Noordam Review-Transatlantic/Mediteranean 4/09

[Dodger Blue]

My wife and I just returned from our 16 Transatlantic cruise on the Noordam. Our cruise ended in Rome and we spent a few extra days there. So I thought I'd briefly share our experiences with you.

 

This was our first cruise on Holland America after several consecutive cruises on Princess. We had heard good things about HAL, so we were anxious to see if they were true. For the most part they were.

 

The embarkation process in Ft. Lauderdale was the smoothest we've ever experienced. We had an oceanview, balcony cabin (5074) on the Verandah deck in the center of the ship. The location was perfect. We generally enjoyed the cabin but found the layout did not maximize the space. We were constantly bumping into one another as there was a massive traffic jam with the confluence of the closets, the bathroom, and the entry all converging into a tiny space. If someone was coming out of the bathroom or coming in the door while someone was trying to use the closet, they would get smacked with a door. While we found this an inconvenience, we learned to live with it. Secondly, we found the air conditioning very difficult to control. It was either too cold or too hot. Most of the time we opted for too cold. The fan was located right over the bed, so during the night you had cold air blowing on you. Sure enough, I came down with a pretty bad cold by the end of the cruise (more on that later.) We tried to turn the air down at night but found it simply got too stuffy and hot.

 

Putting that aside, we had a wonderful time on board. The cruise accross the Atlantic was fantastic. In fact, the captain said it was the smoothest crossing he ever experienced. The food lived up to its billing. Reading previous posts before the cruise I expected the food in the dining room (by the way we had the anytime dining option) not to be up to snuff with Princess. To my enjoyment, I found that not to be true. The food in the dining room was terrific. I found it to be much more restaurant quality than I expected. And, the assortment was very good. The Lido buffet lived up to all of its previous billing. The assortment and quality was wonderful. Mid-way through the cruise they had a poolside barbeque that was outstanding.

 

We're not ones to participate too much in the on-board activities, but we play trivia (our team won twice!) and my wife and the wife of the couple we traveled with enjoyed the culinary activities greatly. Mostly, we enjoy relaxing on those sea days just reading and, of course, eating.

 

The casino staff (the dealers in particular) were very nice. Although I was fortunate to walk away with more than I started, they were the type to make the experience enjoyable even when losing.

 

I had heard that the entertainment was not all that good on HAL. We were surprised that that simply wasn't the case. It was diversified and surprisingly good. While the onboard talent (The Noordam dancers and singers) was mediocre, the talent brought on board was extremely good. The best was a group called The Unexpected Boys. They did two shows. The first was a Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons cover show and the second was Broadway tunes. They were very talented. In fact, the individual who sang the Frankie Valli tunes was currently a finalist in auditions for that role on Broadway in Jersey Boys. In addition to the Unexpected boys they had a concert pianist, an opera singer, and the requisite comedian/magician. All in all very good.

 

The ports were all interesting (we had two stops in Portugal, three in Spain, Monte Carlo, and ending in Rome) and I won't detail those. We did not take any shore excursions because our research told us none were necessary. We were right. The ports were close to the centers of town and with the time we had we felt that was sufficient. We weren't dissappointed.

 

Disembarkation, they use the silent method, was as smooth as the embarkation. Best ever.

 

I do have two complaints about the Noordam. The first, and in this time of the Swine Flue outbreak I feel very much waranted, was that I felt that the crew was not very dilligent regarding the avoidance of the spread of germs. While I found the ship to be extremely clean and well maintained, the staff was not very good about avoiding the spread of germs. Specifically, I never once saw a staff member offering hand sanitizer to anyone entering the dining room or the Lido buffet. The hand sanitizer was available, but nobody ensured that passengers used it. Consequently and unfortunately I never once saw an individual enter either the dining room or buffet and use the sanitizer dispenser. This was extremely disconcerting in the buffet where everyone handles the serving utensils. As a result, I was pretty anal about sanitizing my hands AFTER I used the serving utensils. Unfortunately I still came down with a very bad cold at the end of the cruise. I don't know if this was a result of this or not, but the lack of dilligence on the part of the staff was very sad.

 

My second complaint has to do with the staff in the Lido buffet. The serving staff was fine, but I felt that the other staff was a bit laxed. We ate dinner in the buffet only one night (after three formal nights we just simply passed on the fourth and wanted to have a more casual meal). My experience on Princess cruises has been that the staff goes out of its way to assist you and to give you the "right of way" when passing each other. Here I found the staff to be a little more agressive not always getting out of the way when you were coming through carrying a tray. Also, on the night we ate dinner nobody ever cleared away our used dishes. Consequently we had to place them, along with everyone else, in areas where they simply stacked up and looked terrible.

