A newbies Noordam review

[aprilwaters]

First off, the trip to New York scared me half to death; I have never seen so many people in one place at one time. But I quickly got over it when I seen the beautiful Noordam in the harbor. Oh what a site.
I felt like I was being herded onto the ship like cattle. The express line was 10x longer than the regular line. Then when we finally got to the teller, she couldn’t understand no we did not want to put it on our credit card, that we had $1,200 in cash. That took a while to get straight,
That being said, now I want to say that I have never enjoyed anything so much in my entire life. Both my DH and me are already planning our next one and will be taking the kids on RCI. The following year, we will go back to Hal by ourselves.
Everything to me, was perfect, with the exception of the last day when we were to disembark. However, you can hardly blame Hal for that.
Oh, I do have a complaint about the snotty as_ed people on board who treated the crew like they were dirt under their feet. I almost lost it on one whale of a woman in the lido who was laying out a crewmember. If I had any power or control I would sentence anyone who acted like that to do their job for a day or two. Maybe that would
put their noses back into the proper position on their face. Totally awful. These people work hard to support their family back home. For example, our assistant dining guy, worked the dining room, when that was done, cleaned, etc he worked in the Lido in the evening. Our main dining steward worked the a.m. shift in the lido and then the dining room in the evening. It is totally uncalled for someone to treat another human being in this manner because you can afford to cruise.
I also want to thank everyone on this board who gave advice or answered questions. And to those in the roll call it was just awesome to meet you. I met people that I will have friendships with forever.
My husband added up the cost and he announced that we could take a cruise every year. Ha I have him hooked. And I love him for it.
To anyone who is wanting to do the renewal of vows, do it!! It is well worth the money. When we arrived into our stateroom, there was a bottle of champagne, a picture frame and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us. The next day, which was our actual anniversary, the captain sent a beautiful rose card and a dozen long stemmed red roses. The ceremony was in the oak room and was just gorgeous. We ate at the pinnacle grill the night of our anniversary, which was included in the rov package. We received 3 pictures in a scrapbook with a copy of the vows signed by the captain. I think we got more then $149.00 worth.
I will be posting pictures of all the ports, ceremony and extra in about a week. My husband has to do this for me, as I am illiterate when it comes to these things.
I love the food and the entertainment. For those of you who read my post, you remember me saying I lost 105 lbs. to go, well I gained 14 lbs. back. My body was just not used to all those carbs. And believe me, I packed them in. But that’s okay, I started exercising again when I got home. I lost it before; I will do it again.
The ship is gorgeous, the crew impeccable and those who don’t have a miserable outlook on life should thoroughly enjoy her. Thanks again for all your help and if anyone has any questions I will do my very best to answer,

[middle-aged mom]

Thank you, Aprilwaters; I'm so glad you enjoyed your first cruising experience! Congrats on your Renewal of Vows. :) Looking forward to your pictures.

Welcome Home!

[Wilbo]

Great Review. We board the Noordam tomorrow for the Panama trip.
You have me so excited about the trip, I won't sleep tonight.
I agree service people are humans and we should all be respectful.
Honey collects more flies than vinegar.

[grannynurse]

Thanks April,
It's so wonderful to re-live my own excitement of my first cruise (a long time ago) through you. It made me feel so good. I can't wait to read your review,
Welcome home from the first of many cruises,
GN

[aprilwaters]

Great Review. We board the Noordam tomorrow for the Panama trip.
You have me so excited about the trip, I won't sleep tonight.
I agree service people are humans and we should all be respectful.
Honey collects more flies than vinegar.

sorry about you missing sleep, but its well worth it, you will sleep like a baby. She is a great ship and the crew is even better. It was so refreshing seeing a captain who let it be obvious about how much he cared about his crew. made things work even better. Good luck and have a blast. I know you will.

[earl_m]

Great review April, glad you enjoy your cruise.I agree with you,the people
that work on cruise ships are the hardest worker I have seen. I don`t know where they find the energy to work all the hours that they put in.

[Gsel]

April,
How fast those of us who have been cruising for years forget! Thanks for the memory! I am so glad you and your DH are hooked and are already planning your next two cruises. Don't forget the fun and never forget that a smile and soft word will get you much further than the harsh word you witnessed.
Barbara

[aprilwaters]

Great review April, glad you enjoy your cruise.I agree with you,the people
that work on cruise ships are the hardest worker I have seen. I don`t know where they find the energy to work all the hours that they put in.

