Noordam - "Lack of Entertainments"?

I am planning a June 2018 family Alaska cruise.

 

From itinerary perspective, Noordam offers the best route for us

- Northbound Vancouver to Seward

- Has Glacier Bay

 

Our family has wide age range - one infant, one kids, 10 adults between 30s and 40s, and 10 seniors (60+).

 

One concern I have, from the Cruise Critic Editor Review, is the comment of "lack of entertainment". How bad is it? Will we (30s to 40s) be bored during the night? We don't gamble, and we all love food. So our night life is mainly around restaurants and production shows.

 

I am not expecting a full kid program for the 6 yr old, and I definitely don't expect any programs for the baby, but any information on this area is appreciated!

I am planning a June 2018 family Alaska cruise.

 

From itinerary perspective, Noordam offers the best route for us

- Northbound Vancouver to Seward

- Has Glacier Bay

 

Our family has wide age range - one infant, one kids, 10 adults between 30s and 40s, and 10 seniors (60+).

 

One concern I have, from the Cruise Critic Editor Review, is the comment of "lack of entertainment". How bad is it? Will we (30s to 40s) be bored during the night? We don't gamble, and we all love food. So our night life is mainly around restaurants and production shows.

 

I am not expecting a full kid program for the 6 yr old, and I definitely don't expect any programs for the baby, but any information on this area is appreciated!

 

Alaska is an early port arrival cruise with passengers leaving the ship starting at 7:00 AM so most folks get to be earlier.

 

Here is a link to a HAL Alaska typical kids program for 6-year olds:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/AL-15-Kids-3-7.pdf

 

 

Here is a link to my Noordam Alaska, Vancouver to Seward, from two weeks ago to give you an idea of what to expect (Note that HAL is upgrading all entertainment throughout the fleet based on a contract with Lincoln Center):

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/on-locations-specific-cruises/alaska-2015-noordam-on-location-daily-activities/

As someone astutely observed in another thread, what do you do at home to keep from getting bored in the evenings? Do you go to bars and production shows every night at home. Be on the computer, watch movies, play games, talk, read, rest?

 

Chances are you will have just as many options onboard as you have at home. Probably more since you are traveling with a large house party - that alone does not sound boring at all. Sounds like you will all have a grand time.

As someone astutely observed in another thread, what do you do at home to keep from getting bored in the evenings? Do you go to bars and production shows every night at home. Be on the computer, watch movies, play games, talk, read, rest? Chances are you will have just as many options onboard as you have at home. Probably more since you are traveling with a large house party - that alone does not sound boring at all. Sounds like you will all have a grand time.

I found that an odd comment at the time. However, each to his own. When I am on vacation I look forward to doing all kinds of things that I seldom have chance to do at home due to other commitments and work. Having said that, for our last two cruises on HAL there has been a distinct lack of entertainment and activities compared to previous years. However, we did a lot of relaxing. The OPs family may be very content with that, especially given the superb scenery of an Alaska cruise.

There is a production show or magician or comedian, etc. every night, plus the BB King group, plus the Piano Bar and probably more. I think your group will be just fine.

 

If you do Alaska right, you'll be too tired to do much at night. :D

Using Oosterdam as an analog for Noordam.... production shows were almost non-existent. A couple comedy acts (one mixing in magic tricks), a crew music/dance thing we skipped, a music show in combo with BBC Earth pictures (skipped) and a reprise of the comedy acts. Crow's Nest (what we referred to as Ten-Forward) had no live music and aside from evening trivia at 7pm was pretty dead after 9pm. During day lots of people at the windows though. BB King show was OK but not our style. Lincoln Center Stage was great and we saw a great Brahms piano quintet ( piano + 3 violins and cello) and it was well attended. The Screening Room movie theater had some good recent run films and we saw Hacksaw Ridge there. Definitely not a movie for a 6 year old but there were actually a couple kids there around that age. Movie selection in the cabin was very good with lots of fairly recent movies.

 

There was usually someone playing piano in the atrium and clearly able to hear if from Pinnacle Grill which was very nice.

 

Our cruise had a LOT of kids (maybe 200) so Club HAL was pretty active and several times the kids, dressed up as animals, paraded through the ship making various animal sounds. So looked like Club HAL was keeping them entertained pretty well.

 

But all in all it was the scenery and Alaska that were the entertainment more than what the ship provided. I would expect Noordam to be the same.

We were on the Noordam to Alaska (northbound) at the end of May this year. While the entertainment choices may change next year, this year they were excellent. The BB King Blues Club is some of the best entertainment I've seen on any cruise ship. The performer in the Piano Bar, Jeremy Oren, had the place jam-packed every night. And there were production shows, magicians, comics or soloists in the Vista Lounge every night. We (a quartet in our 60's) were up late every night being entertained in multiple venues.

Thanks all. I believe I have a much better idea now.

 

I am sure the music and magic show will be a good entertainment for us.

Thanks all. I believe I have a much better idea now.

 

I am sure the music and magic show will be a good entertainment for us.

 

Don't forget BB Kings, nightly with one off day; excellent entertainment!

