Back from the Noordam TA, any questions?

[Infi]

Recently disembarked the Noordam TA on Friday. We had a lovely cruise, the same fantastic service and experience I have come to really enjoy from Holland. It was my first TA and I really enjoyed the experience. Honestly, I could head back on the ship for another crossing right now!

 

We had great weather in each of the ports, cool and comfortable, minus a bit of rain in Barcelona. Seas were rough some days - 20-25 feet at times - and outdoor decks were often closed. Captain (John Scott) did a great job of keeping us updated and avoiding the bad weather as much as possible. Heard some rumors onboard that the NA (directly behind us on her crossing) had a rougher time of it than we did and missed a port (Funchal).

 

If anyone has any questions about the Noordam, the ports, or the crossing, I'm happy to answer them.

[canadianbear]

Welcome back. Glad the crossing wasn't too bad-I had heard there were some rough seas/high winds.

 

We haven't been on the Noordam but always read such great reviews about the ship and especially the staff. It's on my bucket list!

[Cruisergal1208]

Can you tell me the name of the on board events planner and the CD? Thanks.

[Tampa Girl]

Infi - by any chance did you attend the talk on upgrade assignments? I missed that one. Glad that you also enjoyed the cruise. We had a great time. The ship is beautiful, and we thought that the food was consistently better than we had experienced on previous HAL cruises.

 

Virginia

[sail7seas]

Welcome Back. So happy you had such a great trip on Noordam.

 

She's a fabulous ship with a great crew.

[gui888]

Welcome back! Glad you guys had a great trip. We will be boarding on Monday! Was there any sign of Norv.? No code red, I hope. Also, did you catch any of the shows?

 

Thanks!

[jena1]

Glad you had a wonderful trip.We are also boarding next Monday, the 21st. Any menus? We can't wait. Will be in FT. Lauderdale on Sunday late afternoon as we live in North Florida and are driving down. We have never been on the Noordam, but have been on the Westerdam and Zuirderdam. and we have enjoyed those ships tremendously. If you have any tips, suggestions or ideas, we would love to hear them. :):):)

[GmaPajama]

... If anyone has any questions about the Noordam, the ports, or the crossing, I'm happy to answer them.

I'm just looking for the details, Cindy. Every single, delicious, detail. :):)

[roberts2005]

We were on the cruise previous to yours wher there was a code red for 7 of our 10 days. Were there any restrictions on your cruise?

[Sunshine91]

Just disembarked that 17-day Noordam cruise also.

 

RE: Noro.

Boarding started a bit late on embarkation day so that the ship could be thoroughly scrubbed. But when John & I arrived in Civitavecchia about 1:30 - 2pm, we walked right on. The first 2 days, there was basically no self-service, no salt & pepper shakers, only paper towels in the rest rooms, etc. Apparently this is now SOP on all cruises. Squirts of alcohol hand-gel were everywhere. And signs in the public restrooms request that you open the doors using a tissue. However, I had heard there were no reported cases of noro on our cruise. Yay! :)

 

RE: Weather.

Beautiful, fantastic weather in most ports. Capt. Scott did a bang-up job with that order. A little overcast in Barcelona, maybe a bit of on-off showers, but nothing major. The crossing was wonderful; but then I LIKE the bumpy water. Some days the winds were a bit strong & outside decks were closed. Once or twice we sailed thru brief showers. Not a whole lot of sunshine & laying out on Lido deck until the last couple of days, & even then it was kind of windy. But it IS November.

 

RE: Food.

Too subjective to comment on. What I find divine, someone else may find unpalatable. What I think is inedible, others may think is gourmet. However, please read carefully the descriptions of the desserts in the MDR. Greg read them aloud every night - they are a delight! He had us in giggles.

 

RE: Entertainment.