I was told by six different crew members that they average about 4 hrs a night sleep. I can't imagine that, if I don't get 7. well lets just say my family finds ways to keep themselves busy lol. I guess you can train your body to adjust to those hours and I'm sure they have to get some days where they get to sleep more. Our assistant D.R. steward became a luggage porter on the last day. amazing, simply amazing. I can't say enough about this crew.

[aprilwaters]

April,
How fast those of us who have been cruising for years forget! Thanks for the memory! I am so glad you and your DH are hooked and are already planning your next two cruises. Don't forget the fun and never forget that a smile and soft word will get you much further than the harsh word you witnessed.
Barbara

I have to tell you, after that incident in the Lido, it made me take a good long hard look at my attitude towards everything. life is to short to be complaing that there is not enough ice in your tea!

[mamaofami]

Aprilwaters, glad you had a good cruise. I remember when you first posted. And you are so right. Life is too short to complain about silly things.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you had a wonderful cruise and have found that you are now hooked!!!

[26Martini]

You are so right ....... the crew is the nicest group of people.....everyone from the top down to the bottom.....always a hello or good morning, and it was nice to meet you aprilwaters and your hubby....we had such a great cruise.:)

26Martin (Lauren)

[aprilwaters]

You are so right ....... the crew is the nicest group of people.....everyone from the top down to the bottom.....always a hello or good morning, and it was nice to meet you aprilwaters and your hubby....we had such a great cruise.:)

26Martin (Lauren)

it was really nice meeting you also. It was fun running into people you felt like you already knew throughout the cruise. I ran into Jackpot Johnny and Tom C. almost on a daily basis. It was just the best time of my life.

[tomc]

I ran into Tom C. almost on a daily basis. And she never ran when she saw me coming.

A.W. "Oh, ****, here he comes again with his pad."
T.C. "Hi, April. Got anything funny to say?"
A.W. "Uhh, no. I was with my friend Dorothy earlier."
T.C. writes: "April belongs to 'Friends of Dorothy.'"
A.W. "What are you writing?"
T.C. "Do you have a friend named Bill?"
A.W. "I don't like where this is going. Just a feeling."
T.C. "Trust me."
A.W. "That's not why I read your CC diaries."

[aprilwaters]

And she never ran when she saw me coming.

A.W. "Oh, ****, here he comes again with his pad."
T.C. "Hi, April. Got anything funny to say?"
A.W. "Uhh, no. I was with my friend Dorothy earlier."
T.C. writes: "April belongs to 'Friends of Dorothy.'"
A.W. "What are you writing?"
T.C. "Do you have a friend named Bill?"
A.W. "I don't like where this is going. Just a feeling."
T.C. "Trust me." A
A.W. "That's not why I read your CC diaries."

o.k tom, you have either baffled me beyond confusion again or you have me confused w/someone else. who the heck is Dorothy? And isn't the friends of Bill a Gay group or something I read about on this board?

[tomc]

Thought you knew.

"Friends of Dorothy" (or FOD) is a code word for onboard gay meetings, sometimes listed in the daily program. RevNeal can tell you the greatest story about that and his mother named Dorothy...

"Friends of Bill W" is the code word for AA. Their meetings are available every day on every cruise ship. They should be in every radio/tv station, as well (my opinion).

[mamaofami]

As a New Yorker almost all of my life, I am always surprised at the reaction of out of towners to the amount of people wandering the streets of the city. I just spent a day there last week and it passes as unremarkable to me. I did notice as we past 5th avenue on a beautiful day that there were many people out and about. It's interesting what one gets used to and thinks nothing of.

[aprilwaters]

like I said, scared me half to death. My DH had to give me a valium once we got off the ship to calm me down. I was so scared of going to penn station. But now, I think I could do it with a lot less fear. to much CSI Newyork haha,

Tom, now I understand. I hope everyone out in cyberland knows how much of a practical joker you are. But I love you anyway:)

[tomc]

Elsewhere, I'm a very serious writer. I've tried it here and it just doesn't work; all the silliness comes out.

