Alaska was incredible, the Noordam was not.
Noordam Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 75
7 Night Glacier Discovery Northbound (Vancouver To Whittier)
Sail date: May 14, 2023
Ship: Noordam
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 6028
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 10 months ago
Review summary
Alaska was so incredible that it saved this cruise. I don't forsee us ever cruising with Holland America Line again after our experience on the ship.Embarkation
When we got to the port everything went great, until it didn't. We flew through the line, security was quick. Everything seemed great until we turned the last corner and found ourselves in a large room with nothing to do but wait. We sat here for about an hour and a half before we started to see people being allowed to board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The food was edible, but not good. At one point I was actually concerned I may have Covid because nothing had a taste. My crab pasta was lacking crab but had more than its fair share of onion. On multiple occasions in both the buffet and main dining room, we got dirty silverware. When I finally complained, I was told it was tarnish. It was most definitely a leafy green stuck to the fork from poor washing. I even saw an officer checking a coffee cup for cleanliness before using it in the buffet.
Onboard Activities
The activities were poorly planned. We attended a nature watch on the pool deck that was happening at the same time as a corn hole tournament. We couldn't hear the speaker due to the noise from the game.
Entertainment
We didn't attend any of the shows but did attempt to listen to music one night. They had two piano players taking requests. The musicians were very good, but there was so much time between songs we got bored and left. Rather than having people call out requests, you submitted them on their app, but the wifi was so terrible that the performers weren't receiving the requests. They spent so much time trying to get the app to work that it wasn't enjoyable. We attended the orange party and did enjoy it. They offered snacks and drinks that are traditional to Holland, which was fun to experience.
Service and Staff
The staff often seemed bothered that we were there. I sat at the pool bar to get a drink. There were two people already seated when I arrived. I waited half an hour just to get a coke. One morning, while waiting to disembark in port, a server came by and asked if anyone wanted anything. Myself and another lady both ordered coffee. After 45 minutes, they still had not returned with our coffee, and we were able to leave the ship, so I don't know if it was ever delivered.
Ship Quality
I have never been on a cruise that wasn't shockingly clean, until this one. On the first day of our cruise someone spilled a drink on the pool deck. This was on Sunday. Through the week more drinks were spilled. Finally it rained on Friday and washed the sticky messes from the deck. Maybe they forgot to bring a mop on this cruise? We got silverware in both the buffet and main dining room that was dirty on multiple occasions. Our room attendant kept our room clean, but the rest of the ship was not cleaned well at all.
Cabin / Stateroom
We booked late and could only get an interior room. It was small but had a good amount of storage.
Ship tip
After our experience, I would not recommend the Noordam and further would recommend choosing another cruiseline altogether.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
This may have been our favorite port. We took the train excursion that follows the original gold rush route. The views from the train were incredible. On the way up, there is commentary telling you about the area. Going up, you want to be on the left side to see what they're talking about, but as the train turns, you will get the same views from either side just without the commentaryon the way down. You can also get up and walk out on the platforms if you want. After our train ride we had plenty of time to have lunch and walk around the town. As we were sailing away from Skagway, we spotted a humpback whale!
Ketchikan is a small town. We didn't do an excursion here. We had a breakfast that included reindeer sausage then walked around the town. There are lots of shops. Totem poles all around the town and the salmon ladder would be very interesting if you're there at the right time of year.
We didn't stay in Whittier. After disembarkation, we took an excursion that went through the Anton Anderson Tunnel to leave Whittier. It included a visit to a wildlife conservation center, Potter Marsh bird sanctuary, and was supposed to go to Alyeska tram. Due to an avalanche, this stop was replaced with a visit to the Aviation Museum. Finally, they dropped us in Anchorage. Depending on what time your flight left, you could either be dropped at the airport or downtown. Since we had several hours before our flight, we opted to be dropped downtown. HAL had a room with some refreshments and also offered luggage storage. This was a great service as we were able to walk around downtown and enjoy the afternoon without having to lug our bags around.
I cannot reccomend Glacier Bay enough. We saw so much wildlife here. Orcas, mountain goats, otters, seals, eagles, and other birds. We spent a good amount of time at Marjerie Glacier and the ship turns so you can get a view no matter which side you're on. Unfortunately it got pretty foggy as we were leaving, but that was an interesting experience in itself.
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
We arrived in Vancouver the night before our cruise began so we didn't have much time here. It was a beautiful place and I would like to return.
We took an excursion to Mendenhall Glacier. The bus driver provided lots of information about the area while en route. We had a good amount of time to explore once we arrived at the Glacier. After the glacier, we returned to Juneau for a great crab lunch and then rode the tram to the top of the mountain. The views at the top were great, and we saw a bald eagle!
College fjord was beautiful. We saw a lot of otters and were even able to see some bear on the shore. Being able to see 7 glaciers at once was very interesting.
Disembarkation
Disembarkation went smoothly. We took an excursion afterward that took us from Whittier to Anchorage.
Traveler Photos
