Noordam review 11/15 - 11/25

We are veteran cruisers (15 on Celebrity, 3 on HAL, various others), early 60's.

We arrived at LGA on the day of embarkation at 10 am. Fortunately, our 3 pieces of checked luggage made it through. We always worry about that when we fly the same day we leave on the ship. Took a taxi to the ship for 35 dollars. On the way, we asked the driver to stop at a mini mart so we could buy diet soda. Ran the taxi bill up about 5 dollars, but well worth it. The frig in the cabin kept our sodas delightfully cold. Hint: pack your beach bag in a zipper compartment on the outside of one piece of luggage for easy access. Use it to carry your soda, wine or anything you buy on the way to the ship.

We were in one of the first groups after the suite guests who were allowed to stand in line for check-in. Our check-in lady must have started that day, because she had no clue what to do. Later, we were called to the guest relations desk to clear up what she had not done correctly.

We were on the ship by 11:30. We normally go to our cabin to drop off our carry-on luggage, then go to the lido, but we were prevented from doing so because the door was closed to the hallway. So we took all our stuff up to the lido and enjoyed our first lunch. Used the hand sanitizer before entering the line, but most people did not. Yuk.

At 1:30 we went to our cabin, a Veranda, not a suite. It's more like a king size bed, around which there is a small room. I would consider the actual use of space quite poor. Small closet for hanging dresses, longer garments. So much more space could have been utilized for shelves, but we made the best of it. Plus, we packed lightly this 10 day cruise. We planned to use the $70 unlimited laundry deal. You must call the guest relations desk to sign up for this deal and it was well worth it. I packed for a 4 day cruise, making the luggage much easier for us to handle. Got laundry back either the same day it was sent or the next day. BTW, this service is available on the first day.

A word about our Veranda. The people on both sides of us smoked, making it impossible for us to use the balcony more than two times. I did report the problem to guest services, but nothing was done. The area outside our room also reeked of cigarette smoke. Miserable. It's all just a matter of luck. Ours was not good on this cruise. Note that the casino is now non-smoking.

Our room steward provided excellent service, keeping the room clean and fresh towels and ice always ready for us. We gave him an additional cash gratuity at the end of the cruise.

Overall, the food in the dining room was excellent. Honestly, I do see some disturbing cost cutting though. Fewer selections were offered. Maybe one or two soup choices. One or two salad choices. Of course, the ubiquitous caesar salad was still there. The menu has been streamlined to one page. The food served was hot and very good. I stuck mostly with the beef dishes. My husband had some chicken dishes. For Thanksgiving, he had the Beef tenderloin and I had the turkey. I chose poorly. He did well. Breads and rolls were delicious. Service was excellent. One night, I had two entrees. Our waiter brought both together without batting an eyelash. On Celebrity, they only bring one entree at a time. Sometimes you end up being the only one still eating the entree when others are waiting for the desert menu. We rewarded our waiter and his helper with extra cash also. Look on the inside of your guest services hard cover book in your room for envelopes you can use for this purpose. Our table for 6 consisted of a younger honeymoon couple and another couple our age. All of became wonderful friends. Meeting all of them was one of the true highlights of our cruise.

Ports: Hey, it's the Carribean. We are beach people. Snorkled in St. Thomas at Coki. That was really fun. Orient in St Maartin. That was really...interesting. Took no ship tours.

The ship is truly beautiful. Explorations lounge had great ambience with the lucious smell of fresh coffee and comfy chairs and sofas, along with the many computers. We really enjoyed the Crows Nest bar. The view is great from the leather recliners. Just sit back and sip on the beverage of your choice and totally relax. Much of the art is really gorgeous. We took lots of pics. Only problem was the the dome pool was absolutely full of kids and the adult pool was too deep for me, a non-swimmer. There were easy access ladders to both pools.

The fog was so dense the first night out of NY that those on the starboard side could not see the Statue of Liberty. The ship used an eerie search light that night and kept blowing the horn. Really neat and spooky. At 5:45am the day we pulled into NY harbor, we passed Lady Liberty on the port side (where our cabin was) and we got an up-close and breathtakingly beautiful view of her.

