Noordam Rome to Rome....... Friends Just Returned.

[sail7seas]

Months ago, our good friends asked us to travel to Rome with them to sail Noordam September 14. We were already booked on our Maasdam cruises so couldn't go ....and they booked the last "SA" so definitely couldn't go. :)

 

They are very well traveled, sophisticated people who are quite particular and are accustomed to comfort and 'fine things'. We had spoken with them many times about the beautiful Noordam and our special attachment to her.

 

They loved the itinerary and decided to try her.

DH and I were eager for them to love the ship and have a wonderful time.

 

They returned yesterday after a few days post cruise in Rome.

They loved the ship, the service, the food, their fellow pax, the itinerary, the ship's tours....... They had a fabulous time. There was no "But". Sometimes folks say something like "We had a good time, But....... They simply had a great time.

 

Something I found interesting was she told me she was shocked how dressed people got for dinner. We talked before she left and agreed her DH would be fine in a dark suit for formal night. He was sorry he had not brought his tuxedo. The majority of gentlemen wore tuxes on formal nights.

 

She brought appropriate dresses/outfits for formal but she said a few of the things she brought for smart casual, she didn't wear. She thought them too casual as compared to what the majority of women were wearing. I was happy but surprised to hear this.

 

Can't speak for any other European cruise this season, but she was very definite that people are still dressing for dinner.

 

Of course, we're delighted they had so many wonderful things to say about the very beautiful, very special Noordam and her crew.

[Jade13]

 

Can't speak for any other European cruise this season, but she was very definite that people are still dressing for dinner.

 

 

I have stated this many times here. Europeans are overall better dressed (and in better shape) than the Americans as far as HAL cruises in Europe vs what we have found here (Alaska and from NYC). So, when people post about seeing folks in sweats in the dining room, well I have never seen that on a European cruise.

[Sea King]

just curious S7S

 

did your friends visit "your bell":)

 

interesting about formal nights .. maybe European cruises are different than others when it comes to dress

 

anyone else out there know whether the number of tuxedos and gowns increased on any European or Asian cruise

[sail7seas]

:) Yes, indeed, they visited Noordam's very beautiful, special Bell. :)

 

They specifically went looking how to get to the bow and (brilliantly ;) ) kept going forward. They came to a 'bar' which has a bell from Noordam III in place. They knew this could not be the ship's bell so proceeded forward from what they came to learn was OB, voila........ there was Noordam's Bell shining on the bow!! They promise they sent our blessings.

 

[jtl513]

interesting about formal nights .. maybe European cruises are different than others when it comes to dress

 

anyone else out there know whether the number of tuxedos and gowns increased on any European or Asian cruise

On our Baltic cruise in '05 and Mediterranean cruise in '06 we did not see more than about 40% tuxedos. I'm wondering if that is because we always take the early seating, and people consider that a little less formal? :confused:

[cruisefan42]

:) Yes, indeed, they visited Noordam's very beautiful, special Bell. :)

 

They specifically went looking how to get to the bow and (brilliantly ;) ) kept going forward. They came to a 'bar' which has a bell from Noordam III in place. They knew this could not be the ship's bell so proceeded forward from what they came to learn was OB, voila........ there was Noordam's Bell shining on the bow!! They promise they sent our blessings.

 

I would really like to see the ship's bell. Would you please direct me?

I will be sailing on the Noordam on Oct28. Also, I am happy to read about so many passengers dressing for dinner. I am very opposed to those who do not follow the dress code.

[Cruising-along]

On our Baltic cruise in '05 and Mediterranean cruise in '06 we did not see more than about 40% tuxedos. I'm wondering if that is because we always take the early seating, and people consider that a little less formal? :confused:

 

Although everyone was dressed appropriately and very nicely, I would guess that tuxedos comprised no more than 25-35% on both our Med cruises ('06 and '08) on formal nights.

 

We also ate earlier (around 7) so possibly that has something to do with it.

[RuthC]

interesting about formal nights .. maybe European cruises are different than others when it comes to dress

I noticed people were very well dressed on the E-dam's first cruise; not so much on the second. The crowd on the second cruise did not appear to be experienced cruisers on many fronts.

I've cruised in Europe many times and found that people generally tend to dress well on those cruises.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Europeans do tend to dress more formally than what we Americans do on cruises. I have been reading this on the various boards. Even though it has been a few years since we did either the Med or Baltic -- the ships we were on -- various cruise lines -- I would say that 90% of the men wore tuxedos and white dinner jackets on formal nights.

Sorry your friends didn't know about Europeans dressing formal.

But glad they had a great time inspite of that.

[sammiedawg]

Airline luggage restrictions may have an impact. If you are restricted to one bag or even paying for the first bag, you may pack lighter

[sail7seas]

Our friends flew Alitalia both ways. Their luggage was not weighed for either flight.

 

They flew first class so that might be why?

[sail7seas]

Europeans do tend to dress more formally than what we Americans do on cruises. I have been reading this on the various boards. Even though it has been a few years since we did either the Med or Baltic -- the ships we were on -- various cruise lines -- I would say that 90% of the men wore tuxedos and white dinner jackets on formal nights.

 

Sorry your friends didn't know about Europeans dressing formal.

 

But glad they had a great time inspite of that.

 

 

KK......... I venture to say they have traveled to Europe dozens of times.

Funny you say about Europeans dressing for dinner. I asked them the percentage of North American vs. European on that voyage and they thought the vast majority American. The point is there were not many Europeans on their sailing but, of course, you couldn't have known that.

