Asking about Noordam

[KevinHung]

Hi, all

It's my first time sailing with HAL and second time overall. We're boarding Noordam from NY next month. My previous and only experience is with Regent Seven Sea, Radisson Diamond, few years ago. Since that was all inclusive cruise experience and relatively small ship (about 350 passengers), I have no idea of average expenses spent on board and public space usage. Can anybody give me an idea?

Also, how many nights should we dine in Pinnacle Grill? I already booked 3 nights, woudl it be too much or just fine?

BTW, are those prepaid wine or cocktail card good ideas? or should I just pay what I consume on board?

Kevin

[nurseblissful]

the noordam is huge, you will not feel crowded during the non dining hour times. there are lots of things to see and do. the wine cards i am not sure about. i bought bottles of wine. the drink cards are a good deal if you like a fancy "umbrella" drink, otherwise, the high balls are cheaper without the card. 3 meals in the pc? wow.....we did not get there. we ran out of time....lol. planning on going for the next trip. have a great time.:) lauri

[Route6A]

We sailed on the Regent Voyager in June and on the Noordam just this past three weeks....Seattle to New York Panama Canal Cruise.

While we enjoyed our cruise on the Noordam, we did not particularly enjoy the food in the Vista Dining Room, so we had dinner in the Pinnacle Grill numerous times. During our sailing, HAL was running a promotional package for the Pinnacle, with a discount for multiple meals there. I believe that seven nights there qualified for the discount. We loved the quiet atmosphere in the Grill and the excellent service from the warm, attentive staff. The food was quite good, certainly far better than the food in the Vista, as the food in the Pinnacle is cooked to order.

Overall, we enjoyed our trip on the Noordam, largely because the crew is outstanding. Hope you also have a wonderful time. It is quite different from Regent, so you will have an interesting time comparing Regent to HAL.

[magictam]

The Noordam is a hugh ship and I did feel slightly overwhelmed with the number of people on board when we first boarded. Once the sail away party was over, I wondered where all those people were.

I didn't use a wine or soda card, but did purchase cocktail card. It can be used for any type of drink, daily special to beer. My DH and I shared the card and that's all we needed for the cruise (7 days). I'm not sure I think it's a real cost saving but it means you don't have to wait for a reciept to sign. They just punch the card and you're done.

We never did try they Pinnacle Grill and we were very happy with the dining room. We also enjoyed room service almost every morning. A few times for a complete breakfast, but most often for just fruit and coffee until we went to the Lido deck.

I hope you have the best time on the Noordam like we had.

[advocado]

Forget the drink/wine cards. I ordered what I wanted and paid what I felt was fair. Would be otherwise if I was constrained by a wine/drink card. On a seven day Noordam cruise to Alaska, we did the Pinnacle Grill once. That was enough. Not bad but just not worth $60 bucks on more than one occasion in 7 days. We are booked on the Maasdam in January for 15 days. Will probably opt for the Pinnacle twice on that cruise.

[mamaofami]

We usually eat at least once in the Pinnacle Grill and look forward to breakfast on the veranda. The Noordam carries lots of people, but we never felt crowded anywhere. Then again, I don't usually hang out at the pool. I like the Explorations Cafe, the Crow's Nest where you can get a front sea lounger, stretch out and watch the ocean go by, and the teak chairs on the promenade deck.

What you spend on board depends entirely on you and what you like. You can use the spa, gamble, drink, etc.

Have a wonderful cruise. THe Noordam is a beautiful ship with a wonderful crew.

[jtl513]

We don't think the Pinnacle is worth $30 plus tip per person, and only eat there when we receive it as a gift. Remember that's $30 in addition to the value of the meal that you're not eating in the dining room that night.

We use the wine cards and think it is a pretty good deal if you're satisfied with house wines. You're paying just $3.88 /glass (including the 15% service charge) if you get the 20-glass card, and $4.14 if you get the 10-glass card. By the glass, house wines start at $4.75 + 15% = $5.46

We think the Pinot Grigio is pretty good, the Chardonnay is okay, as is the Merlot, but the Cabernet Sav isn't to our liking.

[sondrad]

DH and I were on the Noordam in July, and it was our first cruise. Overall, we enjoyed it very much.

As for drink cards, you do save some money, unless you stick with the specialty drink of the day (they usually have 2 per day if I remember correctly). Then the cost of the drink is the same as it would be with the card discount. If you do get a drink card, purchase it wear you plan on doing most of your drinking. The staff is very friendly, but even more friendly when you buy a drink card from them because they must get a commission. You'll be treated very well for the rest of the trip.

Tough question on the dining. If you're used to fine dining, you'll be less than impressed with the regular dining room food. If you're already planning on eating in the Pinnacle Grill, I would eat there 3-4 times. Eat in the regular dining room during the formal nights. IMHO.

[KevinHung]

Hi,all

Thanks to share your opinions.

Route6A, you're right. I am going to have an interesting experience comparing to Regent. However, I want to try a larger ship and I'll see how it goes with Pinnacle Grill. Perhaps I will go more often. How difficult to book a night not in advance?

Kevin

[madelinerose]

If you're used to fine dining, you'll be less than impressed with the regular dining room food. IMHO.


sondrad...Thank you for this sentence. Never heard it put quite this way before, yet it definitely says a lot. ;)

[Route6A]

Hi,all

Thanks to share your opinions.

