Noordam: Broken Toilet, Cold Showers, and a missed port to save money!

[cruisun]

Noordam was my first HAL ship and favorite for a few years, after Eurodam and NA, Noordam was still nice even though I wished for Tamarind, then

Sailed Noordam last year pre dry dock and noticed a drastic difference in maintenance and vibe of staff on board in addition to the fleet wide cut backs we have all discussed to death. Now with the additional cabins and reduction in deck space I'm sad to say I won't be sailing her again:( fortunately I have great memories, photos and keepsakes from Noordams better times!

I hope the OP can calm down enough to make the best of the remainder of his cruise

[mamaofami]

I'm sorry you're experiencing toilet problems which would really upset me. I can't imagine going to a public restroom in the middle of the night.

 

There are so many cutbacks, poor maintenance issues, and changes in policies, that I'm beginning to think my next "cruise" might be a land vacation.

[Typhoon1]

I certainly hope you are offered some type of compensation at the conclusion of your cruise.

[cruisetrail]

Here are corrected urls:

 

Shrimp56,

Thank you for corrected links.

I have not checked them..:)

[HokiePoq]

Concerning the call at Monaco could it have been cancelled due to the port authority closing the port to large vessels due to the weather rather than a HAL Corporate decision? Even once the immediate weather has cleared the port authority make keep the port closed if further bad weather is forecasted. The entrance to the port is very narrow and there are no tugs in the port able to assist ships. Also the pier structure that the cruise ships dock at is a floating dock rather than a fixed breakwater.

 

Sorry to hear about the plumbing problems - when I was on Noordam I understand that there were several complaints about the plumbing.

 

That could be. Our December cruise on another line had a port changed in Turkey due to conditions that weren't visible to us. We heard later the port had closed. Some have mentioned port charges...I am thinking passengers get a refund of those so I don't think it's that.

The plumbing situation is totally unacceptable. Don't blame the OP for being angry at all. Before we were to sail the Veendam in 2007, there were many reports of plumbing problems. Fortunately we didn't encounter any when we went on our cruise. I hope that is the case for everyone who has booked the Noordam. This is something HAL has got to put a high priority on for fixing.

So sorry, OP, that you missed Monaco. I would have been disappointed too.

[igraf]

Could there be a connection (literally) between the extra passenger load with the new cabins and the toilet problems? Perhaps so.

 

We had previously sailed on the other three Vista-class ships and I was hoping to round it out with a sailing on the Noordam, but after they added the extra cabins and the private cabanas I am no longer interested in the Noordam. What I read here reinforced my concerns.

 

Too bad, as I had previously read a lot of nice comments about the Noordam before the dry dock modifications.

 

igraf

[Alberta Quilter]

I don't want to trivialize the negative things that you've encountered (I know that I'd be unhappy as well),

 

But as an Airline Captain, I do want to address the decision to cancel Monaco. What you're describing here seems like a very wise and reasonable decision. I have been in many situations like the one you describe where a flight has been cancelled, delayed or diverted on what seems like a perfectly beautiful day. The reaction from several passengers is always similar to yours: "They canceled to save money!" "They are lying to us!" or "They dont care about us!"

 

These statements are, in the most part, as far from the truth as you can get. There are SO MANY variables that go into making a decision of this magnitude, that not even the CEO of a company fully comprehends how the final decision is reached. I'm not kidding.

 

I know that you mention having the inside scoop on how the decision was "really" made. With all due respect, unless your source is the Captain himself or someone sitting in HAL's equivalent of Operations Control, I would consider the information to lack accuracy.

 

More than once I've had to explain to an irate passenger why the flight is canceled when there are blue skies outside the window. And it's very hard to make them understand when they are fixated on the "they canceled to save money" argument. Most of the time, a cancelation means lost revenue, and I mean A LOT of lost revenue. I can only assume that on a cruise ship the losses are magnified. It's a decision that hurts everybody. There's lost revenue for the cruise line, shore excursion operators, local vendors, along with the potential lost revenue from unhappy passengers who, like you, may misdirect their anger and choose not to cruise on HAL again.

 

To think that this type of decision is made out of greed, and not for your own safety and everybody else around you, is misguided and ill founded.