John & I really really enjoyed Guitar Guy Dave Compton, who played in the Crow's Nest each evening. However, his contract has ended & he left the ship in FLL. After dinner we stopped by the Piano Bar one night. Damian something (sorry). He's a Kiwi like Capt. Scott. Very talented. Does a mean David Bowie. The piano is a tad loud for the small room, but the music is great. The Adagio Strings were fabulous - they performed an afternoon concert on the crossing that packed the Queen's Lounge.

 

Judy Carmichael was one of the guest entertainers - she's a jazz pianist. Absolutely brilliant. Bought one of her CDs. And surprisingly, Francisco Yglesias, a charming Paraguayan harpist, was quite amusing. Not something I would have paid to see, but on the ship, it was quite an entertaining evening. We really enjoyed him & his music.

 

RE: Photos.

Lousy. Very disappointed. One of the photogs is VERY good. She's the one who takes the Black Label pix. The others seem to be people who've been handed a camera & told to push a button. A "sheet" of 1-8x10, 1-5x7 & 2 wallets is $40. And you can't split it for just the half w/the 5x7 & pay $20 (what the heck am I supposed to do w/so many pix of us in formals :confused:). But if you buy 5 sheets for $200 you get them in digital also. Oooooh :rolleyes:. One or 2 we liked but weren't going to pay that price. And they print everything! What a waste. If only they would show them digitally & print what you wanted to buy....... (sigh).

 

RE: Booze.

Two happy hours each night. Buy one drink get the second for $1. The first hour would be in Bar A like the Crows Nest & the second hour would be in Bar B like the Ocean Bar. The times/locations are listed in the program.

 

RE: Daily Program.

It's been re-designed since our last cruise 2 years ago & we really like the new format. And no, I'm not scanning them. Just wait until your cruise & be pleasantly surprised. :)

[shippmates]

We board the ship on Monday and I can hardly wait. One question do they serve calamari in the MDR for dinner? Carnival serves it only for lunch. Glad you had a great cruise.

[Archie's Mom]

We just returned home last night from the NA crossing. Not so nice as the Noordam. We went through a storm the captain described as his worst sea experience in 27 years of sailing. The captain first told us of the upcoming storm on Wednesday night. We stopped in Cadiz the next day then the big storm hit on Thursday night and lasted until Sunday afternoon. My DH and I are not affected by seasickness, but hundreds of others were sick, including many crew members who had never been in a storm situation. Tremendous glassware and dishes breakage and one huge wave that hit the Lido deck and did much damage to the food line on port side. We were just beginning a kitchen tour when an entire wall cabinet fell resulting in a closed kitchen for some time. Returned to our aft cabin on 5 to find our bedside tables overturned and drawers and contents spread across the room. Spa, bars, pools, all outside decks were closed and crew in upper bunks slept on the floor that first night/day. We spent the really rough time in the Pinnacle Grill where we had a lovely lunch with only a few other tables occupied. But the location on 2 at midship made it relatively free of the crazy rocking. The Lido closed after all the food on port side hit the floor, but the remarkable crew put it back together before dinner. Only one real sun day on the 17-day crossing so many passengers were unhappy and restless. Many complained that we did not stop for a port call in Madeira although we stopped there to let a passenger tender who suffered a heart attack. Another passenger had a stroke and died the day before we arrived in FLL. Her traveling companions told us about her death on the last night although there was no general announcement about this very sad situation.

 

This was our second TA; the first was on Oceania last year on a smaller ship. Much better crossing although we had some bad weather also, but nothing to compare to this storm that later caused tremendous flooding in Spain and Italy. I congratulate the fine NA captain and crew for keeping us safe and informed at all times.

[Cruisergal1208]

Sorry to hear of your weather experience but it is those times we remember the most when we think back on all the cruises or trips we take. The weather was very bad with high seas and wind when we rounded the Horn on our S. America cruise. The week before it was like glass we were told. Glad you are safe.

[GmaPajama]

Susan - Thanks for the details. I'm still pouting about not being there with you. :)

 

Archie's Mom - Oh my! I'd have been in bed the entire time.

