Noordam - Feb 2 - Feb 22 -- 20 wonderful days

[Krazy Kruizers]

We just got off the Noordam this morning -- will be flying home tomorrow.

Had a wonderful 20 days on board.

Disembarkation started very late this morning. We were at terminal 25 -- usually the one where RCI docks. There were 8 ships in this morning. Our CD kept making announcements appologizing for the lateness -- the dock hands just didn't have their act together -- self disembarkation was to begin at 7:45 and A, B, C and D groups with early flights were to leave at 8:15.


But because luggage didn't start to be unloaded until nearly 8, disembarkation didn't begin until 9:15.

At that time they let the self disembarkation people leave and reverted back to the old system of calling by colors and numbers. We were Pink 1 and were also called at 9:15. We were out of the terminal and into a cab by 9:35.

After that it was a quick ride to the Embassy Suites -- and within a few minutes our room was ready for us -- the staff here have always been wonderful and always take care of us.

Many of you probably already know that due to high winds we missed HMC on the first cruise.

And because of the strikes in Martinique, we were diverted to Dominica on our second cruise.

Just to let you know -- this came up in our Q & A session by another person in attendance -- if you wish to order the BIG shrimp cocktails on a night when it is not regularly scheduled, it now costs $17.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Welcome home KK and Joe , glad you had a great cruise. Wish we had been on it with you as originally scheduled but so goes life. Got Lions.

Barbara and John

[GmaPajama]

Welcome Back to your FLL home, KK. We missed you here on the boards.

[ME Guide]

Glad you had a good cruise.
YIKES...I LOVE shrimp...on all the cruises I've been on (other lines as well) I have always been able to get a shrimp cocktail any time I want.
What's with the charge???!!!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Welcome Home KK, or at least off the ship I am sure you are flying back tomorrow. We too just got home yesterday from the Oosterdam.

Oh My I am shocked at the $17 cost for Shrimp cocktails.

We also did not have the silent debarkation when we got off yesterday. Not really sure why since debarking started early with no problems.

[Sage]

Welcome back to Florida. I'm so glad that you had a wonderful time on your cruise. The Noordam has become my favorite ship.

[haligonian37]

Welcome back KK....glad to hear you had a wonderful time. I'm eagerly awaiting your review as I've got a couple of cruises in my sights, and both are on the Noordam. Hope you have a safe flight home!

[Krazy Kruizers]

The $17 charge is for the Big Shrimp cocktails.

You can still order the Bay Shrimp (tiny ones) any night you want to -- for free.

[rkacruiser]

Welcome back, KK! I am glad to know that you had two excellent cruises on the Noordam! I sail on her for my second Noordam cruise on March 14th. Looking forward to it!

[hammybee]

I was thinking about posting a "where in the world is KK" thread, today and here you are. Good to hear you enjoyed 20 days on another HAL ship.

I am in favor of the opportunity to order a higher quality product at a surcharge.

[bellebaby]

I am in favor of the opportunity to order a higher quality product at a surcharge.

$20 pp for the Pinnacle... $17 pp for a premium quality shrimp cocktail?

I know what I would choose...and it wouldn't be shrimp, except for the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail in the Pinnacle.

B

BTW... Welcome back KK....

[Koshlong]

Actually, I tried the jumbo shrimp in both the Pinnacle and the Main dining room and didn't notice any difference. It was very nice, but not $17 dollars worth. I guess I'll appreciate it more now on days it is offered.

[May4]

Welcome home, Yonnie.

Sherry and I are glad to have met you and Joe on the February 2nd sailing. I especially enjoyed our lengthy talk up by the Lido pool on the day that there was a man in our bathtub. (He was the plumber.)
:p:D

What lively stories of work, travel, and wonderful travel adventures over the years you have to tell!

Is your knee feeling any better?

Debby

[innlady1]

Yonnie...It was nice to meet you and Joe on the second leg of our cruise/first leg of yours!

Caroline, a woman on our 2/2 Roll call, was at the airport flying out when we were on 2/2. She mentioned there were only two ships in port the day we left but there would be 10 today. 8, 10, whatever, that's a whole lot of bodies flying in and out of FFL! :eek:

Glad you had a good 20 days. What kind of strikes were there in Martinique? We did go there on the Good Nuts cruise...something must have transpired since then. That's a shame...it's an interesting island.