 

Once again, not trying to minimize everything else you've experienced, but I felt that I needed to address this point.

 

Good post, Tapi!

 

I was on the Eurodam in April when the captain determined it was too windy to dock in Tunisia and cancelled the port. We had an extra sea day. Many people were very upset and even talk, by some, of suing HAL!!! To his credit, there was a Q&A with the Captain and HM that same afternoon. The captain said that they do not take these decisions lightly. It actually costs HAL more to not dock. They lose the revenue from ship excursions, and they have to refund the port fees (which they do not get back from the port authority) and it costs more to run the ship at sea than at port. When in port, they can shut down most of the engines and keep only enough on to power the water systems and the kitchens and keep the lights on.

 

I was also on a Canada/New England cruise a few years ago, also on the Eurodam, when Charlottetown was cancelled due to the remnants of Hurricane Ivan. While it was very nice when we got to PEI, the Captain said that the forecast was for wind that would exceed the Eurodam's limits - basically the same issue as Tunisia - later that day. He said that he also had to protect the integrity of the ship which he felt would be damaged from hitting the pier.

 

Obviously, I have no idea if these two captains were telling the truth or not but, I believe that since they are driving the ship and I'm not, they know what is best for the passengers. It is they that are responsible for the ship, crew and passsengers and they have to do what they feel is right.

 

OP, I'm very sorry for what you're going through with the water and toilet issues. I'm glad you're not letting it ruin your cruise.

[KAKcruiser]

You need to speak to someone in authority about the problem with no hot water and the toilet. Ask to speak to the guest relations manager or even the hotel manager. Stay at the front desk until they do as you ask. It is unacceptable to put up with this. Say that you want it fixed or to be given a different cabin. If they say there are no other cabins, tell them to fix it then.

 

As disappointed as I would be with a cancelled port call, I would not want to second guess the captain.

[erewhon]

I am not even remotely trying to make excuses... I would not want to deal with toilet problems.

 

But I will relay: A couple of weeks ago we were on the Veendam. Our captain, (I don't have my paperwork with me to look up his name), was probably the best we've come across with making announcements. It was obvious he called a spade a spade, but at the same time, he displayed a dry sense of humor.

 

Anyway, on multiple announcements he went into details about toilets... telling us some parts of the ship lost service for 15 or 20-minutes because of what passengers put "in" the toilets. He was very nice about it, but he was also very clear. I suspect HAL personnel get so tired of dealing with clogged systems because of items passengers throw down the hole.

 

That sounds to be Captain Peter Bos, we have heard his explanations about ship toilets, if only all passengers would heed the advice!

[jmkennett]

I appreciate your comments, especially from the pilot. My problem with Monaco and I was calm compared to many, was there was no effort by the captain to try to go back or to really explain why. The storm, for 15 minutes, was bad. We left right after it. After the initial announcement by the CD, the captain said they were worried about possible storms later in the day (was told later by a higher up in the front office that it was a revenue decision). I realize I'm not a captain of a ship, but there were no storms the rest of the day. It got windy 30 miles out to sea later in the day, but Monaco was beautiful. The weather online said so as well.

 

I apologize for calling the captain an idiot, but I think he made an idiotic decision by not waiting for an hour and going back in to port. He screwed up the day for 1800 people either due to a revenue decision or a worry about a possible storm. Last I checked, a thunderstorm can pop up anywhere in the summer. So, by using this theory, ports would be cancelled all the time. I've docked and tendered in far worse conditions on 43 cruises.

 

I will attempt to attach a few pictures showing the weather at 10AM.

 

As to the other problems, the toilet is still off and on and there was little hot water before dinner yesterday. My wife and kids took showers in the spa.

 

The Lido is still constantly out of drinks and ice. Room service is terrible. Breakfast wasn't even delivered this morning. Had it for 6:30-7 and left for the bus to Florence at 7:45. breakfast never showed. This was the second time in four days.

 

It's a lot of little things adding up. Had an anniversary cake delivered for my parents last night after we finished dessert. The dining room is slow. No help to debone the Dover Sole last night, which is standard in any restaurant with that dish. I love the waiters, but they are way over worked.

