Noordam Cabanas

[wally8]

We will be taking a Caribbean cruise in March and was wondering if anyone has used the cabanas on the Noordam and were they worth the expense. They are $399 for a 10 day cruise. Thanks, Wally

[cruz chic]

The cabanas were not there when I sailed the Noordam. That said, I have done them on the NA and have it booked for my cruise that leaves on Sunday. I love the retreat cabanas because they are more secluded and quiet. If you like to be in the middle of the action or right by the pool they may not be for you.

[OVgirl]

We have booked the cabanas on Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam.

There is one difference that I was not happy to see.

 

On Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam, they installed the retreat cabanas in a dedicated area on deck 11. It is very quiet in that area.

 

However, on Noordam they have placed the retreat cabanas right in front of a huge fan/exhaust wall. The fans are almost always on and they do make quite a bit of noise. On the other 3 sisters, you might be able to walk around that area and you will see what I am talking about.

 

I'd be curious if anyone else has noticed the difference.

 

That being said, we would book a cabana again on Noordam because we just like them so much.:)

[cruz chic]

We have booked the cabanas on Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam.

There is one difference that I was not happy to see.

 

On Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam, they installed the retreat cabanas in a dedicated area on deck 11. It is very quiet in that area.

 

However, on Noordam they have placed the retreat cabanas right in front of a huge fan/exhaust wall. The fans are almost always on and they do make quite a bit of noise. On the other 3 sisters, you might be able to walk around that area and you will see what I am talking about.

 

I'd be curious if anyone else has noticed the difference.

 

That being said, we would book a cabana again on Noordam because we just like them so much.:)

 

Good info. Thx.

[CruiserBruce]

Have had cabanas on all three ships. The fan was not an issue for us, but we were on the other side of the deck area, so, while we noticed the fan when we walked by, it didn't impact our cabana.

 

OP, only you can decide if a cabana is "worth it". It is definitely worth it to us, but that doesn't make your decision for you.

[wally8]

I probably should have asked did you enjoy them instead of were they worth it and thanks for all of your replies. Bob

[ODECCIT]

We have booked the cabanas on Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam.

There is one difference that I was not happy to see.

 

On Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam, they installed the retreat cabanas in a dedicated area on deck 11. It is very quiet in that area.

 

However, on Noordam they have placed the retreat cabanas right in front of a huge fan/exhaust wall. The fans are almost always on and they do make quite a bit of noise. On the other 3 sisters, you might be able to walk around that area and you will see what I am talking about.

 

I'd be curious if anyone else has noticed the difference.

 

That being said, we would book a cabana again on Noordam because we just like them so much.:)

 

How much was cabana on Noordam and I can't find under excursion, so how do you book it?

Edited November 11, 2014 by ODECCIT

[wally8]

I just booked a Noordam cabana for 10 days at a cost of $399 through ship services. They will not assign a cabana until we sail and the money is refundable if canceled prior to sailing and returned in the form on ship board credit if canceled once on board. Bob

[OVgirl]

How much was cabana on Noordam and I can't find under excursion, so how do you book it?

 

The pricing for Noordam is the same as Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam.

You will see that the other ships have Lido cabanas but Noordam does not.

 

You can call ship services and book the cabana. You will have to pay with your credit card when you book. I have also asked for an aft facing cabana. While they won't give you a specific cabana, they will make a not on your booking.

 

Worth it?

If we sail on a ship with cabanas, we will reserve one for the whole cruise. We enjoyed them and made good use of them as well.

Retreat-Cabana-2011.pdf

[NW Pacific]

What does a cabana include. First holland cruise booked. Not familiar with this amenity.

[POA1]

What does a cabana include. First holland cruise booked. Not familiar with this amenity.

Just open the PDF in the post above yours. The amenities are listed there.

[MaxThrusters]

I'm wondering if the Noordam cabanas will be available for Alaska in May 2015. Would it be too cold, I wonder. Perhaps they do hot chocolate service lol

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'm wondering if the Noordam cabanas will be available for Alaska in May 2015. Would it be too cold, I wonder. Perhaps they do hot chocolate service lol

 

 

Yes the cabanas will probably be available to book on your Alaskan cruise.

Will you be cold in them?? Probably.

