Cruise to Australia & New Zealand
Noordam Cruise Review to Transpacific
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 9
Review summary
Beware of large group shore excursions. We were disappointed with these as the vendors were not equipped to handle the large groups and too much time spent getting onto and off the bus! Lesson learned - only small group tours for us in the future! Also, Fiji and New Caledonia were not the island paradise venues we were expecting. Very poor countries and it showed, especially in Suva. Wouldn't get off the ship next time.Embarkation
Easy
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Main dining room food was good, specialty restaurants food was exceptional and good for a break from the main dining room on this long cruise, buffets were OK.
Onboard Activities
Fitness center was surprisingly crowded - had to wait to use the treadmill, bike & rowing machine.
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Cabin stewards were wonderful! Immediately fulfilled every request we made.
Ship Quality
Love mid-size ships!
Cabin / Stateroom
We were very comfortable in our cabin for this long cruise. Plenty of storage and our empty suitcases slid under the bed so they didn't take up closet space.
Ship tip
Enjoy!
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
Took the helicopter tour of the volcano. Fun helicopter ride. Disappointing volcano views - there was some lava, but not much. We were told ahead of time to wear dark clothing to reduce the glare from inside the helicopter, which we did. Unfortunately the people sitting in the seat in front of us did not and there was a lot of glare from their white shirts. Speak up before you take off if you experience this and they will be provided with dark shirts to cover their white shirts.
Our shore excursion was cancelled the night before we arrived - not enough people had signed up for the Waikiki Beach Break, so we took ourselves to the beach, but arrived too late (10 AM) to secure a lounge & umbrella. Had we known we needed to be there at 7 AM we would have been there. Lovely lunch at Pineapple's Island Fresh Cuisine!
Disembarkation
Easy.