Excellent Alaska cruise
Noordam Cruise Review to Alaska
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 36
Review summary
Holland is a very nice, classier, more understated cruiseline and we are here for it! Loved that they had wool blankets for you to use on the outside decks, served hot soup during the outdoor glacier viewing times, and had excellent service!Embarkation
Arrived at the port at 1130, security and boarding were relatively quick, and rooms were ready as soon as we boarded!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Didn't get to try the MDR but the buffet had many good offerings, and the breads and the made-to-order salad counter is bar none! Ocean bar staff wonderful.
Onboard Activities
Fitness center was standard, very clean. Aft pool was very warm (yay!) although the smoking area being right beside the pool was often a deal-breaker, depending on the wind direction
Entertainment
I only saw the comedian and he put on an entertaining set!
Lincoln Center Stage
Doesn't exist any more and we are SO SAD. There is no classical music onboard at all now. When we were on Nieuw Amsterdam this venue was spilling out into the hallway for every concert. It's obviously very popular and Holland took it away??!!
Service and Staff
Our room steward was excellent! All the tableside service in the buffet area was helpful, polite, and on top of dish clearing, drink refilling, etc.
Ship Quality
This ship's decor is much more understated than most and it's very welcome. It was always clean, with public restrooms always well-stocked.
Cabin / Stateroom
This is a pretty small room but for a week it was fine for us. It would be nice if outlets were nearer the bed but we had a work-around for that. There was a curtain that could be pulled between the bedroom and hall/bathroom and that was welcome to shut out light when one of us wanted to let the other sleep.
Ports of call
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
There's not a lot in Ketchikan but it was cute and fun to walk around the town.
Thumbs Up
0
Many options for excursions here; we did whale-watching and it was very well-run and a great experience.
Also a cute town, so small that it seemed to be nothing but the train and gift shops. And every one of them sold the same stuff. But the train/hike was fun and the area is beautiful.
It was great to have the commentary from a naturalist on the ship while we cruised these areas. She was able to point out many sights along the way and we glimpsed some wildlife.
We didn't visit, per se, but we did purchase a bus transfer to the airport and, although it was a bit more expensive than an Uber, it was cheaper than the cruiseline transfer and came with a tour guide who gave us commentary the whole way and even stopped for a photo op.
Disembarkation
Easy, no issues, and we weren't rushed out of our room by the steward like on my last cruise!