Noordam Oak Room

[erewhon]

On embarkation day,(October 25th) a letter from Captain Draper in the stateroom stated

"Thank you for sailing with us aboard ms Noordam.

 

We'd like to make you aware of a new Lounge on the ship that is available for guests.

The Oak Room is a Smoking and Cigar Lounge on deck 10 forward. While it is open 24 hours a day, full beverage service is available from 12 noon until 10pm daily. The Oak Room also has an enhanced ventilation system, comfortable leather seating and a large screen TV with a variety of channels, as well as wide array of cigars and cigarettes available for purchase.

 

For guests with verandah staterooms who smoke cigarettes, cigars or e-cigarettes, we encourage you to utilize the Oak Room for your smoking needs rather than your verandah.

Smoking is also permitted outside on the starboard side of Deck 9, adjacent to the Sea View Bar. There will also be a designated area for smoking in the Casino on certain nights of the cruise--this will be highlighted in the Today on Location program.

 

Thank you for choosing Holland America for your cruise vacation and we look forward to welcoming guests to the Oak Room throughout the voyage."

[Lizzie68]

Hmm I think HAL may have been finally listening....

[erewhon]

Hmm I think HAL may have been finally listening....

 

Hope so. While walking, counted 12 "No Smoking" signs at intervals around the Promenade deck.

[catl331]

Hmm I think HAL may have been finally listening....

The Oak Room has been on the Noordam ever since it was launched. The Noordam is the only Vista ship that has not had it removed. Yet. Edited November 11, 2015 by catl331

[Stratheden]

Do hope it stays there and they think about returning them to the other Vista ships. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

The Oak Room has always been there since the ship was built. It even had a door leading out to the deck.

But when the new cabins and Retreat were added, it was shut down. In fact when we sailed on her in the fall of 2014, it was kept locked. The only time it was open was for the Friends of Bill W and a couple of other times for very small parties.

Did they keep the artificial fireplace?

[corkpopr]

i always smoke cigars while i read on the promenade deck near the rear of the ship

[Typhoon1]

The Oak Room has been on the Noordam ever since it was launched. The Noordam is the only Vista ship that has not had it removed. Yet.

 

I suspect the Oak Room will join the rest of the fleet in disappearing.

[sail7seas]

The Oak Room has been on the Noordam ever since it was launched. The Noordam is the only Vista ship that has not had it removed. Yet.

 

Exactly. The day of Noordam's Christening we were in Oak Room.

Captain Draper is fabulous and this provides still another reason for me to respect him greatly. :)

 

[InTheWASide]

Exactly. The day of Noordam's Christening we were in Oak Room.

Captain Draper is fabulous and this provides still another reason for me to respect him greatly. :)

 

 

Guarantee you this was a decision from corporate, and not the Captain choosing to do something entirely on his own... Your statement makes no sense as a result.

 

Like a captain... LOVE a captain... but also give credit where it's due.

[sail7seas]

The sky is blue........

 

That letter was signed by Captain Draper. It isn't of any interest or intent for me to analyze corporate interplay and I'll give my personal credit where I think appropriate.

 

[InTheWASide]

The sky is blue........

 

That letter was signed by Captain Draper. It isn't of any interest or intent for me to analyze corporate interplay and I'll give my personal credit where I think appropriate.

 

 

So in all your cruising days getting you to 5 star you've never seen a letter signed by the Captain or Hotel Director before that was a corporate memo... CLEARLY...?

 

When the letter was in the room about Code Orange, and noro awareness etc at embark... That was each Captain's individual determination to take extra precautions and they could opt out of it if they so chose? :eek:

 

Please...:rolleyes:

Edited November 11, 2015 by InTheWASide

[sail7seas]

Really?

 

[InTheWASide]

Really?

 

 

My thoughts exactly

[POA1]

Guarantee you this was a decision from corporate, and not the Captain choosing to do something entirely on his own... Your statement makes no sense as a result.

 

Like a captain... LOVE a captain... but also give credit where it's due.

Do you have a memo, email or corporate directive that you can share with us? If not, what's the difference between "Guarantee you that this was a decision from corporate," and one person's (yours) word?

[InTheWASide]

Do you have a memo, email or corporate directive that you can share with us? If not, what's the difference between "Guarantee you that this was a decision from corporate," and one person's (yours) word?

