Transatlantic on Noordam/Eurodam/Nieu Amsterdam

[We2Cruzers]

We've only done one transatlantic before and that was on the QM2 which is really built to handle the Atlantic Ocean. It was great sailing and we had excellent weather which helps a lot.

 

Right now we have fliers from HAL with very attractive itineraries for Transatlantics on a few ships. I'm hoping for feedback from those of you who have done a TA on one of HAL's ships - I'd really like to hear back on your take/experience - a)did the ships manage well in the Atlantic and b) was there enough on board activities during the sea days to keep you happily occupied.

Thanks!

[holacanada]

Hi We2,

 

Done Transatlantic on Noordam 2 years ago. From Fort Lauderdale to Rome in early april. The weather was perfect. None of waves higher than 1-4 ft. Sun all the Atlantic part than cloudier when in Portugal, Spain, Monaco and Rome. Service was excellent IMHO and from my personnal expectations. A lot of things to do onboard from swiming to eating..! Movies, conferences, night shows, spa,bars, casino, etc, etc. That was my second cruise with HA and since then I float again with them..!

Next 18 days cruise East Asia on the Volendam. Their itinairies are very good.

 

Have a good day and I am sure that you are going to take a good decision.

 

Holacanada on Volendam in 116 days, 4 hours, 49 minutes and 50 seconds

[We2Cruzers]

Thanks for your feedback Holacanada. Glad to know that you had a good crossing on the Noordam. We travelled to the Caribbean from NY on the Noordam and it is a lovely ship. By the way, how did you like your Mediterranean trip on the Nieu Amsterdam? That's another cruise that appeals.

[holacanada]

A very good cruise, lots of destinations and 2 overnight (Venice - Istanbul). A must do with greek isles as backdrop. Nice ship. But a that time it will had 43 days of service. So the crew seem to be in a kind of training mode. A very good captain, Jonathan Mercer (now in vacations break for the next months). We had an outbreak and a Code Red for the last five days. Very well managed. Lots of souvenirs about Athens and the Turkey part of the voyage. A modern ship not too crowded (space, space, space) and very well decore (but I dont like the atrium sculpture ny upside/down).

 

Holacanada bording Volendam in 116 days, 4 hours, 9 minutes and 27 seconds

 

P.S.: you can look at some of my pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thiviergef/

[sapper1]

We did a northern Atlantic TA on the Eurodam and enjoyed very much. We tend to amuse ourselves and do a lot of reading so did not mind the sea days. The experience was worth repeating so we are taking the Nieuw Amsterdam from Fort Lauderdale to Venice in April.

[We2Cruzers]

Holacanada, thanks for the information and for posting your photos. They are really great!

Sappir1 - Appreciate your feedback.

Thanks

[RuthC]

I've done a west-bound on the Rotterdam from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale, a west-bound on the Amsterdam from Copenhagen to NYC via Iceland and Greenland, and three round-trips, all on pretty much that same northern route.

I can tell you that the seas can vary from smooth to high. Weather (even on the northern route) can range from warm to cool, dry to so foggy that you can't tell one port from another.

Every single one of them was an interesting cruise! Clearly, there was enough to do to keep me busy enough, or I wouldn't have crossed so many times.

Oh, and I'm toying with the idea of doing it again!

[We2Cruzers]

Thanks Ruth! The fact that you've done the crossing on different HAL ships, enjoyed them all and are considering another is great feedback.

I've enjoyed sea days in the past on other cruises and on the one crossing we did on the QM2. And don't worry much about the weather - it's just good to hear back that the various HAL ships managed well in the Atlantic and that you enjoyed your onboard experience during the crossings.

By the way, I've always enjoyed reading your posts and respect your knowledge and experience on HAL. Thanks again for your response.

LK

[NJ Fred]

DW and I sailed a 16-day TA aboard Noordam this past October. The short comment - OUTSTANDING!

 

True, we were blessed with calm seas and warm weather. Notwithstanding, Captain John Stuart, Hotel Guru James Deering and CD Glen Koenen teamed to give us a vacation that will always rank in our top five.