 

The ship itself is beautiful and the cabin stewards are the best. We are having a great time despite all the problems. The problem is no one seems to care and we have gone as far as writing a letter to the captain.

 

A little background on myself. I've worked for 13 years at a major hotel chain, in a AAA five diamond rated hotel. I know hospitality and I know how things should be and how problems should be solved. We are not getting that from HAL. It's sad, because I love this line. Been on the Eurodam and NA in the last 1 1/2 years and loved every minute. The Noordam is mismanaged and it starts from the top.

[jmkennett]

Does it look like we couldn't return?

[richarduk]

Such a shame. We loved the Noordam.

 

We had big problems on Nieuw Ams last year. We had several appointments in person with one of the two Guest Relations Managers. The front desk did nothing for our issue.

 

Having learnt from our past experience, we would ask to see the Hotel Manager. They are in charge.

 

We DID get onboard/shipboard credit. I think it was $600. They offered us an initial amount, we said no twice and they increased it twice. They also gave us future cruise credit.

 

Don't give up. We stuck to our guns and eventually got somewhere. A note though. It took us 9 out of 12 days of meetings to get this sorted. So, it's a choice, spend lots of your vacation doing this, or try to enjoy the rest. That's how we felt afterwards.

 

This is why I stress to get a face to face with Hotel Manager and don't let them fob you off.

 

Good luck.

 

PS. Regarding the picture. Atrocious weather..not

[jmkennett]

Such a shame. We loved the Noordam.

 

We had big problems on Nieuw Ams last year. We had several appointments in person with one of the two Guest Relations Managers. The front desk did nothing for our issue.

 

Having learnt from our past experience, we would ask to see the Hotel Manager. They are in charge.

 

We DID get onboard/shipboard credit. I think it was $600. They offered us an initial amount, we said no twice and they increased it twice. They also gave us future cruise credit.

 

Don't give up. We stuck to our guns and eventually got somewhere. A note though. It took us 9 out of 12 days of meetings to get this sorted. So, it's a choice, spend lots of your vacation doing this, or try to enjoy the rest. That's how we felt afterwards.

 

This is why I stress to get a face to face with Hotel Manager and don't let them fob you off.

 

Good luck.

 

PS. Regarding the picture. Atrocious weather..not

 

We haven't received a dime and I'm getting ticked off about it. Not getting what I paid for when we have to shower in the spa.

[jmkennett]

Such a shame. We loved the Noordam.

 

We had big problems on Nieuw Ams last year. We had several appointments in person with one of the two Guest Relations Managers. The front desk did nothing for our issue.

 

Having learnt from our past experience, we would ask to see the Hotel Manager. They are in charge.

 

We DID get onboard/shipboard credit. I think it was $600. They offered us an initial amount, we said no twice and they increased it twice. They also gave us future cruise credit.

 

Don't give up. We stuck to our guns and eventually got somewhere. A note though. It took us 9 out of 12 days of meetings to get this sorted. So, it's a choice, spend lots of your vacation doing this, or try to enjoy the rest. That's how we felt afterwards.

 

This is why I stress to get a face to face with Hotel Manager and don't let them fob you off.

 

Good luck.

 

PS. Regarding the picture. Atrocious weather..not

 

A lady complaining at the front office said it best. "This is the bait and switch cruise".

[cruz chic]

We haven't received a dime and I'm getting ticked off about it. Not getting what I paid for when we have to shower in the spa.

That poster got an very high onboard credit IMO so it makes me wonder what the issues were. I didn't receive a dime for my semi functioning toilet not did I expect it.

[selma]

Not on the Noordam, but on the Rotterdam had quite some problems recently. Things acting up happens when being used intensively, sea conditions put into the equation etc. C'est la vie. However I ran into too much "things can break down" and more importantly to me; them not being looked after/taken care of a.s.a.p. Something as simple as switching a broken light bulb taking over 48 hours (yet it being the main light source, oops). Something seemed up with maintanence from my experience.

