Noordam Eastern Caribbean Dec 16-23

[Jenncruiser]

We sailed with Holland in June of their Canada and New England cruise and we were lucky enough to win this cruise through playing bingo. We decided to use our free trip to go to the eastern Caribbean, mostly because those dates were more convenient.

 

We flew into Fort Lauderdale 2 days early to make sure that we made it onto our ship. We got in late at night to find out that the airline had lost my luggage and that I wouldn't get it till the next day. Not the best way to start a trip. In addition when we finally got my bag they had broken the zipper off and didn't bother giving it back to me, thanks a lot Virgin America. Anyway we had a good time sightseeing in Fort Lauderdale and the next morning we left for our cruise. We stayed at the holiday inn express which had a shuttle to take you right to your boat for $8.

 

The embarkation process ran pretty smoothly. We got there shortly before noon and we were eating in the lido at 1. After lunch I was anxious to explore the ship. Previously I was on the Veendam and the noordam is much larger. I liked the ship but I found the layout to be confusing. I frequently got disoriented which usually isn't a problem for me. I did appreciate all of the lounges and places to sit. My mom and I love to play our travel scrabble so we frequently spent nights in the explorers lounge listening to the adagio violin and piano and playing our game. They were fantastic by the way. I also really like have the aft pool. We spent a lot of time out there which was great since the weather was so nice.

 

The boat was also very nicely decorated for Christmas, there were trees and lights and gingerbread houses everywhere you looked. They also frequently played carols which helped set the mood.

 

I care much more about the entertainment on a ship then most seem to. I'm a voice teacher and I frequently do theater so it's hard for me to watch shows without being hypercritical. That being said I really didn't enjoy any of the shows with the singers and dancers. The performers themselves were pretty good but the shows themselves were just so poorly arranged. Heat appropriated other cultures in a way that I found pretty offensive. Doom had a gorgeous set and costumes and I loved the tricks on the hula hoop. The show itself was pretty boring and hard to follow.

 

What I absolutely loved entertainment wise were the performers in the bb king blues club. They were phenomenal. They perform every night in the queens lounge and got one night in the big vista lounge. I ended up seeing them 4 times and I was blown away every time. I almost feel like they're too good to be on a cruise ship but what a privilege for Holland to be hosting them. Dancing with the stars at sea was also a lot of fun to watch and a nice way to end the cruise.

 

The cruise director Mario was pretty good but seemed young and inexperienced and not quite comfortable with the job yet. We played bingo a few times (didn't win) and the show host made no jokes. It made it all much more boring.

 

Service in the MDR was way too slow. Some folks may like that but I don't have the patience to spend 2+ hours on dinner. We discovered the afternoon tea which we loved so we often ended up going to that, stuffing ourselves on sandwiches and pastries, and eating dinner at the lido later that night, it worked out well. I loved the ice cream in the lido, I ate way too much of it.

 

On our New England cruise the overall crowd was very old on the ship. This cruise though I was really surprised at how diverse it was. There really were people of all ages and races. As a 23 year old this definitely helped me to feel more comfortable on the ship. There were a lot of kids on the ship too. I was a surprised at how many.

 

The activities on the boat were very nice, much more then last time. I enjoyed a lot of the events in the culinary arts center and the host Santana there was very good. We even won a free chocolate martini and chocolate trivia.

 

I really missed the dessert buffet. I don't know why that's gone.

 

I loved all of the ports. We were worried that each island would be the same but they really all have their own flavor. We did Holland excursions on every island except Half Moon Cay. Grand Turk had a lot of obvious poverty, we took a tour around the island (Grand Turk Explorer) and we stopped near an area with a bunch of booths all selling the same cheapy plastic souvenirs. Everything was very cheap but there was such a quiet desperation when we came into look that I left feeling kind of sad.

