November 2015 - 14 Night New Zealand & Australia (Auckland To Sydney) Cruise on Noordam
Another Great HAL Cruise
scs7985
Second Mate
Joined 11/2015
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Cruise1
Review87
Helpful VotesPast cruises
Noordam
Sail date: November 08, 2015
Our 5th HAL cruise and 2nd on the Noordam. We were not disappointed. The service and dining on the boat were both fantastic.The Noordam was well taken care of as we saw constant cleaning, polishing, and upkeep. We opted for a suite this time and it was lovely. We used the gym, spa, casino, lounges, and attended all the shows and music we could fit into our schedule.
BB King Blues Club singers were great, offering a wide variety of music. Adagio players in the Explorer's Lounge were exceptionally good. Captain Henk Draper sailed the ship beautifully, knowing when to slow her down to avoid excess motion and when to speed her up. There was plenty of trivia, music, culinary classes, port talks, and information sessions throughout the 14 days. We could not fit everything in our schedule that we wanted to do while on board.The ports of call were fantastic. Plenty to see, information at each port available for "sight seeing on our own". Shuttle buses provided where needed and everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and smiling.
See detailed reviews below for each category. We took many pictures, I've shared just a few.
Cruise tips
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary was worth the ride. We fed the kangaroos and saw Tasmanian Devils, among other wildlife.
Cruise Fjordland National Park
Absolutely beautiful!
We went to Christ Church to the International Antarctic Centre. Very interesting. Cantebury Museum was nice also. The bus ride from Akaroa to ChCh was beautiful.
Port Chalmers (Dunedin), New Zealand
We walked around the peninsula to see Port Chalmers before taking the bus to Dunedin. Lovely walk. In Dunedin, we walked to the Otago Museum and walked around the Octagon, went to the Cadbury factory just to buy chocolate bars. Beautiful Scottish churches.
Spend a few days, get an opal card and use the trains, bus, and ferries. Easy to get around. Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach, Walk the Harbour Bridge, and take advantage of the "I'm Free" walking tour that operates every day at 10:30 & 2:30. It meets and departs from Town Hall Square and is very informative and you get a great tour by an energetic college student that knows Sydney like the back of their hand. Tip them at the end for what you think the tour was worth.
We went to the National Gallery of Victoria...free admission and a very good museum. Also walked the Royal Botanic Gardens, beautifully displayed, takes a while to walk through but worth it.
Charming port town, we walked around, plenty of shops and restaurants.
We did the HAL excursion Skyline Ride and Luge in Rotorua, very fun. We wanted something different because we have been to Yellowstone and Yosemite.
Quaint town, we walked around, even walked down to the beach. Interesting Decor.
Te Papa Museum is a must.
We spent 3 days here before getting on the boat and we are so glad we did. Lovely place and friendly people.
Noordam
Explorations cafe had very yummy, complimentary snacks each day. The Dive In has great hamburgers and fries. The kiosk on main deck to print out your ship account was a frequent stop for many people so no surprises the last day of the cruise when you get your bill.
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Our 5th HAL cruise and 2nd on the Noordam. We were not disappointed. The service and dining on the boat were both fantastic.The Noordam was well taken care of as we saw constant cleaning, polishing, and upkeep. We opted for a suite this time and it was lovely. We used the gym, spa, casino, lounges, and attended all the shows and music we could fit into our schedule.
BB King Blues Club singers were great, offering a wide variety of music. Adagio players in the Explorer's Lounge were exceptionally good. Captain Henk Draper sailed the ship beautifully, knowing when to slow her down to avoid excess motion and when to speed her up. There was plenty of trivia, music, culinary classes, port talks, and information sessions throughout the 14 days. We could not fit everything in our schedule that we wanted to do while on board.The ports of call were fantastic. Plenty to see, information at each port available for "sight seeing on our own". Shuttle buses provided where needed and everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and smiling.
See detailed reviews below for each category. We took many pictures, I've shared just a few.