Cruise was fantastic, state room 6162 not so much
Noordam Cruise Review to Alaska - Gulf of Alaska
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 52
Review summary
Everything about the trip was pretty fantastic except the cabin 6162 and the service/food in the dining room.Embarkation
We came from a Land to Sea journey and the entire logistics was impressive. Holland has this process locked in and super efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We have been on several Holland ships as well as some other competitors. The food is usually pretty fantastic in the dining room but I was disappointed this time. Service in the main dining room was so~so which is not what I have ever experienced with Holland in the past. Drink orders always arrived at our dining table incorrectly and staff seem upset with us when we pointed out the incorrectness. Ordered food was not prepared as requested, example-medium rare always came back over cooked, and desserts tasted like there was lighter fluid on them. The food on the Lido deck was very good, even had dinner there a couple of times instead of the dinning room. Great service, friendly bartenders and precise drink orders from the bars.
Onboard Activities
I am not one to do a lot of on-board group activities but I like playing Bingo. The callers are usually fun but not these guys, they were all business and they made you buy your own dopers to play just one game. Had a lot of fun at the casino. The dealers and others made it really fun.
Entertainment
Love Lincoln stage. Great performances on the main stage as well.
Service and Staff
Overall service and staff was fantastic, all except the dining room. What I applaud Holland for is their care and patience that they provide to the older generation. Holland is most known for being a cruise line that mature guest like to take and I understand why. Their service and considerations to that generation is exceptional in how they helped them maneuver around the boat and to/from excursions based on what I saw.
Ship Quality
The Noordam is a little tired. We had been on the Oosterdam, which had an overhaul a few months prior to our trip. Unfortunately for the Noordam, that was my point of comparison.
Cabin / Stateroom
We were very excited to have the aft cabin for the Alaska adventure. The cabin was advertised as a Veranda cabin and we paid premium Veranda price. This was the smallest Veranda cabin I have ever had. I felt that it was misrepresented when we booked the room. Our friends had the aft cabin on the 4th floor and their's was a full size veranda cabin so we definitely had the point of comparison.
Ship tip
Easy to get around on, not a confusing design at all.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Breathtaking! Absolutely loved this experience. No excursions, the Cruise ship sails around Glacier Bay and they do a narrative overhead in the public areas.
My most favorite! Haines is a small Alaskan Village that has not succumbed to the touristy commercialism and I hope they never do. We had a lot of time at this port so we did an ATV adventure early and that was fun but my most favorite was the hike we did in the afternoon. You can get off the ship and take a left, walk a little less then a mile to the trail head and the hiking trail is just spectacular with views that will leave you breathless.
We splurged here and took a private Whale Watching boat trip with a set of friends. AMAZING! Our captain and mate shared so much information that made the trip even more spectacular. We saw several whales, no breeches but lots of incredible whale tail photos!
https://alaskaluxurytours.com/
We did the the Alaska Hummer Adventure but we did not buy through the Cruise ship. We got off the boat about an hour or two after most people fled out to their excursions then went to the huts set up in front of the ship and end of pier to see what adventures awaited us. Luckily they had one last Hummer Adventure available and it was significantly cheaper then through the cruise ship. Loved our Tour guide/Driver. She was a local and was so full of original history of Alaska and Ketchikan.
Simply Beautiful. A camera does not do it justice. We sailed through the evening hours and the change of the lighting on the mountains. Priceless!
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
Vancouver was a great way to end the cruise. The city is rich in culture, artistry, food and diversity. We did a jump on jump off double decker bus by LandSea tours. We only had a short time and this provided us with a great opportunity to see the best of Vancouver. It is a very walkable city and highly recommend the Hampton Inn in Vancouver by the stadium.
Disembarkation
Holland has these processes down to a science. Quick, easy, simple The only part that could have been better was trying to get a taxi once we disembarked in Vancouver. Over and hour wait, we decided to walk to our hotel instead which is doable but don't think I would it again with as much luggage as we had.