Thanks all. I believe I have a much better idea now.

 

I am sure the music and magic show will be a good entertainment for us.

 

One important aspect with your young one is the children's programme on HAL. Club HAL is probably the best kept secret on HAL. Children love it. I personally know a few CC members as well as my DS where their children wanted to spend all the open hours there. Left them free to do a lot of stuff out and about the ship.

 

If your BBKings is anything like the ones we had on the Rotterdam you will be for some wonderful music. The best we have heard so far.

Don't forget BB Kings, nightly with one off day; excellent entertainment!

 

Another vote here for BB Kings, they are excellent, and good for all ages.

I will say there was no entertainment that appealed to me. (But my spouse is fine with doing nothing so we don't search for it) There are no family game show type of things that make me so happy on other lines. They had a violin & piano playing and I saw between 1 and 5 people in the room at any time I passed by. Seemed like lots of movies/documentaries for entertainment.

 

But your kids will have fun in their programs. We saw the groups being taken into ports and always they looked happy and like they were having fun.

I found that an odd comment at the time. However, each to his own. When I am on vacation I look forward to doing all kinds of things that I seldom have chance to do at home due to other commitments and work. Having said that, for our last two cruises on HAL there has been a distinct lack of entertainment and activities compared to previous years. However, we did a lot of relaxing. The OPs family may be very content with that, especially given the superb scenery of an Alaska cruise.

 

I so hope that is not the case on our upcoming cruise on the Noordam. There will be so many days with the same ocean view between Sydney and Vancouver. We can only entertain ourselves for so long. Maybe I'll make a log of how many laps I can do around the the promenade deck. Does anyone know where they show movies on the Noordam? I wish it had a dedicated screening room.

I so hope that is not the case on our upcoming cruise on the Noordam. There will be so many days with the same ocean view between Sydney and Vancouver. We can only entertain ourselves for so long. Maybe I'll make a log of how many laps I can do around the the promenade deck. Does anyone know where they show movies on the Noordam? I wish it had a dedicated screening room.

 

Queen's Lounge on Deck 2 starboard

Queen's Lounge on Deck 2 starboard

 

Thanks, that's what I figured.

I so hope that is not the case on our upcoming cruise on the Noordam. There will be so many days with the same ocean view between Sydney and Vancouver. We can only entertain ourselves for so long. Maybe I'll make a log of how many laps I can do around the the promenade deck. Does anyone know where they show movies on the Noordam? I wish it had a dedicated screening room.

 

Long sea days are expected when choosing a trans-ocean cruise and the Pacific is even bigger than the Atlantic. We did the 50 day Tales of the South Pacific and we had three stretches of long sea days going out and coming back to San Diego. Never bored - they know to provide additional activities and events on these types of cruises.

 

They are in the hospitality business so trying to keep passengers happy is their main business. They are not just a transportation company where the passenger has to bring along their own fun as if it were a bus trip. Plus this trans-Pac cruise will provide a very fun King Neptune event. (Pack your sun screen.)

 

I hope you report back what you found, because your's is a very common question - will I be bored? Best answers are still ..... yes, no or maybe.

 

When we are out at sea during those long stretches I always think about the early explorers, esp Capt Cook, where it took months and years at sea to get anywhere, not just a few days and weeks.

 

BTW: Blue Latitudes, a modern look at points Capt Cook visited, is a very good book to read for this voyage. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/22/books/cook-s-tour.html (Hat tip to the Roll Call member on the Oosterdam AUSNZ Solar Eclipse cruise who recommended this book)

Long sea days are expected when choosing a trans-ocean cruise and the Pacific is even bigger than the Atlantic. We did the 50 day Tales of the South Pacific and we had three stretches of long sea days going out and coming back to San Diego. Never bored - they know to provide additional activities and events on these types of cruises.

 

They are in the hospitality business so trying to keep passengers happy is their main business. They are not just a transportation company where the passenger has to bring along their own fun as if it were a bus trip. Plus this trans-Pac cruise will provide a very fun King Neptune event. (Pack your sun screen.)

 

I hope you report back what you found, because your's is a very common question - will I be bored? Best answers are still ..... yes, no or maybe.

 

When we are out at sea during those long stretches I always think about the early explorers, esp Capt Cook, where it took months and years at sea to get anywhere, not just a few days and weeks.

 

BTW: Blue Latitudes, a modern look at points Capt Cook visited, is a very good book to read for this voyage. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/22/books/cook-s-tour.html (Hat tip to the Roll Call member on the Oosterdam AUSNZ Solar Eclipse cruise who recommended this book)

 

Thanks for the book tip. I will check it out. We've cruised to Hawaii twice (5 sea days) so we I guess we've made it through basic training.

 

Just read on another thread that Noordam isn't doing popcorn for their movies because it's in the Queen's Lounge. They always had it on the Westerdam (pre dry dock). Maybe it's only temporary.

I don't go on vacation to do the same things at night (or during the day) that I do at home.

 

Otherwise I would save my money and stay home!

I wouldn't book a HAL cruise for the entertainment and activities. They've cut both back severely over the years.