If they are available -- yes you can ask to have Hot Chocolate delivered to them.

[cruz chic]

Yes the cabanas will probably be available to book on your Alaskan cruise.

Will you be cold in them?? Probably.

If they are available -- yes you can ask to have Hot Chocolate delivered to them.

 

I was on the eurodam for a repositioning cruise from quebec to Fort lauderdale in oct 2013. They were not available even though it was warm as we got close to Fort Lauderdale. I would be shocked if the cabanas were open for alaska. If they are open hopefully the stewards will be better than they were on the NA. I had trouble getting glasses, fruit, ice or plates. The rest of the service on the ship,was excellent.

Edited December 9, 2014 by cruz chic

[kelleherdl]

You can ask Ship Services when you make your reservation to put a request for a specific retreat cabana in your record. The assignment is done by the Asst Beverage Manager (that department controls the cabanas). We have only booked the Family Retreat Cabanas (4 person) and there are only 2 per ship. We have gotten the ones we requested for all three cruises. The configuration of the Retreat Cabanas does differ between the Noordam and Eurodam/NA.

 

Dennis

[NoWhiners]

I was going to ask this in a new thread but maybe some of the posters here can help.

 

We have booked a Lido cabana for our NA cruise in March (thanks cruz chic for the help!). I am wondering how HAL keeps 'intruders' out of the Lido cabanas, especially if we are off in port? I don't really wan to have to argue with people about using our space and I have no confidence that HAL will help. After all, they don't do anything about chair hogs ;).

 

Any other info about these would be helpful--is it noisy, private enough, etc. And one final question--how many kids would you expect to see since this cruise is the first 2 weeks in March, which covers a lot of spring break times.

 

Thanks for any insights/advice. Merry Christmas

 

ML

[cruz chic]

I was going to ask this in a new thread but maybe some of the posters here can help.

 

We have booked a Lido cabana for our NA cruise in March (thanks cruz chic for the help!). I am wondering how HAL keeps 'intruders' out of the Lido cabanas, especially if we are off in port? I don't really wan to have to argue with people about using our space and I have no confidence that HAL will help. After all, they don't do anything about chair hogs ;).

 

Any other info about these would be helpful--is it noisy, private enough, etc. And one final question--how many kids would you expect to see since this cruise is the first 2 weeks in March, which covers a lot of spring break times.

 

Thanks for any insights/advice. Merry Christmas

 

ML

 

You asked me about this in the email and I forgot. When I was in the cabana in 2012 (retreat) there seemed to be a lot of lookie Lou's. I really didn't notice anyone doing it this year. I don't think anyone would be so rude as to plop themselves down in your cabana. I want to say they are roped off when not in use (lido) but I may be wrong. That said I would not keep anything of value in there i.e. A cell phone, camera, ipad etc.

[CruiserBruce]

The cabana attendants know who is supposed to be in a cabana. They will take care of anybody not allowed to be there.

[NoWhiners]

You asked me about this in the email and I forgot. When I was in the cabana in 2012 (retreat) there seemed to be a lot of lookie Lou's. I really didn't notice anyone doing it this year. I don't think anyone would be so rude as to plop themselves down in your cabana. I want to say they are roped off when not in use (lido) but I may be wrong. That said I would not keep anything of value in there i.e. A cell phone, camera, ipad etc.

 

No problem, you were a big help. I figured I bombarded you with Qs, so you were bound to miss one! I wasn't thinking of leaving anything in there but just dreaded the thought of having to evict people if we discover them there. I am thinking we will come and go a lot and who knows what might happen. Probably over thinking this but I want us to be able to sit/read/eat in peace :)

 

The cabana attendants know who is supposed to be in a cabana. They will take care of anybody not allowed to be there.

 

Thanks for this info, helps to know they will be on it.

 

ML

[cruz chic]

No problem, you were a big help. I figured I bombarded you with Qs, so you were bound to miss one! I wasn't thinking of leaving anything in there but just dreaded the thought of having to evict people if we discover them there. I am thinking we will come and go a lot and who knows what might happen. Probably over thinking this but I want us to be able to sit/read/eat in peace :)

 

 

 

Thanks for this info, helps to know they will be on it.

