home from 3/31 noordam

[nurseblissful]

whew. we are home. what a trip. not quite what we hoped for, but still mostly fun.

good points. great seas, good weather, beautiful ship. our steward, gun, was wonderful. found plenty of fun stuff to do. i am still fairly certain karaoke should be outlawed. :D and the scavenger hunt. who gave up their trousers? come on, fess up.

we had a cc meet and greet. it was great to put faces with user names. again, thanks stephanie.

some not so great things. 440 kids. not 391. not that that makes that big a difference. most of them were pretty good. some ran in packs and ran up and down the hall all night long (sounded like a herd of wildebeests). one that was a right smarty, pulled the fire alarm, he and his family were put off in st thomas, per rumor. it was like a floating chucky cheese. someone pooped in the pool on the first day out. oi.

there was a large ethnic group of people that had a HUGE amount of problems. i think most of that was just cultural, but largely unpleasant. this resulted was some very loud cuss fights (no, i am not kidding)and there were a number of those, and a number of problems with physically pushing people. i will let the other ccers tell you that if they choose.

the poor lady that fell and was medivaced off the ship. i heard all kinds of things. i know she fell, was lifted off, husband flew out at the next port and she died. sad. i heard a group of folks says hal owed us an explanation and details on the fall should be forthcoming. hal owes this pax her right to privacy. no ones darn business. period.

the room was great.

loved st thomas, st maarten, and barbados. we went to coki beach, the water was incredible. ate some pretty good conch fritters. we shopped and went to grand bay to swim afterwards in st maarten. in barbados, the turtles were wonderful to watch under water. ate some really spicy curry chicken there that just made me happy. did not care for dominica (just preference) and san juan was closed until 1030 am for easter sunday. we had to be back on for leaving at 1230.

the food was ok. some was great, some was a bit bland. we had great food on all three islands, mentioned above.

this would have been a much better cruise for us without the first two factors. not hals issue. i will be more careful in planning for the future, and avoid school holidays. it was simply too many children for our relaxing 20th anniversary trip.

oh, we stayed at the crowne plaza on times square. it was tidy and well kept. i little pricey. but the elevators were amazing. fast and smooth.

we flew to new york. i think it was a crop duster. it definitely had props. no kidding. tiny and uncomfortable from norfolk. thank god, it did not take long to get there or back. on a happy note. the airline did not lose our luggage, the wine, rum and goodies we brought back all survived nicely.

we are booked for the next cruise in dec 2008 on the veendam.

good night everone.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home. Thanks for taking the time to write your report.

[gizmo]

Thanks for posting. Hopefully your next cruise will be better.

[DFD1]

Nice crisp report. Thanks for sharing it with us.

 

Kids on the Noordam seem to be the topic of the month here, especially those from the New York area. It must be in the water.

[Seago2]

Oh GOD, what a nightmare. Seriously. I am starting to wonder what my August Spirit cruise out of NYC will be like. I've done Carnival in August- it was fine. I think most schools are in session by mid-August so HOPEFULLY i will be ok!

[patnjohn]

NYC & Long Island schools don't go back until after Labor Day! Beware!

[caribbeanqueenie]

there was a large ethnic group of people that had a HUGE amount of problems. i think most of that was just cultural, but largely unpleasant. this resulted was some very loud cuss fights (no, i am not kidding)and there were a number of those, and a number of problems with physically pushing people. i will let the other ccers tell you that if they choose.

 

Hello Lori,

Glad to see you and your husband made it home safe and sound. It was wonderful to meet you and your husband and everyone who came to the cc meeting.

 

I will post my review later, but the mentioned above was my main issue of the cruise.

 

Never again will I take a cruise out of New York. Now I understand what happen to George Smith. At the casino they stood behind you - very intimidating, uncomfortable feeling and they were watching every move you made. I never heard the F word used so much. The funny thing is tension built up as the days progressed among passangers. By the end of the cruise - Everyone was complaining.

 

The childrens behavior was a result of the parents. Children playing slot machines. While their parents played black jack. How many times did they have to kick children out of the aft pool? Every hour.

