Great Itinerary

Noordam Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 56

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5
Verified Review
Noordam

14 Night Australia & New Zealand (Sydney To Auckland)

Sail date: March 11, 2023

Ship: Noordam

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Decent value, great itinerary, limited interesting shore excursion options that were pricey.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Embarkation was relatively smooth. We were able to leave our luggage at the dock until check in giving us an hour or so to get some gelato. But there is still some confusion about COVID protocols with HAL saying Australia requires COVID tests and Australia not requiring them.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Food was better than expected but not up to the likes of Oceania and Viking. Desserts were the most disappointing. The buffet had good variety when we ate there, which wasn't often - too crowded at meal times.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
The trivia and step dance events were fun and staff co ducting them were great. Wish there would have been more.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
A very mixed bag. The dancers and singing group were great but there were few of the higher quality shows than we had hoped for.

Children's Programs

We were not travelling with children.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
They were everywhere and they were so fruendlyNd courteous! Only the guest services staff was a bit cold but businesslike. Some of the wait staff was so enjoyable that you just wanted to spend tume socializing with them!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Very clean and staff seemed to be always cleaning. But some of the decor appeared a bit dated and even tacky to us, again as compared to Oceania and Viking.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
Very clean but the carpets were worn, pulling up in one spot, and stained in another. Beds were comfortable, bathroom was spacious, and the balcony was great!

Ship tip

Visit Explorations Lounge for the best coffee.

Ports of call

Sydney, Australia

4 out of 5
We disembarked here and spent 6 days after the cruise. As large cities go, Sydney is worth a visit. The harbor area is beautiful.

Melbourne, Australia

5 out of 5
Did not do an excursión. Very easy to get to center of town and just wander using free tram service and visiting free museums.

Burnie, Tasmania, Australia Did not visit port

We went to Hobart instead where we had a wonderful excursión to a wildlife preserve.

Cruise Milford Sound

5 out of 5
Spectacular scenery!

Cruise Fjordland National Park

5 out of 5
Spectacular scenery!

Port Chalmers (Dunedin), New Zealand

5 out of 5
We did a private excursión not through the ship. Booked it right there at the dock where the local tourist information center offered their own excursions - a mu h better value.

Timaru, New Zealand Did not visit port

We visited Christchurch. Just took a bus into town and then the hop-on-hop-off tram there. very fun.

Picton, New Zealand

5 out of 5
Arranged our own cruise through the Marlborough Sound through E-ko Tours in Picton. Wonderful!

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand Did not visit port

This is not a port and we cruised it overnight

Wellington, New Zealand

5 out of 5
Loved it taking a self-arranged e-bike tour through the waterfront.

Napier, New Zealand Did not visit port

Cyclone Gabrielle damage to the port prevented us from going there.

Tauranga, New Zealand

5 out of 5
A pleasant surprise and a wonderful independent excursion to Hobbiton and Rotorua.

Auckland, New Zealand

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Very easy even if the instructions provided about the process by the ship were a bit lacking.
Was this review helpful? 29

6 Comments

Other reviews of this sailing