We got off the ship without difficulty, found our luggage and met the private Lincoln Town car I ordered for $58 to take us to JFK for our trip home. The first service I called refused to take 4 pieces of luggage. Find out those things before you commit.

I want to thank all of the wonderful and very helpful people on this board. I hope something above helps one of you. I'd be happy to respond to any questions.

thank you for your review. Like you, my husband and I have gone on mostly Celebrity cruises. We just saw a "deal" we couldnt pass up...thus; we are going on our first HAL cruise. Admittedly; we are spoiled with the food on Celebrity. Will we be disappointed? I'm sure we will have more questions for you...still haven't quite gotten it sunk in our head..that we are cruising again, in only 2 months! :)

Tara

Thanks for your review!!

Know about that smoking on the verandahs -- we have run into that problem a couple of times ourselves -- nothing can be done as they are allowed to smoke there -- as we were informed on one cruise.

I'd be happy to respond to any questions.

Since you offered :D ---would you post about the entertainment on board for your cruise, please. Who were the featured entertainers, and what was the word on them? Also, who was playing in the various lounges and what did you think of them?

Thanks for any light you can shed.

Thank you for the thorough review! I'm going to be on the Noordam for 11 nights in 17 days.

1) Did you use any of the spa services?

2) Have you heard of the new wine card?

3) How was formal night attended?

4) Were there rough seas going and coming from the Caribbean?

5) Would you take this cruise again? :)

Thanks!

I am very sorry for not getting back sooner to answer questions. I promise not to let that happen again. So, here goes.

Tara: The food on HAL is very comparable to X. Food in HAL's Lido is better than X. However, the menu on HAL has been scaled back. It is now one page. There are fewer soup/salad choices. But, the food and excellent service were very much what we were used to on X. ( no breadsticks, though). One funny thing, however. The creme brulee on Hal was weird. No torched sugar crust on top. So, what they were calling creme brulee was some spieces I was totally unfamiliar with and did not like.

Ruth: I completely forgot to mention the entertainment in my review. The singers/dancers on this cruise were not very good, imho. Worst of all, on the second night, they did a production show called "paparazzi", which I found offensive. One of the "bits" depicts a dark stage with screeching tires. It was obviously about Princess Diana's death. I did not think this subject matter appropriate for a cruise ship show. Because the voices of the performers were not great, to say the least, we decided to skip the other production shows. The girl comedian was good. Missed the magician. The piano act was fun. All in all, HAL entertainment is not the best.

Aloha: I decided not to do any spa services--too expensive.

I can't help with wine card info. Only saw the soft drink card, which our tablemates used in the dining room.

Formal nights were very well attended. Men were dressed mostly in dark suits. About 30 percent in tuxes.

Seas were rough coming and going from NY. So much fog leaving NY that the ship used search lights, something we had never seen before. Whistle sounded every few minutes for several hours. Coming home, we got bounced about quite a bit. But then, our cabin was way forward, where motion is frequently felt, even on a fairly calm cruise. I can answer your question in one word about taking this particular cruise again: YES. Our balcony cost $999 pp, and included dinner for 2 at the Pinnacle, two bottles of wine, and free travel insurance. It was a great deal for a great 10 day cruise.

Thank You for your detailed review. Had the Balcony problems like you on several cruises. My Hubby is very sensitive to smoking so We now either take an oceanview or inside cabin. IKE

Thanks for your review. It was very informative.

We are booked at the end of January because of the price and the fact that it leaves from NY and we do not have to fly. We are also beach people, Could you tell me more about the beaches you went to and how you got there?

We were in the Carribian a couple of years ago and would assume that it has not changed much. Anything you would suggest we should see?

The food has changed in all the ships especially with the pay for eat meals. Did you go to any of these?

Thanks

Irv

Thanks for your review. It was very informative.

 

We are booked at the end of January because of the price and the fact that it leaves from NY and we do not have to fly. We are also beach people, Could you tell me more about the beaches you went to and how you got there?

 

We were in the Carribian a couple of years ago and would assume that it has not changed much. Anything you would suggest we should see?

 

The food has changed in all the ships especially with the pay for eat meals. Did you go to any of these?

 

Thanks

 

Irv

Hello Irv .... If you go to the Ports of Call boards you will find alot of info on beaches..

Bulldog