Noordam: Broken Toilet, Cold Showers, and a missed port to save money!

[Cruisedog123]

I was on this cruise and while I was disappointed that we did not stop in Monaco, I respect the Captain’s decision. The winds did pick up later in the day and by dinner time the seas were banging against the side of the ship. I remember because we discussed the loud banging sounds with our waiter during dinner and I remember thinking to myself that given the seas and winds later in the day, the Captain made the right call. Also, while the Captain did not make the initial announcement that we were skipping Monaco, he did come on later to explain his decision. He erred on the side of caution. He is responsible for a ship worth hundreds of millions of dollars and had to be concerned that in the narrow Monaco harbor if the weather continued to deteriorate during the day, there was a real risk of damage to the nearby yachts collectively worth much more than a billion dollars. The passengers are not responsible for any loses that occur and that is why the decision to stay in port is an easy one for them.

 

We had no toilet issues (yours were inexcusable) and only one day when shower water was tepid. It was on the first formal night about an hour before dinner. I had no problems getting water or ice in the Lido but did not try and get juices and our room service was on time and correct every morning. I thought the service in the MDR was slow a couple of nights but mostly very good. I thought the food in the MDR was mostly very good except for the desserts which were average at best. My only complaint would be no one on that ship could make a decent cocktail.

 

My kids loved club Hal and all the shows. For us, this was a great cruise and I am sorry you didn't have the same experience.

[jmkennett]

I was on this cruise and while I was disappointed that we did not stop in Monaco, I respect the Captain’s decision. The winds did pick up later in the day and by dinner time the seas were banging against the side of the ship. I remember because we discussed the loud banging sounds with our waiter during dinner and I remember thinking to myself that given the seas and winds later in the day, the Captain made the right call. Also, while the Captain did not make the initial announcement that we were skipping Monaco, he did come on later to explain his decision. He erred on the side of caution. He is responsible for a ship worth hundreds of millions of dollars and had to be concerned that in the narrow Monaco harbor if the weather continued to deteriorate during the day, there was a real risk of damage to the nearby yachts collectively worth much more than a billion dollars. The passengers are not responsible for any loses that occur and that is why the decision to stay in port is an easy one for them.

 

We had no toilet issues (yours were inexcusable) and only one day when shower water was tepid. It was on the first formal night about an hour before dinner. I had no problems getting water or ice in the Lido but did not try and get juices and our room service was on time and correct every morning. I thought the service in the MDR was slow a couple of nights but mostly very good. I thought the food in the MDR was mostly very good except for the desserts which were average at best. My only complaint would be no one on that ship could make a decent cocktail.

 

My kids loved club Hal and all the shows. For us, this was a great cruise and I am sorry you didn't have the same experience.

 

I'm glad you didn't experience what we did with the cabin and lack of resolution. Club HAL was great, I agree. As were many other things. We'll disagree on Monaco. My problem was the other two ships ended up returning and tendering. It was windy and choppy later in the day, yes, but we were also 30 miles out to sea. I've tendered in worse.

 

We did have a great time, but a lot of the problems made it not the normal HAL experience. Maybe I can say if you go to a game to see your favorite team play, with all your friends, and they lose. You still had a great time, but the loss put a damper on the day. Same thing here. We had a great time and I always love being on a ship, especially in Europe, but we had too many unresolved issues that we shouldn't have had to deal with when spending that kind of money.

[jmkennett]

I hope it all works out for you. We had a pretty bad first cruise on HAL (although i knew we loved the overall experience) there were some major issues.

 

They made the effort for us, made it right, we gave them another chance and they knocked our socks off ever since then.

 

I do hope it works out for you. Did you have a TA to go to bat for you?

 

I sure hope it all works out to your satisfaction.

 

My wife is the TA! Going back on what I said in my first post, I will give HAL another chance. But, I will probably give other lines some strong consideration for my next cruises in March and next summer.

[Cruising Ham]

...someone else said Monaco was a tender port...

It wasn't a tender port for our August 2012 cruise on the Noordam. I know that because...ummmmmmm...we walked right off the ship. And back on as well. Monaco's a fun place, but I digress.

[lovetocruise2020]

My wife is the TA! Going back on what I said in my first post, I will give HAL another chance. But, I will probably give other lines some strong consideration for my next cruises in March and next summer.

 

OMG. Wow.

Sorry i missed that.

[PatsyAnne]

It wasn't a tender port for our August 2012 cruise on the Noordam. I know that because...ummmmmmm...we walked right off the ship. And back on as well. Monaco's a fun place, but I digress.

