My first HAL review-- Noordam 10/31-11/10

[cruzjunkie22]

THE FOOD

 

Overall, with the exception of the lackluster desserts, we really enjoyed the food onboard the Noordam... and I am happy to report that I DIDN'T GAIN A SINGLE POUND while on vacation, woohoo!! (It wasn't for lack of trying; some days it seemed like we were snacking round-the-clock, and I was definitely NOT careful in choosing "healthier" selections... but we made a point of always taking the stairs everywhere, as well as doing the "Walk-A-Miles" a few times a day-- so NOT gaining cruise-weight CAN be done!!)

 

When I was on a 9 nt cruise last year, I lost 3 lbs! We had a room that was a good distance from the elevators and like you, we did stairs as much as possible. But never did I deny myself any goodies or drinks! So it can be done!!!:D

[cnvh]

DISEMBARKATION AND SUMMARY

 

We got our disembarkation paperwork, including luggage tags, customs forms, and satisfaction surveys, on our last sea day; I filled out the customs form and luggage tags and then promptly got to packing. Our luggage tags were “black 2,” and since the bottom part that had to be detached didn’t have any identifiable information on it other than color and number, I tossed the discarded portions—my mind may wander at times, but I don’t have any problem remembering “black 2.”

 

The next morning (after our checked luggage had already been carted off), I realized that I had accidentally packed our completed Customs form—oops! It was early, probably 5:30 AM—so I just got a new one from the front desk, no big deal. Then hubby asked about the detached portions of our luggage tags (which I had thrown out); Mr. Panic-Pants was convinced that we would most definitely need them to reclaim our bags, so I called down to the front desk—and was told that, YES, we most certainly WOULD need the luggage tag stubs in order to get our bags. (Sigh…) So another trip down to the front desk, this time for more luggage tags, just so we could have 4 black stubs with the number “2” on them. (At that point, between me packing the Customs forms AND tossing the luggage tag stubs, Hubby had lost all faith in my abilities to get us safely back home and not sent to prison instead, so he insisted on holding onto at least ONE luggage tag stub in his own pocket, despite watching me put 4 of them in my purse. Can you guess that we were ready to come home by that point??)

 

We had one final breakfast in the Lido shortly after 7 AM, then we settled into our cabin with the door propped open to listen for our color and number to be called. At about 9 AM, they called for non-U.S. citizens, and about every 15 minutes thereafter they would call another color/number group to disembark. All the while, cabin stewards and maintenance crew were feverishly cleaning the ship in preparation for the next round of passengers; while we sat inside, the balcony dividers outside were unlocked, and men with hoses and squeegees went up and down the balconies, washing windows and balconies. A few times we went out to smoke (being especially careful not to dirty-up anything that had been cleaned), and every time a crew member would come through our balcony, they were SO apologetic for intruding. At one point, a bar steward came in to check our fridge for any missing minibar items (we didn’t use any), also apologizing profusely for the intrusion.

 

Our color and number were called at about 10:30 AM, so we grabbed our bags and braced ourselves for another round of NYC pier madness. For as much of a headache as we had with embarkation in NYC, however, disembarkation was easy. Too easy. DISTURBINGLY easy, in fact…

 

We walked down the central stairway to deck 2 as instructed, with passports, luggage tag stubs, Customs form, and HAL key-cards in hand, all at the ready. The line leading off the ship was pretty short, and we were through in about 5 minutes; HAL staff scanned our key cards upon exiting the ship, and we headed to the designated luggage pick-up area—AND THAT WAS IT. No one checked our passports. No one asked for luggage tag stubs (so THERE, Hubby-dearest). After retrieving our luggage, we actually had to FIND a person to hand our Customs form off to; other passengers on our bus never handed their forms in because no one asked for them.

 

How very, very peculiar.

