A great cruise for people wanting to spend meaningful time together. While there are plenty of enjoyable activities on and off the ship, there are also plenty of quieter moments and spaces in which to enjoy the moment.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Stress- free although took a bit longer than hoped
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
+ Buffet food was good, refreshed often, good variety with a couple of specialty nights thrown in,
- finding a table indoors can sometimes be a challenge at peak mealtimes, but usually only takes a few minutes
+ we really enjoyed the main dining room this trip- good food/ calmer atmosphere without being stuffy
+ specialty steak restaurant is very good
+ Italian specialty restaurant suffers from its location on one side of the Lido buffet; however, the food/ service was awesome
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Holland America seems to cater to older passengers (which is good as far as I'm concerned). Thus, while there are plenty of onboard activities, they tend to be "calmer"- trivia, games/ puzzles, classes, lectures/ presentations (most of which were very good). We also really enjoy the open- shelf lending library- we're on a vacation to relax and spending a couple of hours with some coffee and a book fits the bill.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Enjoyable without being too over the top.
Children's Programs
No kids with us on this trip.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff was uniformly pleasant/ helpful and cheerful, especially as the trip continued and habits were formed- whether it was learning/ anticipating our "usual" requests or going out of their way to say "hi" when we saw them outside of work, the crew/ staff added to the experience.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Noordam is on the older side as a ship, having been brought into service in 2006. While we found the areas to be clean and generally well- maintained, it was definitely an "older" vibe. However, to be clear, we really liked this ambiance. Between the ship being physically a bit smaller and having fewer passengers, it was easy to find a quiet spot to relax and getting a drink/ food was (usually) very quick and stress-free. Since we use the stairs to offset the extra food/ drink we're consuming, having the activities/ shops/ restaurants located within a few decks makes life easier on our knees. Having the smaller ship with fewer passengers also made port days easier- getting off/ on was usually very quick. As a result, we're big fans of the smaller ship/ older, more relaxed vibe.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Perfect size for two, balcony was awesome both in port and on sea days (we were very lucky with the overall weather during our itinerary). Wound up using the tub shower exclusively- while the separate shower is a nice idea, it's too small for larger passengers. Room still serviced 2x/ day, a very nice (and increasingly rare) touch.
Ship tip
It's a smaller, calmer ship where the vast majority of passengers seem to be in bed by 1 a.m.
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