When I said we took the tenders there in 2008, it was a special case where Monaco would not let us dock due to a race. Even then, the normal procedure would have been to dock. I was just pointing out that the conditions, although they looked good to me, were a logistical nightmare, and I can see how there can be problems there.

[syesmar]

It wasn't a tender port for our August 2012 cruise on the Noordam. I know that because...ummmmmmm...we walked right off the ship. And back on as well. Monaco's a fun place, but I digress.

 

In 2012, I was a passenger aboard the Ryndam. In the morning, we tendered. After another ship left in early afternoon, our captain docked the ship. We were there until midnight.

[Shorn]

You are 100 percent right we were on that cruise , Captain a 3 year veteran with a ship like Noordam , how come. it was exactly like you said HAL JUST DON'T CARE watch all the hand wringers now, they just apologize for all the stuff ups and hope you go away here we were bobbing around on the ocean in perfectly clear weather ,lost money on shore excursions . How people praise this cruise line I will never know, they are worse than hopeless .

[kiggy]

HAL, the new Costa. Great. No thanks, I'm done with HAL. Now they don't even try to make you happy or compensated. They are losing their best customers, and frankly don't care.

[NoobCruise]

I'm very glad to read this thread as I've been eyeballing the 18 day Southern/Western Caribbean on the Noordam, which is a fantastic price right now. I guess there's a reason cabins are going so cheap. I think I'll be looking for alternatives.

[ScriptOhio]

That would be Captain Peter Bos. He is a total rock star. He also is a Purell fiend and touted the features of the new hand-washing machines in the Lido.

 

Just sayin', I just got off the Veendam (17 Aug 2013) and Captain Peter Bos was the captain. He might have been the best captain of any of the 116 cruises that I've been on. He was an excellent captain, i.e. keeping everyone totally informed, maneuvering around ice flows (Prince Christian Sound) and into narrow harbors in very windy conditions (Heimaey), and arranging for an alternate port (Ringaskiddy) when weather conditions prohibited tendering into the scheduled one (Waterford) , etc. Also, we did miss one port in Greenland (Nanortalik) and were given a $98.38 pp refund plus a complimentary glass of champagne.

[AlohaPride]

Why is the Noordam being called an "old ship" in many of the posts? She is only 7 years old. Is that really old?

 

To the OP, what a disaster all around. No plumbing, no hot water, no REAL compensation, and you missed a really cool port. I, too, would be questioning my "loyalty" to HAL. :(

[jmkennett]

I promised a review with some pictures, etc., and have not had a chance to get to it since I've been home. I apologize and I will do it.

 

Since returning, HAL has been very generous to us, but I won't go into details. Put it this way, they have convinced me that I should try my favorite cruise line again and I have booked a cruise for early next year. The people in Customer Service have been wonderful. I know there are many complaints about cutbacks, etc. on this board, but my issues on this cruise were beyond that and I'm sure, and hoping, it was an anomoly. Frankly, even with the problems, I wish I was still on the Noordam. Sure beats reality!

[Cruzaholic41]

HAL, the new Costa. Great. No thanks, I'm done with HAL. Now they don't even try to make you happy or compensated. They are losing their best customers, and frankly don't care.

 

Harsh, but I agree. The decline I've seen in HAL over the past few years has been really disappointing. Competitor cruise lines are building new ship designs and with their service and beautiful ships, they are leaving HAL in the dust. About the only thing I think HAL has over the others is better itineraries.

[kjw869]

I'm very glad to read this thread as I've been eyeballing the 18 day Southern/Western Caribbean on the Noordam, which is a fantastic price right now. I guess there's a reason cabins are going so cheap. I think I'll be looking for alternatives.

 

Cheap? Our 11-day cruise on the Noordam went up in price last month. There are only seven Neptune Suites left for a cruise five months from now.

 

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[cccole]

I promised a review with some pictures, etc., and have not had a chance to get to it since I've been home. I apologize and I will do it.

 

Since returning, HAL has been very generous to us, but I won't go into details. Put it this way, they have convinced me that I should try my favorite cruise line again and I have booked a cruise for early next year. The people in Customer Service have been wonderful. I know there are many complaints about cutbacks, etc. on this board, but my issues on this cruise were beyond that and I'm sure, and hoping, it was an anomoly. Frankly, even with the problems, I wish I was still on the Noordam. Sure beats reality!

 

 

I have been following this thread from your first post. It is great news that HAL has encouraged you to keep trying your "favorite cruise line". I hope to never experience the discomforts you did on any cruise line but would much prefer an onboard solution. Cherie

[kazu]

I promised a review with some pictures, etc., and have not had a chance to get to it since I've been home. I apologize and I will do it.

