Noordam, and all those sea days...

How do you cope? I understand that some people love sea days, but I've always loved the port days. Trouble is, I hate flying more than I hate sea days, so the Noordam it is.

Are there any Noordam veterans like me who love port days and did the 10 or 11 nighter from NYC? What did you think, how did you manage with all that time at sea?

GReat question! We are new to HAL. will be sailing on Noordam in the fall to the carribean. Do they have entertainment out at the pool etc?

Can't speak to Noordam, but love those sea days.

One of our favorite cruises, years ago on the old Sea Princess (originally Kungsholm), later Victoria, and now Mona Lisa, was a 15 night trans-Pacific, Kobe Japan to Vancouver BC, with only one port stop, in Honolulu.

It originally had an additional port stop scheduled in Lahaina, Maui, but as she had tipped a propellor (which reduced speed), the port call was eliminated to keep to schedule.

Wonderful trip!

What "all" that time at sea? It's only two consecutive days in each direction. That's barely enough time to find your way around and find a comfortable spot on the way down, and enjoy it for a few hours on the way back!

Between eating and drinking there's swimming, the spa, hot tubs, trivia, reading, scattergories, sleeping late, chatting with new-found friends, culinary arts demonstrations, napping, .... Gosh, I find sea days so busy there's not enough time to do it all.

We all know what happened here, don't we.

DH also does not like the sea days and prefers the port days. The first few sea days on the ship are fine. You can explore the ship, go to the casino and meet new people. DH does not like the return trip. He can't wait to get off the ship after the last port. He says its boring and he's had enough (especially when we sail during the cold northeastern months)But, he has to deal with it because he won't fly either.

It's perfect. 2 days to learn the in and outs. 6 days in a row of ports. Tired. 2 back to NY. Ready to get off. What could be better. Just did the 11 day, not bored for a second.

Ruth,

If you get the WSOD, just close the browser page. Your post will be there, no double trouble.

The ms Noordam IV is almost as they say a near perfect ship... Sea days are great and it is hard to wait..this is our second trip on that ship this year without any fears.. just tears of joy as we say ahoy...

Get decked out and dont shout nor pout when your times out...

How do you cope? I understand that some people love sea days, but I've always loved the port days. Trouble is, I hate flying more than I hate sea days, so the Noordam it is.

 

Are there any Noordam veterans like me who love port days and did the 10 or 11 nighter from NYC? What did you think, how did you manage with all that time at sea?

:cool:

I love the days at sea, that to me is the most relaxing part of cruising....you don't have to rush around. After 2 days at sea, we are refreshed & ready to attack the islands with vigor......happy sailing....

I actually love sea days too! Any music in the pool area???

What "all" that time at sea? It's only two consecutive days in each direction.

I agree. I don't see the big deal. But I'm sure I will spend plenty of time in the thermal suite on my 12/16 cruise. :D

I agree. I don't see the big deal. But I'm sure I will spend plenty of time in the thermal suite on my 12/16 cruise. :D

I sure wish Rubrick was on these boards...he sure would know what to do.

I am a lover of sea days too.

I would have been in heaven on that cruise Druke I was on :)

Cope?

I think for the 10-day inaugural I may have stepped off the ship only twice due to a knee injury in NYC before we left...

...I was more than happy to spend the time aboard ship sunning, relaxing and enjoying everything that the ship has to offer.

The most difficult thing to cope with was leaving the ship in NYC!

;)

*

Cope?

 

I think for the 10-day inaugural I may have stepped off the ship only twice due to a knee injury in NYC before we left...

...I was more than happy to spend the time aboard ship sunning, relaxing and enjoying everything that the ship has to offer.

 

The most difficult thing to cope with was leaving the ship in NYC!

;)

 

*

We had a blast in Grand Turk though, didn't we... ;) How's the knee, btw????

The ms Noordam IV is almost as they say a near perfect ship...

