bert425

Just an update to my original question, we checked a case of bottle water on our Jan 11. Nieuw Amsterdam cruise and it was in our cabin within 2 hours of our checking our bags.

 

Thanks to those who assured us it would not be a problem.

Glad to hear it all worked out.

sorry. . wasn't a Pinnacle. . just a signature.

(trying to help tho) :)

Here's our Suite on the Noordam (from 11/3/14)

However, note if you're laying in bed, you can't see directly out of it, since the 1/2 wall there sort of blocks it.

Probably Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau. Be prepared though -- you are spoiled with Dungeness where you live ;)

Yep. .that's it, Tracy's King Crab Shack near the port in Juneau.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/tracys-king-crab-shack-juneau-3

FANTASTIC, tho not cheap.

(also very good in Juneau is the restaurant at the top of the trolly. . .but again, very expensive. But all the food there was good, if not very upscale)

Lots of wild donkeys to pet on Grand Turk; Oh yeah, and don't forget 'Friendship 7', the replica of John Glenn's Mercury capsule; but don't pet it! ;)

You can no longer check cases of water and soda with the checked luggage.

 

You must carry it on yourself. New rules as of the end of January 2014.

if it's in a "carry on" (ie: open top with handles) then you have to carry it yourself. If in a zipped or sealed suitcase, they will be glad to move it with the checked luggage.

We were on 11/3/14 Noordam, and we checked to the room two 8 packs of bottled soda (in a zipped carry on), and only had to hand carry the bottled water that was in a canvas bag, since it was open on the top.

Don't forget a trip to the Grand Turk Lighthouse ;)

to pet the donkeys!

Westerdam yes. On lido deck near the entrance to the spa. Not sure if there's more than one though.

Carla

Not one of the ships asked about, but this is the location of the tables on the Noordam too.

What a lovely looking couple you are!

agreed. . fantastic picture of a lovely couple.

We do think of Holland America as a cruiseline for older people. I think part of that is the longer itineraries that people don't have time to do when they're working. That's the reason we cruise them but we do prefer to cruise on a ship with more going on.

 

This is an excerpt from an email I got from a friend (They are in their 60's) yesterday who was on a 2 week Caribbean cruise with HAL:

" OMG, the cruise was nothing but really very old people. At one point we were listening to the musicians in the Adagio lounge and I looked around and realized we were really in an assisted living facility. Their heads were either tilted back sleeping, or tilted forward and drooling. LOL. At least considering the age group, we had the hot spa and pool to ourselves. No one could get in. "

 

No, not all HAL cruises are this bad, but be prepared that they could be.

We did our first HAL cruise in Nov (Southern Caribbean on Nordam in Nov), and the crowd mix was closer to:

40% 75+

30% 60-74

20% 45-59

10% -44

and there were only about 8 kids younger than 10 on the ship.

Now, it DID turn out that there was not a whole lot to do after ~9pm (although there were some options, they did not seem popular -- BBKing club being the exception there, as it stayed crowded all night).

and it also turned out there was not a lot to do on sea days (typical day activities were: "Needlepoint group" "Bridge players group" and "Napkin arranging").

but that said, we did not experience folks sleeping and/or drooling all over the ship, and although there WERE quite a number of canes, walker, wheelchairs, and scooters. . really, the only place it even bothered us enough that we noticed it was in Lido (and that's purely because it's so crowded there that there is no place to move anyways. . so it's more noticable. But we only ate in Lido a couple of times on a 10 day cruise).

so yeah. . HAL does have the reputation of being an older line, and we were slightly concerned prior to our going as well. . but it was a fairly active crowd, and honestly, the only thing that feeds into that image?

the level of the "entertainment" in the showroom. It's clearly targeted at an older crowd (70+). (Comedians, ukelele players, big band, etc).

but we found plenty of other things to keep us occupied, so that wasn't too big a deal.

we enjoyed the cruise very much, and WOULD consider HAL in the future . . tho we're likely to do our next cruise on our "typical" line, X.

We always ask the room steward to empty the fridge when we 1st meet him (he cannot do this). Usually by dinner the bar steward has taken care of this for us. After too many issues with bogus charges, it is just so much easier to have it all removed. Plus then I know the sodas are ours without having to add our name to the can although it did bring up memories of high density living in college where you labeled everything in the fridge and hoped it stayed there.