Route6A, you're right. I am going to have an interesting experience comparing to Regent. However, I want to try a larger ship and I'll see how it goes with Pinnacle Grill. Perhaps I will go more often. How difficult to book a night not in advance?

Kevin
Kevin,

I suspect the popularity of the Pinnacle Grill varies from cruise to cruise. On our Panama Canal cruise, once on board, we booked all seven nights ahead, and we added a couple of nights later with no problem. I would suggest booking early in the day if you require same day reservations. Also, if you are sailing in a deluxe veranda suite, the concierge in the Neptune Lounge will be happy to book the Grill for you.

One other tip...The Grill appeared to be quite busy on formal nights.

[hammybee]

Just curious. What cabin category do you have booked on the Noordam?

[NHBob]

Although I've cruised quite a bit on HAL, I did my first Vista Class cruise on Noordam about a year ago. I posted a review on the member review page - link is http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=23057 if you are interested.

Remember my review is a year old, so some comments probably aren't applicable now. There are also many more-recent reviews in the member review section. Always interesting to see that of two reviewers on the same cruise, one may give cruise a top rating, another a very low one. Shows how subjective reviews are.

I haven't sailed with Regent, but now sail a lot with luxury-level Crystal. You won't find Regent or Crystal level of service on HAL, but on the other hand HAL gives you a lot for your money. I rank HAL as the best of the large-ship, mass market lines and continue to cruise with them from time to time. I'm booked on Zuiderdam's Ft Lauderdale - Rome transatlantic next March.

The biggest problem area for HAL has been, in my opinion, the botched introduction of their new As You Wish Dining - not the concept, but the way it has been implemented. You might want to take a look at the stickys on this subject - the one with comments is approaching 1000 posts!

Hope you will post a review, as I'm sure a lot of us will be interested in seeing a Regent customer's reaction to HAL.

[onthegogirl]

My experience in the Pinnacle Grill.

DH and I booked during our first HAL cruise. The room was not crowded. The decor was lovely. Our server, however, was inattentive to the point of rudeness.:( I ordered King Crab and it was served barely warm. Would have sent it back if I could have gotten the waiters attention. My DH had rack of lamb, also barely warm and not particularly tasty.

I understand that the beef is very good. I would expect that all menu offering would be "very good" since dining here involves and additional cost.

Since we have found the food in the dining room very good and the service to be wonderful :) we have never tried the Pinnicle again.

Others have had the opposite experience to I guess it's "different strokes for different folks" or just an unfortunate experience for us.

I hope you enjoy every minute of your cruise. I am sailing on the Noordam next month for the first time and am looking forward to exploring the ship and comparing the food and service to the other HAL vessels.

[Slider10]

Hi, all

It's my first time sailing with HAL and second time overall. We're boarding Noordam from NY next month.

Also, how many nights should we dine in Pinnacle Grill? I already booked 3 nights, woudl it be too much or just fine?

BTW, are those prepaid wine or cocktail card good ideas? or should I just pay what I consume on board?

Kevin

Kevin,

My wife and I are going on the same cruise for our Honeymoon! We're scouring the forums trying to figure out what beverages are free on the ship but it's tough to tell. I'm a 3x Carnival guy so I'm learning quick that HAL limits their soda's and such and I'm assuming it's strictly water, iced tea and lemonade that's free. It's fun to see someone else here going on the same cruise as us.

We tried booking the Pinnacle online a few minutes ago but the HAL website said there were no days / times available, which I can't believe they are booked solid for a 12-day cruise. We're going to try again when we're on board.

Anyhow... I'm sure this trip is going to be great.

[mamaofami]

Hi Kevin and Slider,
Why don't you go over to your roll call and intriduce yourselves over there. You will meet other people on your cruise. Hope you love the Noordam as much as I do.

[KevinHung]

Hi, all

To Hammybee: I booked the VA category.

To NHBob: I'll do a review between Regent and HAL once I am back home. Crystal is as good as Regent or even better. I will definitely let you know how it is.

To Slider: Congraulations.... What a wonderfully way to spend your honeymoon. Wish you luck.. BTW, the best way is to book asap once you got onboard. I heard you can always cancel your reservation later if you cannnot make it. Hopefully,you'll be able to dine in the grill.

Kevin

[grsnovi]

Kevin,

After you sail please report back. It will be interesting to hear your impression of the value add of the PG over the regular dining room. We ate in the PG one night on our June cruise. Our cruise was originally supposed to be in May, we accepted an invitation to switch dates and we were nicely compensated by the upgrade fairy. Part of our original package was a PG night but it wasn't part of the upgrade package. When I asked our TA, she got back to us a few days later with HAL on-board credit @ $50pp so we did eat in the PG. Our experience was just fine. It is a smaller dining room so we had more attention than in the regular dining room.

We don't pamper ourselves by making a big deal out of eating. We "go out" to eat simply to not eat at home.

As far as that goes, we were fine with the main dining room. The PG was certainly a step-up from that. May or may not expend $60 to do the PG on our Mexican itinerary as we're not big beef eaters and otherwise the PG meal seemed comparable to the main dining room (apart from ambiance and service).

Enjoy your cruise!

Oh yeah, we went with a 20 glass prepaid wine card. We drink table wine almost every night - so their "house" wine was fine. We didn't use all of our punches (and I'm hoping to be able to use up the balance in April - not sure if that'll fly or not).