 

ML

 

I don't think you'll have a problem. I have a short attention span so I come and go a lot. This time I spent more time there because of my ear problem. I didn't spend my usual amount of time exercising.

[NoWhiners]

good to know cruz chic. I am going to stop worrying about this and start worrying about finding a decent hotel room for a reasonable price the night before we leave!! Have a res using points at Courtyard but I'd rather save the points for other places if I can.

 

We now return this thread to its original subject :)

 

ML

[Time For Dreaming]

I was going to ask this in a new thread but maybe some of the posters here can help.

 

We have booked a Lido cabana for our NA cruise in March (thanks cruz chic for the help!). I am wondering how HAL keeps 'intruders' out of the Lido cabanas, especially if we are off in port? I don't really wan to have to argue with people about using our space and I have no confidence that HAL will help. After all, they don't do anything about chair hogs ;).

 

Any other info about these would be helpful--is it noisy, private enough, etc. And one final question--how many kids would you expect to see since this cruise is the first 2 weeks in March, which covers a lot of spring break times.

 

Thanks for any insights/advice. Merry Christmas

 

ML

 

Not to cause you any distress, but we had a Lido Cabana for our entire NA cruise. One day we returned from port at 3:00 and as soon as we started heading toward our cabana, the cabana attendant stopped us. He explained the manager (or whoever) allowed someone to "try out" our cabana. The person vacated immediately and everything was changed and cleaned. Don't know how long she was in there, but it seemed odd that someone would be allowed to see what it was like. They gave us some special drinks and snacks for the inconvenience. We loved having it near all the pool action and the shade DH needed. Plus we didn't have to hunt down chairs. Enjoy your cruise and cabana.

[cruz chic]

Not to cause you any distress, but we had a Lido Cabana for our entire NA cruise. One day we returned from port at 3:00 and as soon as we started heading toward our cabana, the cabana attendant stopped us. He explained the manager (or whoever) allowed someone to "try out" our cabana. The person vacated immediately and everything was changed and cleaned. Don't know how long she was in there, but it seemed odd that someone would be allowed to see what it was like. They gave us some special drinks and snacks for the inconvenience. We loved having it near all the pool action and the shade DH needed. Plus we didn't have to hunt down chairs. Enjoy your cruise and cabana.

 

OMG, I'd be livid if that happened. The cabanas are not cheap and they have no business doing something like that. That is totally shady.

[RuthC]

OMG, I'd be livid if that happened. The cabanas are not cheap and they have no business doing something like that. That is totally shady.

I agree. If such a thing were to happen to me, I would be satisfied with no less than a 1-day refund at the daily rate, and a written apology.

[NoWhiners]

Not to cause you any distress, but we had a Lido Cabana for our entire NA cruise. One day we returned from port at 3:00 and as soon as we started heading toward our cabana, the cabana attendant stopped us. He explained the manager (or whoever) allowed someone to "try out" our cabana. The person vacated immediately and everything was changed and cleaned. Don't know how long she was in there, but it seemed odd that someone would be allowed to see what it was like. They gave us some special drinks and snacks for the inconvenience. We loved having it near all the pool action and the shade DH needed. Plus we didn't have to hunt down chairs. Enjoy your cruise and cabana.

 

 

OMG, This is exactly what I was worried about!! I don't understand why HAL would allow this. I wonder if you can talk to someone to prevent this from happening? Your experience is what I was imagining--we come back from spending time in a port and other people are in our cabana. But I was thinking they just let themselves in, not aided/abetted by HAL :(

 

But I completely agree about being near the action, having shade, and not having to hunt down/fight for chairs or a table to eat at. Thanks for the info.

 

OMG, I'd be livid if that happened. The cabanas are not cheap and they have no business doing something like that. That is totally shady.

 

Completely agree. I wouldn't settle for a couple of drinks/snacks. I think RuthC had it right (but for some reason I couldn't grab more than 2 quotes--I thought the limit was 3?), I would expect at least a refund for that day, and assurances this wouldn't happen again.

 

Now I can stop worrying about the pre-cruise hotel and go back to worrying about the cabana :)

 

Thanks everyone for the help

ML

Edited December 10, 2014 by NoWhiners
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