[innlady1]

Question for you, Yonnie.....I'm wondering the impact of President's Week school vacation in the Northeast on the Noordam this past week? :confused:

The impact was huge when she sailed from NYC...I suspect it is markedly decreased now that she's in FL and there are other ships for 7 day cruises.

[our turn]

Yonnie, so glad you and Joe had a wonderful cruise. Our plans for '09 cruising are still up in the air while I recover from wreck injuries. I can't seem to convince my doctor to write a prescription for a cruise - sounds like the perfect medicine to me.

Kim

[lorekauf]

Welcome back KK.....you've been missed:)!

[Capital Cruiser]

Welcome back KK. We board the Noordam on Mar 4. I really appreciated your posting about Martinique/Dominica as I was wondering what they would do. I was glad to see that they are substituting another port in the event the strike is still on next week. This cruise is starting to look a bit different from the one we booked. First they substituted St Thomas for Tortola. Now we might miss Martinique - and after all the angst I went through selecting a shore excursion there. Oh well, as long as it doesn't snow, I'm sure the cruise will be great.

[takemewithyou]

Question for you, Yonnie.....I'm wondering the impact of President's Week school vacation in the Northeast on the Noordam this past week? :confused:

The impact was huge when she sailed from NYC...I suspect it is markedly decreased now that she's in FL and there are other ships for 7 day cruises.

I am not Yonnie (I think she is in route to her home now), but I really didn't see many children on this sailing. There were some, but not a huge amount. It really didn't impact our cruise at all!

[DFD1]

Welcome back, KK. We missed you.

[lorekauf]

Now we might miss Martinique - and after all the angst I went through selecting a shore excursion there.
Sorry to hear you had issues planning a shorex in Martinique. Consider yourself lucky to miss this port. The place is a hole. If I never go there again I won't be dissapointed.

[twinkletoes4445]

KK...glad you had a nice time on the Noordam! :)

[norcal2]

KK we just got home. It was a pleasure to meet you on this very enjoyable cruise. Hope you are home by now as well and rested from the flight. I'm anxious to read your review and will also write one tomorrow. Good night fr now. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Got home late last night.

Present temperature this morning is 7 degrees!! -- not ready for this cold.

Missed the heavy snows north of us.

[Krazy Kruizers]

$20 pp for the Pinnacle... $17 pp for a premium quality shrimp cocktail?

I know what I would choose...and it wouldn't be shrimp, except for the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail in the Pinnacle.

B

BTW... Welcome back KK....

You are right.

There is absolutely no difference between the Big Shrimp cocktails in the dining room and the Pinnacle -- both have 4 what I call prawn size shrimps.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home, Yonnie.

Sherry and I are glad to have met you and Joe on the February 2nd sailing. I especially enjoyed our lengthy talk up by the Lido pool on the day that there was a man in our bathtub. (He was the plumber.)
:p:D

What lively stories of work, travel, and wonderful travel adventures over the years you have to tell!

Is your knee feeling any better?

Debby

Hi Debby and Sherry

It was great meeting you both.

Have an appointment on March 9th to see the doctor -- knee hasn't been giving me too much problems.

Thanks for asking.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Question for you, Yonnie.....I'm wondering the impact of President's Week school vacation in the Northeast on the Noordam this past week? :confused:

The impact was huge when she sailed from NYC...I suspect it is markedly decreased now that she's in FL and there are other ships for 7 day cruises.

The concierges said that we had only 21 children on board for President's week.

That's not bad.

[GmaPajama]

Got home late last night.

Present temperature this morning is 7 degrees!! -- not ready for this cold.

Missed the heavy snows north of us.
7 Degrees - sure makes ya glad to be home, huh!

[Krazy Kruizers]

On Feb 16 (St Lucia) the captain came on the PA system at 3:15 and announced that due to the strikes in both Martinique and Guadelope. Our captain told us that they had been informed about the situation a couple of days before and had been working on getting us another port that would work with the sailing distance involved as they didn't want us to have just a day at sea. The captain said that they were lucky to get Dominica. Two other ships were also scheduled to be at Martinique with us -- since I don't know their itineraries, I have no idea if they were able to schedule a susbstitute port.