Well....not a question related to this topic but.... Looking at this Lido Deck layout - does anyone know what area is the area between the therapy rooms and Lido pool area (it's quite opposite the elevators and seems to have some kind of tables - or something - in it)?

Well....not a question related to this topic but.... Looking at this Lido Deck layout - does anyone know what area is the area between the therapy rooms and Lido pool area (it's quite opposite the elevators and seems to have some kind of tables - or something - in it)?

That would be the barber shop..... beauty salon.

Stephen

That would be the barber shop..... beauty salon.

Stephen

Thanks for the info! :)

We did a similar cruise out of NYC a couple of years ago on the Rotterdam, and really enjoyed the sea days. Very probably only the first full day and the last day will be indoor days and as others have said there is the indoor pool, spa, casino trivia etc. to enjoy or find a great place with a book and watch the world go by. I am a little disappointed though that we don't arrive in Tortola until 3 p.m. and stay until 11. It gets dark there by 6 - Tortola has some wonderful beaches that we won't be able to enjoy for the day:( .

I had never been one for sea days myself...I always got a little "wrangy".

We cruised from NYC on NCL last Christmas and similar to the Noordam with 2 down and 2 back. I actually thoroughly enjyed them. It tought me to do NOTHING and that's ok. I read...I napped...I watched a movie...napped some more. It was great.

Bring a few good books....and expect to get a lot of rest. There is plenty to do if you chose too...but I like to take the time to wind down and it really made a difference once I got to the ports. I was relaxed and in vacation mode. The big factor was the time of year...all the running around to do since we were away for Christmas...it was a sort of detox.

If 2 sea-days heading south, then 2 sea-days heading north, are daunting to you, then you probably shouldn't try the 15-day Hawaii cruise! The FIVE days in route from the mainland to the Islands, then FIVE days in route from the Islands back to the mainland, are heaven for those of us who love sea days but they would probably be purgatory for someone who is afraid of just two sea days in a row while in-transit south and then north.

For me, on the Noordam for the Inaugural cruise, those 2 sea days heading south from New York were so busy that I had hardly started unwinding and getting into the swing of things when we arrived at Grand Turk and 5 busy, exhausting port-days in the Caribbean hit me ... one after another. :) Naw ... I'm not complaining. It was a GREAT cruise.

Don't worry about the sea days. Explorer the ship, enjoy the activities, and have a blast meeting people and relaxing.

Are there any Noordam veterans like me who love port days and did the 10 or 11 nighter from NYC? What did you think, how did you manage with all that time at sea?

Talk about sea days ... I did the Hawaii/South Pacific ... r/t from San Diego this past January. We had about 15 sea days on that itinerary.

How to cope? Well, let's see ... start with sleeping in and enjoying a room service breakfast. :) What's not to love about sea days? They are relaxing and great for reading that stack of books you've been meaning to get to for the past year, or even bringing along that needlepoint project that's been sitting on the shelf unfinished for the past year. You can also spend time listening to music in one of those nice loungers in the Explorations Cafe, enjoying a leisurely drink in one of the bars, lounging at the pool, participating in one of the many activities being run around the ship, taking a class, going to a lecture ... you name it. Finally, you can spend a good chunk of quality time just reconnecting with your spouse or the friends you're traveling with ... enjoying some great conversations and whatnot.

Yes, port days are fun ... no question. But sea days can be great too, if you can just teach yourself to relax and low down the pace a notch.

Blue skies ...

--rita

If 2 sea-days heading south, then 2 sea-days heading north, are daunting to you, then you probably shouldn't try the 15-day Hawaii cruise!

LOL ... and can you imagine the 30-day Hawaii/South Pacific run! I think that cruise probably wins the prize for the most sea days of any HAL itinerary ... and I absolutely loved every last one of them!

Blue skies ...

--rita

I just can't seem to get an answer to this question. Do they have a band that plays out at the pool once in a while?

Typically they have some type of band playing by the pool during lunch time. It may be two hours broken up with a small break in between for the band.