A father fighting with a officer about wanting his 18 month child in the hot tub with him.

A boy and a girl about the age of 5 going up and down the elavators at 2:30 am, where were the parents?

 

Children laying in the elavators so you could not get in. Receiving hang up calls in our rooms from children being bored.

 

20 families were kicked off in San Juan (A rumor most passangers knew).

 

Security could not keep up with what was going on.

 

HAL cheated us by overbooking the cruise - Proudly telling us we had 2,200 passangers. Cheating us by not being prepared. (Will go into detail on my review).

 

This is not the Holland I had when I took the Maasdam cruise out of Norfolk. Had I taken this cruise first - it would have been my last on Holland. They let things get out of control. So easy to turn their backs, when things were wrong.

[hammybee]

Oh GOD, what a nightmare. Seriously. I am starting to wonder what my August Spirit cruise out of NYC will be like. I've done Carnival in August- it was fine. I think most schools are in session by mid-August so HOPEFULLY i will be ok!

 

Oh-oh. Many schools in the tri-state area do not begin the 2007/8 season until after Labor Day. Time to rebook?

[Seago2]

Oh-oh. Many schools in the tri-state area do not begin the 2007/8 season until after Labor Day. Time to rebook?

 

No, I am aware of this as I am bringing 2 of MY school aged kids. I'm just taking the bet that most schools outside of the Northeast will be back in session or almost back in session.

[hammybee]

No, I am aware of this as I am bringing 2 of MY school aged kids. I'm just taking the bet that most schools outside of the Northeast will be back in session or almost back in session.

 

Those in the Chicagoland area, as well as much of the Midwest return to school in August. Post Labor Day start-up is very much a bi-coastal thing in the U.S.

[hammybee]

Hello Lori,

 

Never again will I take a cruise out of New York. HAL cheated us by overbooking the cruise - Proudly telling us we had 2,200 passangers. Cheating us by not being prepared. (Will go into detail on my review).

 

It's interesting how we have heard from posters who were on the Zuiderdam and Oosterdam during the same period, with as many, if not more kids onboard, and they did not have the same problems, experienced out of NYC.

 

Taking any cruise out of NY during the President's Week holiday or Spring Break is probably not a good idea. There are similar reports from sails on other cruise lines. The gimicks onboard some cruise ships are not sufficient to entertain, when there are too many "at sea" days, especially in colder weather.

 

Sounds like HAL needs to beef up its security, during certain sails departing from NYC, which means using revenue cabins to house the additional staff. This is what Princess does during lucrative college spring break periods, because Princess allows those 18 and over to sail without a parent.

 

As for me, I will save myself the aggravation, and not sail any ship, from NY, during these periods.

[hammybee]

Some of this reminds me of a particular sail with RCL in Europe, some years back. U.S. pax were a minority on this sail and something like 1/4 the population from Malta was onboard, as well as massive extended family groups, from all over Europe.

 

The concept of waiting your turn/ queing-up does not exist within many of these cultures. It was indeed, every man for themselves. Pushing, shoving and intimidation were common behaviors and were not considered the least bit rude, or out of the ordinary. Those most able, were proud to have beat the next guy and were sometime even applauded.

 

It reminded me of some European meat markets where at 5:55P.M., on Saturday, with their 2- fer sales on head of lamb or the NY subways at rush hour, just about any day. Absolute mayhem, with its own magic.

 

This whole deal initially bugged me and carried the potential to cloud the entire cruise. And then I stopped judging and accepted and enjoyed the differences, and on occasion, did a little of my own push back, purely for self entertainment. And it became fun to become a worthy opponent. ( Don't mess with a woman with size 11 feet :) )

 

I probably would not seek out this kind of experience again, but I gained a better appreication of how different cultures operate in tight enviornments. Who am I to impose my values on them or that my way is the only way?

[grannynurse]

This experience sounds like the experience my friends had on a Christmas 2004 Princess cruise to Hawaii, ethic group and all. When she wrote to princess to report incidents including physical injuries after being on 25+ cruises with them, They responded saying that "she was culturally insensitive", in stronger words however.