 

Also interesting was that, when ARRIVING by HAL-arranged bus, you don’t have to get your luggage from the bus TO the ship—but the same is not true for the return home. Passengers are responsible for wading through the piles to find their own luggage, get it outside, and locate their bus to get said luggage loaded back on for the ride home. HAL brags about not having to handle your luggage during embarkation, but they mysteriously neglect to mention that for disembarkation, those rules don’t apply. (Had we known that, we probably would have cut down to one large suitcase instead of two—how on earth do Ruth & Jim do this with a whole SUV-load full of luggage?!?!?! :) )

 

We found our bus about 15 minutes after disembarking and were happy to learn that our bus was to go to Harrisburg non-stop, without having to drop any passengers off in New Jersey first—which cut an hour and a half off our trip home. There didn’t seem to be much organization in disembarking HAL bus passengers from the ship, however; we were among the last group to be called, but there were passengers on our bus who were among the FIRST to be called off and were then stuck waiting on the bus for over an hour for the rest of us. To further complicate things, there were a few passengers on the roster who never DID show up for the bus—our driver checked and re-checked with HAL and port staff trying to locate them, but to no avail; the bus dispatcher said to wait until 11:30, and if they didn’t show up, then we could leave. They didn’t show, and we left… I hope they’re OK, but if they made other arrangements and didn’t bother to tell anyone, how utterly rude… it’s probably for the best that they DIDN’T show, or they might have had a long and uncomfortable ride back with some hostile, travel-weary fellow passengers.

 

We hit a little bit of construction traffic but were back in Harrisburg at 2:30 PM, much better than the 5 PM arrival estimate on our tickets. Luckily our ride was just a phone call away, so we were back at home just a few minutes later.

 

 

SUMMARY

 

EMBARKATION D

SHIP A+

CREW A+++

FOOD B+ (would be an A, if not for the desserts)

PORTS A- (thanks to revised itinerary)

ENTERTAINMENT B

ACTIVITIES A

DISEMBARKATION C

 

OVERALL A-

 

For the most part, we had a wonderful vacation and a great first experience with Holland America; the Noordam suited our tastes perfectly, and as long as HAL continues to cruise out of the northeast ports, they will definitely be our first choice of line on which to travel. I know the Noordam is pulling out of the NYC market soon, which is a shame, because we had such a good time onboard that we would happily do the exact same itinerary again in another couple of years. Hopefully by then, HAL will at least have ONE ship sailing out of NYC or another local port, because I think it’s safe to say that we are now hooked on Holland America—but, a local homeport is still a huge priority for us.

 

For those of you who have stuck it out and read this whole enormous beast of a review, thanks so much, and I hope it was helpful!

[mamaofami]

I'm enjoying this very much---especially in light of the thought that I may sail the Noordam again on the Voyage of the Good Nuts.

 

Isn't Justin Miller an excellent entertainer? I'm sorry you missed his other performances. I hope to see him aboard another sailing someday.

You didn't say anything about the HAL lounge entertainment :confused:. I'd be interested in knowing who was playing in the various bars and what you thought of them.

 

 

What a great name for your Noodam cruise! Love it!

[cnvh]

I'm enjoying this very much---especially in light of the thought that I may sail the Noordam again on the Voyage of the Good Nuts.

 

Isn't Justin Miller an excellent entertainer? I'm sorry you missed his other performances. I hope to see him aboard another sailing someday.

You didn't say anything about the HAL lounge entertainment :confused:. I'd be interested in knowing who was playing in the various bars and what you thought of them.

 

We really didn't partake much of the HAL lounges, at least not while there was any live entertainment going on, so I can't comment on them. Justin Miller was quite good, though; I really enjoyed his little "conversations" in between songs, they were quite informative and we learned lots of stuff we didn't know before. But he really is quite talented; he did a number of additional lectures and performances throughout the cruise, and I heard nothing but good things about him.

[cnvh]

Great review

What is Walk A Miles and do you get dam dollars for it?

 

Every morning, there was an organized event on the Promenade Deck called "Walk-A-Mile;" you showed up, collected a Dam Dollar, and agreed to walk three laps around the Promenade Deck (which equals one mile). We figured it was a good excuse for some exercise, considering that we were eating with reckless abandon on a daily basis and didn't want to have to buy bigger clothes before the end of the cruise. :)

 

As for "Dam Dollars"... there are a variety of activities that take place onboard every day where you can participate and earn a Dam Dollar; some examples are Trivia contests, pool games, and so forth. On the last day of the cruise, you can redeem your Dam Dollars for stuff, like hats, shirts, beach towels, etc.