The strikes were due to the fact that the people wanted more money and lower food prices. All the gas stations, stores, communications (internet and telephones were all down). There were no buses, taxis or any other forms of transportation due to the fact no one can get gasoline.

When the 600 people who had been on the tours going from Castries to Soufrier got back on the ship, the captain again repeated the announcement for them around 6:30 PM.

I know that some people who have never been to that port were disappointed and I feel sorry for them.

We have been to Martinique several times -- really don't like the place -- so -- personally we were happy to go back to Dominica.

I have no idea how long these strikes will last or what the conditions will be like once the strikes are over.

[innlady1]

The concierges said that we had only 21 children on board for President's week.

That's not bad.


Thanks for answering my question, Yonnie. That isn't bad at all. I seem to recall that in years past there were 300+ kids on board during President's Week.

I figured that number might decrease once the ship moved to Florida.

Wow...7 degrees. That's a shock to your system after being in the Caribbean for 20 days! Our temps haven't been too bad since returning home. It's 38 degrees now.

[bellebaby]

Got home late last night.

Present temperature this morning is 7 degrees!! -- not ready for this cold.

Missed the heavy snows north of us.

Not to worry... You'll be back on the Westerdam before you know it!

B

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we booked this cruise, it was not a Collector's Edition. So we had 2 booking numbers. Last summer I discovered that the 2 cruises were being offered as one. We tried to get the new reduced rate that was being offered for the one cruise -- but no luck -- we would have had to give up the room we had booked and taken pot luck at what was left since they claimed that there was a waiting list for the SA category at that time. Then as the economy got bad and people cancelled, more SA's opened up and a some people got great upsell prices.

This was something new for back-to-back cruises -- the second cruise had different menus (there were a few items that were repeated). But things like Beef Wellington did not appear on any of the second cruises menus. To be honest -- we thought that the menus for the first 10 days were much better than the second 10 day cruise. Also -- we noticed that the quality of the beef had gone downhill.

Shortly before our cruise larger lobster tails had been ordered for both the Pinnacle and the dining room. So when we went to the Pinnacle during the first cruise we ordered the Lobster Tails for dinner -- they were between 7 1/2 and 8 ounces -- really great. And they were the same size in the dining room on the last formal night.

But on the second cruise when Joe ordered the lobster tail at the Pinnacle -- it was barely 5 ounces!! On the last formal night we did not order them. We noticed that some people got large ones and other people got a very small one.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On the Feb 2 - 12 cruise because we missed HMC at the beginning of the cruise, we did not have to go through immigration when we got to St Thomas.

But we were surprised on our Feb 12 -22 that after having been to 4 foreign ports before we got to St Thomas, we did not have to go through immigration when we got there.

Also we did not have to fill out the Bahamian forms for HMC.

There were 250 - 280 (each official we talked to gave a different number) of us who were intransit guests on Feb 12. Another nice surprise -- we did not have to get off the ship and report to immigration in the cruise terminnal. The officals came on board!! Originally we were told that we would be reporting to the Queen's Lounge at 9:15. Then we got a letter indicating that we could report any time from 8:30 - 10 AM to the Vista Lounge. At 8:50 there was announcement made that we were all to report to the Vista Lounge immediately. We were done in a couple of minutes.

Once again we were surprised that we were allowed to stay on board the ship while she was being inspected by the Coast Guard -----------

but --------

the Noordam got a score of 100!!!!!!!