We noticed that on our cruise, the Soda cans are clearly marked as for use onboard (can't remember the exact wording, but there was a "white stripe" around the top of the can with something along the lines of "for at sea use only" printed in black).

we thought it odd, but then realized it would help identify immediately if you were drinking a ship cola or your own :)

then again, we brought our sodas on in 20oz plastic bottles with caps, so we could easily tell which was which -- nevermind that ours was also Diet Dr. Pepper (which they didn't offer on board).

Yes, you should be able to do that at the front desk.

Or casino cage (if the front desk line is too long)

For what it's worth, Beverage, not the room stewards, restock it

Our Room Steward told us directly that he is who does a count of what's in the fridge and submits the information for re-stocking.

we therefore asked our Room Steward to empty the mini-fridge on the first day (and he did so, moving the alcohol and mixers onto a shelf (to remind him that he had taken them out himself).

we had no issue with billing at the end of our 11/3-11/13 Noordam cruise :)

Room steward as soon as you meet them.

Yep.

that's who re-stocks it, so he/she will be the best person to remove it.

Some (many?) book their excursions through the ship because the entire process is so easy and low risk. All you need to do is meet up, go, and return to the ship. No planning, no worries about meeting up with a stranger on shore, etc. You're also accompanied by your fellow passengers from the cruise ship with whom you share other holiday experiences.

 

Our preference for cruise line excursions is based on our experiences when things go wrong and the cruise line will offer "make goods" ranging from filing complaints with the operators to full refunds. the cruise line will provide no assistance at all when things go wrong with independently arranged shore activities.

 

Back in the day, the notion was that the cruise line offerings were priced lower, or at least the same as, the independent excursions. That has changed completely. Now the cruise line excursions are usually somewhat more expensive than independent excursions but in our opinion, the added peace of mind is worth whatever the premium price may be.

agreed completely.

were the Donkeys there at least?

that's a bright side if they were, as they are very docile there and let you pet them :)

Here's my 2cents from our Noordam 11/3-11/13 cruise (from a different thread where someone asked about the entertainers).

I fully admit that it is subjective (as I note in some of my responses). . targeted at the much older audience it seems.

full agreement on the High-school musical quality, and I think I even said something similar to that :)

we were on Noordam from 11/3-11/13 and I have all the daily "On Location" info (kept them for my trip report for FB, that I just haven't gotten to yet).

 

but here were the main performers:

 

Steel Drum Player Debra -- she played quite often thruout the trip (usually by the pools, or in the crow's nest. She was quite good, and even her teaching classes were well done. We enjoyed listening to her several times during the cruise.

 

Paige and the HalCats were almost nightly in the Ocean Bar (they didn't play on nights they HalCats were used for the main stage). We didn't listen to a full set by them, but they were decent, and always had a couple or two dancing prior to dinner when we walked by.

 

Adiago Piano/Violin duo was supposedly playing in the Explorer's Lounge, or thruout the ship during our cruise, but honestly? I can't recall ever seeing or hearing them!

 

Piano Entertainer Michael Sara was in the Piano Bar. He was supposed to be nightly, but got ill and missed a number of nights, tho he was back in good health by the end of our cruise. Honestly, we did not care for him, and didn't bother going back to see him after the first time. he was OK, but just we are not his target audience (picking on/joking with the folks sitting around the piano made us uncomfortable).

 

B.B.King's Blues Club was almost nightly in the Queens Lounge, with 3 sets each evening. They were phenomenal, and we tried to catch at least one set each time we saw they were playing. Very much enjoyed them.

as to the shows in the Vista Lounge:

 

11/3: "Listen to the Music" featuring the Noordam entertainment department. (we skipped this as it was the first night and we were exhausted from the day. . heard it was "so-so"

 

11/4: "Classique" -- "This beautiful production shows us how classical music and dance has inspired artists of all generations. From Mozart to Manilow, join the talented cast of the Noordam and some of your favorite musicans from around the ship for an evening of timeless treasures!"

Did not care for it and left after about 20 minutes. . amateur hour on parade, and there were other things (casino) we were more interested in.

 

11/5: "the Magic Kat Himself: Bob Brizendine"

The jokes were very old and stale, but the audience ate it up, and the magic was decent. We enjoyed him.

 

11/6: "Ryan Ahern" - World Champion Show Pianist, and dynamic Las Vegas Headliner, Ryan Ahern, takes you on an unforgettable high energy musical journey. an event not to be missed.

We were exhausted from our excursion on Samana (DR), so we turned in after dinner. But we heard from several folks, including my Parents, that he was very, very good.