[tomc]

mamaofami -- As a New Yorker almost all of my life, I am always surprised at the reaction of out of towners to the amount of people wandering the streets of the city. I grew up on an island, later lived in two farming communities; in one of them, a bike ride around the block was ten miles. I never lived in a place with (or with more than) one traffic light or sidewalks. The post office on the island was in the back of the drugstore; the driveway from the farm to the nearest road was a mile long.

New York City frightens me on a good day. On a bad day, I am near panic. I never saw a building higher than three stories, or more than a half-dozen people visible on the street ... and that was a lot.

My playground was a huge swamp, my companions were fiddler crabs, piss clams, eels and sand sharks. If there were a dozen people on our quarter-mile beach, it was crowded.

I don't understand NYC or its residents. I would have a breakdown if I had to live there. The smell of the swamp at low tide in July or August is as perfume to me.

[Copper10-8]

[quote=tomc;9932454]
My playground was a huge swamp, my companions were fiddler crabs, piss clams, eels and sand sharks. If there were a dozen people on our quarter-mile beach, it was crowded.quote]

Ever eaten one of those puppies?:rolleyes:

BTW, nice review April! I'm with you on the idiots that verbally abuse the crew

[aprilwaters]

:eek: Thanks copper, like I said, I wish they could be sentenced to do their job for a day or two.

Tom, I really hope we run into each other again. You are quite the character. Leave the roach at home though

[mamaofami]

mamaofami -- I grew up on an island, later lived in two farming communities; in one of them, a bike ride around the block was ten miles. I never lived in a place with (or with more than) one traffic light or sidewalks. The post office on the island was in the back of the drugstore; the driveway from the farm to the nearest road was a mile long.

New York City frightens me on a good day. On a bad day, I am near panic. I never saw a building higher than three stories, or more than a half-dozen people visible on the street ... and that was a lot.

My playground was a huge swamp, my companions were fiddler crabs, piss clams, eels and sand sharks. If there were a dozen people on our quarter-mile beach, it was crowded.

I don't understand NYC or its residents. I would have a breakdown if I had to live there. The smell of the swamp at low tide in July or August is as perfume to me.


I guess it's all what you grow up with and get used to. I find New York vibrant and alive. I love the theater and all the shows. The museums are wonderful. I like to walk along Columbus Avenue, Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues on the Upper West Side. Love standing in line on Sunday morning to get into a brunch place. My DH loves to walk down near Chelsea. He loves the opera and Lincoln Center. New York is alive with people and people watching is great where ever you go in the city.

I will admit I've never been to Penn Station, although my son is there everyday as he comes in from Jersey. I too would find it somewhat confusing until I read the signs and knew where to go. I do go to Grand Central and it's not confusing because I know it so well.

The people don't bother me, but the subways do. I use the bus if I don't drive in. Driving in the city is tiring, but I know my way around most of it.

I would probably be scared in the rural community you describe. No kidding! No one around to call on for help.

[tomc]

The people don't bother me, but the subways do. I was in a subway once and I panicked. One of the locals helped show me how to get out of there and, in general, how to get out of a subway.

[mamaofami]

Not to panic you further, but on 9/11 my neice was in the subway station near ground zero, and it was filled with smoke and she couldn't see a thing. A train pulled in and she got on, not knowing where it was going. She was sure she was going to die. So now, she's not a fan of subways either.

[TBear416]

Aprilwaters- You summed up our cruise perfectly. It was a wonderful cruise and I can't say enough about the crew. This was my 6th cruise and never before did the crew ask me my name and use it eveytime they saw me. On this cruise the crew made you feel at home, like a person, not just a number so to speak. I hope to meet you on another cruise in the future. Don't be afraid of New York, and New Yorkers, we don't all bite.

[LoveMyBoxer]

Working in NYC and living on Long Island, I can't imagine living any place else! When we go on vacation it's nice, but eventually you really miss "home". Where else can you get anything, anytime!

[mamaofami]

We lived on a Marine air base in Cherry Hill, North Carolina for two years in the 60's The pace there was so slow, I thought I'd die of boredom. I went into a 5 and 10 cent store and no one was even at the register to ring up my purchase. And it took about 5 minutes for someone to saunter over.