[Infi]

Welcome back. Glad the crossing wasn't too bad-I had heard there were some rough seas/high winds.

 

We haven't been on the Noordam but always read such great reviews about the ship and especially the staff. It's on my bucket list!

 

The crossing was a little worse than I expected (going so far South, I expected pretty smooth seas), but not unmanageable. I felt worse for the horror stories we were hearing onboard about the NA and her crossing.

 

Can you tell me the name of the on board events planner and the CD? Thanks.

 

The CD was Drew Smith and the party planner was Michelle. (I think that's what you meant by events planner, but forgive me if I read that wrong!)

 

Infi - by any chance did you attend the talk on upgrade assignments? I missed that one. Glad that you also enjoyed the cruise. We had a great time. The ship is beautiful, and we thought that the food was consistently better than we had experienced on previous HAL cruises.

 

Virginia

 

No, I missed the talk on upgrade assignments. In fact, I don't even remember it being offered! Though, I must admit I probably wouldn't have attended even if I knew about it. I wasn't really fond of the future cruise consultant onboard...I found her to be very snippy and had somewhat of an attitude.

The ship was beautiful, extremely well-maintained, and the crew was a happy one who truly aimed to please. We couldn't have asked for a better cruise. Glad to hear you had a wonderful time as well. :)

[Infi]

Welcome Back. So happy you had such a great trip on Noordam.

 

She's a fabulous ship with a great crew.

 

Thanks, Sail! I was looking forward to sailing the Noordam after reading all of the raves here on CC, and she didn't disappoint. I really enjoy the Vista class, but especially the Noordam.

 

Welcome back! Glad you guys had a great trip. We will be boarding on Monday! Was there any sign of Norv.? No code red, I hope. Also, did you catch any of the shows?

 

Thanks!

 

No Noro on our sailing, but the one prior to ours had a very bad case. We boarded late in Civitavecchia, as the ship needed an extra thorough cleaning. Boarding began after noon, and the staff in the terminal was encouraging people to go out and explore Civitavecchia and offering to store luggage for them. We even had a letter in our cabins informing us of the Noro outbreak on previous sailing, the code red measures that they were taking to prevent it on our sailing, and that we could choose to disembark before sailing without penalty and a full refund if we preferred not to cruise after receiving this information. I found that very interesting, as I have never received a letter like that before.

While we didn't have Noro, a bad cold seemed to spread through the ship during the crossing. People with hacking coughs were sneezing and spreading their germs all over the place. You really noticed it in the dining room and at the shows. People just had to be out and about despite being sick. Very inconsiderate. Now that we're back home, all three of us are now sick with colds. :(

 

As for the shows, we managed to catch every one of them. Lots of solo acts: a jazz pianist, a harpist, an opera singer, a fiddle player, and a male vocalist from Star Search. None of them repeated, except for the fiddle player, which I found impressive, considering it was a TA. The production shows were okay at best: a Ballroom number with some strange song choices/arrangements, a show set around the love lives of young people in apartment complex, and a Vegas tribute which was probably the best and most elaborate of the three.

 

Glad you had a wonderful trip.We are also boarding next Monday, the 21st. Any menus? We can't wait. Will be in FT. Lauderdale on Sunday late afternoon as we live in North Florida and are driving down. We have never been on the Noordam, but have been on the Westerdam and Zuirderdam. and we have enjoyed those ships tremendously. If you have any tips, suggestions or ideas, we would love to hear them. :):):)

 

I do have menus from our sailing, but I will have to dig them out of the suitcase first. I know they change the menus when the ship sails different regions, so they might not be the same ones for your cruise, but hopefully they will help.

I also love the Vistas and found the Noordam to be a good representative of the class as well. The main difference you'll notice is the relocation of the Explorations Cafe/library to deck 3. I noticed this made for a much more busy (read: crowded!) library than I had seen in the past, because it's located in a major thoroughfare on the ship. Without the library/cafe in the Crow's Nest area, that space is much larger and airier, with more seating and a bigger dancefloor. I liked the change. Not too many other tips...the ship layout felt comfortable and easy to find one's way around. You'll love the Noordam. Have a great cruise!