 

Since returning, HAL has been very generous to us, but I won't go into details. Put it this way, they have convinced me that I should try my favorite cruise line again and I have booked a cruise for early next year. The people in Customer Service have been wonderful. I know there are many complaints about cutbacks, etc. on this board, but my issues on this cruise were beyond that and I'm sure, and hoping, it was an anomoly. Frankly, even with the problems, I wish I was still on the Noordam. Sure beats reality!

 

Thanks for coming back and letting us know how things turned out. It sounds like you are happy with the resolution and that is good news indeed:D

 

I haven't faced any of your issues, so hopefully it was an anomaly and your future cruises will hold nothing but fair winds and following seas:D

[OVgirl]

I promised a review with some pictures, etc., and have not had a chance to get to it since I've been home. I apologize and I will do it.

 

Since returning, HAL has been very generous to us, but I won't go into details. Put it this way, they have convinced me that I should try my favorite cruise line again and I have booked a cruise for early next year. The people in Customer Service have been wonderful. I know there are many complaints about cutbacks, etc. on this board, but my issues on this cruise were beyond that and I'm sure, and hoping, it was an anomoly. Frankly, even with the problems, I wish I was still on the Noordam. Sure beats reality!

 

So glad to hear that you were able to come to an agreement with HAL. I'm with everyone else and hope that what you experienced was an exception.

 

Cheap? Our 11-day cruise on the Noordam went up in price last month. There are only seven Neptune Suites left for a cruise five months from now.

 

 

I wish! We board Noordam after you and our prices are higher than other years and no price drops. Also there are no suites available, only insides, oceanview and veranda cabins. So, looks like a popular ship and itinerary.

[popcan]

With all due respect, you are not on this cruise and do not know what we have been told. The reason was given that it was a financial decision due to the port charges. Initially, yes, it was the storm and it lasted 10 minutes. All they had to due was wait it out for about an hour. However, there was no effort to do that and it turned out to be a beautiful day in Monaco. We sat a few miles away for a few hours. The seas and winds were calm and it was a bright blue sky. It is the bottom line, pure and simple. No apologies are needed for the captain. He couldn't even be the one to tell us what is going on. I call it bs when it is bs. I totally agree about the Concordia captain. These are two different subjects. They are now refunding the port charges and we get a wonderful glass of wine!

 

As a (past) Operations Superintendent at one of the cruise terminals in Vancouver, I have to say that the Captain is ultimately responsible for the safety of the passengers, crew, and vessel, no matter what the "bottom line" dictates or what head office says....and therefore he has the final say. Even if the Pilot screws up, it's on the Captain. Had he made a different decision, and encountered problems - well, you know how that can end.

 

However, having said that, it sure sounds like the whole situation should have been handled in a more professional manner. Plumbing, on the other hand, is a whole different kettle of fish! I'd feel the same as you. It's good to hear that things were addressed properly in the end.

[kjw869]

I wish! We board Noordam after you and our prices are higher than other years and no price drops. Also there are no suites available, only insides, oceanview and veranda cabins. So, looks like a popular ship and itinerary.

 

Our favorite is the Noordam as we have been on all the Vista and Signatures class ships. We took this same cruise two years ago and loved it, and had to book over a year in advance to get our favorite aft wrap cabin. Two years ago, the same scenario, the price kept rising for this cruise.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise OVgirl!

[lynp]

I agree with everything you have said, especially not docking at Monaco, inexperienced cheap captain, offering 1 glass of cheap champagne a a substitue for a lost port of call, just shows how cheap they are. Also the s adults pool was unclean and unsafe and after many guests requested cleaning it was cleaned by many staff with high pressure hoses, the guck in and around the pool was disgusting. This was our first ever Cruise and we will not sail with Holland America again. The front desk staff are rude and we were constantly bombarded with buy more drinks, have more spa treatments.Never again I will cruise again but try to find a genuine 5* ship.

I will start by saying I’m done with HAL. No, this not a joke and I know the cheerleaders will probably rip me. Let me start by saying I’ve been on 43 cruises and am a three star Mariner. HAL was my favorite line until now, and I have two more cruises planned, one for Spring Break and another for next summer in Europe. Those will now be cancelled. Cruising is my favorite way to travel and always will be. I have never had a major complaint on a cruise, nor do I look fondly at the constant complainers. I work in a five diamond resort, so I understand hospitality.

 

I’m currently five days into an 11 day Med cruise on the Noordam. Many on these boards have said the Noordam was their favorite ship and upon boarding, I agreed this may become the case for me. The ship is beautiful and of course the crew is as friendly as can be.