I'll take New York any time. The hustle and bustle is comforting. That doesn't mean I don't love quiet places, nature, the beach, the mountains,and of course the ocean. All have their place and bring me comfort and calm. But New York is home. I wish I lived in the city so I could walk out at night and go to a restaurant or a store and not have to get into a car the way I do in the subburbs. But, actually, I probably have the best of both worlds. Green grass and lawn around my home, the city a half an hour away. And then there's the Noordam!

[tomc]

I went into a 5 and 10 cent store and no one was even at the register to ring up my purchase. And it took about 5 minutes for someone to saunter over. They were in a hurry, I guess. And I bet your change had a lot of "wheat" pennies in it. That's the life I like.

[aprilwaters]

Aprilwaters- You summed up our cruise perfectly. It was a wonderful cruise and I can't say enough about the crew. This was my 6th cruise and never before did the crew ask me my name and use it eveytime they saw me. On this cruise the crew made you feel at home, like a person, not just a number so to speak. I hope to meet you on another cruise in the future. Don't be afraid of New York, and New Yorkers, we don't all bite.

oh , I totally forgot you were from N.Y. I loved you guys, and a few other couples that were from there. I am taking your advice on a bermuda cruise after we take the boys to the western carribean. They are porting out of Norfolk. If you and hubby haven't done that one yet, maybe we can work on that one together. If you do maybe we can work on something else. I just know I though you guys were the greatest. Makes N.Y. less scary:D

[aprilwaters]

We lived on a Marine air base in Cherry Hill, North Carolina for two years in the 60's The pace there was so slow, I thought I'd die of boredom. I went into a 5 and 10 cent store and no one was even at the register to ring up my purchase. And it took about 5 minutes for someone to saunter over.

I'll take New York any time. The hustle and bustle is comforting. That doesn't mean I don't love quiet places, nature, the beach, the mountains,and of course the ocean. All have their place and bring me comfort and calm. But New York is home. I wish I lived in the city so I could walk out at night and go to a restaurant or a store and not have to get into a car the way I do in the subburbs. But, actually, I probably have the best of both worlds. Green grass and lawn around my home, the city a half an hour away. And then there's the Noordam!

Thats to funny. My husbands side of the family was one of the founders of Morehead city N.C> which is right down the road from Cherry point. His father retired from cherry point, and his sister still lives there. my oldest son decided when we lived there at age 5 he was going to become a marine because everyone there was. Guess what, he 21 and just got home from Iraq. He is a marine

[mamaofami]

Aprilwaters, I remember Morehead City well. It was an outing for us, and a place that had a Chinese restaurant. Cherry Point only had a pizza place. My husband was in the Navy, but stationed on the Marine Air base. Our two years there were very low keyed and we were very happy. We were there with an 18 month old and my husband was home every day for lunch and then home at 4:30 and off all weekend. A very different lifestyle than the one we have now. I'm so glad your son is home safe and sound from Iraq!

[aprilwaters]

Aprilwaters, I remember Morehead City well. It was an outing for us, and a place that had a Chinese restaurant. Cherry Point only had a pizza place. My husband was in the Navy, but stationed on the Marine Air base. Our two years there were very low keyed and we were very happy. We were there with an 18 month old and my husband was home every day for lunch and then home at 4:30 and off all weekend. A very different lifestyle than the one we have now. I'm so glad your son is home safe and sound from Iraq!

things have changed in morehead now. they have gangs there and everything. still a little country though. I miss that place.

[SakeDad]

Elsewhere, I'm a very serious writer. I've tried it here and it just doesn't work; all the silliness comes out.
TomC, and we are ever the richer for it!! Keep it up!:)

AprilWaters,
Wonderful review and thanks for sharing. You get us excited to be on her in less than a month!:D

[RetiredMustang]

...Where else can you get anything, anytime!


London. Rome. Tokyo. Naples. Athens. Las Vegas. Probably many, many others I have not been to. I lived in London for three years, and in Rome for three months. Sorry, different strokes for different folks, but I would take either one, or Seattle, or Boston, or D.C. in a heartbeat over New York.

BTW, when I was born, the town my parents lived in increased in population by more than one percent. As they used to say on Hee Haw, salute! I grew up in small towns, but have traveled much since then and prefer cities ... but I prefer many other cities ahead of NY.

Dave