Better then I ever imagined.

Noordam Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 10

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5
Noordam

14 Night New Zealand Discovery (Sydney Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 01, 2018

Ship: Noordam

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 8129

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

For our 1st cruising experience, Holland America has set the bar extremely high for any future cruises.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
The food in the Lido was varied, well prepared and above all, delicious.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
The inclusion of the Maori workshops was a wonderful surprise.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
A good range of entertainment, something for everyone.

Children's Programs

No kids

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The service from the top down was outstanding. Our Captain was informative and witty. Our cabin staff were friendly and efficient. The Lido staff were friendly, witty and couldn't do enough for us. The entire crew made us all feel like family, remembered all of our names and bent over backwards to help.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
The TV in our room could use an upgrade and the ship could use a few more rubbish bins.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
The cabin was small but comfortable and kept clean by our amazing cabin crew.

Ship tip

A beautifully fitted ship. Tons of activities and delicious food turned on.

Ports of call

Port Chalmers (Dunedin), New Zealand

4 out of 5
A beautiful port. We took a train trip to essentially no where which was a little disappointing. This was followed up by a 2 hour bus tour of the city. Wish we had more time here.

Akaroa, New Zealand

4 out of 5
Another beautiful port. Unfortunately the weather combined with some tender troubles limited what we could do.

Picton, New Zealand

4 out of 5
We did a Hop on, Hop off bus tour here. Plenty to see, taste and experience here.

Wellington, New Zealand

5 out of 5
Spent time riding the cable car to the top, then walking down through the botanic gardens and rose garden. Followed that up with visit to the city museum.

Napier, New Zealand

4 out of 5
Once again, the weather limited our time here. What we were able to see was exciting, especially the aquarium. Another place I'd love to spend more time in.

Tauranga, New Zealand

5 out of 5
The highlight port of our cruise. We took an off-ship tour bus and Rick, out tour guide was wonderfully knowledgeable and witty. The Te Puia Maori village, Geysers and Kiwi fruit farm visit were outstanding.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Traveler Photos

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5 Comments

Portert     11 months ago

What tour company did you use in Tauranga?

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

sturbarge    6 years ago

Nice to here

jfrd30    6 years ago

Wife and I love Holland America.

cruiseluv    6 years ago

Took the Noordam to Alaska in 2016 and it was by far the cleanest ship I’ve ever been on. Great cruise 🤗

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