Noordam - Rome to Venice and back September 2014

[hillsprint]

As so to the final sea day. There was the usual well packed entertainment programme, we opted for the Wine Tasting in the Pinnacle with Cellar Master Matt. It was great fun, 5 great wines, with some food bits and bobs to try out tasting experiments with.

 

The visual highlight was the return pass through the Straits of Messina and then the volcanic island of Stromboli

 

 

It's amazing to think that people opt to live on this island considering it last erupted only 5 years ago !!

 

The next morning disembarkation went as planned and we were off the ship spot on time at 8.00am, on the coach and back in Fiumicino airport shortly after 9.30. It's a decent airport with a great shopping mall, it even has a Ferrari shop for us petrolheads.

 

So to sum up it was a very enjoyable cruise, the Noordam served up what HAL had promised, we were very pleased. The décor of the ship is totally different to the modern chic of the Solstice or the glitzy show world of the Mariner of the Seas. The Noordam is more refined, it's a comfortable place to be, with cozy spots to sit down, rest and soak in the atmosphere. It makes a great place for a holiday and to get well away from the trouble and hassle of the workplace.

 

Here are some shots of its chill out spots that we enjoyed

 

The aft sun deck and pool

 

 

The Library and Explorer's Lounge

 

 

The cabanas looked great, but we didn't splash out on one

 

 

 

And finally I think my favourite spot, the Promenade Deck, it was delightful on a sea day (even though we had the veranda), you could usually find a seat and at night it was just a great place to take that quiet stroll after dinner, so you could at least pretend you'd worked off that gorgeous dessert !!

 

 

 

So that's it for 2014, let's see where we get to in 2015

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[Mtn2Sea]

Fantastic review!! Thanks so much for doing this.