Noordam Alaska LONG Review (May 20, 2007 - looong overdue)

[MySmoochy]

DH and I are mid 30's, no kids, from New England and take about 2 big+2 small trips per year. We've only been on 1 other cruise and it was a bust. Following is my very loooooong review of our Alaska cruise (I hope it's not too long and boring :o ).

 

This review covers my overall vacation experiences on this trip (cruising, the ship, Alaska, excursions, people, service, etc.). I’ll posted another review with just my opinions and experiences with the FOOD on this trip.

 

Note: I point out some negative experiences of our cruise in both reviews. I apologize in advance but my sense of humor borders on the sarcastic and I love sharing little experiences like these. People are often amused. While these things did happen on our trip, we still loved our vacation, loved Alaska, very much liked HAL (even though cruising isn’t our favorite type of vacation) and thought the service for the most part was very good. So please consider the review in total, not any one little incident that I might have dramatized as “annoying”. Here goes…you might want to grab a cup ‘o Joe before reading because it’s looooong.

 

Alaska Cruise on Holland America msNoordam May 2007

 

Saturday, May 19th – Seattle

It was a long flight from NH but not that bad. We arrived to excellent weather. Figuring out where to get a cab in that airport is a bit frustrating but we eventually figured it out and made our way to the hotel, the Executive Hotel Pacific…one of the few downtown hotels left under $400 by the time we finally got around to booking. Our cab driver was very nice, showing us some of the sights along the way (Boeing field, downtown, etc.). Check in took a bit of time but the hotel was nicer on the outside and in the lobby than I expected. We were “upgraded” from a Queen remodeled room to a King, which I’m not so sure was an upgrade because I don’t think the King room was remodeled. Carpet was frayed, bathroom was dated and it was small. All of that for the bargain price of $195 per night! Oh well, it’s downtown.

 

What you do get for $195 is a great location only ½ mile to Pike Place Market, our first stop. We also had enough time to see the Needle. The line for the Space Needle was 1 hour long and a few minutes into it, it started to drizzle. Not bad. As we get really close to the front of the line we find out that they are having a promotion to mark the 45 millionth visitor to the Needle. I’m standing there thinking, god, if it’s us they’ll have my picture with my 1 free admission coupon. That will embarrass DH for sure! Anyway, it turns out the group 15 people in front of us were the winners. It was a big event with media and pictures, music and streamers. Then they announced that they had a limited number of t-shirts to give away that said “I saw the 45 millionth visitor…” so I told DH to step out of line and get us a few. Turns out this was a very bad idea. They didn’t organize it well at all. Instead of giving them to the next people in line or the people who waited to see the winner, there was a mad rush by anyone in the vicinity – including people who just showed up and started waiting in line – to get the free t-shirts. DH was appalled. But he did get me one. And it didn’t fit. Nice. :mad:

 

We get to the top, narrowly avoiding the camera snipers at the entrance, and find out that the winners not only got free admission and a tour of the city over the next two days, they won dinner, a gift basket full of stuff AND a trip to Paris with dinner at the top of the Eiffel Tower! I’m wicked jealous now.

 

The view from the Needle was nice for $15 total, not if we had to pay the full $30 for both of us without my coupon though.

 

Sunday, May 20 – the Ship

It’s an easy cab ride to the ship and we arrived at noon. Embarkation was easy if not a bit unorganized. We checked in via the internet and were on board in about 15 minutes (having UNsuccessfully avoided the camera sniper this time – it will be the last time we get snagged).

 

It’s a nice ship! Very big. Nice people everywhere you go. They herd you right on up to the Lido for lunch, which is hugely crowded and disorganized.

 

After the rather unpleasant lunch (see my other food review) we wandered the ship for a good hour and covered pretty much all levels and nooks. We made dinner reservations for the Vista Dining Room and then made our way to the Crow’s Nest Lounge where, we learned, we would be spending quite a bit of time on this trip. We even scored two of the coveted recliners with a view and watched the rainy, overcast Seattle skyline for a bit. We started to pull away at around 4:30.

