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Noordam Suite Life, Oh My!

dpump

By dpump,
in Holland America Line

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dpump

dpump

Posted
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Just returned last night from a 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Noordam in a deluxe verrandah suite. First off, let me tell you this was the most relaxing vacation my husband and I have been on. I liken it to 10 days in a spa. We are lightweights when it comes to cruising and yes, Holland has an older clientele. The passengers were great, friendly, outgoing and very active. I had read some comments about all the scooters and wheelchairs, not an issue, only saw a few. Some passengers wear their 'sea days' as a badge of honor, i.e., "I have 500+ sea days". Must be a cruising thing. We're all the same, 1 day or 500 days. Here are some of my observations and 'lessons learned' as our trip progressed. These are my opinions, so not really up for argument.

 

Holland 'hooks you' when you first step on the ship. They whisk you up in their glass elevators and you're hooked! Embarkation was efficient and so quick (think it helps we were suite guests). Luggage was in our cabin in no time at all.

 

Cabin, talk about nice and roomy! Drawer and cabinet space galore! The dressing area is fantastic. Had my own world going on with the area to do my hair and make up and the closet right there for my clothes. Didn't really get into the smallish shower area, used the shower in the tub. For the first 7 days I thought I was using the shower gel only to discover it was shampoo! Be sure and check what is what. I brought along a scrubbie and glad I did.

 

Someone in our hall had some birthday ballooons on their 'mailbox'. Sure saved us lots of hours wondering the hallway finding our cabin. Folks were thanking these people, so it seems alot of us appreciated the 'marker' we had.

 

Remembered on day 3 to put out our 'service' 'no service' placcard in our door. Seemed to help the room attendents to know when we were in our cabin or not.

 

Pinnacle Grill-A perk (breakfast) for suite guests and boy we enjoyed that. What a nice, relaxing way to start your day. The gal I booked through gifted us a dinner there and we loved it. It was such a step above the rest of the dining on the ship. We enjoyed it so much, we went a second time on our own dime.

 

Canalanto-Not much to say positive except the Lemoncillo dessert. Difficult to get reservations to this place and to our surprise, never filled. Found the food just ok........

 

Neptune Lounge-Had read not many folks utilize it. We found that not to be true. Always had someone in there willing to chat with anyone who walked in. Franz and Harvey were great. Pupus were plentiful, not filling, just perfect and changed throughout the day. P.S. Their coffee sucks!! Don't care what anyone says, it sucks big time.

 

Wine Package- We had brought 4 bottles of our own wine and purchased the Navigator pkg-5 bottles for $149. Wine was good, never really had anything we didn't dislike. Our wine that we brought from home was expensive, high end wine we enjoyed while watching the world go by from our balcony. As for an example of wine mark ups-North Star from Washington sold for $125.00 on the ship-we buy it here from $26.99 (costco) up to $39.99 at the grocery store.

We were going to buy the pkg that included the wine tastings and one Pinnacle dinner, but it really wasn't a good value.

 

Check your bill-mid trip I asked to see our charges so far. Glad I did. We had been charged for the higher priced wine pkg and for two bottles of wine we chose at dinner that should of been part of the pkg. I just explained to Harvey and it was corrected. No biggie.

 

Disembarkation at first was a mess. We arrived at 7:30 and there was a mass of people everywhere. It seems as if their schedule was running behind and messed everything else up.

Once off the ship, slick and smooth. We were on our own to get to the airport and there were these guys trying to convince us to leave immediately in their van ("no waiting man") for $10 per person. Asked a cabbie what his charge was, it was $14.10 from the port to the airport. Use caution.

 

Luggage direct program well worth the $19 per person. No lugging of luggage until we picked it up in Seattle.