[Mr Veendam06]

Hi welcome home .Glad you had a great cruise. Yes your right about Carnival been on them meny times ! I tell everybody going on Carnival is like going to Las Vagas . I will be on the Noordam doing an 11 day cruise Feb 16th .No flying no buses here .I live on the otherside of the river in Weehawken NJ our house over looks the piers in NYC .I saw you go out from our deck .And saw you pulling in ! Did they ever say what took so long to get on the ship ? I will be taking the ferry over to the ship .I should be at the pier in an half hour . Going home should be ever faster !! In Miami this last agust we got on the Liberty of the seas by 11:30am and had our bages in the room by 12:30 !! And we were off the ship by 8 am .We have cruise out of the NYC piers over 20 times .It always take longer there .The new Brooklyn pier is like Miami you get on & off very fast ! Was all the days going down very rought ? Was the pool open the one with the moviable roof? Also were there meny tables for 2 in the dinning room ? I have fix also . Did you try the Lido cafe for dinner any night ? Thanks for the review it was very good .

[cnvh]

Hi welcome home .Glad you had a great cruise. Yes your right about Carnival been on them meny times ! I tell everybody going on Carnival is like going to Las Vagas . I will be on the Noordam doing an 11 day cruise Feb 16th .No flying no buses here .I live on the otherside of the river in Weehawken NJ our house over looks the piers in NYC .I saw you go out from our deck .And saw you pulling in ! Did they ever say what took so long to get on the ship ? Nope, never did hear what the holdup was. I will be taking the ferry over to the ship .I should be at the pier in an half hour . Going home should be ever faster !! In Miami this last agust we got on the Liberty of the seas by 11:30am and had our bages in the room by 12:30 !! And we were off the ship by 8 am .We have cruise out of the NYC piers over 20 times .It always take longer there .The new Brooklyn pier is like Miami you get on & off very fast ! Was all the days going down very rought ? Thursday into Friday were pretty rough, especially early Friday morning-- 18-foot swells, and I heard rumor that we got hit with a 25-foot wave. Everyone was walking in zig-zag lines; walking a straight course was pretty much impossible! Was the pool open the one with the moviable roof? Both pools were open every time we passed them, even though in the aft pool, the pool waves were crashing over the surrounding wall and splashing onto the deck-- the guy we saw swimming on Thursday looked like he was in a washing machine! Also were there meny tables for 2 in the dinning room ? Lots of tables for 2-- we booked in January for this cruise and requested a table for 2; we got it with no problems. I have fix also . Did you try the Lido cafe for dinner any night ? Never tried the Lido for dinner-- we walked through a couple of times after we finished in the main dining room (around 8-ish) and it was always empty. Thanks for the review it was very good .

 

Glad you enjoyed the review. Hope you enjoy your February cruise as much as we did; she's a great ship!

[mamaofami]

I was in NYC taking pictures of the Noordam after you disembarked. She looked mighty pretty there in the New York Harbor. Glad you had such a nice time. I can't wait till my cruise in February either.

[Big Al B.]

Mr. Veendam, we were on the cruise right before cnvh. We ate dinner in the Lido one night. You get your appetizers and then order the entree (same ones as the main dining, but not quite as many, maybe one less). They then seat you and bring the entree's to your table.

 

cnvh, I was wondering the same thing about the detachable luggage tags too until I read that they said keep one for getting off the ship. They did ask people to show their tags as the left. I guess to try and keep the flow regulated. We were going to the Sheraton and got orange 2. Our 3 bags were the only ones there! The van taking us to the hotel waited a while for 2 no-shows, then left.

 

Great review!

[Mr Veendam06]

Thanks do they off the buffest at the Ledo at night ? Also how was your seas days down & back ? Thanks

[RetiredMustang]

...ST. THOMAS

 

When we woke up the next morning, we rolled over to see the most gorgeous view from our balcony window, of the hills of St. Thomas, dotted all over with houses like ornaments on a Christmas tree. What a great way to wake up in the morning! ...

 

cnvh,

 

I echo middle-aged mom (hi Karin!) -- are you a professional writer? I have enjoyed your review very much, especially so as I was on Noordam in October for the Panama Canal cruise: I agree, she is a classy ship, and the crew is top-notch.