 

Our room <1047, Main Deck> was quite a good size, in my opinion. It was a Category C, large ocean view stateroom with a queen bed, two nightstands, couch, chair, small table and desk that all fit nicely. Naturally the bathroom is quite small, but enough space to function with a pleasantly larger-than-expected tub. We were both quite pleased.

 

We immediately took advantage of the $30 unlimited pressing service. The $30 fee was well worth it! They turned our clothes around on two different occasions in 24 hours and they were nicely pressed.

 

The room steward was very nice, as expected. The room was pretty clean all of the time (from me, that IS a huge compliment as I’m kind of a clean freak). They have so little time between sailings to do a thorough cleaning, as can be seen by a few stray hairs, crumbs and dust in the nightstand drawer, but considering what those hard working folks have to do, I couldn’t fault them for that (although I must say it grosses me out).

 

We had the expected drill at 3:15 in the Seattle mist. It wasn’t brutal although I’d be very curious to know what happens to the few people who don’t bother to show? I’m less irritated by having to attend a drill than I am by having to attend a drill knowing that a good dozen people got away with NOT going.

 

We ate dinner in Vista using the new OPEN SEATING, which we love (see my other review for food details). After dinner we found another little nook up in the Crow’s Nest and watched the scenery go by.

 

Monday, May 21 – At Sea

We were up very early on Monday and had breakfast in Lido (other review). The one full At Sea day was quite boring. We wandered about the ship some more, finding little nooks where we could read and braving the Deck 3 walking track a few times to work off our nonexistent food intake. Explorations is a nice place to sit but pretty loud between the coffee machines and the people talking over them. We made our way to the Crow’s Nest lounge a few times and continued to enjoy outstanding service there. Recliners were increasingly hard to come by, particularly by late afternoon. We saw some more of the best of human nature when a young woman asked the lady sitting two recliners away from us if the empty recliner by her was taken. She curtly replied that it was and the young woman walked away. The chair sat vacant for 45 minutes and then the older woman left with no sign of the phantom companion. Rude. :confused: She was replaced by a couple who proceeded to fall asleep in the recliners and the husband was snoring – loud – for about half an hour. So much for reading my book. Sigh.

 

I admit to getting annoyed easily. I’m not in denial about it. But DH and I also go out of our way to be considerate of others and I’m constantly fascinated by how rude, oblivious, entitled or just plain stupid people can be. This cruise was no exception – very nice people right next to very, well, let’s just say not so nice people. So a note to others taking a HAL cruise for the first time, you’ll find some oblivious or rude people everywhere you go, including HAL ships.

 

Didn’t partake in any activities on this day, opting to find places to read. After dinner (formal night) we were back in Crow’s Nest, dismissing the notion that everyone needed to be in formal attire in all public areas for the remainder of formal night. We were wearing very nice clothes, by the way. Just not ‘formal’ clothes. There were plenty of casual folks (not sloppy, just not formal either) hanging out everywhere so no worries for you folks who are concerned you have to lock yourselves in your cabin all night on formal night if you aren’t in a gown or tux. We sat back with a few cocktails and enjoyed more of the view. It was actually very relaxing.

 

We were early to bed, returning to our cabin with a clean room, turndown service and a towel dog (we also had a lion, monkey, frog and elephant during our cruise).

 

 

Tuesday, May 22 – Glacier Bay

We started out (after breakfast) doing a bit more reading in Crow’s Nest and then did a few laps around Deck 3. It’s very cold and windy today. Lots of things to see though – snow capped mountains and such. Just waiting to get to Glacier Bay.