 

The only negative was the Lido! If we could give that place a -10 we would. Found it to be this mass of people pushing shoving and being in a surly mood. I realize Holland is trying to continue their superior service by cooking each egg dish to order and/or making each pannini to order, but I think it's an impossibility with such a large number of people. Very few choices also. Why only ONE dispenser of decaf coffee? We avoided the Lido as much as possible. Due to our dislike of the Lido, we used room service quite a bit (lunch and one day dinner-play offs were on). Room service was great.

 

2:00 snack time-had read on the boards some folks have snacks sent to their cabin each day. We did that. Asked Franz to arrange. Told him my husband loves seafood, I don't, so something healthy also. Each day my husband got some wonderful (to him) seafood treat and I got a plate of sliced cucumbers and carrots. Each and every day for 10 days........became a joke to us. Yes, I ate them. Made me feel better since we were enjoying such lavious meals otherwise.

 

Overall, besides the Lido, cannot think of anything negative to say concerning Holland. Staff was wonderful, food good, cabin was fantastic. We talked and both decided we'd go on fewer cruises to afford us the luxury of a suite vs a regular cabin.

 

I brought along a battery powered candle for the bathroom-it had an 8 hour auto on/off function. My husband liked having it (he notices nothing) but said he'd like a non flicker and we found the 8 hour timer too short. Save your money and just turn it on and off yourself.

 

I brought a small whiteboard to leave notes for our cabin attendants. Never really asked for much, so just started telling them to have a great day and thanking them for a job well done.

 

Utilized laundry each and everyday. Could of brought less clothes with this perk. Did notice our clothes were a 'grayish' color. I noted on the sheet that I wanted my knit tops washed in cold wather/cool/or hung to dry. No shrinkage issues.

 

I found the public areas and the dining room to be on the warmish side on the ship. I never have temp. issues, so this was noticeable to me. Next time I will be packing more cotton, cooler tops to wear when dining.

 

Formal nights-I had read and had been told that the folks on Holland 'dress to the nines'. Not so. Saw maybe one or two gentlemen in tux's (they looked so nice) and nothing really super dressy on the women. One formal night while in the Pinnacle eating dinner, a couple came in to eat. The husband did not have a jacket on, just a short sleeved white shirt w/no tie. The maiter'd walked over with a jacket and placed on the back of the chair the man was sitting in. It was so respectful to the couple, if I wouldn't of been sitting facing what was going on, wouldn't of been aware of it. I did see one other gentleman with no tie on one night. Did not see the 'fashion police' trolling the hallways as one would get the impression is done if believing all the posts that are written concerning a question of dress.

 

 

I'd also like to thank all those on cruise critic that answered my questions and all the posts that made our cruise that much nicer. A little knowledge goes a long way.

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SwissMyst

SwissMyst

Posted
Posted

Great review. A Neptune suite on the Noordam is about as good as it gets on HAL. You made a wonderful choice for yourself. When we have been lucky enough to have a Neptune suite, I found I never needed to go to the Lido at all as I munched what I needed throughout the day from the Neptune mini-snacks.

 

Trying to avoid the Lido lines (on any HAL ship) is something we try to do too, even when not in a suite. I like the Lido center aisle deli items which are easy to grab and go and the poolside grill buffet usually has enough for midday munching so that along with afternoon tea, we get our fill between breakfast and dinner without needing to get in any line to get fed.

 

"Dressing to the nines" and the "fashion police" primarily exist only in a few people's minds, but not in reality. Agree, reading posts here one does get an inaccurate impression. Many like to dress up and many feel uncomfortable being asked to dress up on formal so and somewhere between those polar opposites a little negative energy leaks out from time to time.

 

I do think however HAL passengers in general like to dress up a bit more, particularly at dinner which is just part of the overall feeling these ships have. The smaller the ships the more you will see a higher degree of formal night formality. Our last Maasdam probably ran 80% of men in tuxes and full length gowns were plentiful as well. Did I mention how spectacular this all looked - -but no one looked like they were force to do this. They all looked like this was sheer enjoyment just for the fun of it. Great.