 

In conclusion, this was a very wonderful cruise that left me wanting to travel again with HAL. We even placed a future cruise deposit although I was surprised that the perks with HAL don't measure up to Princess for frequent cruisers. I found HAL to be different than Princess, better in some areas and not as good in others. I attribute that simply to differences in cruise lines and personal tastes. In the end, I give HAL and the Noordam a "thumbs up" for this cruise.

[Sage]

Thank you for your comprehensive review. I enjoyed reading about my favorite ship. I'm sorry that you came down with a cold. I sure hope that you are feeling better now.

[Two@Sea]

Thank you for your review. I have always wanted to to a crossing... maybe someday.

[longtimecruiser]

Glad you liked the Noordam. I have 48 cruises and 650 days on Hal. I don't get ANY perks for that with Hal. You are right on target about Hal not being as good as Princess in that department. I have never sailed Princess, but I do know about the perks. Hal does get many repeaters even though there are few, if any perks. Thanks for the nice review. Adele

[jerseygirl3]

My wife and I just returned from our 16 Transatlantic cruise on the Noordam. Our cruise ended in Rome and we spent a few extra days there. So I thought I'd briefly share our experiences with you.

 

This was our first cruise on Holland America after several consecutive cruises on Princess. We had heard good things about HAL, so we were anxious to see if they were true. For the most part they were.

 

The embarkation process in Ft. Lauderdale was the smoothest we've ever experienced. We had an oceanview, balcony cabin (5074) on the Verandah deck in the center of the ship. The location was perfect. We generally enjoyed the cabin but found the layout did not maximize the space. We were constantly bumping into one another as there was a massive traffic jam with the confluence of the closets, the bathroom, and the entry all converging into a tiny space. If someone was coming out of the bathroom or coming in the door while someone was trying to use the closet, they would get smacked with a door. While we found this an inconvenience, we learned to live with it. Secondly, we found the air conditioning very difficult to control. It was either too cold or too hot. Most of the time we opted for too cold. The fan was located right over the bed, so during the night you had cold air blowing on you. Sure enough, I came down with a pretty bad cold by the end of the cruise (more on that later.) We tried to turn the air down at night but found it simply got too stuffy and hot.

 

Putting that aside, we had a wonderful time on board. The cruise accross the Atlantic was fantastic. In fact, the captain said it was the smoothest crossing he ever experienced. The food lived up to its billing. Reading previous posts before the cruise I expected the food in the dining room (by the way we had the anytime dining option) not to be up to snuff with Princess. To my enjoyment, I found that not to be true. The food in the dining room was terrific. I found it to be much more restaurant quality than I expected. And, the assortment was very good. The Lido buffet lived up to all of its previous billing. The assortment and quality was wonderful. Mid-way through the cruise they had a poolside barbeque that was outstanding.

 

We're not ones to participate too much in the on-board activities, but we play trivia (our team won twice!) and my wife and the wife of the couple we traveled with enjoyed the culinary activities greatly. Mostly, we enjoy relaxing on those sea days just reading and, of course, eating.

 

The casino staff (the dealers in particular) were very nice. Although I was fortunate to walk away with more than I started, they were the type to make the experience enjoyable even when losing.

 

I had heard that the entertainment was not all that good on HAL. We were surprised that that simply wasn't the case. It was diversified and surprisingly good. While the onboard talent (The Noordam dancers and singers) was mediocre, the talent brought on board was extremely good. The best was a group called The Unexpected Boys. They did two shows. The first was a Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons cover show and the second was Broadway tunes. They were very talented. In fact, the individual who sang the Frankie Valli tunes was currently a finalist in auditions for that role on Broadway in Jersey Boys. In addition to the Unexpected boys they had a concert pianist, an opera singer, and the requisite comedian/magician. All in all very good.

 

The ports were all interesting (we had two stops in Portugal, three in Spain, Monte Carlo, and ending in Rome) and I won't detail those. We did not take any shore excursions because our research told us none were necessary. We were right. The ports were close to the centers of town and with the time we had we felt that was sufficient. We weren't dissappointed.

 

Disembarkation, they use the silent method, was as smooth as the embarkation. Best ever.

 

I do have two complaints about the Noordam. The first, and in this time of the Swine Flue outbreak I feel very much waranted, was that I felt that the crew was not very dilligent regarding the avoidance of the spread of germs. While I found the ship to be extremely clean and well maintained, the staff was not very good about avoiding the spread of germs. Specifically, I never once saw a staff member offering hand sanitizer to anyone entering the dining room or the Lido buffet. The hand sanitizer was available, but nobody ensured that passengers used it. Consequently and unfortunately I never once saw an individual enter either the dining room or buffet and use the sanitizer dispenser. This was extremely disconcerting in the buffet where everyone handles the serving utensils. As a result, I was pretty anal about sanitizing my hands AFTER I used the serving utensils. Unfortunately I still came down with a very bad cold at the end of the cruise. I don't know if this was a result of this or not, but the lack of dilligence on the part of the staff was very sad.