 

That afternoon was Glacier Bay and getting there was very scenic. DH the explorer saw people at the very front of the ship on some decks and we started to wander the ship for a better vantage point. We wandered on Deck 4 trying to find the very front of the ship and didn’t find anything. Then we went to Deck 5 and saw nothing. Then we went to Deck 6 all the way forward, through a door that said something not altogether inviting and found a deck that opened up onto a relatively private balcony with a very nice view. We stayed there for a bit but then DH noticed the whole front of the ship was open a few levels down and I remembered someone writing a review on Cruise Critic about the ships opening this very front level on Glacier Bay day even though it is normally employees only. So DH made it his mission to find it. We did Deck 5 again with no luck (other than another semi-private balcony) and then again to Deck 4. This time we ignored the Employees Only sign and stepped through to the very front of the ship. There were already about 20 people out there and at first I thought it was a private thing or maybe really employees only. But then we noticed they had a banquet table set up to serve drinks with the souvenir hot cocoa thermoses. This is definitely open to the public, they just don’t announce it! We saw some seals or porpoises in the water, lots of swimming birds and the tail end of a whale. They weren’t great sightings, but we did see stuff and it was cool.

 

The crowd eventually tripled on this private little space but it was still much less crowded than just about everywhere else. We kept to the less crowded side and still had good views on the way through Tarr Inlet, we just didn’t get the immediate views of Margerie Glacier. We waited it out until the ship finally turned and then we had an excellent view of both Margerie and Grand Pacific. Of course everyone else who had just spent 45 minutes with the prime point of view of the glaciers crossed over to our side, crowding us, but I’m pleased that I refused to be intimidated into moving. We kept our places. It was amazing to see both glaciers and the captain got us in nice and close. We were there for a good amount of time and the Parks Ranger came out to visit us for a bit. They served seafood chowder on all open decks (although we didn’t have any). It was a very nice afternoon. We had a very clear day, although cold. It was so clear and sunny that DH and I both got sunburned, and I mean a really good sunburn. Not just some color.

 

After a few hours we decided to head in for a snack after our less than filling lunch. I decided to try the nacho/taco bar in Lido pool area. DH grabbed a beer and I grabbed a Coke and nachos. We sat and ate for a bit. It was not good at all. Then, to add insult to injury, we were on the side of the boat opposite the glacier snacking when everyone jumped up with a collective ooooooohhhhhh! We ran over to that side and everyone said a huge ice chunk fell off the Margerie. So we missed the whole ‘calving’. Doesn’t that figure? We step away for half an hour for a snack and we miss THE site of the day. We decided we better get back upstairs so we didn’t miss anything else and that was all everyone was talking about. The Ranger said there’s only a 5% chance to get such a clear, nice day in Glacier Bay and then we saw one of the largest chunks of ice fall off the glacier that he has seen. And we missed it. But, while we were up there, another smaller chunk came tumbling down. Less fantastic than the first one, I’m sure, but we were impressed. That was followed by a third, smaller piece.

 

We missed the second glacier that day because we had to take a nap and when we woke up, we went up to Crow’s Nest for a few hours. Some people were camped out in the recliners and said they had been there all day, skipping breakfast and lunch. I believe that to be a bit of an exaggeration but they certainly weren’t going to give up those recliners. Dirk the naturalist was up in the lounge with his binoculars trying to find some wildlife. We didn’t find any but there was still some quite nice scenery.

 

We ate at the Pinnacle Grill on this night (other review) and were a bit underwhelmed. I mean, it was good but not great like some of the rave reviews imply.

 

We left the grill pretty late and didn’t feel like doing much (early birds and all) so we walked around a bit and then went back to the room, shortly thereafter to bed. This was probably this night that I realized just how much noise was coming from overhead. It sounded like a kitchen with pans dropping and people stomping about but there was no kitchen above us according to any maps. It was banging stomping until midnight, starting again at like 4AM. Brutal. By the following day I actually had to complain. They sent someone to the room who did some looking on the upper deck and found out there was a locker room above us. I mean, there’s not much they can do about the guys getting ready. It made me appreciate just how long these guys work every day. I felt bad for complaining but we couldn’t sleep at all, even with the Brookstone noise machine going on full volume. They later gave us a bottle of wine and chocolates for our troubles (neither was consumed). Nice gesture but really didn’t solve our problems at all. This ended up being worse than the food in terms of our overall enjoyment. Avoid CABIN 1047 at all costs!