[Infi]

I'm just looking for the details, Cindy. Every single, delicious, detail. :):)

 

Donna, I wish you could have joined us for the cruise. I wish we could have had the chance to meet! You were very missed, and everyone made a toast to you at the M&G too. :) I hope you're doing well and busy preparing for your next HAL cruise.

The cruise was really fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a better experience, from the food, to the ports, to the service. Well, maybe the weather ;) but it wasn't that big of a hassle for me, personally. It seemed like we hit all of the ports at the right time for optimal weather and very few crowds. I loved the Transatlantic experience, it was so relaxing and the perfect way to travel home after a busy trip to Europe.

 

We were on the cruise previous to yours wher there was a code red for 7 of our 10 days. Were there any restrictions on your cruise?

 

The restrictions were just the usual "code yellow" ones that HAL has for the first 48 hours: no self service in the Lido, no bread baskets/salt and pepper shakers, lots of hand sanitizer, and lots of cleaning. And, no cases of Noro on our sailing, so HAL did an excellent job keeping germs at bay.

 

We board the ship on Monday and I can hardly wait. One question do they serve calamari in the MDR for dinner? Carnival serves it only for lunch. Glad you had a great cruise.

 

I don't remember an appetizer exclusively featuring calamari, but there were at least two seafood medley style appetizers with calamari in them. Hope that helps!

[Infi]

We just returned home last night from the NA crossing. Not so nice as the Noordam. We went through a storm the captain described as his worst sea experience in 27 years of sailing. The captain first told us of the upcoming storm on Wednesday night. We stopped in Cadiz the next day then the big storm hit on Thursday night and lasted until Sunday afternoon. My DH and I are not affected by seasickness' date=' but hundreds of others were sick, including many crew members who had never been in a storm situation. Tremendous glassware and dishes breakage and one huge wave that hit the Lido deck and did much damage to the food line on port side. We were just beginning a kitchen tour when an entire wall cabinet fell resulting in a closed kitchen for some time. Returned to our aft cabin on 5 to find our bedside tables overturned and drawers and contents spread across the room. Spa, bars, pools, all outside decks were closed and crew in upper bunks slept on the floor that first night/day. We spent the really rough time in the Pinnacle Grill where we had a lovely lunch with only a few other tables occupied. But the location on 2 at midship made it relatively free of the crazy rocking. The Lido closed after all the food on port side hit the floor, but the remarkable crew put it back together before dinner. Only one real sun day on the 17-day crossing so many passengers were unhappy and restless. Many complained that we did not stop for a port call in Madeira although we stopped there to let a passenger tender who suffered a heart attack. Another passenger had a stroke and died the day before we arrived in FLL. Her traveling companions told us about her death on the last night although there was no general announcement about this very sad situation.

 

This was our second TA; the first was on Oceania last year on a smaller ship. Much better crossing although we had some bad weather also, but nothing to compare to this storm that later caused tremendous flooding in Spain and Italy. I congratulate the fine NA captain and crew for keeping us safe and informed at all times.[/quote']

 

Archie's mom, thanks for sharing your experience with the NA crossing, and glad to hear you all made it safe and sound. I was really curious to hear from someone on that sailing. Our captain kept mentioning the terrible weather and conditions the NA was experiencing, and I felt so badly for you all. Not to mention the rumors we heard onboard (supposedly you all were hit by a rogue wave and listed 37 degrees)...well, you know how those go. It sounds like your captain and crew did a great job at keeping you all safe and informed too, which is all we passengers can ask for. Kudos to HAL.

 

Sorry to hear of your weather experience but it is those times we remember the most when we think back on all the cruises or trips we take. The weather was very bad with high seas and wind when we rounded the Horn on our S. America cruise. The week before it was like glass we were told. Glad you are safe.