 

11/7: "Rock Legends" - "From the Stones to Sting, Michael to Madonna, Lennon to Lennox. . come hear the music of these legendary artists. This show ROCKS. (starring the Noordam Singers and Dancers)

HILARIOUSLY awful. It was so bad at one point i was giggling at the costumes and my partner said "be nice" and my response was. . I can't! it was like a trainwreck high-school musical that we couldn't take our eyes off of. Even the staging was atrocious. But hey. .it DID entertain us.

 

11/8: "David Pengelly" -- Entertainer, Singer, Humorist -- with Strings attached.

We stayed only thru about 1/2 his show -- we were not his target audience. He was a cute diversion, playing banjo songs on a ukelele, and telling ancient jokes. The crowd really liked him, but after the 2nd song, we knew how the rest of the show would go and as I said, we're not his target. but those that stayed seemed to enjoy him.

 

11/9: no show. . we were in Curacao until 10:30 pm

 

11/10: "Toni Warne" -- Toni Warne's "one woman show" grips you from the moment she steps on stage, she has a rare vocal talent. Toni was a finalist on the BBC's "the Voice: UK" and her performances have gained Toni and international following.

This woman was incredible. Hands down the best 'show' we saw on the Cruise, and it was just her singing with support of the HalCats. Blew us away, and makes us want to buy her CD. She knew her audience and sang mainly ballads and showtunes. Very, very good.

 

11/10 Latenight: "Indonesian Crew Show" (stars at 11pm).

Cute, fun, and packed showroom. Could use a little more practice, but very enjoyable none-the-less, and worth staying up for. As a bonus, we recognized our MDR waiter in one of the roles (monkey with an erection) and got to tease him about it for two days.

 

 

11/11: "Droom" - "Join us as we transform the Vista Lounge into an enchanted dream garden where mystic creatures, both good and evil, dwell. (Featuring the Noordam singers and dancers).

The best *staged* show of the cruise, as it really was impressive what they did to the show room. The concept is basically bargain Cirque Du Soliel, but the women in the troupe really brought it (both singers and dancers) and wiped the stage with the men in the group. The women are what made this a good show, the men seemed to have not rehearsed enough, or simply didn't care. Still, worth going to, and we enjoyed it.

 

11/12:"Dancing with the Stars at Sea"

we skipped this, as it was the Noordam Dancers dancing with Cruisers, and we had missed all the levels leading up to the finale. So instead played in the Casino.

 

 

Hope this feedback helps :)

Now that the hysteria has died down in the USA, does anyone feel that there was an over-reaction?

We did not change our plans and went on our 11/3-11/13 ABC Islands cruise, and Ebola was not brought up ONCE during the trip that we can recall.

So I wonder if those that were being "overly cautious" have now changed thier opinions?

I'll be on that same cruise next month. Just wondering how many formal nights you had. Thanks:)

We had two.

the 2nd night, and the 8th night.

Thanks Ruth C. . . I was trying to be honest, and I'm glad it came across that way :)

Only the Signature Class ships have the Taco Bar inside the Lido.

 

All other ships have always had the Taco Bar by the Dive In at the Terrace Grill. The Terrace Grill was the original name for the hambugers and hot dogs.

 

On the Nieuw Amsterdam we tried the new hamburgers. The quality of the meat is better than it used to be. But we just don't care for these new big, sloppy burgers. In fact we never even got a hamburger in 21 days. DH tried the hot dog this time but wasn't impressed with it.

We liked the sauce. . .the smothered fries were good too :)

best Burger we had on the ship was the Pinnacle Grill for lunch tho.

Sorry -- I didn't take any pictures of the Taco Bar.

I thought it was odd the taco bar was right next to the Dive In.

it didn't seem to be getting much love, as everyone was just standing around waiting for their burgers/hot dogs, the couple of times we swung by

(and ended up getting Dive In to take down to our room to eat with our own sodas) :)

I was on the same cruise as you and heard Adiago on most nights. They were very good!

where were they playing?

we honestly don't recall seeing them.

what was your opinion of the others? Is my feedback accurate?

(I was going for "honest" rather than "mean") :)

we were on Noordam from 11/3-11/13 and I have all the daily "On Location" info (kept them for my trip report for FB, that I just haven't gotten to yet).

but here were the main performers:

Steel Drum Player Debra -- she played quite often thruout the trip (usually by the pools, or in the crow's nest. She was quite good, and even her teaching classes were well done. We enjoyed listening to her several times during the cruise.

