Noordam - 01/23/09 - Good Nuts!

[Charliesmom]

I hope that the wonderful good times carry over onto the next two cruises. Do you know if the same cruise director, captain and hotel manager will still be on the ship? I'm glad you had such a great time, and sorry that you changed your dates so that we won't get a chance to meet.

 

Roberta

[RevNeal]

Sea Day and Half Moon Cay,

 

Yesterday we had a wonderful, quiet, relaxing, fun-filled sea day, complete with a formal night, photographs, dancing in the Ocean Bar, and after-dinner drinks and wonderful conversation between sets of Classical music in the Explorers' Lounge.

 

The weather began warm, with plenty of sun and a nice fresh breeze on the port side of the ship. However, as we continued to cruise northward the sky became increasingly overcast, the wind switched to a northern and much colder breeze, and the seas shifted from clam to rough. Indeed, we experienced some of the roughest seas of this cruise last night, particular during our formal dinner when, more than once, the ship lurched and everybody applauded. I spent the day going from one activity and event to another. A bunch of us got up early to have a leisurely breakfast in the main dining room, followed quickly by the Mariners Brunch (ours was at 11 am) where our own Richard (RustaRoo) surprised us all be receiving his 100 day medallion! Congratulations, Richard! The Mariners Reception was split into two halves (11 am and 1 pm), and held on the upper level of the main dining room. It was announced that there were 1107 Mariners aboard for the cruise, which is a huge percentage indeed. And, surprise of surprised, our own Longtime Cruiser (Adele) had the distinction of having the most days of any passenger aboard (just shy of 700). For myself, I'm at 197, and hence am something of a "small fry." Indeed, they handed out 19 new 100-day Medallions and only 2 new Silver Medals this cruise.

 

At 1:30 we had team Trivia, then off to the Future Cruise consultant to book two new cruises -- the Jan 2010 sailing on the Zaandam to Hawaii for my Mom and myself, and a July 2010 "Top of the World" cruise aboard the Prinsendam. The Prinsendam sailing is not yet published -- it should be out sometime in April -- but Mary Ellen, Karl, Christopher, and I were able to "get in line" for that cruise in a "pre-cruise booking" arrangement; indeed, we're the "first in line" for that cruise ... and, somehow, we're already "waitlisted" for the 8pm dining time!!!! Go figure! I followed booking future cruises with participating in the "Walk for the Cure" at 3 pm. Then, it was "hit the shops" to pick up a few items for family and friends, and then a quiet "walk about" the ship, enjoying the afternoon before heading back to the cabin to get ready for our last Formal Night of the cruise.

 

It was the "Captain's Farewell Dinner," complete with the special menu including Escargot and Pate De Fois Gras (interesting ... two of the MANY items you can't get at an Outback), and the food was excellent. Most got "Surf and Turf," though some got "Turf and Turf" and others got "Surf and Surf." The Lobster tails were among the largest I've seen aboard ship in a long time ... and, yes, I have pictures to prove it. I enjoyed the Chicken Scaloppini which had a wonderful cream marsala cream sauce and was not at all disappointed. We enjoyed the presence of the ship's Doctor at our table last night, and this included some wonderful conversation and free wine. Interestingly enough, all cruise we had managed to avoid discussions of a political or religious nature, but last night the doctor brought up both subjects resulting in much animated discourse. We ended the evening civilly, however, and I don't think anybody was particularly offended or hurt. Still, once should avoid such topics while on a cruise.

 

As was true with the prior two formal nights, this cruise produced a huge percentage of the gentlemen in Tuxedos, with the rest in suits or slacks, jacket and tie. Very very few were seen "out and about" in something less than "Code," and for my part I seemed to miss seeing all but a couple of examples of this ... they were very rare last night. After talking with Christopher and several others my guess would be that anywhere between 50 and 60% of the men whom we saw out and about in lounges, at the show, in the Casino, and in the Main Dining Room were dressed in Tuxedos -- which is a very high percentage for a Caribbean cruise these days. Most of the rest were in suit and tie or jacket and tie, with only a tiny percentage not bothering. All-in-all, the atmosphere was quite enjoyable and nearly everybody seemed to be "playing along" nicely.

 

After dinner I escorted RuthC to the Explorer's Lounge where we enjoyed an hour, or so, of brandy and classical music along with conversation about her experience aboard the Prinsendam and what I could expect in 2010.

