Poor selection of ports; limited entertainment on board; not well managed
Noordam Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America
19 Night Panama Canal Westbound (Ft. Lauderdale To Vancouver)
Sail date: April 20, 2015
Ship: Noordam
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 8024
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 9 years ago
Review summary
Some of the ports were just industrial areas with no"tourist" facilities. Shore excursions involved long drives and short tours.The cruise passed several ports which are scenic and/or interesting.
If you like knitting, cooking, bingo, art and purse sales, or gambling, this is it. They also had ping-pong. If you like pleasant quiet music outside at lunch, forget it.
They seemed to have no idea that a lot of people would be looking for coffee in the morning. Long lines, and sometimes working coffee makers. Did you want ice in your drink at lunch -- well maybe... Staffing and food operations seemed to be designed around an idea that there would be an even flow of passengers over two or three hours. So when the crowds all show up in a short time, they were completely unprepared.
One day we had no hot water. The first response was "I'm sorry you're having a problem with your plumbing. I'll send you someone to explain how to turn it on". Later it became "We're already aware of a problem. You don't need to tell us". The third time it was "The problem was fixed some time ago. You must not be running the hot water long enough".
The balcony had rust on the metal, and white paint drippings scattered around from the last paint job.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Definitely NOT the ship you want to be on in the open seas. Not stable in wind like the bigger ships.
Ports of call
Enter Panama Canal At Cristobal
Puerto Chiapas (Tapachula), Mexico