Noordam...a real Dutch Treat 12/2-12/12

[patwell]

As first time HAL people there were some new things for us to experience that were not expected. For those of you who cruise HAL regularly, some of these probably don’t hold much interest anymore. But for newcomers they were a fun addition to an already super trip None of these thoughts are really important to the overall ship experience but they sure did add that cherry to the top of the tasty sundae.

 

First I must mention an event that truly touched me. Not something regular by any means as this was a pre Christmas trip. HAL is part of a cruise group of companies that raise money to do things for the island people whose islands they visit. My apologies but the foundation name escapes me. This event was sponsored by that group.

 

In Curacao, they had invited 200+ school children between the ages of 5 to maybe 12 to come onboard for a Christmas party. Passengers were invited to come to the theather part of it. The kids arrived at noon, lunch in the main dining room then a walk the length of the ship to the theater where they filed in, eyes as big as saucers. Once can only guess what they must have thought as they walked thru that gorgeous ship.

 

Staff were everywhere to assist....kids filled the lower front of the theater and laughed and giggled with great joy. Even the Prime Minister came and joined them. Various entertainers put on a terrific little show for them....and for the rest of us! Santa made a hugely anticipated arrival to lots of excitement.

 

What happened next blew me away as table after long table filled with gifts were brought onto the stage. Crew members had wrapped each gift in their free time. ( they have free time????) and I heard they were helping out with this event on their own time. I thought that was lovely as they obviously were missing their own families for the holidays. Yet they made this a very special visit for the kids. By the end of the show there was such joy in the air one could feel it. I left with this huge grin on my face. Around 4PM when all of the kids were assembled on the pier for their busses, Noordam blew her horn to them.....over and over.....I got goose bumps, but then I’m a sucker for a ship’s horn.

 

We missed our port call at Half Moon Cay.. Beautiful day but rough seas and dangerous to tender. I’d looked forward to it to see what I’d read so much about.....we had a grand sea day instead ( I love sea days) plus a full day given to us in Grand Turk the next day. At dinner came a round of champagne to each table as an apology. Another well done moment, and I don’t even drink!

 

OK, other things we liked.....the BBQ night at the rear pool. Didn’t expect that and it was excellent. We’d seen the crew carrying on armloads of palm fronds and giant bunches of bananas at the previous port. These they used for fun decorations around the pool to make it really feel like a tropical buffet. At sunset it was delightful! So much work they had to get that area cleaned out of pool loungers, and set with tables and chairs. I hope people appreciate how much work they must do to provide us with a different fun evening.

 

I loved the full day and evening in Curacao. What a pretty port call and so beautiful at night. Usually one doesn’t see this on a day call only so please HAL, keep it this way in Curacao.It’s magical at night!

 

I’d read some remarks how the Dessert Extravaganza has slipped. Really? WOW....can’t imagine what was missing. The caloric count alone could have sunk a lesser ship. The variety of imaginatively decorated sweets went way beyond decadent......the word hedonistic comes to mind here. And at 11PM? Definitely hedonistic! I’ve never eaten that many cakes and treats at that hour of the night and I actually survived the experience. So that was an unexpected surprise to us and much enjoyed.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the Casino. It was packed most nights with people having a terrific time. The cacophony of fun casino noises and cheers from winners only enhanced the atmosphere. My husband was most impressed by the calibre of staff there....and management who were readily visible and available to assist in any way. We’d seen it a good bit differently on other recent trips so it really did stand out as a plus to the experience. You got the feeling they wanted you to have a good time.

 

We enjoyed a nice mix of excursion offerings and were very happy with our chosen ones. Only one turned out to be a huge disappointment and it was the most expensive, the sport fishing in Bonaire at around $250 for one. My husband is a very experienced sport fisherman....this was a joke. After a long walk to the boat, the captain announced that his regular boat was broken and they’d be using one of his “commercial” fleet. And promptly led them to a virtual scow in a state of disrepair. NOT what was advertised or expected, but that’s not HAL’s fault. If he’d known where he was so he could walk back to the ship, he’d have just aborted the trip when he saw the equipment and boat. So beware.

 

Aside from that, between us we did Cayo Levantado and a snorkle trip in the DR....the Beach Express in Curacao....the Samur Sail and Snorkle in Bonaire and the Highlights of Bonaire tour ( I think that was the name...very good!)....in Aurba we did the De Palm Island tour......lovely spot but food was pretty unpalatable at the beach bar. DIdn’t matter...the snorkling right off the beach was pronounced, by our avid snorklers, the best ever aside from Maui and the tranquil beach was perfect for us others.

 

We usually dislike Grand Turk and the Margarittaville atmosphere but I had found a place online called Jack’s Shack, just a short stroll down the beach from the pier. We must have spent over 4 hours just soaking up the ambiance and fun.....good food and great funky atmosphere. What a beach bar should be if we could have one of our own! .Definitely a step up from the manufactured “beach bar experience” that is Margarittaville..... Jack’s Shack...JUST GO THERE! Ask to meet Topher the dog....