Way to go Noordam!!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Some Noordam notes:

Day #1 - Feb 2 - board ship -- smart casual night

First evening there was no Welcome Aboard show

Movie: Get Smart - Queen’s Lounge 5 PM and 10:30 PM

Movie: The Duchess - Vista Show Lounge - 9 PM

For PS, SA, SB and SC passengers - cocktail party in Neptune Lounge from 7:30 PM - 8:15 PM

Cocktail of the Day - Tropical Tom - $5.50
Martini of the Day - Candy Apple Cosmopolitan - $5.50
Mocktail of the Day - Four Seasons Punch - $3.25



Day #2 - Feb 3 - HMC - smart casual

Missed the port due to high swells

Movie: Hancock (2 PM - Hudson Room) (7:30 PM & 10 PM - Queen’s Lounge)

8 & 10 PM - Vista Show Lounge - comedian Danny Shorts

Cocktail of the Day - Ultra Strawberry Lemonade
Martini of the Day - Green Apple Martini
Mocktail of the Day - Orange Pineapple Spritzer



Day #3 - Feb 4 - At Sea - Formal

Movie: Death Defying Act - 2 PM; 7:30 PM; 10 PM

7:45 & 9:45 PM - Vista Lounge - Captain’s Welcome Aboard Toast

8 & 10 PM - Production Show - If Walls Could Rock

Cocktail of the Day - Cuban Mojito
Martini of the Day - Grapefruit Cosmopolitan
Mocktail of the Day - The Ultimate Margarita



Day #4 - Feb 5 - St Thomas - smart casual

10:30 AM -- Cooking Class ($29)

Movie: The Dark Night - 2 PM and 8 PM

5:30 - 8 PM -- Lido Deck BBQ

8 & 10 PM - Vista Show Lounge - musical virtuoso Salina Wazie (?)

Cocktail of the Day - Epic Lido Spiced Daiquiries
Martini of the Day - Fresh Squeezed Lemon Drops
Mocktail of the Day - Fresh Grapefruit Not A Cosmo



Day #5 - Feb 6 - Dominica - smart casual

10:30 AM - Cooking Class ($29)

Movie: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 6 PM and 8:30 PM

7:30 - 8 PM - VIP Party moved from Oak Room to Crow’s Nest due to a few showers

8 & 10 PM - Vista Show Lounge - magic. Comedy and mind reading with Mel Mellers

Cocktail of the Day - Blue Coco Mojito
Martini of the Day - Cucumber Lime Smash
Mocktail of the Day - Strawberry Smoothie

[Krazy Kruizers]

Day #6 - Feb 7 - At Sea - Formal

Suite lunch at Noon - upper level of the dining room

Movie: Rachel Getting Married - 5; 8 & 10:30 PM

8 & 10 PM - Production Show - Paparazzi

Cocktail of the Day - Sunside
Martini of the Day - Tanqueray 0100
Mocktail of the Day - Mango Smoothie



Day #7 - Feb 8 - Curacao - smart casual

Movie: Appaloosa - 6:30 and 10 PM

9 PM - Lido Pool Party

11 PM - Filipino show

Cocktail of the Day - The Raspberry Seabreeze
Martini of the Day - Luxury Espresso
Mocktail of the Day - Cool as a Cucumber



Day #8 - Feb 9 - Aruba - smart casual

10:30 AM - Cooking Class ($29)

Movie: Eagle Eye (Queens Lounge - 12:30 & 10:30 PM) (Hudson Room - 8 PM)

8 & 10 PM - Vista Show Lounge - music and magic with Garin Bader

Cocktail of the Day - Pina Colada



Day #9 - Feb 10 - At Sea - Formal

Mariner brunches were at 11 AM and 1 PM -- new awards were done in the dining room at the beginning of brunch

Movie: Sex & The City - Hudson Room - 3:30; 6 & 9:30 PM

8 & 10 PM - Production Show - That’s Vegas

Cocktail of the Day - New Fashioned - Bermuda Style
Martini of the Day - Fresh Squeezed Kiwi Lemon Drop
Mocktail of the Day - Pina-Not-A-Colada



Day #10 - Feb 12 - At Sea - smart casual

3 - 4 PM - Bigger Dessert Extravaganza in the dining room

Movie: City Of Ember (Hudson Room - 10 AM) (Queens Lounge - 12 NN; 8 & 10 PM)

10 PM - Farewell Variety Show

Cocktail of the Day - Strawberry Banana Ecstasy
Martini of the Day - The Gibson
Mocktail of the Day - Mango Smoothie

[Krazy Kruizers]