 

Wednesday, May 23 – Juneau

After breakfast we were off the boat first thing at 7:15 and there really isn’t much open in Juneau before 8AM. The stands next to the pier were just beginning to open. We walked around just a little bit, getting our bearings. It started to look like it would be a nice day, actually started to get warm so we hiked back to the ship and dropped off our coats. By the time we did that, it was 8AM and the Mount Roberts Tram office was open so we made that our first stop. It’s an expensive little tourist activity ($50 for both of us) and the ride up scared the heck out of me, but the girl was entertaining and the views from the top were outstanding. Downtown Juneau and the views behind it were incredible. The mountains behind us were also amazing with a waterfall that I never tired of seeing. You can hike a little ways to some viewing platforms that offered more amazing views. We looked in the gift shop and they also had an eagle from the Raptor Center for viewing. They do a very nice job with this attraction and it turned out to be well worth the money because you can take the tram all day for the same price. Going down is also a bit freaky.

 

We then did some shopping and walking around town. Lots of hills, some government buildings, a few other landmarks and that pretty waterfall from several directions.

 

After lunch we started to head back to the ship for a bathroom break and to wait for our tour in the afternoon – a helicopter ride and dog sled ride. We booked our own tour through with COASTAL HELICOPTERS for $420 each (helicopter and dog sled combo). The ride to the airport was nice with eagles and more waterfalls along the way. We got to the office and they totally decked us out in plastic pants and overshoes. Then they weigh you, which is not so fun. We got on the helicopter for a ride to the glacier and dog camp. Our guy was not very entertaining at all. I did see a mountain goat, but no other wildlife. The mountains were huge. I kept thinking the helicopter was getting so close to them that we would crash but then I saw another helicopter miles and miles away and they were like a mosquito. The distance is deceptive. And then you get to see the Mendenhall Glacier just before you land on it. The dog camp was like a speck in the distance. We landed and met the guy who would take us on the dog sled ride. He showed us the dogs and gave us all of their names. The snow was very wet and we sank in it a lot. Very hard to walk.

 

The dogs don’t look anything like you would expect them to look, although DH knew this ahead of time so he wasn’t surprised. They were so anxious to go…barking and pushing on the harnesses the whole time. The ride consists of a lead sled attached to a second sled. Our “musher” and another musher named Henry took the front sled with DH and me in the back sled. DH did the steering and brakes while I sat on the sled and took pictures. It’s so odd being in this place, like being in a big valley of snow. The dogs go very fast and DH had a hard time working the sled but he never tipped us. I had a very hard time getting pictures. We stopped twice for more pictures. When we stopped, the dogs were exhausted for about 20 seconds where they would rub their faces against the snow and eat some of it to cool down. It was quite funny. The musher told us about an avalanche that happened the night before. Said it was huge and sounded like an explosion. We saw two small ones ourselves. He was also telling us that the next closest people were either two or five miles away at another dog camp. It’s was very silent and very isolated here. I can’t imagine what it must be like at night. The ride was nice. DH liked it a lot more than I did. It was fun though. We went back to the camp for about 10 minutes waiting for our plane. Our guide was very entertaining but we didn’t have much to say back at the camp. We asked Henry a few questions and pet the dogs for a bit (it’s not as much playing with them like you see in the ads). Then our helicopter came and we left. We gave the musher $40 tip. The plane ride back was nice but again, not much talking from the pilot unless I asked specific questions. We got out of the plane and they rushed us back into the building. We didn’t get the opportunity to take a picture of us in front of the helicopter and we didn’t get the chance to give the guy a tip (although I’m not so sure I would have, he was not great). We waited for quite a bit for the shuttle to take us back downtown. I don’t know, Coastal seemed a bit disorganized and I was more than a little disappointed in the whole thing, particularly the helicopter ride with NO commentary. We’ve done a helicopter tour in Hawaii and absolutely loved it so this in comparison was a huge letdown. DH, however, loved the dog camp and felt the overall experience was well worth the significant $$$. Go figure.