 

Before I get into it, I will let you know of the couple of changes after drydock. The added cabins above the Lido deck (forward) are awful. It doesn’t really matter on a European cruise, but for the Caribbean, the lack of deck space is going to be bad. They have taken a very large area of open deck space away and not replaced it with anything except for the retreat cabanas (the same as the NA and Eurodam). The NA and Eurodam have the large deck space above Tamarind. The Noordam does not have this. The chair hogs will be out in force and probably for good reason. This is another money grab by HAL that will hurt the experience for their passengers. As you will see below in a few paragraphs, I don’t think they care.

 

The Indonesian crew, as usual couldn’t be nicer. Our cabin stewards are the best I’ve ever had. Couldn’t be better. The Lido service, however, has been marginal at best. The drink machines are constantly out of the advertised drink. Ice availability is hit or miss. The first two days, when you can’t serve yourself was awful. Big lines for everything and way understaffed. The average line for a cup of coffee at 9:30AM, was about 15 people long. To get a glass of juice was a huge project. Food lines extended into the elevator area at the aft of the Lido.

 

I understand the whole noro thing, but if I can push an elevator button on my own, why can’t I push the drink machine button for a cup of coffee? This is a bit excessive and no other cruise line does this, that I’m aware. If you are going to handle things this way in the beginning of a cruise, then staff it properly.

 

Our waiters in the dining room are very nice, but the service has also been marginal. It is not their fault. They are understaffed. Dinner is slow every night. In the past the Maitre D always stops by the table to check on how things were going. Not this time. The little things, like remembering your favorite things, are a thing of the past. This and the Lido, however, are not a deal breaker.

 

So, here is when it starts and ends for me. Not to get into the gory details, but the first night, the toilet won’t flush. OK, not a big deal, things break. After a call to maintenance, I’m sure it will be fixed. After a couple hours, it flushes. Later that night, the toilet won’t flush, again. Another call. A few hours later, it flushes.

 

We now move into day two. I wake up to a toilet that won’t flush, again. Now, we call the front office to escalate. Maintenance shows up about THREE hours later. Says everything should work. It does, for an hour. Once again, toilet won’t flush! Another call, repeat! We are now using the public restroom. Still getting lip service from the front office.

 

Day three arrives. Not only do we repeat day one or two with the toilet, but now the big surprise, no hot water!!! We finally get the excuse that there are too many people taking showers and flushing toilets. In 43 cruises, never heard that one. What, you weren’t expecting after returning from port that people may take showers and go to the bathroom?

 

Move on to day four. Repeat! No hot shower and a broken toilet. More excuses. No compensation, nothing. The toilet flushes when it chooses throughout the day. More time in the public restroom.

 

Now we move on to day five. Not sure about the shower yet and the toilet didn’t flush for 20 minutes (a vast improvement). Toilet problems, shower problems, a major inconvenience, but I won’t let it ruin my cruise. What happens next has left me speechless and absolutely fuming with anger.

 

Upon entering Monaco, we encountered a large thunderstorm, with high winds. This lasted about ten minutes and then blew over. Was it a bad storm? Yes, but it was just a thunderstorm that was passing through. A few minutes later the cruise director comes on and says we have to cancel the port because of the storm. What? The storm is gone and blue sky is coming. Oh wait, the forecast is for “possible” thunderstorms throughout the day and for our safety, we will not stay in Monaco. This is ridiculous. Last I checked, thunderstorms happen all time. Ports would be cancelled constantly. What if we were docked and the thunderstorm happens at two o’clock? Are they going to leave 1800 people on shore? So, I knew this was bogus.

 

For some strange reason, I was thinking that money had to be involved in some way, so I investigated a bit further. Why not wait it out and after conditions improve, head back into port? After another phone call to a higher up, we got a new and improved answer. We were told “that the rule in Monte Carlo is if you tie the lines, you will be charged the port charges.”

 

A decision was made by the captain and HAL corporate to cancel the port and save money. “ Not that I’m shocked by a bogus corporate decision, but this is outrageous. Thanks HAL. You cancel the best stop on the cruise to save money! We are now sitting a few miles off of Monaco in brilliant sunshine and calm seas. Thanks! This is utter BS. I’ve never seen this level of incompetence on a cruise. I will post some pictures of how nice the weather is as soon as possible. This idiot captain could have stayed out from the port for an hour or two, then returned to Monaco. However, he decided to be a corporate hack and save the wonderful company some money, as we were told it would cost too much to return. An absolute terrible decision that involves nothing with safety and everything with the bottom line. You screw 1800 people out of the shot to spend a day in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The safety excuse is just that, nothing but an excuse. I could take a rowboat in and be just fine.