Feb 12 - 22 Notes


Day #1 - Feb 12 - Ft Lauderdale - smart Casual

Movie: Burn After Reading - Queens Lounge - 12:30; 5 & 10 PM

10 PM - Vista Show Lounge - Let Us Entertain You

For PS, SA, SB and SC passengers - cocktail party in Neptune Lounge from 7:30 - 8:15 PM

Cocktail of the Day - Tropical Tom
Martini of the Day - Candy Apply Cosmopolitan
Mocktail of the Day - Four seasons Punch



Day #2 - Feb 13 - At Sea - Formal

1 PM - Cooking Class ($29)

Movie - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Hudson Room - 8 & 10 PM

7:45 & 9:45 PM - Vista Lounge - Captain’s Welcome Aboard Toast

8 & 10 PM - Vista Lounge - Production Show - If Walls Could Rock

Cocktail of the Day - Ultra Strawberry Lemonade
Martini of the Day - Green Apple
Mocktail of the Day - Orange Pineapple Spritzer



Day #3 - Feb 14 - At Sea - smart casual

Noon - Suite lunch on the upper level of the dining room

Movie: The Duchess - Hudson Room - 5:30; 8 & 10 PM

8 & 10 PM - Vista Lounge - Brian G - impressionist, comedian & multi-instumentalist

11 PM - Valentine’s Dance

Cocktail of the Day - Cupid Cosmo
Martini of the Day - Fresh Grapefruit Cosmopolitan
Mocktail of the Day - The Ultimate Unleaded Margarita



Day #4 - Feb 15 - St Maarten - smart casual

Movie: Body Of Lies - Queens Lounge - 12:30; 8 & 10 PM

8 & 10 PM - Vista lounge - music and magic - Garin Bader

5:30 - 8 PM - Lido BBQ

Cocktail of the Day - Epic Lido Spiced Daiquiries
Martini of the Day - Fresh Squeezed Lemon Drops
Mocktail of the Day - Fresh Grapefruit - not a cosmo



Day #5 - Feb 16 - St Lucia - Formal

Movie: Flash of Genius - Hudson Room - 6 & 10 PM

8 & 10 PM - Production Show - Paparazzi

Cocktail of the Day - Blue Coco Mojito
Martini of the Day - Cucumber Lime Smash
Mocktail of the Day - Strawberry Smoothie

[Krazy Kruizers]

Day #6 - Feb 17 - Barbados - smart Casual

Movie: The Secret Life of Bees - Queens Lounge - 8:30 & 10:30 PM

Big Screen Movie - Vista Lounge - 7 PM - Australia

7:30 - 8 PM - VIP Party - Oak Room

9 PM - Lido Pool Party

11 PM - Indonesian Crew Show

Cocktail of the Day - Sunside
Martini of the Day - Tanqueray 0100
Mocktail of the Day - Mango Smoothie



Day #7 - Feb 18 - Dominica (Martinique substitute) - smart casual

Movie: Fireproof - Hudson Room - 1, 8 & 10:30 PM

7 & 9 PM - Queens Lounge - Broadway Moves to Queen’s

7:30 - 8 PM - Mariner's Medal holders party - Crow's Nest -- 1127 Mariner's on board -- 150 medal holders

8 & 10 PM - comedian Richie Minervini

Cocktail of the Day - The Raspberry Seabreeze
Martini of the Day - Luxury Espresso
Mocktail of the Day - Cool As A Cucumber



Day #8 - Feb 19 - St Thomas - smart casual

Movie: Iron Man - Hudson Room - 7:30 & 10 PM

8 & 10 PM - Vista Lounge - The Violin Venus - Jane Hunt

11 PM - Dessert Extravaganza

Cocktail of the Day - Fresh Hand Shaken Margaritas



Day #9 - Feb 20 - At Sea - Formal

12:30 - Cooking Class ($29)

11 AM & 1 PM - Mariner’s Brunch

Movie: - Made of Honor - Hudson Room - 7:30 & 10:30 PM

8 & 10 PM - Production Show - That’s Vegas

Cocktail of the Day - New Fashioned - Bermuda Style
Martini of the Day - fresh Squeezed Kiwi Lemon Drop
Mocktail of the Day - Pina-Not-A-Colada



Day #10 - Feb 21 - HMC - smart casual

Movie: The Love Guru - Hudson - 6, 8 & 10 PM

Big Screen Movie - The Stone Angel - Vista Lounge 7 PM

10 PM - Vista Lounge - Farewell Variety Show

Cocktail of the Day - Strawberry Banana Ecstasy
Martini of the Day - The Gibson
Mocktail of the Day - Mango Smoothie

[Krazy Kruizers]

Something we really enjoyed -- the 2 for 1 cocktails offered every day from 4:30 - 5:30 in both the Ocean Bar and the Crow's Nest.

