know is the reason why HAL did not hold the class, as originally scheduled, or before /after the private event. The multi-purpose space is underutilized (empty) most of the day time, on @sea days.

 

WOW....I hope this doesn't happen on my cruise! It's kind of a bummer that they advertise these special perks and then don't make them available to any passengers outside of a group. I am a little worried because there are 3 large groups on my cruise. Nobody is logging into our Roll Call...seems that no CC members are on my cruise! :( I will be on the Noordam sailing July 8, 2007 to Alaska and was hoping to sign up for a Culinary Class! Crossing my fingers! :D

[pogieone]

I saw 2 other cooking demos, on the on-board tv rebroadcast, and I saw at least 1 cooking class offered. I did not realize it was cancelled. The Culinary Arts Center was dark for most of the trip and our group only used it for 6 hrs (over three days) out of approx 168 hrs of cruising. We had Monday 5/21 at sea and no classes were offered that day in the CA center. The HAL website lists the celebrity chefs on board each cruise so if someone was interested in taking a specific cooking class they could on other cruises.

[hammybee]

WOW....I hope this doesn't happen on my cruise! It's kind of a bummer that they advertise these special perks and then don't make them available to any passengers outside of a group. :D

 

Windy,

Maybe we are talking apples and oranges here.

Participation in the hands-on class, as opposed to the open seating demo, is extremely limited. (It's 12 or 24 pax, at best). The cost is, if I remember, about $25 per pax. This combination ensures there is an almost immediate sell-out, when such classes are offered. When you think about it, such a class is open to only about 1% of pax. Even being a PH or Deluxe Suite pax does not guarantee anyone a seat, in this class, based on other threads on this topic.

 

I have to take the view that if my cruise is going to be ruined because a ship had to miss a port or that an onboard activity or shore excursion was closed, I am better off not cruising.

 

As I said, I have no idea why this particular limited seating, hands-on, for a fee, class was cancelled, but it was.

[Gonzo70]

Hi Pogie,

 

Glad you enjoyed the Noordam. We were on that itinerary a couple of weeks ago and had a cabin down the hall from you (4176). Rony is definitely a great steward!

 

Thanks for your review.

[hammybee]

Hi Pogie,

 

Glad you enjoyed the Noordam. We were on that itinerary a couple of weeks ago and had a cabin down the hall from you (4176). Rony is definitely a great steward!

 

Thanks for your review.

 

Pax on Deck 4, aft/port are most fortunate to have Rony/Ronald/Ronnie. This is a cabin steward who is most definitely headed for exclusive Deluxe Suite service.

[MissWindyCity]

Windy,

Maybe we are talking apples and oranges here.

Participation in the hands-on class, as opposed to the open seating demo, is extremely limited. (It's 12 or 24 pax, at best). The cost is, if I remember, about $25 per pax. This combination ensures there is an almost immediate sell-out, when such classes are offered. When you think about it, such a class is open to only about 1% of pax. Even being a PH or Deluxe Suite pax does not guarantee anyone a seat, in this class, based on other threads on this topic.

 

I have to take the view that if my cruise is going to be ruined because a ship had to miss a port or that an onboard activity or shore excursion was closed, I am better off not cruising.

 

As I said, I have no idea why this particular limited seating, hands-on, for a fee, class was cancelled, but it was.

 

Hi hammybee!

I was referring to the hands-on culinary class rather than just the demo. I realize it's extremely limited, but the post that I read gave the impression that it was not being made available to passengers outside of a certain group at all on that particular cruise. I hope that won't be the case on ours.

I was just saying that I was hope to take one of the culinary classes and crossing my fingers to get into one since I love to cook and this is an activity that interests me. I will try to sign up as soon as I get on the ship.

 

But it most certainly WILL NOT ruin my cruise if I don't get into a class!! This was just a bonus if I happen to get in! I am sure there will be plenty to keep me busy! I can't wait!!! :)

[hammybee]

Hi hammybee!

I was referring to the hands-on culinary class rather than just the demo. I realize it's extremely limited, but the post that I read gave the impression that it was not being made available to passengers outside of a certain group at all on that particular cruise. I hope that won't be the case on ours.

I was just saying that I was hope to take one of the culinary classes and crossing my fingers to get into one since I love to cook and this is an activity that interests me. I will try to sign up as soon as I get on the ship.

 

But it most certainly WILL NOT ruin my cruise if I don't get into a class!! This was just a bonus if I happen to get in! I am sure there will be plenty to keep me busy! I can't wait!!! :)

 

Given seating is so limited and the cost so relatively reasonable, it's a guaranteed sell out. Based only upon what I have read here, it seems that those who are in the Deluxe Suites/PH may have preference, that that alone is more than enough to cause a sell-out. Being in a Deluxe Suite carries no weight when the class is cancelled.

 

You have the right attitude and are going to love your cruise.

[TravelinGrandma]

The HAL website lists the celebrity chefs on board each cruise so if someone was interested in taking a specific cooking class they could on other cruises.

 

Actually, when I made my booking, the chefs were not yet determined. I believe that is the case for many of us who book early. While this would not be a cruise buster for me, I am concerned by the trend - after all, we book HAL based on many factors, one being the life style/atmosphere of the cruise, which surely changes if amenities are randomly taken away.