 

No one on this staff cares. The cruise director comes on and tells us at least will have a free movie in the lounge today and some revised activities. Wow. Let’s see, a free movie (included anyway) or a day in Monaco? When calling the front office, all you get is bogus lip service, again. I’ve been dealing with a toilet at 50% and cold showers for the entire cruise, with no compensation and now this. They have my money, so they do not care! The captain said on the noon report that they looked into other Italian port (Portofino, etc.), but that the wind could be too much for the bow thrusters and we would have to get a tug instead. More bottom line from HAL. Can‘t pay for a tug and give us a beautiful evening in Portofino? For the missed stop in Monaco, we are getting a free glass of wine! Just wonderful! How insulting!

 

Due to this, the other service flaws and problems, and spending over $10,000 for two cabins, I will never become a four star Mariner and will never sail on this line again. As a travel agent, I will never recommend this cruise line and I will go out of my way not to sell it.

 

If I had found a staff member that seemed to have cared, it would be one thing, but no one could care a less that we’ve had to use a public restroom instead of our cabin, had cold showers, and missed a call in Monaco for no reason. When asked to speak to one of the “higher ups”, I was told “they don’t have to speak with you sir”. Great response! The captain couldn’t even be the one to break the news about Monaco. He passed that one on to the cruise director. Sorry, HAL, no second chances after the way we were treated. I have to hassle with enough stuff in real life. I shouldn’t have to deal with it on any vacation, let alone one that costs this much.

 

We will now enjoy the rest of the cruise, with a partially working toilet and lukewarm shower, maybe a port call in Florence if it is a perfectly sunny day, but will never sail on this line again. Oh, and still waiting to get some sort of compensation for the toilet. Of course, nothing, but they keep pushing the BINGO game today! I’ll answer any questions you have.

[OlsSalt]

I agree with everything you have said, especially not docking at Monaco, inexperienced cheap captain, offering 1 glass of cheap champagne a a substitue for a lost port of call, just shows how cheap they are. Also the s adults pool was unclean and unsafe and after many guests requested cleaning it was cleaned by many staff with high pressure hoses, the guck in and around the pool was disgusting. This was our first ever Cruise and we will not sail with Holland America again. The front desk staff are rude and we were constantly bombarded with buy more drinks, have more spa treatments.Never again I will cruise again but try to find a genuine 5* ship.

 

Price you pay for your cruise is often a clue whether you will or will not get a "genuine 5*" experience. HAL is not a 5* line, whatever that is. It is a good solid mainstream cruise line, and its pricing reflects this status. Best wishes.

[vbmom87]

.I will cruise again but try to find a genuine 5* ship.

 

Sorry to hear about this very unfortunate cruise. Sounds like some firings need to take place to get this ship back up to par.

 

Unfortunately even the high end cruiselines have been in the news for some pretty disgusting issues. Google "Silversea and food scandal."

 

Prior to reading about the Silversea incident, I was thinking about trying one of the more luxury ships. The Silversea situation opened my eyes and made me realize that there are no guarantees that spending more money will provide me with a better experience. For me cleanliness and food safety are number one. I can deal with other disappointments. However, I want to come home safe and well.

 

Good luck finding that perfect cruise. I hope it is everything you are hoping for.

[travelnnana]

I am sorry to hear of your problems on the Noordam - we love that ship and the fact it did not have Cabanas - they must make $$$ on them - I can not imagine a broken toilet for days - however I do not think they canceled Monaco to save $$$ - the wind in the Med is a problem - but am very surprised that the Captain did not announce it personally - btw who was the Captain - also we have had recent cruises on the Nieuw Amsterdam and Eruodam - both in Europe - the service was outstanding as were the Captains

[CI66774]

I agree with everything you have said, especially not docking at Monaco, inexperienced cheap captain, offering 1 glass of cheap champagne a a substitue for a lost port of call, just shows how cheap they are. Also the s adults pool was unclean and unsafe and after many guests requested cleaning it was cleaned by many staff with high pressure hoses, the guck in and around the pool was disgusting. This was our first ever Cruise and we will not sail with Holland America again. The front desk staff are rude and we were constantly bombarded with buy more drinks, have more spa treatments.Never again I will cruise again but try to find a genuine 5* ship.

 

HAL is NOT a 5 star line. It is a mass market cruise line. If you want a more elegant experience, you'll pay for it. Try Crystal or Regent. Great lines but you pay through the nose.