The first cruise the Ocean Bar was packed every night -- there were people even standing around with their drinks as there were a couple of ocassions when they were no seats left.

There was no announcement made in the daily program for this special during the first cruise.

But the second cruise you could always find a seat -- people were not taking advantage of a good offer. In fact -- on the second cruise there was a notice about the 2 for 1 drink offered listed a couple of times in the daily program.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Appetizers for Noordam:

Dinner Hour Appetizers in the Ocean Bar & Crow’s Nest:

These appetizers were served only at 5 PM:

Bitterballen with mustard sauce
Breaded & fried salmon nuggets
Coconut breaded shrimp
Duck spring rolls with Teriyaki sauce
Meatballs with ginger sweet & sour sauce
Mini crab cakes
Pot stickers with soy garlic dressing
Chicken sate with peanut sauce
Spinach & red pepper pastry swirls
Won Ton sausages with ranch sauce
Vegetarian spring rolls
Crab & Lobster croquette with tangy cilantro sauce
Grilled mini mushroom quesadillas with salsa


These appetizers were served at 7 PM:

Cream cheese wheel with pistachio & apricott on cracker
Bay shrimp with lime herb mayonnaise in tartlet
Bitterballen with mustard sauce
Breaded & fried salmon nuggets
Blue cheese mousse with celery & walnuts
Jumbo prawn with zesty lime cocktail sauce on white toast round
Coconut breaded shrimp
Duck spring rolls with Teriyaki sauce
Baby shrimp salad with mango cilantro in tartlet
Brie cheese on pumpernickel garnished with fruits
Meatballs with ginger sweet & sour sauce
Mini crab cakes
Cherry tomato with Mozzarella & basil on whole wheat bread
Chicken mousse quenelle in tartlet
Pot stickers with soy garlic dressing
Herb cheese pearl in hazelnut crust on whole wheat cracker
Alaska smoked salmon tartar with capers & wasabi mayonnaise
Chicken sate with peanut sauce
Spinach & red pepper pastry swirls
Jumbo prawn with dilled cocktail sauce on crouton
Blue cheese mousse in pumpernickel crust
Won Ton sausages with ranch sauce
Vegetarian spring rolls
Mint rubbed goat cheese on melba toast cracker
Smoked salmon in rosette with horseradish cream on crouton
Crab & Lobster croquette with tangy cilantro sauce
Grilled mini mushroom quesadillas with salsa

[fpat]

Wow KK you are amazing with all of your info.

It was very nice meeting you and your husband on the Noordam.

I had told you we had booked the Zaandam for Mexico but Hal did a date change which does not work for us so I think we will be back on the Noordam for the 3/25/10 sailing. I am trying to book it today and get the SA cabins we had on this sailing.

Again nice meeting you and all the CCs at the meet and greet.

And I agree with all that was said that it was a great cruise on a great ship with a great crew.

1st cruise on Hal for me but I think there will be many more in the future. We have been on a a few other lines but I think we found a home.:D

Fred

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hi Fred

It was great meeting your family and you.

I read that about HAL cancelling a couple of the Sea of Cortez cruises -- and that is such a great itinerary.

Hope you get a great deal on the 3/25/10 Noordam cruise.

[fpat]

Hi Fred

It was great meeting your family and you.

I read that about HAL cancelling a couple of the Sea of Cortez cruises -- and that is such a great itinerary.

Hope you get a great deal on the 3/25/10 Noordam cruise.

Well I got the cabins I wanted and we are booked back on the Noordam.
But I do have a question for you. We have never done ship excursions before on any of our cruises but on this itinerary there are a couple we might want to do. How far in advance can you book them and is it best to do it on line or over the phone direct with HAL?