 

But, I have been to St. Thomas many times, although not for a few years now, and your short description brought it all back -- the sun, the water, the hills, the houses, the thrill of awakening on cruise to a new port and a new adventure: everything, in a few short words. Great job!

 

Dave

[JimVrhovac]

Was the casino smoking, non smoking, or a combination of them.

 

Have been trying to find out the answer for some time...

 

Liked the review and the style that you used....

 

Ruth & Jim

[cnvh]

Ruth & Jim, we didn't go to the casino, so I have no clue whether it was smoking or not, or what hours it might have allowed it. (Hubby and I never do well at casinos, and we get quite grumpy at being parted from our money with nothing to show for it, haha)

 

MrVeendam, I'm not sure what happens to the Lido buffet at night... I DID think it was rather odd that there was no one there the nights we walked through between 8 and 9; the entree lines were already closed, although the pizza/pasta station and the dessert station were still up and running-- but for the most part, the Lido was a ghost town at that hour. They DID advertise a late-night buffet every day on the schedule (with different food themes-- French, Asian, etc.), but we never went for any of them.

 

Seas on the way down were pretty rough due to Noel, especially Thursday into Friday... on the way back, we noticed a definite choppiness steadily increasing the further north we got (although certainly not as bad as the trip down). I suspect that's just how the Atlantic gets this time of year, hurricane or not.

[CRUISNDIVA]

Thank you for such an informative review! We are sailing out of New York on the Noordam in February, DH and I are also in our early 30's and it's nice to hear you had such a fabulous time.

 

Question: Did you prebook your table for 2 before boarding the ship? I was told by my TA that the Noordam now has "as you wish" dinning and there is no need to prebook tables, is this correct or should I further inquire?

 

Cheers and thanks again for the great review!

[Big Al B.]

I think the late night buffet was listed for around 10:15-10:30, although we never attended. Each night was a different theme (French, Italian, Indonesian etc.)

[cnvh]

Thank you for such an informative review! We are sailing out of New York on the Noordam in February, DH and I are also in our early 30's and it's nice to hear you had such a fabulous time.

 

Question: Did you prebook your table for 2 before boarding the ship? I was told by my TA that the Noordam now has "as you wish" dinning and there is no need to prebook tables, is this correct or should I further inquire?

 

Cheers and thanks again for the great review!

 

They have traditional dining AND "As You Wish Dining"-- we gave our preference for fixed dining/table for 2 to our TA upon booking (we booked in January for the 10/31 sailing) and we got our preference.

 

The upper level of the dining room was supposed to be all for fixed seating, and as far as we were aware, there were only 2 "fixed" dining times for upper level-- 5:45 and 8:00 (or maybe it was 8:15, not sure). However, it looked as if they either allowed people to come REALLY late into the dining room, or else they were also putting some AYWD guests up there too, because we often saw people coming in as late as 6:30... So maybe they didn't have as many "fixed preference" guests as they did AYWD?? I don't know...

[WeLoveCruising]

They have traditional dining AND "As You Wish Dining"-- we gave our preference for fixed dining/table for 2 to our TA upon booking (we booked in January for the 10/31 sailing) and we got our preference.

 

The upper level of the dining room was supposed to be all for fixed seating, and as far as we were aware, there were only 2 "fixed" dining times for upper level-- 5:45 and 8:00 (or maybe it was 8:15, not sure). However, it looked as if they either allowed people to come REALLY late into the dining room, or else they were also putting some AYWD guests up there too, because we often saw people coming in as late as 6:30... So maybe they didn't have as many "fixed preference" guests as they did AYWD?? I don't know...

 

Hi CHVH

Thanks for your review! We were on the same cruise as you, and I'm glad you had a good time. I noticed the same thing you did regarding the seating. I was at the 8pm seating, and I think the right side of the dining room when you walked in was for "fixed". I noticed the tables on the left coming and going at all different times. The Hotel Manager told us that a huge number of people changed from fixed to open during the cruise, so I assume they made those tables open to them. DH and I would walk around the promenade after our dinner (9:30 or so) and from the outside we could see people just getting their dinners on the left side.