GN

[mamaofami]

No, I am aware of this as I am bringing 2 of MY school aged kids. I'm just taking the bet that most schools outside of the Northeast will be back in session or almost back in session.

 

 

Just wondering??? :confused: Since you posted on another thread on this topic that the problem seems to be the NY tri state area kids, what difference will it actually make if other areas are back in school? The last wo weeks in August are typically big family vacation weeks in that area and I would expect lots of familes will take a cruise from NY when they don't have to fly.

 

Better check it out first.

[gee1949]

Are we afraid to actually say what we mean? Don Imus

[hammybee]

Are we afraid to actually say what we mean? Don Imus

 

Do you think it might mean "different than me" ?

[babyher]

Do you think it might mean "different than me" ?

 

 

I am not going to answer for the OP and what she meant by the word ethnic, but i will give my answer .....

 

Yes, different than me

 

Every ethnic background and nationality has their own culture, and beliefs and habits and customs includeing the USA .. and not all of them are endearing.

 

There is an "ethnic market" near me that is owned and operated completely by this ethnic group. RUDE, RUDE, RUDE SOBs , everyone of them from the kid sweeping the floor to the manager himself .

 

Don't ask them a question that they don't understand , they bark at you.

 

God forbid a woman goes in there and asks a question or has a problem, wants an exchange or her money back. See in their culture a woman is either home having her 16th baby or else on a street corner winking at sailors , so these "bold" American women are a real threat.

 

But boy do they love good old George Washington , and Abe Lincoln , and Alexander Hamilton etc, etc ,etc.

[Copper10-8]

I am not going to answer for the OP and what she meant by the word ethnic

OK, now I'm really curious who we're talking about here! :confused:

(btw, not every Dutch girl is standing on a corner winking at sailors);)

[babyher]

OK, now I'm really curious who we're talking about here! :confused:

 

(btw, not every Dutch girl is standing on a corner winking at sailors);)

 

Ahhhhhhhhhh

 

Think "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket"

[Copper10-8]

Ahhhhhhhhhh

 

Think "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket"

 

Germans!!;) I knew it, always the Germans!:eek: They took my Dad's radio and bicycle in WWII

[trustee55]

The lady who fell down the stairs died of her injuries.

Her obit was in the Ottawa, Ontario newspaper.

I'm sure glad that Richard and I were on the March 21-31 cruise. Sounds like your cruise had far too many kids.

 

Cheers,

 

Carol Ann

[babyher]

Germans!!;) I knew it, always the Germans!:eek: They took my Dad's radio and bicycle in WWII

 

 

*LMAO*

 

If its any consolation John , my uncle brought home a few Lugars and arm bands he took off a couple of them around the same time.

[hammybee]

Germans!!;) I knew it, always the Germans!:eek: They took my Dad's radio and bicycle in WWII

 

Oh, I get it. And we are all Hogan's Heros. :)

[dznygrl]

"Cuss fights". Ahahahahahahaha!!! We were on this same cruise, and one of the couples at our dinner table recounted witnessing a fight over lounge chairs on the aft pool deck. Some women had put towels down over two loungers and then left . . . for several hours. Finally, two other women removed their towels and used the loungers. The first women showed up later and started a fight over the loungers, almost resulting in a fist fight. Obscenities, threats, you name it. The people around the fighting foursome were getting nervous until one of the women started yelling "You want a piece of me? Do you want a piece of me?" One by one, the people around them started cracking up and the fighters realized how stupid they looked and started calming down.

[babyher]

"Cuss fights". Ahahahahahahaha!!! We were on this same cruise, and one of the couples at our dinner table recounted witnessing a fight over lounge chairs on the aft pool deck. Some women had put towels down over two loungers and then left . . . for several hours. Finally, two other women removed their towels and used the loungers. The first women showed up later and started a fight over the loungers, almost resulting in a fist fight. Obscenities, threats, you name it. The people around the fighting foursome were getting nervous until one of the women started yelling "You want a piece of me? Do you want a piece of me?" One by one, the people around them started cracking up and the fighters realized how stupid they looked and started calming down.

 

 

They sound like a couple of real society girls :)