[sail7seas]

Something we really enjoyed -- the 2 for 1 cocktails offered every day from 4:30 - 5:30 in both the Ocean Bar and the Crow's Nest.

The first cruise the Ocean Bar was packed every night -- there were people even standing around with their drinks as there were a couple of ocassions when they were no seats left.

There was no announcement made in the daily program for this special during the first cruise.

But the second cruise you could always find a seat -- people were not taking advantage of a good offer. In fact -- on the second cruise there was a notice about the 2 for 1 drink offered listed a couple of times in the daily program.

Happy you enjoyed the very, extra special Noordam so much. She's a magnificent ship IMO with a great crew. We love that ship, obviously. :)


A drink special from 4:30 - 5:30 means little to people with 8 P.M. dining. We have our pre-dinner cocktails at 7:15 or so. That's a useless time for us for cocktails.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Well I got the cabins I wanted and we are booked back on the Noordam.
But I do have a question for you. We have never done ship excursions before on any of our cruises but on this itinerary there are a couple we might want to do. How far in advance can you book them and is it best to do it on line or over the phone direct with HAL?

Congratulations on getting the SA cabins that you like!!

If there are specific tours that we are interested in, we book them online as soon as they become avaiable -- some tours will sell out quickly.

I doubt if tours for 2010 are available yet -- start to check in 6 months.

If you change your mind anout an excursion, you have until 10 days before the cruise to cancel -- will go back onto your charge card.

If you wait until you are on the ship and change your mind, you can get a full refund on Embarkation day only -- will become shipboard credit.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Happy you enjoyed the very, extra special Noordam so much. She's a magnificent ship IMO with a great crew. We love that ship, obviously. :)


A drink special from 4:30 - 5:30 means little to people with 8 P.M. dining. We have our pre-dinner cocktails at 7:15 or so. That's a useless time for us for cocktails.

On the first cruise there were quite a few people who did not have the 5:45 dining time and were enjoying the 2 for 1 cocktails.

Also on our second cruise, in our group of 8 that got together nearly every day for cocktails, 4 of them had the 8 PM dinner.

So there are people who enjoy specials reguardless of the time they eat.

[fpat]

Congratulations on getting the SA cabins that you like!!

If there are specific tours that we are interested in, we book them online as soon as they become avaiable -- some tours will sell out quickly.

I doubt if tours for 2010 are available yet -- start to check in 6 months.

If you change your mind anout an excursion, you have until 10 days before the cruise to cancel -- will go back onto your charge card.

If you wait until you are on the ship and change your mind, you can get a full refund on Embarkation day only -- will become shipboard credit.



Thanks for the reply and advice. Is there a date where they come out prior to the cruise or pot luck to try and get them and you just have to check every day starting in 6 months

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the reply and advice. Is there a date where they come out prior to the cruise or pot luck to try and get them and you just have to check every day starting in 6 months

No special date -- just keep checking.

Some tours open early -- others late.

And HAL may sometimes adds more tours for ports once you are on the ship.

[sail7seas]

On the first cruise there were quite a few people who did not have the 5:45 dining time and were enjoying the 2 for 1 cocktails.

Also on our second cruise, in our group of 8 that got together nearly every day for cocktails, 4 of them had the 8 PM dinner.

So there are people who enjoy specials reguardless of the time they eat.


:confused: People who had 8 P.M. dinner were dressed for the evening at 4:30 ? Odd. Either that or they were doing some really serious drinking for 3 1/2 hours. :D :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

:confused: People who had 8 P.M. dinner were dressed for the evening at 4:30 ? Odd. Either that or they were doing some really serious drinking for 3 1/2 hours. :D :D

Many were in their bermudas and other casual dress.

Had their drinks -- relaxed for awhile -- went back to their cabins and dressed and then onto dinner.

[melissy123]

To KK,
Wow, that list of appetizers is astounding. Would I be correct in guessing there were a few available every night, and your list was a compilation of the seven nights?
If DH had a drink, and I didn't, is there pressure for all in the bar area to buy drinks?