 

On our last full day aboard the Noordam we enjoyed Half Moon Cay. At first the weather was gray and cool, and on our tender ride over we were not too confident regarding the kind of day we would have. However, as the morning progressed the sun began to make an appearance through clouds and the day warmed up quite nicely. Christopher and I had splurged for Cabana (I've done so the last 3 stops at HMC, and each time it has been well worth the expense), and Richard and Heather joined us for the day. I was so very glad to have them with us ... they are such a pleasure. After lunch (hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, etc ... we didn't pay for the butler service) the sun really came out strong and we enjoyed about an hour and a half of the lovely Caribbean sun and the clear, cool waves. It was a very lovely afternoon and I'm so glad we were able to make it ashore ... for a while the previous night and that morning there was some real question as to wether or not we would be able to make it ashore (the Captain had said that it would be about a 50/50 chance.

 

Upon returning to the ship (around 3 pm) we showered, napped, and then spent a hectic hour or so packing prior to getting dressed for our "last supper" together with a group of fellow CCers, which we enjoyed in the Pinnacle Bar for drinks and then the Pinnacle Grill for an excellent dinner. It was a very enjoyable evening, and a quiet one, and it was also a bit sad as we said good-bye; while some of us undoubtedly would see each other again the next morning, it wasn't certain that such would be the case and so we decided to say our "good-byes" then.

 

Some, like Adele, Mary Ellen, Ruth, and I are all booked for future cruises together, but others have nothing currently booked to look forward to in "the group." I'm sure something will come up in the future, but time will tell.

 

Well, I'm out of online time and, even more sadly, I'm out of cruise. :) When I get home I'll post additional remarks as well as links to photos. Blessings to all my fellow passengers, all future passengers aboard the Noordam, and her wonderful crew.

[djhsolara]

Rev Neal:

 

Were you able to get in the water at HMC? How is the water temperature now?

 

Thanks!!

[RevNeal]

Rev Neal:

 

Were you able to get in the water at HMC? How is the water temperature now?

 

Thanks!!

 

Oh, we certainly got into the water. It was cold, but it wasn't uncomfortable and was actually quite refreshing juxtaposed to the warm sun ... once the sun came out, that is. It was LOVELY.

[cccole]

Your cruise sounded wonderful and I wish you a safe trip home. Will look forward to your pictures when you have time to post. Cherie

[RevNeal]

Sadly, that dreaded day has arrived: It's Disembarkation Day, they have cleared the ship, and passengers have begun going ashore to return home. We have "Silent Disembarkation" this cruise, which means that we have a window of time for disembarking the ship and there will be minimal announcing of disembarking numbers/colors, etc. Our time to disembark is 9:45 and 10 am ... which is very nice, indeed, because it means I'm not rushed this morning. We still ordered breakfast for 7:30 am, and it arrived early (about 7:28 am) and that was eaten sitting on our balcony for the last time listening as the longshoremen slammed and banged the metal pallets with our luggage in them. Every 45 seconds ... WHAM ... BANG ... beep beep beep beep. Ugh!

 

Yes, the Noordam is docked the same direction as when we boarded -- note for any doing a webcam wave -- so my port-side cabin is has the noisy, not the scenic and quiet, experience this morning. ;) This is, probably, a good transition back into the "real" world. It sure woke up Brian and Scotty, for I noticed that they were up and moving by the time we were done with breakfast ... and they don't need to disembark until after us.

 

Needless to say (but I'm saying it, anyway), it's sad to disembark. 10-days is lovely, but it's only just barely enough to have me feeling as though it's time to go home. With 2 Alaska Cruises scheduled for this May, however, I disembark with the sure and certain knowledge that I will quickly be back aboard a HAL ship, with deck beneath my feet, in short order.

 

May the wind be always at your backs! Signing off from the Noordam.

[jhannah]

Welcome home! Glad your trip has been a good one.

[RevNeal]

I am now sitting at the Fort Lauderdale Airport using their free internet to update my e-mail. HAL really needs to do something about the SSSSSSSSLLLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWW speed of their internet access. It takes FOREVER to update one's e-mail and just post on CC (even with images turned off, it takes a long time for a page to load).

