This was our first cruise and the experience has left us wanting more :-). The Noordam is a finely appointed ship laced with much old world charm. Wood accents, artwork ... there is no gaudiness here. Service was phenomenal. The staff went out of their way to please you and seem to take pride in their profession (a refreshing change of pace when service has gone downhill in so many other institutions). Our stateroom (with a veranda) was roomy and had plenty of storage room for our 11 day journey. Full length window/door leading out to the verandah was especially nice once we hit warmer weather ... even nicer was the complementary room service for breakfast on the verandah!
The typical crowd on this ship was approximately 20 years older than we were ... but who cares? We still had a great time. There were plenty of places to find a quiet place to relax and you never felt as if there were 2000 people on board. The entertainment was okay .... the guitarist, Justin Miller, was exceptional ... a real treat.
My husband and I are both culinary school trained and so we were curious as to how the food would be. We knew it would be plentiful but would it be good? It was top notch weather we opted to dine more formally in the Vista dining room or chose to be more casual in the Lido. We also dined at the Pinnacle Grill one evening ... top notch service and food there as well.
This truly is a vacation where we walked away feeling pampered and refreshed. We liked the choices we had ... you could do nothing but read a book for 11 days or you could choose to engage in planned activities and excursions.
Value for your vacation dollar .... you can't beat it. A hotel room in NYC costs more per night ... and that doesn't include wonderful food, entertainment, and a breathtaking view of the ocean.
Try it, you'll like it :-)
Loved St. Maarten. Took a great Rhino Ride excursion and snorkeled. The island is beautiful and for those who like to shop ... you can shop until your broke .... lots of jewelry stores. Very friendly people here.
It was okay. Be wary of time share schemes. We got sucked into one at a dumpy resort. Don't worry ... we didn't buy but did come home with a pretty funny story. The gondola ride up to Paradise Point was nice ...complete with a fried flying fish sandwich with wasabi sauce :-). Lots of shops here as well. How do all these jewelry stores stay in business?? It's a mystery.
Dominica was a beautiful island. The excursion to the rain forest was great. The tubing trip down the river would have been better if there was more water running but you can't control mother nature :-)
It was okay. Be wary of time share schemes. We got sucked into one at a dumpy resort. Don't worry ... we didn't buy but did come home with a pretty funny story. The gondola ride up to Paradise Point was nice ...complete with a fried flying fish sandwich with wasabi sauce :-). Lots of shops here as well. How do all these jewelry stores stay in business?? It's a mystery.
Loved St. Maarten. Took a great Rhino Ride excursion and snorkeled. The island is beautiful and for those who like to shop ... you can shop until your broke .... lots of jewelry stores. Very friendly people here.
We chose not to take an excursion on Tortola, In retrospect, we should have taken one to Virgin Gorda because the town in Tortola is nothing to write home about nor is the beach we visited.
Unfortunately we only had a few hours to spend at this port but we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty and old world charm of Old San Juan. Our taxi driver Jose was quite informative and gave us a whirlwind tour. We'd like to go back and explore some more.
Dominica was a beautiful island. The excursion to the rain forest was great. The tubing trip down the river would have been better if there was more water running but you can't control mother nature :-)
Unfortunately we only had a few hours to spend at this port but we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty and old world charm of Old San Juan. Our taxi driver Jose was quite informative and gave us a whirlwind tour. We'd like to go back and explore some more.
We chose not to take an excursion on Tortola, In retrospect, we should have taken one to Virgin Gorda because the town in Tortola is nothing to write home about nor is the beach we visited.
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