 

My "straw" that broke the preverbial back? On a 14 night cruise no less than 11 days without any hot water. Not just shower, but any warm water. With multiple daily complainings. Maintanence would show up, yet no result as far as I could detect. One day (at least as far as I know of) a whole group of staterooms had those water troubles. It took escalating to the right supervisor to get it resolved. When she got involved it was solved within a mear couple of hours, yet somehow couldn't have been solved in the 10.5 days proceeding? In a way almost made it worse, showed how it could've and should've been tackled long before.

 

No bad word about how front desk would respond, sense of urgency always seemed to be there (minus one specific person, I soon learned) but the result was zero. Three days after getting mentioned supervisor involved I got a note stating the issue was discussed with Seattle and as compensation I was offered X amount OBC. The amount was such a laugh it was more adding insult to injury than a sign of "oops, we scr*wed up and take that very serious". I was stuck, with all of the accessible staterooms in all categories being used and needing an accessible stateroom. Thus no option of moving staterooms, as I brought up as one of the ways I expected this to normally be dealt with (I knew before the cruise all of the accessible staterooms were booked, so knew that this was not an option unless someone had to have cancelled last second).

 

Water issue got solved on thuesday evening. Thursday morning I decided to take a first warm shower. Let's just say that shower apparently was a very very bad mix with me thrown in the equation. Ended up hurt during that shower because of some other poor maintanence. S*cks, esp. with my health cumulating it into needing medical attention for at least 3 months. Hardly the best experience, carefully put. Because of the injury I was informed by supervisors I would be getting a call from HQ after getting home to proceed from there on. No such thing, again adding on to annoyance factor. I mailed my complaint, opinion about it etc. to our local HAL office (not a US citizen and as such, HQ deligates to local office).

 

Wasn't to pleased to be told a couple of times that resonse takes 6-8 weeks. But within 2 days I was contacted by guest services, after office hours. It took 2 weeks to come to a compensation offer, a lot of that having to do with the time difference and different office hours resulting in local office always closed when HQ is open and vice versa. Thing have been split into 2; injury and maintanence issue with water as main issue and dealt with by different departments. IMHO it shouldn't have had to come to this, but by now that is water under the bridge. Could've, should've, would've. Have to deal with what is and go from there. Anyhow, it took them 2 weeks to get all things in order and get back with offer of compensation from both departments. An offer which is proper, imho. Perhaps just as of not more important; the agent I'm dealing with is a breath of fresh air. No standard script spiel, but a human being that has the ability to empathize and isn't afraid of admitting that indeed this was a royal scr*w up experience.

 

 

My advice? Escalate while aboard. Not just put the issues on the table, but also how you expect it to be dealt with. Never expect them to magically know what you expect, even when some things seem so common sense to you (and should be to anyone, like not letting issues with toilet or shower drag on for days without resolve). For me at this moment that would consist of talking to the front office manager or if need be hotel manager and discuss move to another stateroom if ship isn't fully booked (or in a situation like I was, needing an accessible stateroom and plenty of open staterooms but none accessible). Maintanence seems to not be able to tackle this problem within a couple of days, than by all means move guests if availability allows. Biggest item for now is a working toilet and shower, you can proceed from there on. If you can't get to an acceptable follow up onboard, follow up with HAL HQ afterwards. It's a shame if it has to go down that route, but sometimes it is what it is.

 

After all that is dealt with and closed, let it simmer for a short while. That will put to bed possible in-the-moment decisions. Not just so called negative like your "I'm done with HAL", but also the risk of having a too positive in-the-moment view on some things. When dust settles, it's so much easier to see the big picture. In the end YOUR big picture. After all, who cares what family X or Y would do, it is your life, your experience, your vacation. But I can really recommend letting dust settle a bit. Then look back and see what the end result is and go from there.

 

 

 

As far as the port of Monaco? I'm with those that are cautious. Money is a factor in loads of decisions, this one probably also. I'm having a hard time believing it is the sole deciding factor, though. If deciding to group that into your complaint, I would VERY much staying away from blaming this decision was made based on money. It does you no good and can hurt you. Never mind how legit it is to complaint about the shower and toilet issue, when any service agent thinks a guest is a............ well........ "one of those overentitled nagging brats" (put it very over the top), it can negatively influence how seriously (not) they take the rest of that customers complaint(s) or a future complaint. Not saying anything about if that is how it should be, but how it can and does influence a lot of times.

