Late - ms Noordam AK review 09,02,07

[kruskat]

ms Noordam 9-2-07 through 9-9-07 Alaska Cruise Review

Family Reunion – Age range of family – mid forties to mid seventies.

Pre-cruise – HAL Ship Services arranged for our onboard gifts and addressed our dining requests and special needs perfectly and professionally.

We met JoKen1 and really enjoyed visiting with this terrific lady. The opportunity to meet new friends is yet another added benefit to cruising.

Embarkation – easy and timely – we arrive at the pier around 11:00 AM

Captain and Crew – friendly, approachable and efficient – ms Noordam’s Captain and crew members are great assets for HAL.

Cabin – Two HH cabins and one SY. The cabins were perfect for our needs and spotlessly maintained.

Pinnacle Grill – Outstanding meal and service. The Volcano Cake was great. I hope this dessert is never eliminated from the menu. Every aspect of the meal was perfect.

Vista Dining Room - Early Traditional Dining Upstairs confirmed – Excellent food and service. It is very important for our entire family to have Early Traditional Dining. Cruising has become a time when we leave work behind and are able spend time together as a family. We look forward to hassle free meals together in the dining room. We do not want to make reservations or stand in line and we enjoy having the same waiter. Also, we do not like eating late and we have family members with medical issues requiring timely early meals. Snacking is not an option and some family members retire early in the evening. We have come to really enjoy HAL and sincerely hope we will be able to confirm ‘Early Traditional Dining’ in the future.

Hydro Pool and Thermal Suite – most enjoyable. My husband and brother call them heaven!

Entertainment-

Magician – good, Ocean Bar Band- enjoyable, Naturalist and other speakers - very informative. It is really terrific to have speakers on board that can share information about the area and it’s wildlife. Crow’s Nest – wonderful, allowing for a spectacular panoramic view.

Onboard Cruise Consultant – Very polite, informative and helpful.

Ports and Glacier Bay Cruise

Fantastic. We loved every port despite torrential rain in Sitka. Our family was split as to whether they preferred Hubbard Glacier last year or Glacier Bay this year. My husband and I enjoyed the all day experience of cruising Glacier Bay and the number of whales we saw there. Other family members loved the spectacular size of Hubbard Glacier and the large amount of calving. Both were really terrific and it is difficult to choose one over the other.

Considerations

Often the Lido and the pool area were crowded when I went to eat at various times. These areas definitely seemed more crowded than on the Westerdam last year. It was somewhat frustrating when the Lido and the pool area were full and you are left walking around with a tray in hand thinking you don’t have a place to sit. It was not so crowded that I would not want to sail on the Noordam again. On the contrary, I love the Noordam and truly appreciate the wonderful cruise we all had. While this did not appreciably detract from our cruise, I would definitely not want to sail on the same size ship with any more people onboard. The ms Noordam is the limit for us considering passenger capacity and size of ship.

I believe the Eurodam will hold more people and the ship will be bigger as will they add additional cabins and another specialty pay restaurant. As I understand, the Lido, dining rooms, show, and pool area will be the same size and thus the Eurodam will be more crowded in those areas. Consequently, we have decided to not plan a cruise on the Eurodam.

Thank you for providing us with yet another wonderful family vacation Holland America.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your report.

 

Glad your family had a wonderful Alaskan cruise.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Kruskat, thank you for your Noordam review! You mention the Onboard Cruise Consultant. So, where are you going on your next HAL cruise?;) :)

 

Karin

[hammybee]

Thank you for taking the time to share your perceptions with us. I enjoyed the format.

[kruskat]

Good Morning Karin,:)

Well, we are not going to sound like a very adventurous group as we will no doubt be headed back to Alaska, at least for our family cruise. We are looking at trying the Amsterdam next time. This year we debated between going on the Amsterdam or Noordam. We chose the Noordam while she was here and I am glad we did. What a beautiful ship.

Some of the reasons Alaska is popular with the family are the significant issue of convenience since we live in the Seattle area, several family members do not do well in hot weather and we love the spectacular scenery in Alaska.

 

My mother would really love take a Panama Canal and Antarctica cruise but we have discovered she gets sea sick easily, even with Bonine and ginger. Since I know that waters can be rough on those cruises, I am afraid it would not be much of a vacation for her.

Kathy

[May4]

Great report! Your family is wise to make beautiful memories this way. May you have just as wonderful a time on your next cruise together.

 

Here's to volcano cake in your future:D

[kruskat]

Many thanks,

 

It has been a special couple of years spending this cruise time together.

 

Kat

[JoKen1]

Hi there!

 

I just saw this review and I must say that it was truly a pleasure meeting you and your family.

 

If anyone ever gets a chance to cruise with these people you will be very lucky and have a wonderful time. :) They are so friendly and welcome you as if you are part of their family!

 

I have to say, because of them this cruise was made even more special.

 

I didn't have any problems with the crowd at the Lido but I did go mostly on off hours. The only real crowded time I ran into was the chocolate buffet which of course was expected and well worth the wait! Yummy!

 

Kat, I do think we were very lucky that we had great weather most of the time. At least the sea wasn't so bad.

 

I wish I could get my family together and go on a cruise as a family reunion. There is no way I could get them to all take the same time off and agree to go to the same place. You are very blessed to have the chance to do that and should continue the tradition as long as possible.

 

Joanne

[kruskat]

Dear Joanne,:)

Thank you for the kind comments. We all truly enjoyed meeting you and your company. It is fun to meet such a wonderful person and develop a new friend.

We couldn't agree with you more about the weather. It was great. Even in Sitka when it rained we had a super time. In fact, I think it was one of the most special days on board. My husband and I road the tender into Sitka and decided not to get off and return to the ship because it was pouring. Last year, we explored the town thoroughly and we were not in the shopping mode anyway. Not many people were riding the tenders at that time so we actually rode it twice back and forth to the ship twice. While on the tender, we saw fish skimming the surface of the water and eagles, which, was fun to see. Back on board, we both grabbed a book and headed for the Crow's Nest. We really had a relaxing time together just looking at the beautiful scenery and not doing anything in particular.

It is too bad your family can’t get together for a cruise. I bet if they did it once, they would be as hooked as we are. ;)

Kat

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Kat, sounds like you had a very enjoyable week prior to our week on the Noordam. We did have a different Captain than you had since Captain Scott came on board when we did on the 9th. I agree that the Thermal Suite is heaven, I know have to spend at least 2 days in there for each cruise:D

So glad you had a nice relaxing cruise:)

[kruskat]

Hi Lisa, :)

We had a great cruise, thanks. I am glad you also had a great time. Had we cruised earlier in the year, I think we would have tried to go twice as well. Good thinking on your part to go again.

It was the first time we went to the Spa and it was awesome. At least two days per cruise is a must. :D

Last year, my parents had and SA suite and this year they decided to try the SY instead. Hearing your comments about the SY, after your first cruise, put our minds at ease about the room. Thank you for sharing the information. They were very happy with the size and loved the room.

Captain Mateboer did a great job of getting us close to the glaciers. He was pleasant, approachable and very much present throughout the cruise. Last year, Capt. Harris on the Westerdam, had the same demeanor. A lady in the buffet line could not find the butter and Captain Harris intervened and got it for her. This year, Capt. Mateboer similarly took the time to visit with passengers and was most gracious. It appears the Captains on HAL ships set the tone of friendly accommodating service. It really makes a person feel welcome when they are fun to visit with and do not act aloof or arrogant.

Kat