 

San Juan was probably my favorite port. I wish we could have docked there overnight. We took a tour that went to the fortress and new San Juan (San Juan old and new). We spend awhile there at night and tried Mofongo (fried plaintains and meat). SO GOOD.

 

In St. Thomas we did the ultimate island tour which was nice because it included 2 hours at Magen's bay which was absolutely gorgeous. It also went to Blackbeard's Castle which I could have done with out since it just seemed like a tourist trap but some of the old houses were interesting. The town of Charlotte Amalie was nice but it didn't have as many interesting shops as San Juan.

 

Now this is a positive review where it could have easily gone negative because of what went on with our stateroom. We paid for an upsell to a category VF verandah which ended up being at the front of the ship with a steel balcony. This room was so unbelievably noisy and you couldn't see anything off of the balcony. We heard all of the ship engine and anchor noises but the worst sounds came from the crew. We we right across from where they go to sleep and we frequently heard doors slamming and even party music playing. Our neighbor was the one who located the source of it and called the front desk. Luckily the partying was just one night but the door slamming frequently woke me up. The movement of the ship was also very rocky. We ended up complaining to the front desk about everyday because we just were not getting any sleep and it was making it hard to function. Finally we had had enough and tried to get moved to another cabin. Holland found us a much better cabin higher up and in a higher category. We moved in about halfway through the cruise and the difference was really night and day. Holland also credited us with $100 shipboard credit. They really went above and beyond to make things right. The quality of service on Holland is just so high. We would sail again for that reason alone.

 

Overall I really loved this cruise. I was sad to get off the boat. It will probably be awhile before we can afford a cruise again but I'm already looking at the Caribbean itineraries and imagining where I could go next.

[erewhon]

Thank you for taking time to write your review.

 

You were lucky that the ship was not full, so there was another room available to be moved to.

[mamaofami]

Thank you for your review. It sounds like all the not so good shows I've seen over and over have been replaced with some new not so good ones.

Sigh.

 

I'm glad you were able to get another cabin. I always pick the cabin I want to be in and that's pretty much that. I usually mark my reservation not to upgrade without notifying me. I'm happy with what I pick.

 

Next up for me is Noordam so I was happy to hear what you had to say. I expect the stewards in the MDR are still overworked and that is going to be an issue until they change that situation. I would hope more people would mention that on their surveys at the end of the cruise.

Edited December 28, 2013 by mamaofami

[startwin]

Thanks for taking the time to report back on your cruise. I haven't been on the Noordam, and I've read good and bad reviews; yours was a mix of both so seems factual.:) As erewhon said, you are lucky the ship was not full so there was a cabin to move to. Everyone seems to love the BB King Blues Club, and I look forward to them on my next cruise. I never attend the production shows anymore, it's kind of meh, but they sometimes have a good comedian or magician on other nights.

 

Oh, and well done for winning a cruise!

Edited December 28, 2013 by startwin

[fm6175]

Thank you for your wonderful review .

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

That is nice that HAL listened to your complaint and moved you to another cabin.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[trixiee]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review! Glad you were able to switch rooms! Looking forward to boarding the Noordam in a few weeks! :D

[kazu]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

 

So glad you were able to change rooms!

 

Congrats on winning the cruise :) That is a real plus :D

[sail7seas]

Thannks for your review. I enjoyed reading it.

 

Sorry to hear of your unpleasant experience in the original cabin but very happy they were able to move you to be a more comfortable cabin/area.

 

Happy you enjoyed the ports.

 

Welcome Back. :)

 

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[alibabacruisers]

Thank you for writing your review. How great is that that you won a cruise playing BINGO! Maybe that will convince my husband to play along with me next time ;) Glad you got a satisfactory solution via moving cabins. I also like hearing about situations where customer service is in full swing because it seems like everywhere you turn these days, customer service is waning. Thank you again for your review!

[tangerinebunny]

I enjoyed your review. It sounds like you tried to roll with the punches but know when to ask for help. You should have a lot of good cruises ahead with that attitude.