[Tapi]

I appreciate your comments, especially from the pilot. My problem with Monaco and I was calm compared to many, was there was no effort by the captain to try to go back or to really explain why.

 

From what you write, I believe that the lack of communication on the crew's part may be the root of your dissatisfaction. It makes a HUGE difference when passengers are kept informed.

 

From the photo you posted, it does look like a beautiful day from a distance, but maybe if the Captain had explained better why you couldn't go in again (maybe winds or currents exceeding ship limitations, forecasts, Monaco's specific limitations) etc, it would've helped to prevent disappointment from escalating into anger.

 

I know that the specifics are not the same, but here's an example of how keeping passengers informed can make a big difference. A few weeks ago, we were stuck departing NY La Guardia. Blue skies with some scattered clouds, but all departures were stopped. 50 miles west of the airport, there was a HUGE line of thunderstorms, blocking most departure corridors, and the very few that were open, were saturated with traffic.

 

We sat on the taxiway for 2 hours and then returned to the gate to get more gas for a new, longer route of flight around the weather. We then taxied back out and waited almost 3 more hours waiting for takeoff. We had to return to the gate one more time because of tarmac limitations. We tried to launch a 3rd time, but the crew then reached its legal duty limits and we had no choice but to cancel the flight. Not only did our passengers get canceled, but the next batch of unsuspecting passengers at another city were canceled as well since the airplane was stuck in NY.

 

You would've expected passengers to walk off the airplane grumbling and angry (specially after almost 6 hours) but they were smiling, thanking us, and even cracking jokes.

 

I commented to the lead flight attendant that I was surprised at how little backlash we experienced, and she said that the passengers she talked to were grateful that we had kept them informed of specifically what was going on throughout this irregular operation. I had made a very conscious effort to make updates every 20 minutes, even if I didn't have anything to report. Apparently it worked.

 

It seems like the crew of your ship should've been a bit more proactive about telling passengers what they were doing and why. As a crewmember, our number one goal is to get passengers to their destination SAFELY, but unfortunately, sometimes many of us don't do the best job verbalizing how we accomplish that goal. :o

[sapper1]

Not on the Noordam, but on the Rotterdam had quite some problems recently. Things acting up happens when being used intensively, sea conditions put into the equation etc. C'est la vie. However I ran into too much "things can break down" and more importantly to me; them not being looked after/taken care of a.s.a.p. Something as simple as switching a broken light bulb taking over 48 hours (yet it being the main light source, oops). Something seemed up with maintanence from my experience.

 

My "straw" that broke the preverbial back? On a 14 night cruise no less than 11 days without any hot water. Not just shower, but any warm water. With multiple daily complainings. Maintanence would show up, yet no result as far as I could detect. One day (at least as far as I know of) a whole group of staterooms had those water troubles. It took escalating to the right supervisor to get it resolved. When she got involved it was solved within a mear couple of hours, yet somehow couldn't have been solved in the 10.5 days proceeding? In a way almost made it worse, showed how it could've and should've been tackled long before.

 

No bad word about how front desk would respond, sense of urgency always seemed to be there (minus one specific person, I soon learned) but the result was zero. Three days after getting mentioned supervisor involved I got a note stating the issue was discussed with Seattle and as compensation I was offered X amount OBC. The amount was such a laugh it was more adding insult to injury than a sign of "oops, we scr*wed up and take that very serious". I was stuck, with all of the accessible staterooms in all categories being used and needing an accessible stateroom. Thus no option of moving staterooms, as I brought up as one of the ways I expected this to normally be dealt with (I knew before the cruise all of the accessible staterooms were booked, so knew that this was not an option unless someone had to have cancelled last second).

 

Water issue got solved on thuesday evening. Thursday morning I decided to take a first warm shower. Let's just say that shower apparently was a very very bad mix with me thrown in the equation. Ended up hurt during that shower because of some other poor maintanence. S*cks, esp. with my health cumulating it into needing medical attention for at least 3 months. Hardly the best experience, carefully put. Because of the injury I was informed by supervisors I would be getting a call from HQ after getting home to proceed from there on. No such thing, again adding on to annoyance factor. I mailed my complaint, opinion about it etc. to our local HAL office (not a US citizen and as such, HQ deligates to local office).