 

The vessel was in tip-top condition. Clean and inviting. The food - ah, the food! Good variety and attractively presented. The layout of Noordam's buffet is one of the best afloat; runs rings around what we experienced on Sapphire Princess in both design and cuisine.

 

HAL is not know for Broadway/Vegas caliber showtimes. Frankly, that is not a priority for us. Living closeby Atlantic City we see more than our fair share of such productions. But I do not mean to infer that it is lackluster. Me thinks "adequate" is apropos.

 

Fear not that you will be bored when the vessel takes to sea for the main event of your crossing. There exists a smorgasbord of activities. Being avid readers with little time when in our professional roles, DW and I burned up the batteries on our Nooks and did some heavy duty catching up.

 

Perhps what hit me most forcefully of all was the universal friendliness of the crew. Whether it was someone who labored in the bowels of the engine room or a person swabbing the deck, everyone whom we met had a smile and cordial greeting. It made us believe that these folks really did care whether or not we were enjoying our cruise.

 

Smooth Sailing & Happy Holidays!

[rafinmd]

I haven't yet done a TA with HAL, but have nine so far: A freighter (similar in size to Prinsendam), 2 on Crystal (similar in size to R & S class), QE2, 4 on QM2, and one on Wind Surf. They have all been great, although very dissimilar. experiences. Crystal ships have an array of activities similar to QM2 while the freighter and Wind Surf had very little planned, but time never hung heavy on my hands. Sea conditions will be different with every trip but the roughest rides I have had on QM2, so size of ship is no guarantee of a smooth ride.

 

Now the question: I am booked this summer on the Prisendam's Arctic Explorer cruise. I will be getting there on the Rotterdam (7/12) and hope to return on QM2 (8/15-22). I plan on doing a "live from" thread and would like to do it door to door on the HAL forum. While the last several days will be on a Cunard ship I consider this a HAL trip since the purpose is the Prinsendam cruise. Does reporting on the Cunard segment here sound like a problem to those on this forum? It will probably be too late to help We2Cruzers but there would likely be some direct comparisons between the 2 transatlantic experiences.

 

Roy

[RuthC]

Does reporting on the Cunard segment here sound like a problem to those on this forum?

Not to me. Some of us would be very interested to read your continuing journey.

Anyone who is not interested after you switch ships can stop reading at that point. No one is holding a gun to our heads to read every entry on every thread.

 

Are you aware that up in the far northern regions you will lose Internet reception? It will get slower as you head north, then kick off entirely until you are again south enough.

[RetiredMustang]

We2Cruzers,

 

I have done three trans-atlantic crossings on cruise ships: QM2 from Southampton to NYC in May 2006; Noordam from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale in October 2008; and I was on the Eurodam with sapper1 in August 2009. They were different routes, and different times of the year, but I would say that the Noordam and Eurodam fared about the same as the QM2 so far as seaworthiness; the roughest weather I encountered was on QM2, actually, but I had no problems on any of the ships.

 

Finding things to do/being occupied is a very subjective topic. The QM2 crossing was 6 days with no ports. The Noordam had several port visits in the Med, but then 7 days straight between Madeira and Ft. Lauderdale. Eurodam never had more than two days at sea without a port. I was never bored, and frankly enjoy lazy days at sea. If you need activities, there are some. But, you might also want to pack a good book or two, as well.

 

Hope this is of some use,

Dave

 

Dave

[sapper1]

We2Cruzers,

 

I have done three trans-atlantic crossings on cruise ships: QM2 from Southampton to NYC in May 2006; Noordam from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale in October 2008; and I was on the Eurodam with sapper1 in August 2009. They were different routes, and different times of the year, but I would say that the Noordam and Eurodam fared about the same as the QM2 so far as seaworthiness; the roughest weather I encountered was on QM2, actually, but I had no problems on any of the ships.

 

Finding things to do/being occupied is a very subjective topic. The QM2 crossing was 6 days with no ports. The Noordam had several port visits in the Med, but then 7 days straight between Madeira and Ft. Lauderdale. Eurodam never had more than two days at sea without a port. I was never bored, and frankly enjoy lazy days at sea. But, if you need activities, there are some. But, you might also want to pack a good book or two, as well.