 

Back downtown we did shopping for candy (to add to the fudge we bought earlier…our only ‘souvenirs’). We stopped at the Red Dog Saloon so DH could have a beer but no good t-shirts. We did the tram a second time. We walked around a bit more, got an ice cream, then decided to go back to the ship. It was a very busy, tiring day.

 

We ate dinner in Vista on this night (Open Seating again, worked well, no issues with tables for two) and did some more walking around the ship after dinner then to Crow’s Nest for a drink and some scenery. We went back to our room to get stuff ready for the next day. DH was wiped out. I must not have been overly thrilled with dinner because I ordered room service for the first time, then we went to bed.

 

Thursday, May 24 – Sitka

Another early day in Sitka. We had no excursions planned for Sitka so just a whole day of sightseeing. We took the second tender (might have made the first but I forgot my room key - d'oh). We saw tons of seals or sea lions on the way to shore. They kept peeking their heads out of water. When we got to shore the first thing we saw was either an immature bald eagle, a golden eagle or a falcon on a post at the pier. That was our first picture in Sitka…the post with the eagle and our ship in the background. It’s an amazing picture.

 

We immediately started walking towards the Totem park. It’s a very nice walk through Sitka. There’s a park that takes you by the harbor. Along the way DH saw another bald eagle and then when we were snapping pictures of it, we saw a falcon snatching a fish out of the water. We’ve only been in town for 20 minutes at this point. We made it to Totem park early (before the tour buses), paid our entry fee ($4pp entrance fee) and started on the mile walk through the park. We passed some totems then found a reef in low tide so we took a walk out. We got a nice shot of our ship and then DH spotted another bald eagle in a tree a little way off. We took pictures and walked closer, right under the tree where it was perched. It offered excellent photo opportunities.

 

We also found interesting (and gross) banana slugs along the way. Some of them were like 6 inches long. Very, very gross. We crossed a bridge on our way to find the Raptor Center. To get to the Raptor Center you have to cross a fairly busy highway, not so fun. The Raptor Center was very cool ($12pp entrance fee that supports their work so please don’t try to sneak in, as we were told many people do…sad). They give you a little demonstration with a real eagle, then you get to walk around and see some of the other birds they are rehabilitating. There is also a walking path to follow, if you are brave enough to ignore the signs that tell you to walk at your own risk because there can be bears. Nice walk and DH saw yet another eagle in a far off tree.

 

After the Raptor Center we walked back to the National Park, across the highway again, and this takes you back to the Visitor’s Center. From there we headed back downtown and along the way stopped at a little college run hatchery where you can see tanks of salmon. It was free so we took a little look.

 

We grabbed lunch in town and it started drizzling rain while we were eating. We did some walking anyway. We walked to an old Russian Orthodox Cemetery. There is supposed to be a princess buried there. Not sure what we were expecting but there was a little path leading into the cemetery and it was very forest-like and strange. Lots of old stones all over in a haphazard way. Some looked like they were sinking into the ground. Occasionally you would see a newer (2000+) grave mixed in with these 19th Century ones. It was very odd. So we're walking along, getting creeped out the whole time. Structures look like they are about to cave into the earth. Then just beyond this is the path out of the cemetery. Problem was, there was a man and woman along the side of this main path with a little campfire and they were roasting freakin' hot dogs. No kidding. Roasting hot dogs in the already creepy cemetery. *****! We tried to find an alternate path but ultimately the only way out was past the campfire. Well we made it out of the cemetery. The crazy hot dog people didn't kill us and hide our bodies somewhere. We did not find the grave of the princess. By far one of the strangest tourist experiences of my life…and I LIKE creepy stuff.

