Welcome to Your Favorites, where you have the opportunity to share your travel experiences with fellow Internet Travelers around the world.
Holland America Line
MS Noordam
Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Michael Collins
# previous cruises: 10 to 20
Date of Trip: December 7, 2003
Itinerary: Caribbean - Southern
For me, December 7, 2003 is another date the will live in infamy! First, please let me say that every other HAL ship I have ever been on (and I have been on many since the 1970's) are floating masterpieces, well kept, great crew and I have had great vacation and traveling experiences. However, the cabins and facilities on the NOORDAM, during this cruise, ruined my only vacation this year!
The shortcomings of this cruise ship do not include the bar-tenders, waiters and cabin stewards because they were great and they did all thing humanly possible to make us happy.
However, the Amsterdam Dining Room was hot, the Explorer Lounge was Hot and smelled like sewage and the movie theatre was hot and clammy. The main Hot tub was broken the entire cruise. My 14 day cruise was ruined by this ship! Don't waste your money. All I ever wanted was Air Conditioning! Is that too much to ask! After a day in the sun, I want to relax in a cool cabin or have a comfortable dinner with air conditioning! What else is a vacation for? On other HAL cruises, these minimal comforts were met, why not on this one?
As I said before, the service on this ship was great except that there was not enough help on the ship. The food was also top shelf. Good quality, great presentation and served HOT!
My wife and I ROASTED in our cabin for nearly ten days. It was hot, damp and the stale air gave us both headaches for the entire cruise (you can't just open a window). The bathroom had mildew in the shower the entire cruise. In addition, there was black stuff falling out of the non working airconditioning vent.
The walls were thin and we could hear the TV from next door.
Many of the shows were third rate and geared toward seniors only. VAUDEVILLE IS DEAD!
The normal activities on HAL ships. Bingo, Bingo and yes, BINGO. Trivia contests and lame cruise crafts. This may be great for the over 80 crowd but I am more alive than that!
Our dinner table mates were absolutely marvelous people. They were all well traveled and from many parts of the world. We had a great time with them!
| VACATION & CRUISE SPECIALS
|
Check out these great deals from CruisePage.com
|
| Royal Caribbean - Bahamas Getaway from $129 per person
|
|
Description: |
Experience the beautiful ports of Nassau and Royal Caribbean's private island - CocoCay on a 3-night Weekend Getaway to the Bahamas. Absorb everything island life has to offer as you snorkel with the stingrays, parasail above the serene blue waters and walk the endless white sand beaches. From Miami.
|
| Carnival - 4-Day Bahamas from $229 per person
|
|
Description: |
Enjoy a wonderful 3 Day cruise to the fun-loving playground of Nassau, Bahamas. Discover Nassau, the capital city as well as the cultural, commercial and financial heart of the Bahamas. Meet the Atlantic Southern Stingrays, the guardians of Blackbeard's treasure.
|
| NCL - Bermuda - 7 Day from $499 per person
|
|
Description: |
What a charming little chain of islands. Walk on pink sand beaches. Swim and snorkel in turquoise seas. Take in the historical sights. They're stoically British and very quaint. Or explore the coral reefs. You can get to them by boat or propelled by fins. You pick. Freestyle Cruising doesn't tell you where to go or what to do. Sure, you can plan ahead, or decide once onboard. After all, it's your vacation. There are no deadlines or must do's.
|
| Holland America - Eastern Caribbean from From $599 per person
|
|
Description: |
White sand, black sand, talcum soft or shell strewn, the beaches of the Eastern Caribbean invite you to swim, snorkel or simply relax. For shoppers, there's duty-free St. Thomas, the Straw Market in Nassau, French perfume and Dutch chocolates on St. Maarten. For history buffs, the fascinating fusion of Caribbean, Latin and European cultures. For everyone, a day spent on HAL's award winning private island Half Moon Cay.
|
| Celebrity - 7-Night Western Mediterranean from $549 per person
|
|
Description: |
For centuries people have traveled to Europe to see magnificent ruins, art treasures and natural wonders. And the best way to do so is by cruise ship. Think of it - you pack and unpack only once. No wasted time searching for hotels and negotiating train stations. Instead, you arrive at romantic ports of call relaxed, refreshed and ready to take on the world.
|
| Holland America - Alaska from From $499 per person
|
|
Description: |
Sail between Vancouver and Seward, departing Sundays on the ms Statendam or ms Volendam and enjoy towering mountains, actively calving glaciers and pristine wildlife habitat. Glacier Bay and College Fjord offer two completely different glacier-viewing experiences.
|
|