Disappointing Covid Cruise

Item: Noordam
Rating: 3.9
Author: craneduude

Noordam Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia

craneduude

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 23

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

Verified Review

13 Night Australia & New Zealand (Sydney To Auckland)

Sail date: January 14, 2023

Ship: Noordam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7110

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Beware masks will be required throughout this cruise. Even though we went through all the protocols of producing vaccination records and a Covid test within 72 hours of our sail date we received an email from HAL the day before sailing that everyone on board would be required to wear masks throughout the cruise with the exception of drinking and dining. Not what we signed up for.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Main dining room was a disappointment. Not great selection and in the past if you weren’t happy with the selection you could always order a steak or chicken entree. You can still order the steak but it will cost you $15. This seemed to be occurring through out the ship in that they were wanting to upcharge on a number of different food items that in the past were included. My last cruise on HAL the Bloody Mary was fantastic because they included 3 stuffed olives in the drink. Unfortunately not this time, all you got was one small pitted olive. This just seemed to be the general theme of the cruise in that they have cheapened the experience from past cruises.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

2 out of 5

I would have rated this higher but the Rolling Stone Lounge which had a decent band was too often being used for comedy shows or other shows that had nothing to do with what the name implies.

Children's Programs

No children

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Overall very good service except it was hit or miss at times in the main dining room

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Love the full bathtub/shower and our balcony was great.

Ship tip

Beware! Masks required.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Sydney, Australia

3 out of 5

Melbourne, Australia

2 out of 5

Healsville tour was long on bus ride and short on time there.

Thumbs Up 0

Burnie, Tasmania, Australia Did not visit port

Due to high seas we weren’t able to make port

Thumbs Up 0

Cruise Milford Sound

5 out of 5

Beautiful

Thumbs Up 0

Cruise Fjordland National Park

5 out of 5

Port Chalmers (Dunedin), New Zealand

4 out of 5

Timaru, New Zealand

4 out of 5

Picton, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand

3 out of 5

Wellington, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Napier, New Zealand

4 out of 5

Tauranga, New Zealand

5 out of 5

Auckland, New Zealand

3 out of 5

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Unfortunately it rained on our departure but nothing to do with the cruise line

6 Comments

katierney23 1 year ago

I will be on this cruise toward the end of March. My wife and I are celebrating our 35th anniversary. We have always enjoyed HAL, but I know what you mean with the upcharging. Still, we enjoy the relaxed atmosphere on HAL.

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hagerrc 1 year ago

All Cruise Lines owned by Carnival and Royal Caribbean require masks in Australia and New Zealand. The Carnival lines put it back in place in late November 2022 after a large outbreak on the Majestic Princess (800 people). We’ve been on a cruise with masks before and it will only be a minor inconvenience.

Thumbs Up 1

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

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ScubaDaveHash 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing.

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for the review, great itinerary

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AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Awesome itinerary. Sorry you needed to wear masks. Appreciate your feedback. Great itinerary.

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