 

We walked more towards downtown and walked up some historic steps to the former site of an old Russian fort. Not much to see other than a city view, but a nice one so worth it. A bit more walking, picked up a piece of candy at The Chocolate Moose (overpriced and average chocolate, not very friendly service at all…I don’t recommend giving them your business) and headed back towards the ship. We took a detour for DH to get a reindeer sausage (right across the street from the pier…family run, very nice folks), which he liked but put us both over the top full.

 

We went back to our cabin and crashed for a little bit. We were very tired from a second very busy day. When we woke up to get ready for dinner we had left Sitka and the boat was rocking…a lot. We went to Vista for dinner with not much of an appetite from all of the rocking. This was the only time I think either of us felt a little sick on the ship…and I have a pretty weak stomach. Overall all, it just wasn’t an issue.

 

We went back to our room after dinner because of all of the rocking but DH felt good enough later that evening to make it to the “Dessert Extravaganza”. Again, you can check out my other food review on this but let’s just say, I would NEVER recommend it to anyone. It was almost beyond bad.

 

Friday, May 25 – Ketchikan

Early to Ketchikan so we grabbed breakfast in Lido again.

 

We got off the boat to an overcast day and picked up our Ultimate Ketchikan tour (a hefty $193pp and billed as “a photo adventure”. We thought it was worth every penny). It was a very nice, small group of 11 nice folks and the guide was very friendly and informative. We learned we would be taking a boat ride, which we didn’t expect but were pleasantly surprised to learn.

 

The bed and breakfast where we picked up the boat was beautiful with wonderful views. They deck you out in rain gear and you get on a boat. They showed us some underwater coral and fish with a water camera and they were amazing in color. Then we took the boat ride, which was also wonderful. We saw an eagle’s nest with a pair of eagles. The guide threw out some fish and one of them swooped down to get it. Very cool. The first nest was 300 lbs of nest, then they took us to a second, empty nest that was 1000 lbs. We saw bright purple and orange starfish, lots of trees and stuff. I really enjoyed it but pictures were hard to take because the boat was bouncing all over.

 

After the ride you stop back at the B&B gift shop for coffee, cocoa, cookies, etc. DH bought another t-shirt. We left a $20 tip. It was a very nice part of the trip.

 

We got back in the van and took another short ride to Totem Bight National Park to see more totem poles, but it’s also a little re-creation of an Indian village. The man who started the collection at Totem Bight before it became a National Park is an avid classic car collector and the cars were on display as well. We then got to meet a woman who carves Totem poles and hers are displayed around the country. I can't remember her name, but she gave us a nice demo and history/stories of totems, which made it much more interesting. She was from the Haida tribe and gave us a bit of history of that as well. We spent far too much time in the gift shop (there’s a gift shop everywhere) but didn’t buy anything. Small totems ran $125 and bigger ones were $400+. They were very beautiful though.

 

Back in the van for our trip back to the pier. We only had about an hour left at that point so we took a very quick walk to Creek Street in the rain. It was nice but not all that entertaining. We stopped and bought even more chocolate (um, we like food, chocolate, candy…can you tell?) and then went back to the ship.

 

We went to our room for a bit after booking a space in the afternoon mixology class and after booking the Butchart Gardens tour. I believe we took a little nap.

 

The mixology class was a BLAST!!!! I mean, it was one of the highlights of the cruise for us (not Alaska, which was breathtaking, but the cruise). Henry the bartender was very entertaining but so were the two others. We drank 3 martinis and learned a lot. I was pretty drunk because I rarely have one drink much less three. But we were having so much fun. This inspired DH to come home and purchase additional alcohol, glasses, muddles, you name it. We even juice and mix our own sour mix now (because they told us in the class it’s the best…and it is!). He is the mixologist at our parties now and people love it.