 

Hope this is of some use,

Dave

 

Dave

A very Merry Christmas to you and Mrs Dave.:)

[RetiredMustang]

A very Merry Christmas to you and Mrs Dave.:)

 

Thanks, Sapper! And to you and yours. Funny, I was just reading your posts on another thread and getting educated on what a Maritimer is ...

 

Dave

[We2Cruzers]

:)You all have been so helpful. Given the great comments I am very encouraged that the only difficult thing about doing the TA with HAL is picking/choosing when and which itinerary.

[bepsf]

Oh, and I'm toying with the idea of doing it again!

 

Would you consider joining us for the Westbound crossing aboard Noordam next fall?

:D

[barante]

We did an 18-day trans-Atlantic two years ago on the Emerald Princess from Venice to Fort Lauderdale. Not one of our favorites; in fact, we enjoyed a 12-day British Isles on the Crown Princess much more. But we booked the Emerald because we could stay overnight on the ship in Venice before the next day's departure and the dstinations covered Western Mediterranean's greatest hits.

We are now booked on HAL Nieuw Amsterdam from VCE to FLL, departing Oct. 15, 2011. It's a 30-day trip that combines two sailings. We begin it with destinations in the former Yugoslavia, Turkey and Greece. Again an overnight in Venice. The first leg also ends up in Venice. Then some less traveled Western Med destinations, including Rome, which we want to know better. Also, a day in Cadiz, one of my favorite cities. No long journeys to Seville for us.

Much is made about the time difference -- how you lose an hour a day for several days on an east-bound TA. Doesn't bother me. More important for us is to get heavy duty touring out of the way in the beginning of the journey so that we arrive well rested. That's why we recommend westbounds, which take place in the fall when Atlantic waters still tend to be warmer than in the spring. Which line? We don't care. Destinations and price rule.

[bepsf]

More important for us is to get heavy duty touring out of the way in the beginning of the journey so that we arrive well rested. That's why we recommend westbounds, which take place in the fall when Atlantic waters still tend to be warmer than in the spring.

 

Agreed - that's why the Westbound appealed to me.

IMO, There's no point in lying around for a week, then being super-busy running around in port after port, then spending a few days in Europe and flying home for an entire day, then returning home & to the office exhausted...

[RuthC]

Would you consider joining us for the Westbound crossing aboard Noordam next fall?

:D

That's the one in the toybox! ;)

[bepsf]

That's the one in the toybox! ;)

 

Oh Goodie!

Someone to take me in to dinner & play "Stump the Piano Player" with!

:)

[Bill S]

We did a TA on the Noordam in October 2006 from Cadiz to New York by way of the Azores and Bermuda. It was great! We were also blessed with good weather and calm seas.

The Noordam is a beautiful ship, our favorite Vista Class ship, and there were plenty of activities during those wonderful sea days. I recall that our longest stretch was 5 days.

 

We have also sailed on the Eurodam, a Signature Class ship, and though not on a TA, we did cross the North Sea from Norway to Great Britain and then to Copenhagen, and she rode just fine.

[bepsf]

We did a TA on the Noordam in October 2006 from Cadiz to New York by way of the Azores and Bermuda. It was great! We were also blessed with good weather and calm seas.

 

Do you and Virginia want to go again?

;)

[Bill S]

Do you and Virginia want to go again?

;)

 

That would be fun! Got a date and embarkation port for it?

[bepsf]

That would be fun! Got a date and embarkation port for it?

 

October 25, 2011 - Rome to Ft Lauderdale

:)

[Max2003]

Agreed - that's why the Westbound appealed to me.

IMO, There's no point in lying around for a week, then being super-busy running around in port after port, then spending a few days in Europe and flying home for an entire day, then returning home & to the office exhausted...[/quote

 

Also agree that westbound is preferable. An additional reason is that the route in that direction is more southerly and more likely to be warm.

 

Oosterdam (2009) westbound was very smooth and warm. Prinsendam (2010) westbound was a little rougher but she handled it superbly. Eurodam (2009) eastbound was like a bathtub. It is the luck of the draw on weather. I had no problem keeping busy!