 

At any-rate, I'm ashore and sitting outside of security waiting to have a bite to eat at ChilistoGo. My flight to Dallas departs at 3:40 pm, so I have a little while to wait. I hadn't planned on disembarking the ship until 10 am sharp (my disembarkation time was 9:45-10:00 am, however apparently people disembarked faster than they thought and they wanted to flush the last of us off as quickly as they could. "Silent Disembarkation" wasn't very silent, either ... the announcements on the ship-wide speakers were as frequent as they ever were, and very loud. I suppose that was necessary since they were pushing the disembarkation process more-quickly than projected.

 

So ends the Voyage of the Good Nuts. And it WAS a good cruise for a bunch of good nuts! Photos will be ready in short order ... I don't have nearly as many as last time (maybe 500 as compared to 4000 from the Eurodam Inaugurals!) and mostly they're of CCer friends and of the sights seen on a of the Islands. Now that I'm actually off the Noordam, I suppose I'm "happy" to be ashore and heading home, but I am dreading the day's travel. However, as is true with Kidney Stones ... "This Too Shall Pass."

[mamaofami]

So sorry you had to leave the Nordam, Greg. Have a safe flight and I can't wait to see your pictures.:D

[RevNeal]

So sorry you had to leave the Nordam, Greg. Have a safe flight and I can't wait to see your pictures.:D

 

Thanks! I appreciate it. However, as we all know, that's the way of cruising until we all make that final embarkation to the Big, All Expenses Paid Cruise to Gloryland. :D

[innlady1]

It was wonderful to meet all of Gunilla's "Good Nuts." It was surely a high point in our b2b's.

 

We spent the day on the Land and Sea HAL excursion in FFL (it was a great tour, BTW), and re-boarded the ship about 1:30. It felt kind of weird to have an entirely new group on board with us "old timers!" LOL!

 

I will surely miss all of the Good Nuts, and we'll use the next ten days to "wind down!"

 

Safe travels back to Texas, Greg! And, we're looking forward to cruising with all of you sooner rather than later! ;)

[innlady1]

A quickie....this is a great HAL crew story: We came back on board an hour or so ago and several crew members asked us how our day was ashore! They surely are adept at remembering everyone.

 

No interest on our Roll Call for this cruise for a webcam wave or inletcam wave, so I guess Fred and I will go up to the stern, Deck 9 Sea View Pool area and wave from the port side. I'll wave my yellow jacket; Fred, his blue jacket. On the Carrie B. paddleboat cruise today, we sailed by Mr. Inletcam, and they mentioned that he ALWAYS takes photos of the departing ships.

 

BTW, Greg....that is his house - the one you posted last sailaway! Pretty cool.......

[bepsf]

...to all of our CC'er friends and family for not posting from aboard our lovely Noordam - Work has been so stressful lately that I realized that the last thing I really wanted/needed to do this trip was to sit in front of some type of screen, particularly with all of the beautiful weather, fun activities and superb company. Someone asked me today what the best part of the cruise was - my reply was "Leaving the office"...

 

Suffice it to say that although our Noordam has a few bumps and scrapes, she's looking one heck of alot better than Zuiderdam did after a similar amount of time. (Come to think of it - I've gathered a few bumps and scrapes along the way these past 3 years too...) She might be a bit smaller than her newer half-sister - but IMO she's a much grander, comfortable and more elegant ship than Eurodam.

 

Thanks for the well-wishes - I should be boarding the flight to SFO shortly and then to the office again tomorrow am (Time to earn the fare for the next trip...)

;)

[Sage]

One Good Nut reporting in that we are safely home. Thank you everyone for making this the best cruise ever. I can't wait until we all cruise again. A special thanks to Richard for keeping the roll call and bringing along my new BFF. I hope that everyone arrives home safely.

[jhannah]

People do make a major difference, that's for sure. I think that was one of the big reasons I enjoyed the Eurodam prelude and inaugural cruises so much ... the wonderful CCers we met or renewed acquaintence with while we were onboard (including a good number of the Good Nuts.) I certainly look forward to sailing with them again some day.

[Cruzin Terri]

A mistake. Sorry

[Cruzin Terri]

A CCer couple ... they can identify themselves if they wish, but -- as was true with them all -- I found them delightful!

 

Just wanted to identify myself. That's me (tbrein) with my husband, Jim. We enjoyed chatting with you and thanks for the kind words.