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted

Great review - sounds like you enjoyed yourselves. Many people use the Neptune Lounge - they just don't necessarily stay there - many pick up what they want and then take it back to their room.

 

The coffee on the Noordam - my only comment - on the Prinsendam when I was so impressed with the coffee in the Pinnacle, Daniel confessed to me they use the same type of machine as the Neptune lounge BUT it has to be maintained and calibrated on a regular basis or else you don't have good coffee. sounds like they weren't taking care of yours - or having problems - what a shame :eek:

 

sounds like you had a great time and thanks again for your review:)

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DeepWaterMariner

DeepWaterMariner

Posted
Posted

Excellent review. We have also been fortunate enough to have a suite on the Noordam and we even liked the coffee. Generally we are pretty flexible and manage to avoid the busy times in the Lido by only going there on port days or eating at the grill or just snack in the Neptune Lounge. It works for us. Can't wait until we get to have this experience again.

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scamper

scamper

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Glad to know you had a nice time. A deluxe verandah suite is truly the way to go on HAL.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience in the lido. Certainly glad I have never experienced anything like that, but I hope it improves for you! Personally, I rarely hit the "made to order" areas of the Lido--always struck me as self-defeating. I find plenty of other great stuff on the stations elsewhere. Plus, I once found a delicious sliced cold duck breast that I would have never seen if I hadn't been browsing instead of standing in line waiting for something made to order.

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dclizcox

dclizcox

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We are also back from 10 days on the Noordam in suite. It was wonderful. We took full advantage of the Neptune and free laundry for sure. Our room stewards, Sahril and Sigit, were SO SO SO wonderful. I was traveling with my elderly mother and they were just so sweet with her.

 

Harvey (actually it's Arvee) and Franz in the Neptune are top notch. They helped with everything from tracking down beverage cards, a shore excursion, Pinnacle reservations, moving us to open seating, damaged pants from the laundry, afternoon snacks and our NFL playoffs party. I can't say enough positive things about the two of them.

 

I agree with OP about the Lido. We tried to avoid it at all costs. I simply do not understand how people can behave so poorly. Each station at the Lido has an "Enter Here" and "Exit Here" sign. That means you wait your turn behind the "Enter Here" line. Yes, that means you wait there even if you only want 1 thing further down the line. On our few trips to the Lido I cannot begin to tell you the number of people who would simply step in front of you and make a request of the staff. Rude. Rude. Rude.

 

I did find the dinner in Vista was hit or miss. We either liked most things on the menu or really couldn't find anything and chose from the everyday menu. We also found the food to come out barely warm enough. Strangely though, when we switched to open seating downstairs in the Vista the service and temperature of the food improved vastly!

 

The Pinnacle for breakfast or dinner was awesome. Saam, Pinnacle Manager, is fantastic and I hope if you have a chance to dine in the Pinnacle you have Made (pronounced Ma-Day) as your waiter. A++++++

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LUV2CRUZalso

LUV2CRUZalso

Posted
Posted

Great review! Thank you for sharing! We have not as yet ventured to the deluxe suite, but based upon all the good comments..... maybe sooner than later.

We will be on the Noordam next January.... we look forward all year for what we know will be a great and relaxing time aboard!

Cheers and THANK YOU!!!!

Denny (& Karen):D:p

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dpump

dpump

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We are also back from 10 days on the Noordam in suite. It was wonderful. We took full advantage of the Neptune and free laundry for sure. Our room stewards, Sahril and Sigit, were SO SO SO wonderful. I was traveling with my elderly mother and they were just so sweet with her.

 

Harvey (actually it's Arvee) and Franz in the Neptune are top notch. They helped with everything from tracking down beverage cards, a shore excursion, Pinnacle reservations, moving us to open seating, damaged pants from the laundry, afternoon snacks and our NFL playoffs party. I can't say enough positive things about the two of them.