 

HAL has a long history and fine reputation of service at sea and we found the touches of that history around the ship delightful. Their tradition was nicely displayed via the artifacts in various places. No one hit you over the head repeatedly with their history and tradition....it was just there to absorb and appreciate. They have some wonderful art works all over the ship and it just adds to her cache. They are most definitely carrying on the tradition of superb service.

 

Pre Christmas is special and she didn’t disappoint. Within 2 days of boarding decorations were going up and she sparkled wherever one went onboard. The Atrium especially was brilliant and festive and the tree hanging from the central Waterford piece was quite stunning and unique. I’m a Christmas decorations wuss and she more than satiated me with it all.

 

We don’t do the entertainment shows etc but I will say the Piano Bar was standing room only every night and he was excellent.

 

We were impressed with.....no long elevator waits and no crowded elevators. No obvious pool chair hogs.....always got a chair. Drinks pre-poured in the Lido so there was no long line waiting while someone sampled their coffee as they poured it. In fact we never had a feeling of being crowded or waiting in line for a thing at any time. We thought the white chair slipcovers used on formal nights really elevated dinner to a festive occasion.....they looked stunning when entering the dining room. Nice touch! I also loved the well padded corridor carpets...honestly, take your shoes off and feel how cushion-y they are. I tend to return “home” at night carrying my high heels....what a treat these carpets were.

 

We enjoyed the traditional Indonesian tea as a chance to appreciate and share the culture of those who had shown us such courtesy and service. And we actually enjoyed the silliness of the Chef’s Dinner altho I do guess that once is probably enough to participate. But it was different and our servers looked like they were really getting into it. We laughed and had fun with our neighboring tables and our servers....isn’t that what it’s all about? DInner was pretty tasty too.

 

We got invited to the Mariner’s lunch which was a surprise since this was our first trip with HAL. It was explained later by a gal in the Seattle Mariner Society office, ...she called us VIPs...wow...never been called that before,and she said that we’d received credit from HAL for our time with Cunard.....nice touch HAL. We also appreciate your loyalty program. Giving credit for one’s expenditures onboard/ excursions was a big, nice surprise, altho I do miss my 4 hours of free internet time from Cunard’s program. But I’ll live without it.... I’ll just write less emails onboard. That will be easy on this ship...

 

Our last night left an enduring memory when the captain turned around just before dark as somehow they’d spotted a really small boat in what was rapidly becoming rougher seas and high winds. They turned out to be lost fishermen from a mother ship.....we took them in hand, gave them provisions they didn’t have, helped them back to their ship and on the way found 2 others who were lost, all in very small boats. At the end,the Captain announced that, given the conditions, in all probability we’d saved 4 lives that night. He apologized for having to crank up the speed and rattle the table service a bit as we’d lost well over 2 hours. Huge cheers went up in the dining room at that announcement. Well done indeed! What a feel good moment to end the trip.

 

At the end of a trip we usually nit-pick a bit. We found we had nothing to say, no complaints, no little nagging things, so we just sat back on the Aft deck, had a pina colada and toasted the lovely MS Noordam

 

Disembarkation.....I have never gotten off a ship so fast and with so little hassle...perhaps a “one off” but it was amazingly well done. 15 minutes from cabin to sidewalk! Impressive!

 

So thank you Noordam, my pretty Dutch Treat, for what was a most memorable, enoyable trip.....one I will repeat on a very special ship I’ll enjoy boarding again and again. You won all 4 of us over HAL.

 

Cheers, Penny

 

Penny’s “Affair to Remember” QM2 Review Dec 2006

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

November 2007...QM2 to the Caribbean again

October 2008...QM2 transatlantic in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage.

December 2008...QM2...back to the Caribbean

July 2009....QM2....transatlantic again...

August 2009....QM2... “home” to Norway

Feb. 2010....Emerald Princess to the Caribbean

Aug 2010...QM2... return to Norway, all the way to the top!

Aug 2011...Diamond Princess....North to Alaska!!

Dec 2011...Noordam to the Caribbean...outstanding!

[cobalt206]

I really enjoyed your review. Very well written and validates our decision to sail the Noordam in a couple months.

 

We have already planned our shore excursions and we have Jack's Shack earmarked for Grand Turk. We will make sure to say hi to "Topher" for you!

[Yankee Couple]

Thanks for your words about HAL and Noordam.

We too have only sailed on Cunard before, and are just a few weeks away from stepping aboard the Noordam (and HAL) for the first time.

 

We chose this cruise biased on the itinerary, the sailing date and our TA’s input, and have found the members here on the HAL CC board very helpful (Thanks folks). But as you can imagine, we have had many questions...

 

Your review could not have come at a better time for us.

 

Thanks Penny!

[IndyDenise]

Thank you. Penny! As a HALnewbie (who is cruising the Noordam in May out of Italy). I really loved your review.

 

The ship and the crew sound lovely. But, I also like your attitude when things do not go exactly right. :)

[Typhoon1]

Noordam is probably the finest of the Vistas. Favored by many HAL loyalists.

[Himself]

Thank you for a great review and welcome to HAL.