Paige and the HalCats were almost nightly in the Ocean Bar (they didn't play on nights they HalCats were used for the main stage). We didn't listen to a full set by them, but they were decent, and always had a couple or two dancing prior to dinner when we walked by.

Adiago Piano/Violin duo was supposedly playing in the Explorer's Lounge, or thruout the ship during our cruise, but honestly? I can't recall ever seeing or hearing them!

Piano Entertainer Michael Sara was in the Piano Bar. He was supposed to be nightly, but got ill and missed a number of nights, tho he was back in good health by the end of our cruise. Honestly, we did not care for him, and didn't bother going back to see him after the first time. he was OK, but just we are not his target audience (picking on/joking with the folks sitting around the piano made us uncomfortable).

B.B.King's Blues Club was almost nightly in the Queens Lounge, with 3 sets each evening. They were phenomenal, and we tried to catch at least one set each time we saw they were playing. Very much enjoyed them.

as to the shows in the Vista Lounge:

11/3: "Listen to the Music" featuring the Noordam entertainment department. (we skipped this as it was the first night and we were exhausted from the day. . heard it was "so-so"

11/4: "Classique" -- "This beautiful production shows us how classical music and dance has inspired artists of all generations. From Mozart to Manilow, join the talented cast of the Noordam and some of your favorite musicans from around the ship for an evening of timeless treasures!"

Did not care for it and left after about 20 minutes. . amateur hour on parade, and there were other things (casino) we were more interested in.

11/5: "the Magic Kat Himself: Bob Brizendine"

The jokes were very old and stale, but the audience ate it up, and the magic was decent. We enjoyed him.

11/6: "Ryan Ahern" - World Champion Show Pianist, and dynamic Las Vegas Headliner, Ryan Ahern, takes you on an unforgettable high energy musical journey. an event not to be missed.

We were exhausted from our excursion on Samana (DR), so we turned in after dinner. But we heard from several folks, including my Parents, that he was very, very good.

11/7: "Rock Legends" - "From the Stones to Sting, Michael to Madonna, Lennon to Lennox. . come hear the music of these legendary artists. This show ROCKS. (starring the Noordam Singers and Dancers)

HILARIOUSLY awful. It was so bad at one point i was giggling at the costumes and my partner said "be nice" and my response was. . I can't! it was like a trainwreck high-school musical that we couldn't take our eyes off of. Even the staging was atrocious. But hey. .it DID entertain us.

11/8: "David Pengelly" -- Entertainer, Singer, Humorist -- with Strings attached.

We stayed only thru about 1/2 his show -- we were not his target audience. He was a cute diversion, playing banjo songs on a ukelele, and telling ancient jokes. The crowd really liked him, but after the 2nd song, we knew how the rest of the show would go and as I said, we're not his target. but those that stayed seemed to enjoy him.

11/9: no show. . we were in Curacao until 10:30 pm

11/10: "Toni Warne" -- Toni Warne's "one woman show" grips you from the moment she steps on stage, she has a rare vocal talent. Toni was a finalist on the BBC's "the Voice: UK" and her performances have gained Toni and international following.

This woman was incredible. Hands down the best 'show' we saw on the Cruise, and it was just her singing with support of the HalCats. Blew us away, and makes us want to buy her CD. She knew her audience and sang mainly ballads and showtunes. Very, very good.

11/10 Latenight: "Indonesian Crew Show" (stars at 11pm).

Cute, fun, and packed showroom. Could use a little more practice, but very enjoyable none-the-less, and worth staying up for. As a bonus, we recognized our MDR waiter in one of the roles (monkey with an erection) and got to tease him about it for two days.

11/11: "Droom" - "Join us as we transform the Vista Lounge into an enchanted dream garden where mystic creatures, both good and evil, dwell. (Featuring the Noordam singers and dancers).

The best *staged* show of the cruise, as it really was impressive what they did to the show room. The concept is basically bargain Cirque Du Soliel, but the women in the troupe really brought it (both singers and dancers) and wiped the stage with the men in the group. The women are what made this a good show, the men seemed to have not rehearsed enough, or simply didn't care. Still, worth going to, and we enjoyed it.

11/12:"Dancing with the Stars at Sea"

we skipped this, as it was the Noordam Dancers dancing with Cruisers, and we had missed all the levels leading up to the finale. So instead played in the Casino.

Hope this feedback helps :)

That is where the gangway is located when we are in Ft Lauderdale.

 

But for the various ports -- it is A deck.

Correct.

Gangway to exit was on Deck 2.

For ports, we exited on Deck A