 

Anyway, no clue what we did after that. DH had to help me back to our room (don’t get me wrong…I wasn’t falling down drunk. Just a bit unsteady on the feet).

 

Friday night was another formal night so we stayed in and had room service then went to bed.

 

Saturday, May 26 – At Sea/Victoria

Most of this day was at sea. We spent a good amount of time in Crow’s Nest reading. We were basically wasting time until Victoria.

 

Once we arrived in Victoria, we met on one of the decks with a few hundred people waiting to get off the ship. Our tour to Butchart Gardens was by far the most popular and took up three buses. Our driver was very funny! Downtown Victoria appeared to be very nice (I mean VERY nice) and we would like to go there sometime just to explore on our own. We made it to Butchart Gardens and the driver said he took a shortcut so we would have a full two hours for the gardens. I’m thinking, we don’t need more than two hours to look at some flowers. And initially on entering it was certainly beautiful but very crowded. We had no idea that walking on a bit further would open up into the most amazing gardens I have ever seen. We started in the sunken garden and it was, well, amazing. We have plenty of pictures to show for this visit. Two hours flies by and we could have stayed another two probably. It was unfortunate that the Rose Gardens were not at their best because the roses weren’t in bloom. We’ll save that for another visit. I can’t say enough how much we loved Butchart Gardens and these very reasonably priced tour ($65pp plus a tip to the driver).

 

We jumped back on the bus for our return to downtown Victoria and again, the downtown area looks like something we would really enjoy exploring. The state houses are lit up at night and very cool.

 

With not enough time to really do anything else in Victoria by the time we got back at 10, we just went back on board to pack and grab a snack. We ate and did a rush job of packing for departure the next morning, watched TV with our dinner and went to bed.

 

 

Sunday, May 27 – Seattle

We overslept but it turned out not to be a problem. We showered just before room service brought breakfast. We ate, they called our number first thing and we were off the ship and in a cab back to the airport in no time. BTW, we did the carry-your-own-bags-off, first wave of people to get off the ship and it worked very, very well. I would do that again.

 

Conclusion

Food was just not that good – see my other review.

 

The ship is beautiful in my opinion and very well maintained. There were constantly people polishing and changing carpet and cleaning and fixing. Only my second cruise so not much to compare it to. I was impressed.

 

Our room was a pleasant surprise in terms of roominess and setup. The noises above us were most unfortunate and had the potential to ruin a vacation because we constantly ran on little sleep after being awakened several times each night. But the room itself was good.

 

Service for the most part was very good. There will always be a few exceptions and I think I’ve noted them all (because naturally, it’s easy to remember the stuff that annoys you). If you can read between the lines for the things I DON’T say, you will realize that your needs are more often than not fully taken care of on this ship.

 

Alaska and all of the ports are wonderful! I would have loved to stay longer in all of them, but alas, no time.

 

People are people and you’ll always bump into some 'interesting' personalities wherever you go. Again, the bad experiences just jump to mind much faster than some of the very friendly folks we met in the public areas and dining halls.

 

Cruising isn’t our favorite vacation but I must say that we were mostly pleasantly surprised and would recommend HAL and this ship to anyone who does like to cruise and wants to go to Alaska.

[mina]

Smoochy: I do not know why your other post on food got pulled -- but I want to let you know that not all people that cruise are as judgmental and mean spirited as what I saw in the way people responded to your review. I was appalled at the multiple mean responses you received. Their immediate judgements on your character was uncalled for. Making statements that they hope you were not on their cruises and that they understood why you would only be happy at a table for two -- was really the epitome of low.

 

You have the right to say and do what you want. It is amazing that people think it is okay to berate someone who expresses a negative opinion and then have the gall to imply that you would WANT to cruise or sit at a table with them. Simply look at the posting on things that tablemates have said -- what a judgemental bunch -- interesting though that when affronted by rude table mates they were always the ones who took the high road and were never the ones who may have offended others. I guess the high road was closed for construction today. May such folks enjoy their tables for 10 where they will continue to have many people and experiences to judge and put down. I, just like you, will stick to my table for two -- but I guess that makes me extremely negative as well.