Terri

[mamaofami]

...to all of our CC'er friends and family for not posting from aboard our lovely Noordam - Work has been so stressful lately that I realized that the last thing I really wanted/needed to do this trip was to sit in front of some type of screen, particularly with all of the beautiful weather, fun activities and superb company. Someone asked me today what the best part of the cruise was - my reply was "Leaving the office"...

;)

 

No apologies needed, Brian. I'm sure we at home all understand, although I for one, really did miss your live from thread. I've always enjoyed reading them and this cruise I was especially "hungry" for any news. I kept up with everything by reading Greg's posts, those of Twinkletoes, and some emails from Sheila. I know you all had a wonderful cruise. Hopefully we'll get to sail with you another time.

[mamaofami]

Teri, thanks for identifying yourself. I hope you enjoyed the Nordam and had a wonderful cruise.

[hammybee]

Thank you for letting us tag along. Have a safe trip home.

[RevNeal]

<sigh>

I'm home and my bag is unpacked and I'm sitting in front of the TV trying to get the couch to stop lurching up and down. :D

 

The flight home could have been better, but now that it's past I can just forget about it. :) Until the next flight, that is.

 

I'm going to have to go back through this thread and actually read it. I must admit that I didn't do much reading of it while aboard ship, I just composed my posts off-line and then got on for long enough to post. This cruise I spent much less on internet than I have in the past, and that was nice. Indeed, I spent much less in on-board charges this time than in the past ... and my credit card will thank me. :D

[RevNeal]

Could you do some detective work for us please? We would like to know who will be the Captain, Hotel Director and CD for that cruise? Also, can you find out who will be in the Piano Bar? If it is the same as you have, is he/she really good? One of our group is a singer and last time we went, she sang almost every evening with the piano player and became rather well known around the ship. She is totally blind and this activity was so exciting for her and she just loved entertaining the other guests in the piano bar.

 

I do not know who the Hotel Manager and the CD will be for the February 22nd sailing, however the Captain should still be Hans Mateboer, who truly is an excellent ship's Master.

 

The good news is that the Noordam is in fabulous shape, and especially-so considering she's been in the water for 3 years and has had heavy use. I posted regarding some of the visible damage to paint and wall paper and the outer hull (some patches of rust are visible just below the waterline and at the bilge pumps), as well as to places where carpeting is worn to threadbare. The Chief Officer told me that the Noordam will be going in for a much-needed Dry Dock in about 2 months, and that a lot will be done at that time.

 

One has to hand it to HAL ... they take good care of their ships in-service, and then spend the time and the money to give them the wet and dry dockings that they need, and on a timely basis.

[RevNeal]

If you have a chance, what times are the shows in the main lounge? Thanks!

 

As Twinkletoes reported on her thread, that would be 8 and 10 pm; surprisingly, they didn't change these times after the first night or two, or on days with early port-calls, as they have on some other cruises in the past year or two. I much prefer the show being after Dinner ... not that I go very often (I only went once this cruise); but, if I'm going to go, I don't want to go during the cocktail hour.

[RevNeal]

Love the report and pics. Great as always.

If you run into the fabulous Barbies and the Bear, perhaps

the papparotzi would snap a pic or two.

 

Yes, we thought about photographing the Bear and Barbies, however we decided that propriety called for allowing others their eccentricities without us photographing them, too. :)

 

That being said, they actually took them ashore at HMC! The Barbies were in Bikini Swimsuits and the bear has a bathing suit on, too. I don't think they used sunscreen, though. :D

[RevNeal]

Greg, thanks for taking us along. The relaxing days aboard Noordam will make the "real" world easier to manage when you step foot on dry land for awhile. Don't you have an Alaskan cruise with your mother coming up? Do you leave from Seattle? How I would love to at least wave you off from the new pier! When you catch your breath, let us know about your Alaska plans, please.

 

:) Thanks for asking, Linda! Yes, Mom and I are doing Alaska this year on two cruises: First, aboard the Ryndam sailing out of Vancouver on May 8-15; second, aboard the Amsterdam sailing out of Seattle on May 16-23. Since we disembark the Ryndam on May 15 and transfer to Seattle that day, we'll have one night in Seattle before boarding the Amsterdam the next noon. I suppose I'll risk subjecting my mother to Scotty. :) And, of course, if you want to meet or wave, please contact me off-the-board and we'll make plans.