 

Wasn't to pleased to be told a couple of times that resonse takes 6-8 weeks. But within 2 days I was contacted by guest services, after office hours. It took 2 weeks to come to a compensation offer, a lot of that having to do with the time difference and different office hours resulting in local office always closed when HQ is open and vice versa. Thing have been split into 2; injury and maintanence issue with water as main issue and dealt with by different departments. IMHO it shouldn't have had to come to this, but by now that is water under the bridge. Could've, should've, would've. Have to deal with what is and go from there. Anyhow, it took them 2 weeks to get all things in order and get back with offer of compensation from both departments. An offer which is proper, imho. Perhaps just as of not more important; the agent I'm dealing with is a breath of fresh air. No standard script spiel, but a human being that has the ability to empathize and isn't afraid of admitting that indeed this was a royal scr*w up experience.

 

 

My advice? Escalate while aboard. Not just put the issues on the table, but also how you expect it to be dealt with. Never expect them to magically know what you expect, even when some things seem so common sense to you (and should be to anyone, like not letting issues with toilet or shower drag on for days without resolve). For me at this moment that would consist of talking to the front office manager or if need be hotel manager and discuss move to another stateroom if ship isn't fully booked (or in a situation like I was, needing an accessible stateroom and plenty of open staterooms but none accessible). Maintanence seems to not be able to tackle this problem within a couple of days, than by all means move guests if availability allows. Biggest item for now is a working toilet and shower, you can proceed from there on. If you can't get to an acceptable follow up onboard, follow up with HAL HQ afterwards. It's a shame if it has to go down that route, but sometimes it is what it is.

 

After all that is dealt with and closed, let it simmer for a short while. That will put to bed possible in-the-moment decisions. Not just so called negative like your "I'm done with HAL", but also the risk of having a too positive in-the-moment view on some things. When dust settles, it's so much easier to see the big picture. In the end YOUR big picture. After all, who cares what family X or Y would do, it is your life, your experience, your vacation. But I can really recommend letting dust settle a bit. Then look back and see what the end result is and go from there.

 

 

 

As far as the port of Monaco? I'm with those that are cautious. Money is a factor in loads of decisions, this one probably also. I'm having a hard time believing it is the sole deciding factor, though. If deciding to group that into your complaint, I would VERY much staying away from blaming this decision was made based on money. It does you no good and can hurt you. Never mind how legit it is to complaint about the shower and toilet issue, when any service agent thinks a guest is a............ well........ "one of those overentitled nagging brats" (put it very over the top), it can negatively influence how seriously (not) they take the rest of that customers complaint(s) or a future complaint. Not saying anything about if that is how it should be, but how it can and does influence a lot of times.

Very good advice about leaving Monaco out of the complaint. Then the OP's legitimate complaints will be looked at more seriously. They certainly are very troubling maintenance problems which should not be happening.

[sapper1]

From what you write, I believe that the lack of communication on the crew's part may be the root of your dissatisfaction. It makes a HUGE difference when passengers are kept informed.

 

From the photo you posted, it does look like a beautiful day from a distance, but maybe if the Captain had explained better why you couldn't go in again (maybe winds or currents exceeding ship limitations, forecasts, Monaco's specific limitations) etc, it would've helped to prevent disappointment from escalating into anger.

 

I know that the specifics are not the same, but here's an example of how keeping passengers informed can make a big difference. A few weeks ago, we were stuck departing NY La Guardia. Blue skies with some scattered clouds, but all departures were stopped. 50 miles west of the airport, there was a HUGE line of thunderstorms, blocking most departure corridors, and the very few that were open, were saturated with traffic.

 

We sat on the taxiway for 2 hours and then returned to the gate to get more gas for a new, longer route of flight around the weather. We then taxied back out and waited almost 3 more hours waiting for takeoff. We had to return to the gate one more time because of tarmac limitations. We tried to launch a 3rd time, but the crew then reached its legal duty limits and we had no choice but to cancel the flight. Not only did our passengers get canceled, but the next batch of unsuspecting passengers at another city were canceled as well since the airplane was stuck in NY.