 

 

As I don't work for HAL no I of course do not have an internal memo to share. But I can assure you that HAL does not let a lone officer adjust something like the smoking policy on their own... "willie nillie" if you will.

 

It may be a new directive for that ship. It may be a test. Or who knows, maybe oak rooms will start to reappear fleet wide in new spaces... But no one officer would be allowed to make a change to a ship like that without corporate saying it's okay

[POA1]

As I don't work for HAL no I of course do not have an internal memo to share. But I can assure you that HAL does not let a lone officer adjust something like the smoking policy on their own... "willie nillie" if you will.

 

It may be a new directive for that ship. It may be a test. Or who knows, maybe oak rooms will start to reappear fleet wide in new spaces... But no one officer would be allowed to make a change to a ship like that without corporate saying it's okay

 

Fine. How do you guarantee things then? It's one thing to say, "based on my experience," or "if history is our guide." But, you really did guarantee things in your post. Is it safe to say that "Guarantee" = "Makin' Things Up?"

[InTheWASide]

Fine. How do you guarantee things then? It's one thing to say, "based on my experience," or "if history is our guide." But, you really did guarantee things in your post. Is it safe to say that "Guarantee" = "Makin' Things Up?"

 

If we're nitpicking the precise words used rather than the point of the message that HAL would not allow any officer (even the captain) to modify the ship's smoking policy in a "lone wolf" fashion due to... a personal preference, a hunch or a "hey what if...?" then sure...

Edited November 11, 2015 by InTheWASide

[Lizzie68]

Here we go again. Nitpicking the post and the words used instead of discussing the topic.:rolleyes:

[dakrewser]

If we're nitpicking the precise words used rather than the point of the message that HAL would not allow any officer (even the captain) to modify the ship's smoking policy in a "lone wolf" fashion due to... a personal preference, a hunch or a "hey what if...?" then sure...

 

But you've offered not a shred of evidence to support your claims, which leaves them in the "because I say so" realm...

[Fouremco]

Guarantee you this was a decision from corporate, and not the Captain choosing to do something entirely on his own... Your statement makes no sense as a result.

 

Like a captain... LOVE a captain... but also give credit where it's due.

 

So in all your cruising days getting you to 5 star you've never seen a letter signed by the Captain or Hotel Director before that was a corporate memo... CLEARLY...?

 

When the letter was in the room about Code Orange, and noro awareness etc at embark... That was each Captain's individual determination to take extra precautions and they could opt out of it if they so chose? :eek:

 

Please...:rolleyes:

Why such an aggressive attitude? It's quite easy to express a different point of view without demeaning another poster.

[POA1]

If we're nitpicking the precise words used rather than the point of the message that HAL would not allow any officer (even the captain) to modify the ship's smoking policy in a "lone wolf" fashion due to... a personal preference, a hunch or a "hey what if...?" then sure...

 

I'm not picking nits. Not one bit.

 

With all due respect (and quite a bit that's undue) please, please, please back up your assertions.

[kjw869]

I'm not picking nits.

 

"Picking nits", that's classic. I have to remember to use that line! :)

Edited November 11, 2015 by kjw869

[sail7seas]

KJW,

We are going to have to change the Mariner Logo we use when posting. :(

Then again, maybe I'll leave it just the way it is.

 

Back to picking nits..... :)

 

Edited November 11, 2015 by sail7seas

[kennicott]

If we're nitpicking the precise words used rather than the point of the message that HAL would not allow any officer (even the captain) to modify the ship's smoking policy in a "lone wolf" fashion due to... a personal preference, a hunch or a "hey what if...?" then sure...

 

Exactly. The day of Noordam's Christening we were in Oak Room.

Captain Draper is fabulous and this provides still another reason for me to respect him greatly. :)

 

 

That's quite a reach to suggest that the "Captain modified Corporate policy". The way I read him is that he simply "encouraged" guests to try out the Oak Room instead of puffing away on their balconies. Nice, but no big deal. Establishing and reversing corporate policy would have had to include abolishment of balcony smoking on the Noordam, he did no such thing. I doubt if Stein Kruse had a say in it, that would be micro-management.

 

We just got off Princess, the staff captain there recommended that guests use their stateroom restrooms instead of the public restrooms in order to reduce the transmission of disease. General corporate policy for him to do that? I doubt that too. Because just 14 days before that we got off another Princess ship, the staff captain there said nothing about a recommendation to utilize cabin restrooms over public ones.

Edited November 12, 2015 by kennicott