 

I agree with OP about the Lido. We tried to avoid it at all costs. I simply do not understand how people can behave so poorly. Each station at the Lido has an "Enter Here" and "Exit Here" sign. That means you wait your turn behind the "Enter Here" line. Yes, that means you wait there even if you only want 1 thing further down the line. On our few trips to the Lido I cannot begin to tell you the number of people who would simply step in front oand make a request of the staff. Rude. Rude. Rude.

 

I did find the dinner in Vista was hit or miss. We either liked most things on the menu or really couldn't find anything and chose from the everyday menu. We also found the food to come out barely warm enough. Strangely though, when we switched to open seatin

downstairs in the Vista the service and temperature of the food improved vastly!

 

The Pinnacle for breakfast or dinner was awesome. Saam, Pinnacle Manager, is fantastic and

I hope if you have a chance to dine in the Pinnacle you have Made (pronounced Ma-Day) as your waiter. A++++++[/quote

 

 

Oh yes, Saam and Made! Absolutely fantastic! We both were surprised when folks we spoke to so bitterly complained about Holland. Felt like we were on a different cruise than them. Can't tell you how nice it was to bypass all those lines when we had to tender.

 

Does anyone know if this category of suites ever go on sale?

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momatibm

momatibm

Posted
Posted
I have never seen our SA's go on sale.

 

Also it was many years ago when there was a slight price drop in SA cabin.

 

 

Just this year there was a price drop on my SA on the Eurodam -- you have to watch closely. Granted they never drop 'a lot' but they have been lowered recently.

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Iggysue

Iggysue

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Posted

Wonderful comments! We had our first Neptune Suite experience on the Ryndam last December, and were blown away at the wonderful-ness (is that even a word?) of it all. Loved every single bit and don't know how we can cruise any other way now. We are booked into another suite next December on the Noordam and can hardly wait. We loved being able to 'nosh throughout the day in the Neptune, and really loved the convenience of our concierge Vincent. We didn't get a chance to take advantage of breakfast n Pinnacle, but since I find breakfast offerings in the Lido marginal we'll definitely be doing that on our next outing. I will also be packing a lot lighter next time as the laundry service was just way too convenient.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Skiforever

Skiforever

Posted
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We are also back from 10 days on the Noordam in suite. It was wonderful. We took full advantage of the Neptune and free laundry for sure. Our room stewards, Sahril and Sigit, were SO SO SO wonderful. I was traveling with my elderly mother and they were just so sweet with her.

 

Harvey (actually it's Arvee) and Franz in the Neptune are top notch. They helped with everything from tracking down beverage cards, a shore excursion, Pinnacle reservations, moving us to open seating, damaged pants from the laundry, afternoon snacks and our NFL playoffs party. I can't say enough positive things about the two of them.

 

I agree with OP about the Lido. We tried to avoid it at all costs. I simply do not understand how people can behave so poorly. Each station at the Lido has an "Enter Here" and "Exit Here" sign. That means you wait your turn behind the "Enter Here" line. Yes, that means you wait there even if you only want 1 thing further down the line. On our few trips to the Lido I cannot begin to tell you the number of people who would simply step in front of you and make a request of the staff. Rude. Rude. Rude.

 

I did find the dinner in Vista was hit or miss. We either liked most things on the menu or really couldn't find anything and chose from the everyday menu. We also found the food to come out barely warm enough. Strangely though, when we switched to open seating downstairs in the Vista the service and temperature of the food improved vastly!

 

The Pinnacle for breakfast or dinner was awesome. Saam, Pinnacle Manager, is fantastic and I hope if you have a chance to dine in the Pinnacle you have Made (pronounced Ma-Day) as your waiter. A++++++

 

Hi dclizcox, I read with great interest your comments as Im going on the Noordam. I typed in my cabin number on Cruise Critic and it was the same as yours, you discussed the smoking issues with the neighbour on the balcony. We specifically paid for this DVS cabin as its centre ship, hope you dont mind me asking:- have I made a good choice, Im a 1st time cruiser. Thank you in advance

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