 

The ocean is a funny thing. We talked with so many others who said their transatlantics were as smooth as glass, but it all depends on that particular mix of conditions at the time of your sailing. It's all part of cruising!

[bepsf]

Would love to hear more - I so wish I was able to keep my reservation for that cruise with you!

:(

[SwissMyst]

Recently disembarked the Noordam TA on Friday. We had a lovely cruise, the same fantastic service and experience I have come to really enjoy from Holland. It was my first TA and I really enjoyed the experience. Honestly, I could head back on the ship for another crossing right now!

 

We had great weather in each of the ports, cool and comfortable, minus a bit of rain in Barcelona. Seas were rough some days - 20-25 feet at times - and outdoor decks were often closed. Captain (John Scott) did a great job of keeping us updated and avoiding the bad weather as much as possible. Heard some rumors onboard that the NA (directly behind us on her crossing) had a rougher time of it than we did and missed a port (Funchal).

 

If anyone has any questions about the Noordam, the ports, or the crossing, I'm happy to answer them.

 

Thanks for this timely report as we leave in few days for a Maasdam TA - weather and seas obviously out biggest concern too.

 

So what was it you liked so much about a TA that made you want to not get off - the length of the trip, the number of sea days ...etc? It sounds like you are good sailors but I am most worried myself about the increased possibility of "high sea" days on TA's. I hope too I learn to find they are part of the adventure.

 

Sorry to hear you missed Funchal because we are now in the process of making some independent hiking tour arrangements there.

[SwissMyst]

We just returned home last night from the NA crossing. Not so nice as the Noordam. We went through a storm the captain described as his worst sea experience in 27 years of sailing. The captain first told us of the upcoming storm on Wednesday night. We stopped in Cadiz the next day then the big storm hit on Thursday night and lasted until Sunday afternoon. My DH and I are not affected by seasickness' date=' but hundreds of others were sick, including many crew members who had never been in a storm situation. Tremendous glassware and dishes breakage and one huge wave that hit the Lido deck and did much damage to the food line on port side. We were just beginning a kitchen tour when an entire wall cabinet fell resulting in a closed kitchen for some time. Returned to our aft cabin on 5 to find our bedside tables overturned and drawers and contents spread across the room. Spa, bars, pools, all outside decks were closed and crew in upper bunks slept on the floor that first night/day. We spent the really rough time in the Pinnacle Grill where we had a lovely lunch with only a few other tables occupied. But the location on 2 at midship made it relatively free of the crazy rocking. The Lido closed after all the food on port side hit the floor, but the remarkable crew put it back together before dinner. Only one real sun day on the 17-day crossing so many passengers were unhappy and restless. Many complained that we did not stop for a port call in Madeira although we stopped there to let a passenger tender who suffered a heart attack. Another passenger had a stroke and died the day before we arrived in FLL. Her traveling companions told us about her death on the last night although there was no general announcement about this very sad situation.

 

This was our second TA; the first was on Oceania last year on a smaller ship. Much better crossing although we had some bad weather also, but nothing to compare to this storm that later caused tremendous flooding in Spain and Italy. I congratulate the fine NA captain and crew for keeping us safe and informed at all times.[/quote']

 

Wow, what a report. I am so sorry this had to be part of your trip -- or anyone elses and selfishly including mine soon to come up. This whole concept of a "rogue wave" coming out of no where and being so massive in its effect is startling since the captain can't steer away from it or have a fighting chance if it is a clearly defined weather front he/she would want to avoid if possible.

 

Listing 37% as reported elsewhere does not compute in my spatially challenged brain, but your description of a wave hitting and wiping out the Lido deck on one side is a picture worth a 1000 words.

 

That was major! And what an introduction to HAL's very newest ship -she has now been officially christened - who cares about a bottle of champagne across the bow when withstanding what you went through is the far superior test of her sea worthiness.