[MissWindyCity]

Given seating is so limited and the cost so relatively reasonable, it's a guaranteed sell out. Based only upon what I have read here, it seems that those who are in the Deluxe Suites/PH may have preference, that that alone is more than enough to cause a sell-out. Being in a Deluxe Suite carries no weight when the class is cancelled.

 

You have the right attitude and are going to love your cruise.

 

Well...I was under the impression that it was first come...first served since you cannot register before the cruise for these classes. So, I had planned to board the ship as early as possible and try to sign up for that first thing. I am hoping that maybe since there are 3 large groups on our cruise, they will be too busy with their own seminar stuff to take cooking classes! THINKING POSITIVE!!!! :D

 

Either way, I am in need of a nice vacation so, I hope you are right.......I PLAN TO LOVE OUR CRUISE!!! :)

[SakeDad]

I was on the same cruise but not with the AAA group. Here is what happened to me. I immediately went to the front desk to sign up for the cooking demo. There were to be a couple of free demos and one hands on that charged $29. I got the schedule, signed up and paid. Later in the day I got a message on my phone saying that due to a large culinary charter group on board all activities previously planned in the Culinary Arts Center had been cancelled and I would not be charged. So it appears that not even the crew onboard knew this until we sailed.

I met several folks from the charter group and made friends with a few but still was not able to "crash" the demos. Oh well.

While I did regret not being able to partake in the Culinary Arts demos it certainly didn't ruin my trip. But I guess the lesson is that if there is something onboard you REALLY REALLY REALLY have your heart set on doing you may want to contact HAL to see if there's a chance it's not going to be offered on your sailing. It can happen with any area of the ship on HAL apparently.

[hammybee]

Ah Sake Dad- the plot thickens. It's speculation on my part, but I suspect the AAA group knew before boarding, as groups do, that they were going to have a private cooking demonstration, as a part of their cruise.

 

The big mystery for me is why HAL chose to schedule it for the same time as the one available for limited onboard participation.

 

Given we did not board until about 1:30 I had already accepted that I was probably going to be too late to book it. And I did not realize why it was cancelled, until I saw the signage about the private event.

 

Given HAL is charging only $29 a head for the class, it seems to me that there is not enough revenue at stake to not offer it as a perk in exchange for a group booking. The entire concept is prone to dissappoint pax regardless of groups, as class size is so darn limited. I suspect HAL could double the fee and still sell it out, early. In other words, HAL could find the sweet spot where the event can continue to sell out to general pax for more than its value as a group perk. Know what I mean?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home.

 

Of all the Alaskan cruises we have taken, soup (pea) was only served one day out on the outer decks. Like you discovered - while you are at the glaciers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

SakeDad

 

Too often this is happening that groups get special treatment as to cooking classes. etc.

 

The regular paying passenger is getting ripped off.

[MissWindyCity]

Ah Sake Dad- the plot thickens. It's speculation on my part, but I suspect the AAA group knew before boarding, as groups do, that they were going to have a private cooking demonstration, as a part of their cruise.

 

The big mystery for me is why HAL chose to schedule it for the same time as the one available for limited onboard participation.

 

Given we did not board until about 1:30 I had already accepted that I was probably going to be too late to book it. And I did not realize why it was cancelled, until I saw the signage about the private event.

 

Given HAL is charging only $29 a head for the class, it seems to me that there is not enough revenue at stake to not offer it as a perk in exchange for a group booking. The entire concept is prone to dissappoint pax regardless of groups, as class size is so darn limited. I suspect HAL could double the fee and still sell it out, early. In other words, HAL could find the sweet spot where the event can continue to sell out to general pax for more than its value as a group perk. Know what I mean?

 

The thing I don't understand is....If they are offering something to a specific group as a group perk like the cooking class that will cause unavailability to other passengers, why doesn't HAL just add another time slot as to offer a special class to the group and keep the original class schedule for the other passengers? How hard can it be for them to just offer an additional class to accomodate the group and leave the original schedule alone? :rolleyes:

 

Even though everyone knows the culinary class is extremely limited, it seems to give people an extra bad taste to feel like they are not treated equal as a passenger that is paying probably the same if not more for a cruise than someone in a group that is getting special treatment. HAL should give this some consideration...it's human nature when people are spending a lot of money for a vacation, they want to feel treated special and especially fair and equal to others on the same trip. JUST MY TWO CENTS! :D -Christine

[barbon2]

Could not agree more re facilities not available due to groups. As I have previously posted, we were on the Dec. Oosterdam with the 600 poker players and the Crow's Nest was off limits the entire cruise. We are on the Noordam in Sept. to Alaska with the cake group. I am already prepared for the cooking classes and demos to be cancelled. If this is the case, I will be very very reluctant to book HAL again, it seems they are catering more and more to groups and not the individual passengers. I have nothing against groups, but the ships should provide private rooms for group functions, not closing off public area during prime times. I can see them using the larger facilities during off peak times such as using the nightclub during the day, etc. Hope this is not a pattern on all HAL cruises.