[fcorey]

unfortunately, I must have missed all the negative comments on the food review. I had hoped that people would not let it all degenerate into personal attacks but I guess thats what happened as it appears to be gone now. You did answer a couple of my questions that I had in this review. THanks for taking the time to post. I have to say that you're even more sarcastic than me....thats an accomplishment :)

So while you had many criticisms, you did seem to enjoy the trip itself overall and I am glad that the Noordam herself and crew were enjoyable.

[johnlcruise]

I enjoyed reading your review.

Thank you for taking the time to write it.

[MySmoochy]

Thanks! I think a lot of the bad replies came from people who really like to cruise (hundreds or thousands of posts already) so it's hard to hear that others find it not as great. I posted what I thought would be helpful to people who are new/relatively new to cruising. This is the kind of post that would have helped me - how much/when to tip, excursions, sites to see, etc. I hope some folks find it helpful (if not a little self-indulgent).

[1STTIMEINFLA]

Thanks for posting, I always enjoy hearing the pros and cons of everything. Sorry I missed your food review:eek:

[photodoodle]

I didn't get a chance to read the food review before it was pulled. I'm curious about it. If it was pulled for rancorous comments, would it be ok to post the original review in the hope that the commenters would behave better? I'm not much of a foodie, but I know that the dining experience is important to many cruisers.

Smoochy, I for one think all opinions are welcome here. Thank you for sharing your perspective. FWIW, I thought the food on the Statendam last month was pretty good. But I'm not that sophistacated about food, what do I know? I would have eaten sandwiches for a week if I got to eat them in beautiful Alaska.

[CruiseBumm]

Smoochie, I too enjoy reading all opinons. Just because someones opion may differ from others it dose not make it less valuable. ;) Only if those in governmet felt the same. Well lets no go to that place.

 

I have learned one sure thing. Evry week the same cruise ship changes, bacasue the creww has both good and bad days as well as the passengers.

 

We leave tommarow for Seattle, can't wait.:D

[spcl4cs_gal]

We leave tommarow for Seattle, can't wait.:D

 

Safe travels, CB...see you onboard! :D

[Eileen G]

Smoochie, thank you for taking the time to right both reviews. I am really glad I had a chance to read the food review before they pulled it. I don't understand why they don't just eliminate the negitive posts and leave the thread. I found the food thread to be very informative and can't wait to try a fratatta in the Vista dining room for breakfast. I will be on the Noordam on Sept 2.

Eileen

[welove2cruise232]

Smoochie, thanks for the review -- we are looking forward to our first cruise on HAL and the Noordam on 10/31. I did catch the food thread before it went poof -- I also understand that food is VERY subjective, so I take all that I read with a grain of salt -- as everyone should!!

[Duet]

Smoochie,

DH and I really enjoyed your post and regret that we did not get to read your food review. Perhaps it could be posted again?

We were on the Noordam on July 1-8, and agree with some of your observations. We too were on main deck, room 1120, directly under the kitchen and had similar noise problems early in the mornings.

Regarding Coastal Helicopters, we had a wonderful experience on July 4th. We went to the icefields and landed on a glacier. Our pilot, Luke, was VERY informative and talkative during the flight and on the glacier, pointing out many interesting sights. We felt that the business itself was very well organized. Maybe they got their act together by the time we arrived?

Again, we enjoyed your post,

Mary

[Duet]

Smoochie,

Another idea: Could you consolidate your two reviews and submit them to the Review Board? No one can reply there.

Duet

[JTL1997]

Smoochie,

 

enjoyed both reviews... i told a co-worker the funny story about the woman at the salad bar... he thought it was hilarious. thanks again for sharing.