HOLLAND'S NOORDAM

[malony33]

Has anyone sailed on the Noordam recently who knows if it has ever been refurbished? I think it was launched in 2006.  If it has been spruced up, about what year?

 

A few questions that are a bit more specific:

 

1. Are the showers glass enclosed?                                                                                                                                                                                          2.  What's the smoking policy - for instance, in the casino?

3.  How's the food?    

4. What's the pre-cruise COVID testing policy? Are any passengers or crew permitted to sail if                                                                               they have not been vaccinated?

5.  I usually take Celebrity - has anyone been on Celebrity who can supply a few words of                                                                                      comparison between Celebrity and Holland?

 

Thanks very much, everyone. I hope you are all well and cruising, or planning your next sailing.

Edited September 7, 2022 by malony33
errors

[CruiserBruce]

Many of these things are fleetwide issues and policies. The pre-cruise Covid policy and procedures are discussed here daily, and are on the HAL website. Crew is totally vaccinated. Pax have to test if they haven't been vaccinated. The smoking policy has a little variance...I think Noordam has smoking in the casino, but like every other HAL ship, the only other smoking location is the Lido Deck, aft pool area.

 

Food is totally subjective. Is it great, no, but neither is Celebrity. But the vast majority of people don't lose any weight on HAL cruises.

[Red Haired Lady]

Here is a link to a recent thread about the Noordam. 

 

 

[highscar]

No smoking in the casino in April, May.    

[crystalspin]

cruisedeckplans says "Last Drydock: Feb 2022" so she should be pretty snazzy!

[rover16]

We were on her in May and it was it great condition. Had a Neptune Suite, and I think the shower just had a curtain. 

Staff, as usual, anxious to please and, other than Guest Relations, we had great service in all areas, except for a lack of live music most of the time.

Was last on Celebrity in 2019 and I would rate their food a little better, in particular in the MDR.

 

[MISTER 67]

We love HAL, Celebrity and Princess, we sailed with Celebrity on the Equinox twice this summer and the Rotterdam in March. Celebrity has better food and the variety of food in the buffet is amazing but we had no problem with the food on HAL.

We find the cabins on Celebrity a bit larger with ample closet space and the bathrooms are also larger, the Noordam and her sister ships also have nice sized cabins but we weren't happy with our cabin size on the Rotterdam, tiny bathroom but the shower was a nice size.

HAL has Music Walk but the shows in the main theater are week, Celebrity had great entertainment in the main showroom. Grest service on both lines as is the cleanliness. Both lines maintain their ships at a high level.

We do love the Noordam and her sister ships as they all have the old style full promenade decks with the steamer deck chairs.

Passengers are older on HAL but so are we as we are in our mid 70s. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by MISTER 67

[Guest ldtr]

4 hours ago, crystalspin said:

cruisedeckplans says "Last Drydock: Feb 2022" so she should be pretty snazzy!

Except she has been used for housing Ukrainian refugees for the last several months.  Unclear what services were provided by ship staff compared to normal cruise  If you have the same people staying in rooms for a longer period of time there might be more wear, especially if less services were provided.

[Kurtybee123]

8 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Except she has been used for housing Ukrainian refugees for the last several months.  Unclear what services were provided by ship staff compared to normal cruise  If you have the same people staying in rooms for a longer period of time there might be more wear, especially if less services were provided.

Volendam has been housing refugees.  Noordam is currently in Alaska. 

[CNSJ]

We sailed Noordam in August southbound from Whittier to Vancouver.  No glass doors (even the neptune suite) - but all was in great shape and recently upgraded.  Carpets and furnishings are new and the ship is very nice!

 

I especially like the new dining room chairs.....

 

Enjoy your trip on Noordam!

[54Carol]

21 hours ago, malony33 said:

Has anyone sailed on the Noordam recently who knows if it has ever been refurbished? I think it was launched in 2006.  If it has been spruced up, about what year?

 

A few questions that are a bit more specific:

 

1. Are the showers glass enclosed?                                                                                                                                                                                          2.  What's the smoking policy - for instance, in the casino?

3.  How's the food?    

4. What's the pre-cruise COVID testing policy? Are any passengers or crew permitted to sail if                                                                               they have not been vaccinated?

5.  I usually take Celebrity - has anyone been on Celebrity who can supply a few words of                                                                                      comparison between Celebrity and Holland?

 

Thanks very much, everyone. I hope you are all well and cruising, or planning your next sailing.

Just got off the Noordam on Sunday.  The ship is old, but it is updated nicely.  The showers are in a tub with a cloth curtain.  (keep in mind if you board a Holland ship with the glass enclosure, the toilet is situated in such a way that if you are tall, you have to sit sideways on it because your knees don't fit because of the glass.)  The rooms are updated.  If you watch videos on YouTube, it shows an old model tv in the corner.  They are now mounted on the wall across from the bed.  No smoking in the casino.  There are designated smoking areas outside. The food was good.  No complaints from us.  The pre-cruise Covid testing is changing 9/6.  Check their website for specific info.  Never been on a Celebrity ship so can't compare.

 

[Roz]

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

Except she has been used for housing Ukrainian refugees for the last several months.  Unclear what services were provided by ship staff compared to normal cruise  If you have the same people staying in rooms for a longer period of time there might be more wear, especially if less services were provided.

Don't know where you got this idea but it's wrong.  I'm taking a Pacific Coastal on Noordam from Vancouver to San Diego after she ends her Alaskan season.

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, Kurtybee123 said:

Volendam has been housing refugees.  Noordam is currently in Alaska. 

Yep i knew that, for some reason when I read nordam my mind thought volendam probably because there was another discussion going on about Volendam that i had just been in.

Edited September 8, 2022 by ldtr

[Guest ldtr]

10 minutes ago, Roz said:

Don't know where you got this idea but it's wrong.  I'm taking a Pacific Coastal on Noordam from Vancouver to San Diego after she ends her Alaskan season.

confused discussion streams.

[LJProk]

We were on Noordam in June this year, in a signature suite. We had a tub with shower curtain and a shower with a curtain as well.

 

I do not remember there being smoking in the casino (my son liked hanging out in the piano bar that is open to the casino).

 

We liked the food. We ate breakfast most mornings in the MDR and tried to do lunch there when we could. Dinner we ate in the MDR, one night in Pinnacle Grill and one in Canaletto.

[AFNavigator]

On 9/7/2022 at 1:15 PM, crystalspin said:

cruisedeckplans says "Last Drydock: Feb 2022" so she should be pretty snazzy!

Also on same site, it adds:

"During drydock in May 2018 added Billboard Onboard, Gallery Bar, and Lincoln Center Stage.

 

Drydock in 2022 for underwater work, full hull blast and paint, ADA upgrades, updates to public spaces, carpet installs, furniture reupholstery, and piping upgrades."