[RuthC]

Airline luggage restrictions may have an impact. If you are restricted to one bag or even paying for the first bag, you may pack lighter

That doesn't make any sense. International flights still allow two bags per person. And people still have to wear something! Dress up and dress down weighs the same.

[C&Sun]

I have stated this many times here. Europeans are overall better dressed (and in better shape) than the Americans as far as HAL cruises in Europe vs what we have found here (Alaska and from NYC). So, when people post about seeing folks in sweats in the dining room, well I have never seen that on a European cruise.

 

Was on the Deutschland Oct. 2005 and QE2 last Oct. in the Med. and I would venture to say that 80 percent of the men wore tux and some of the formal gowns the ladies wore were breathtaking! Formal evenings on a cruise are something that I look forward to. I love how wonderful men and women look when they are formally dressed.

 

I am packing for our Noordam Oct. 4 T/A crossing from Rome and now am questioning if I have packed appropriately for "Smart Casual". :confused: I have packed dress slacks with sweater sets to be worn with different scarves, something that I would wear for smart casual nights at our club. Any thoughts?

[fun*n*sun]

I'm so happy to hear they enjoyed their cruise so much. We are on the Noordam b2b next May from Rome and are very much looking forward to it. We love to dress up so we're glad to hear that the formal nights are actually formal for the most part. When my husband works in Europe he always dresses better than he does at work in the U.S. One day he wore nice khakis and a dress shirt to the office in London and was teased all day that he was wearing his pajamas to work. In the US we have found some cities/areas much more dressy than others. Washington DC in particular tends to be formal. By the way, before bashing American's for being fatter than other countries be sure to check your facts and not just what you hear in the media. Obesity rates in European countries as well as pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand just to name a few are very similar to our own. Not that that is a good thing for anyone.

[ger_77]

How nice that your friends enjoyed their experience on the Noordam; sometimes you wonder if your recommendations will be appreciated or not.

 

On both of our Mediterranean expriences we've found dinner (late seating) to be a dressy event, whether formal night or not. I think there was only one evening where DH didn't wear a jacket. Formal nights saw more tuxes than suits and lots of sparkle for the ladies. On our next trip (incl our adult kids) the guys will all be in their tuxes and my step-daughter and I will wear our finery as well.

 

SmoothSailing! :) :) :)

[sail7seas]

I always get a bit nervous when I wholeheartedly recommend something as big as a ten day cruise in a Suite sailing from Rome to friends. We all realize that is a costly trip and they chose it largely based on our recommendation. We really care about these friends a lot and would have felt absolutely horrible if they were not happy.

 

BUT, :) that shows how much we trust and love Noordam and know she would provide a great cruise for all. (It's just there is always the risk of those sort of things out of everyone's control that can put a severe damper.)

 

[ger_77]

sail7seas, I understand what you're saying - we have friends we hoped would someday join us on a cruise and tried several times to convince them to come along with us, to no avail. They finally booked an Alaskan cruise on their own - one we haven't yet done - and on their return we had a "debriefing". Well, they were surprised that everything "cost so much", nobody would talk to them in the dining room, nobody let them sit at their tables at the Lido and on and on. You have no idea how relieved we were that they had chosen to go on their own and we didn't feel responsible for their unhappiness on board. Now we tell people about our cruise experience and if they choose to join us, they're most welcome, but we're not going to go further to convince them to cruise with us. Lesson learned.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sail, I am so glad your freinds had a great time with no But.... I also know that feeling because I do recomend HAL so frequently I unfortunately have heard that But.... one just never knows. I sometimes think some of it is the attitude one has when they board the ship as to how good a time they will have. Of course I know things happen but we also know some of the things that happen the people make a mountain out of a mole hill.

 

As to the more Formal dressing a friend of mine Christine CC member MissWindyCity was in Paris this past week and we spoke on line several times and the one thing that really stood out to her is how every one dressed up just out in public. I often think because we live here in the US we have not really realized how WE have changed and sadly we have come to except it. Europeans in general dress up for most occaisions both young and old.

[sail7seas]

That is true, Lisa. Americans have this 'have to be comfortable' mindset. No, we don't always have to feel like we are walking around in sweats but that is 'very controversial' around here and I said the other day I was getting out of the 'dress code threads'. Have to at least get through the weekend without breaking that effort. :D Can't promise I'll get through a whole week though. ;)

 

When we walk the streets in Paris, London, Rome....... I promise you we are not in jeans. I don't wear jeans to Boston for that matter.

[Old Salty Dog]

We were on the Noordam 20 days ending Sept. 14. Had early fixed dining. I would estimate that on formal nights only about 25% of the men wore Tux, but almost all were in a dark suit or blazer. I had dark blue blazer and grey slacks and felt comfortable and not out of place. On other nights I wore a sport jacket but no tie, and was in the minority.

[sail7seas]

Our friends commented how many folks were doing back-to-backs. They also told us some back-to-backers they met told them the cruise before had been more casual. Seems there are many who sail 20 days....Nice!

 

Hope you had a great time, Old Salty Dog.

[WeLoveCruising]

Our friends commented how many folks were doing back-to-backs. They also told us some back-to-backers they met told them the cruise before had been more casual. Seems there are many who sail 20 days....Nice!.

 

The Noordam 10 day Rome itinerary sets up so well for B2B's. I would love to have the time to do that alone with spending a few days/nights in Rome.