[jerseyridgearts]

:confused: People who had 8 P.M. dinner were dressed for the evening at 4:30 ? Odd. Either that or they were doing some really serious drinking for 3 1/2 hours. :D :D

We had 8 p.m. dinner but we made plans to meet our group during the *Happy Hour* in the Ocean Bar before heading back to our suite to dress for dinner.

Although it was nice of HAL to offer drink specials we were there for the enjoyable company - an opportunity to compare notes about our day, shore excursions etc. It was so nice to get to know our cruising companions.

Sometimes it's easy to get a poor impression about a poster on Cruise Critic when they disparage others.:(

By the way, we left our unused drink card in the Bible in our suite (7048) hoping someone else will enjoy good company and conversation.

[jerseyridgearts]

To KK,
Wow, that list of appetizers is astounding. Would I be correct in guessing there were a few available every night, and your list was a compilation of the seven nights?
If DH had a drink, and I didn't, is there pressure for all in the bar area to buy drinks?

You're absolutely right Melissy and there was no pressure to order a drink. Our waiter Gene was great - attentive and friendly whether or not a drink was ordered.:)

[sail7seas]

We had 8 p.m. dinner but we made plans to meet our group during the *Happy Hour* in the Ocean Bar before heading back to our suite to dress for dinner.

Although it was nice of HAL to offer drink specials we were there for the enjoyable company - an opportunity to compare notes about our day, shore excursions etc. It was so nice to get to know our cruising companions.

Sometimes it's easy to get a poor impression about a poster on Cruise Critic when they disparage others.:(
.


You didn't notice the :D :D ....... ?

Once again, the written word does not show body language, facial expression, humor.

I have no desire to disparage anyone here.
I hope whoever followed you staying in 7048 found your card. :)

[cruisinjudy]

On Oosterdam last week we had the drink special from 5:00-6:00. We did not have martini of the day or non alcoholic drink of the day. We also did not have movies. Strange how things are done differently on different ships.

[Krazy Kruizers]

To KK,
Wow, that list of appetizers is astounding. Would I be correct in guessing there were a few available every night, and your list was a compilation of the seven nights?
If DH had a drink, and I didn't, is there pressure for all in the bar area to buy drinks?

At 5 PM they bring out only 2 of the appetizers.

At 7 PM they bring out 4 appetizers.

That was a list of all the various appetizers for the 10 day cruise. Naturally some of them were repeated a couple of times during the 7 day cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On Oosterdam last week we had the drink special from 5:00-6:00. We did not have martini of the day or non alcoholic drink of the day. We also did not have movies. Strange how things are done differently on different ships.

On the Noordam the Martini of the day and Mocktail were not listed in the daily program. They were listed on the first page of the alcohol booklet that is on the cocktail tables and on the bar.

I am surprised that your cruise did not have any movies.

[mmemichele]

I am thinking of doing the 20 day Noordam cruise next January 04 2010
My other option is 14 days on Westerdam Jan 03 2010

Tell me more about Noordam ?Cabins ,,Food Entertainment Itinerary
Prices are still too high now .When should we book
How do these 2 ships compare
Any info appreciated

[Krazy Kruizers]

Both ships are in the Vista class. I think the Noordam is a little more classy than the Westerdam -- have sailed on Westerdam a few times. I like the idea that the Explorations Cafe on the Noordam is down on Deck 3 rather than being a part of the Crow's Nest on Deck 10 on the Westerdam.

JMO -- but the Noordam's itinerary is much better for the Caribbean than the Westerdam's.

Besides the brief description I gave a few posts back on the daily activities, there is always bingo, games to earn dam dollars like golf putting, trivia games, kitchen tours, free cooking demonstrations, etc. There is always something for everyone.

We always book months in advance so that we can get the cabin we want. We keep our eye on the prices and if we see that it drops substantially, we call our TA and she in turns calls HAL -- but that hasn't happened in a few years. Instead all we see are the prices going up.

[cruisinjudy]

On the Noordam the Martini of the day and Mocktail were not listed in the daily program. They were listed on the first page of the alcohol booklet that is on the cocktail tables and on the bar.

I am surprised that your cruise did not have any movies.

I just read that someone else said their cruise did not have movies. I think it was on the thread about entertainment.
I asked about the martini of the day and also looked in the book. It wasn't there.