 

My second complaint has to do with the staff in the Lido buffet. The serving staff was fine, but I felt that the other staff was a bit laxed. We ate dinner in the buffet only one night (after three formal nights we just simply passed on the fourth and wanted to have a more casual meal). My experience on Princess cruises has been that the staff goes out of its way to assist you and to give you the "right of way" when passing each other. Here I found the staff to be a little more agressive not always getting out of the way when you were coming through carrying a tray. Also, on the night we ate dinner nobody ever cleared away our used dishes. Consequently we had to place them, along with everyone else, in areas where they simply stacked up and looked terrible.

 

In conclusion, this was a very wonderful cruise that left me wanting to travel again with HAL. We even placed a future cruise deposit although I was surprised that the perks with HAL don't measure up to Princess for frequent cruisers. I found HAL to be different than Princess, better in some areas and not as good in others. I attribute that simply to differences in cruise lines and personal tastes. In the end, I give HAL and the Noordam a "thumbs up" for this cruise.

 

Glad you enjoyed your first HAL cruise.

 

Can I ask you about the weather on your crossing? Were you able to make use of your balcony? We're booked on a TA next March 21 and wondered how useful our balcony will be.

 

Also, regarding your comment about the staff not ensuring that passengers used hand sanitizer when entering and leaving the dining room...it seems to me that people shouldn't have to be told to use it. While it's nice when they do squirt some into your hand, if no one was there to do it, I would be considerate enough (if not for others, at least for my own health) to make sure I used it anyway. I can't believe in this day and age people are so lax about hygiene.

[Dodger Blue]

Jersey Girl,

 

The weather on the crossing was very nice...cool, but nice. Hence the smooth crossing. In my opinion, it was too cool to get full use of the balcony on the crossing, but since we knew we'd be spending another eight days cruising the Mediteranean we felt it was worth it. However, even in the Med it was cool. If you get a good deal it's worth it. We did enjoy opening the door and getting fresh air on occassion.

 

As far as the sanitizer issue is concerned, I agree with you, people should assume that responsibility on their own. Unfortunately, they don't! So, in the interest of those that do and would like to avoid getting sick, I think HAL should have taken more initiative. It is in their own best interest as well that there isn't any kind of outbreak on board.

[rkacruiser]

Dodger Blue,

 

On InLetCam, I watched you sail from Port Everglades. It seemed to those of us who were watching that afternoon that it took the Noordam an unusually long time to pull away from the pier and enter the channel. There appeared to be a tug close to or at the stern. Were you aware of anything that prevented a more rapid sailaway?

[Dodger Blue]

I really didn't notice anything unusual pulling away. This was my first time out of Ft. Lauderdale so I don't know what is normal.

[dmrcruise]

'Seems sanitary issues are comon ***** HAL

[tennisobo]

Thank-you so much for your review. We are Princess fans but are taking or first cruise on HAL on the Noordam in June. It was great to get a Princess cruiser's take on the Noordam.

[Barocl]

Dodger Blue

 

We were on the same cruise as you and tho I agree with most of your comments, I must agree with Host Dan (March 30 thread), when he stated the food in the diningroom was disappointing. Maybe, since it was your first HAL cruise you didn't know what was really great on HAL ships. This being one of many HAL cruises for us it made it a big let down. As per usual the meat in the Pinnacle was outstanding.

 

The embarkation process in Ft. Lauderdale, and the disenbarkation in Rome were very smooth.

 

Like you I noticed the staff never checked to see if passengers used the hand sanitizers in the Lido or at the diningroom doors. On the Zaandam in February you couldn't receive your tray in the Lido without being asked if you had used the sanitizer, and at the entrance to the diningroom two crew members were always there, sanitizer bag in hand ready to squirt anyone that may have forgotten to use the standing sanitizers.

 

As per usual we enjoyed the cruise, otherwise we wouldn't be boarding another HAL cruise in 19 days. Take care.

[Dodger Blue]

Barocl,

 

I had forgotten to mention that we ate in the Pinnacle Grill twice. It was, indeed, outstanding. As good as many fine restaurants I've been too.

 

While I did find the food in the dining room pretty good, perhaps I should have tempered it by saying as the cruise wore on, I found the food becoming more common. Perhaps my biggest complaint about Princess is that they seldom vary the food in the dining room. I've been on several Princess cruises in the past few years and I can almost predict what the menu will be each day. Perhaps I was enthralled with the HAL dining room food because it was different. The first half of the cruise the food was very good. However, as the days wore on, I found the food becoming more commonplace. It wasn't bad, just not as good as the first several days. I guess I'll have to attribute that to the newness of it. However, I still must say that I enjoyed the cruise on HAL very much and won't hesitate to do it again.