[crazy4cruisn]

Infi - by any chance did you attend the talk on upgrade assignments? I missed that one. Glad that you also enjoyed the cruise. We had a great time. The ship is beautiful, and we thought that the food was consistently better than we had experienced on previous HAL cruises.

 

Virginia

 

I just found this discussion, so if you are still interested, I did go to the talk on upgrade assignments. She said that the best way to get an upgrade was to book a guaranteed cabin early and on one of the larger ships.

 

G'ma PJ's, we did toast you at our CC meeting and missed you. Virginia and Bob did a good job! It was one of the best cruises we have had. We did this same cruise last year on the Westerdam. When we went to the dining room on the first day, our waiter greeted me with a hug and, "Hello, Nancy. " He was our waiter on this curise last year and remembered us. Drew was the CD last year; an English comic referred to him as the "the boy Drew", so we greeted him that way. Drew is probably the best CD we have had in all our 26 cruises. He goes out of his way to make you feel at home and special. We had a private tour the first day in Monte Carlo where we had to tender and were concerned that by the time that all the ship's excursions got off, that we would be late for ours. One of our members asked Drew the first night on board if we could get off early. He said that would be fine and if we had a problem to just give him a call. What a wonderful beginning!!

 

The food was very good; the weather was accommodating; the service was outstanding, but the entertainment was only so-so. All in all, it was a marvelous cruise. We were fortunate in meeting a group on the CC board and got to know them in Civi before the cruise. It was delightful to get to know them onboard especially during the crossing. We would have liked to meet Grandma PJ too! Maybe next time!

 

Nan

[kazu]

We just returned home last night from the NA crossing. Not so nice as the Noordam. We went through a storm the captain described as his worst sea experience in 27 years of sailing. The captain first told us of the upcoming storm on Wednesday night. We stopped in Cadiz the next day then the big storm hit on Thursday night and lasted until Sunday afternoon. My DH and I are not affected by seasickness' date=' but hundreds of others were sick, including many crew members who had never been in a storm situation. Tremendous glassware and dishes breakage and one huge wave that hit the Lido deck and did much damage to the food line on port side. We were just beginning a kitchen tour when an entire wall cabinet fell resulting in a closed kitchen for some time. Returned to our aft cabin on 5 to find our bedside tables overturned and drawers and contents spread across the room. Spa, bars, pools, all outside decks were closed and crew in upper bunks slept on the floor that first night/day. We spent the really rough time in the Pinnacle Grill where we had a lovely lunch with only a few other tables occupied. But the location on 2 at midship made it relatively free of the crazy rocking. The Lido closed after all the food on port side hit the floor, but the remarkable crew put it back together before dinner. Only one real sun day on the 17-day crossing so many passengers were unhappy and restless. Many complained that we did not stop for a port call in Madeira although we stopped there to let a passenger tender who suffered a heart attack. Another passenger had a stroke and died the day before we arrived in FLL. Her traveling companions told us about her death on the last night although there was no general announcement about this very sad situation.

 

This was our second TA; the first was on Oceania last year on a smaller ship. Much better crossing although we had some bad weather also, but nothing to compare to this storm that later caused tremendous flooding in Spain and Italy. I congratulate the fine NA captain and crew for keeping us safe and informed at all times.[/quote']

 

I am so sorry to hear this. Am I ever glad we sailed on the Prinsendam. Our captain told us about tropical storms (as he called them) and elected to sail 2-300 miles out of the way to avoid it :D Every night you could hear the ship pick up speed to try to make up for the miles so he didn't have to do too much the last day:) We couldn't go to St. Tropez because of it and headed to Barcelona to do an overnight there instead:) We escaped the bulk of it! There seemed to have been a number of storms in November. Fortunately, we had great weather other than one day and escaped

[Tampa Girl]

It was not the Noordam that missed Funchal. It was the Nieuw Amsterdam, two days behind us. I hope you make the port, because Madeira is really lovely. Colorful and clean. Have a good trip.