MS Noordam

[greek cruise]

I am looking for help and advice, have just booked a cruise for 10 nights around the greek isles, and am now concerned over the age of passengers on board as we are a couple in our mid 30s and am concerned that we are going to be the youngest on board, have booked a balcony any idea if it is good size balcony enough room to sunbathe. Also what are the toiletries like in the room are they okay to use? Also what is the swimming area like. Have cruised before with Princess and NCL and enjoyed but am a bit concerned over the ship etc.
Any help would be a great help.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Not certain where you booked your balcony cabin -- starboard, port or aft. The starboard and port side cabins do not have lounge chairs and are not really large enough for a lounge chair. We stay in an SA which has a table, 4 chairs, 2 other chairs with ottomans and a tiny cocktail table. One time the people next to us asked the cabin steward to get them a lounge chair -- he did -- then they couldn't move around on the verandah.

The pools are very nice on the Noordam. There is one under a dome that can be opened and closed depending on the weather. The other is aft on the Lido - lots of room here. Both have lots of lounge chairs.

Can't answer about the age of passengers on your cruise.

All cabins have these products:

The Elemis products include:

1.7 ounce bottle - Pure Shine Shampoo - infused with the aroma of Lime, Basil, and Grapefruit.

1.7 ounce bottle - Pro-Vitamin Conditioner - a citrus experience that replenishes with conditioning Vitamin B5 Panthenol.

1.7 ounce bottle - Sharp Shower and Bath Gel - an aroma-therapeutic blend of Mint, Charmonile, Wild Marjoram, Nettle and Thyme in a Mineral rich Sea Salt base.

1.7 ounce bottle of Vitamin Rich-Body Lotion - infused with Vitamin-rich Wheat Germ, Carrot and Sweet Almond Oil.

For the Face: Citrus Soap Slice - pure Glycerin soap is lightly infused with the aroma of Grapefruit, Basil, Clove and Lime.

For the Body: pure zest cleansing soap - infused with nature's own Lime, Clove Leaf, Lavender and Rosemary Extracts in Palm Oil.

[RuthC]

Although I consider the Vista class ships too large, I love the Noordam. She's a beautiful elegant, tastefully decorated ship.

You will probably be among the youngest passengers on board, but I'm not sure what difference that will make. In the Mediterranian, especially, the evenings tend to end early as there are early ports most every day. It's a fully-packed itinerary.

There are different sizes of balconies; the V-categories, the SS, and the full suite S-categories have balconies in increasing sizes. Then, there's the penthouse. That balcony is huge. All of the balconies should be large enough to sit out and enjoy the views and sun.

There are two swimming pools. The Lido pool is under a domed cover, which is closed in inclement weather. There's also a fairly large outdoor pool aft on Lido Deck.

[ninkb]

We've had our "children" and their spouses on HAL cruises with us. They were in their 30's at the time and they loved the ships. They were never bored, enjoyed a variety of activities, and even booked themselves onto future cruises. Don't let the supposed average age of cruisers influence your decision . . . consider the itinerary and the amenities on the ship.

[Rhea58]

The Noordam is one of my favorite HAL ships. She attracts all ages
but a cruise is what you make of it...you will probably be sightseeing
alot too as the Greek isles are magnificent so just go ... and enjoy.

[Piper's~mom]

Hi greek cruise!
What date did you book? We'll be on the same cruise, departing September 06. Please feel free to join the roll call of whichever date you are sailing.

We're in our mid 30s and it will be the second time we're on a HAL cruise. From my experience we're pushing the bottom end of the demographic you're likely to find... but we don't find that impacts our enjoyment at all. Besides that doesn't mean there won't be anyone our age on the cruise.

We've met and chatted with many interesting passengers who were alot older than us...but we still had a great time. Often people with longer life experience have the best and most interesting stories, if you give them a chance to share.

Besides, we find we're so tuckered out from traipsing around and exploring port that we're usually happy to call it an early night.

[oshawa]

I am booked for the August 19/10 10 day Roman Empire cruise along with my 21 year old grandson (will turn 21 in November/09). This will be his first cruise experience and hopefully he will enjoy . He has the personality to engage in conversation with all ages. We will be staying in Rome for two days prior to the cruise. This will also be his first European experience and I also hope he will return to other European countries to broaden his knowledge and interest in other nationalities.I am also hoping his parents can join us since it will be my daughter's big 50 birthday this year. My daughter and son-in-law are a lot of fun and would enjoy seeing their son sampling his first cruise.

Age is only a number so I am not concerned about the various ages on board. l have met so many interesting passengers who are in their late 70's, 80's, who were delightful dinner companions.