 

You would've expected passengers to walk off the airplane grumbling and angry (specially after almost 6 hours) but they were smiling, thanking us, and even cracking jokes.

 

I commented to the lead flight attendant that I was surprised at how little backlash we experienced, and she said that the passengers she talked to were grateful that we had kept them informed of specifically what was going on throughout this irregular operation. I had made a very conscious effort to make updates every 20 minutes, even if I didn't have anything to report. Apparently it worked.

 

It seems like the crew of your ship should've been a bit more proactive about telling passengers what they were doing and why. As a crewmember, our number one goal is to get passengers to their destination SAFELY, but unfortunately, sometimes many of us don't do the best job verbalizing how we accomplish that goal. :o

 

I have enjoyed both of your reasoned and informative posts. Thank you for taking the time.

[Swice]

That would be Captain Peter Bos. He is a total rock star. He also is a Purell fiend and touted the features of the new hand-washing machines in the Lido.

 

He told us over and over again to wash our hands. He said there was another ship (turned out to be the Maasdam) in Sydney, Nova Scotia the day before us and it was a "sick ship." He made it clear he was not going to have a sick ship. His account of the sickness was verified by our tour guide in Sydney.

 

Count me as a fan of Captain Bos.

[jmkennett]

Having just returned from a great day in Florence, we find out that the other cruise ship in Monaco yesterday, waited it out, and tendered their passengers to shore. So, for all the naysayers, we did get screwed out of that port for no reason. Oh, and the toilet is not working again, so upstairs to the public restroom.

 

On the question of communication, I've done everything but go to the captain's cabin. Lip service voicemails with apologies. One way or the other, I will get compensation for this.

 

I hate to complain, really do. I'm not that kind of person, and never sweat the small stuff, but this is becoming almost comical. If only someone cared!

[Jade13]

Not on the Noordam, but on the Rotterdam had quite some problems recently.

 

 

Water issue got solved on thuesday evening. Thursday morning I decided to take a first warm shower. Let's just say that shower apparently was a very very bad mix with me thrown in the equation. Ended up hurt during that shower because of some other poor maintanence. S*cks, esp. with my health cumulating it into needing medical attention for at least 3 months. quote]

 

What was wrong with the shower that you were injured and needed medical attention for 3 months?

 

Thanks.

[OlsSalt]

Not on the Noordam, but on the Rotterdam had quite some problems recently.

 

 

Water issue got solved on thuesday evening. Thursday morning I decided to take a first warm shower. Let's just say that shower apparently was a very very bad mix with me thrown in the equation. Ended up hurt during that shower because of some other poor maintanence. S*cks, esp. with my health cumulating it into needing medical attention for at least 3 months. quote]

 

What was wrong with the shower that you were injured and needed medical attention for 3 months?

 

Thanks.

 

There is a warning sign in all the tubs about checking water temperatures for your own safety, and there is that little button on the faucet that prevents going to too high of a temperature, unless you intentionally override it. What did go wrong?

[OlsSalt]

..... Oh, and the toilet is not working again, so upstairs to the public restroom.

....

 

Does this mean you need to flush it first to see if it is working before you use it, and then if it is not flushing on demand you then choose to go upstairs? Or was the unit actually marked out of commission by the maintenance staff?

[Katie333]

Not being able to shower or use the toilet with consistency would be absolutely horrible! We will occasionally shower twice a day in hot weather cruises after a long day in port (gasp, we must be using it too much!).

 

We were on a TA cruise that was due to stop in Greenland. Now Greenland as a port isn't terribly exciting but let's face it, how often do you get a chance to set foot there? The day before there was lots of onboard chatter about the fact that ships tend to make it in only about 50% of the time, and even on a nice day, high winds or other sea conditions make it prohibitive.

 

That particular captain was THE BEST we have ever had. He came on every day to give us updates, tell us about interesting sites like icebergs and animals. We ended up getting to Greenland. We landed late and didn't get to stay as long but he really worked on it for us. The captain makes and owns these types of decisions. With that said, I'd rather have a captain that errs on the side of caution rather than sinking the ship.