We've sailed on the Noordam before, as well as other Holland America cruises. I would not recommend this itinerary at this time, due to the risk of rain, cold, and typhoons. Still, we had a good relaxing time, and do not regret it at all. The Noordam should be a better ship after its upcoming dry dock.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was a breeze. We were priority because of the Neptune Suite, but it didn't look like anyone had too much wait.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Excellent food as always! The buffet always had a good selection. On this cruise, there was always an asian section, which was very good. The dining room had a good variety of menu items. It was nice to get priority seating and not have to specify a certain time for dining. We also dined in the Pinnacle Grill once and the Tamarind once. The Tamarind was spectacular! I highly recommend it. The foods were original and super tasty. We have eaten at Indian, Nepalese, and other asian restaurants quite a lot, but the menu here had items we had never heard of, and enjoyed immensously!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The weather was not our friend. I played pickleball one time and then it was too cold and rainy, shucks. We very much enjoyed the bridge lessons and the duplicate play. The bride instructors were great, I hope Holland America keeps having them on cruises. Trivia was fun. The piano players in the Billboard lounge were fantastic! Steven and Daniel were super awesome, funny, excellent musicians, and took lots of requests. I counted this as an activity, with all the singing along, lol. I wished that all the port talks had been recorded for viewing in the cabin. I missed most of them because they overlapped with bridge. We also enjoyed the regional wine tasting.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Piano players were great! The disco band was not quite as together as bands usually are on these cruises. We didn't go to any of the shows.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Cathy in the Neptune Lounge was always cheerful and helpful. Our stewards were so friendly and always willing to help out, like putting clean towels in front of the leaking balcony door and bringing in cushions in bad weather. Staff in the dining rooms were friendly and helpful.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The ship was clean and well designed but there were maintenance problems all over. Examples: severe water leaks in the Neptune lounge, with multiple buckets catching water for several days; water coming into our room from the balcony door; water leaks in one of the public lounges (explorer maybe); peeling wallpaper in the hallway on deck 7 outside our suite. The ship is going into dry dock soon, hopefully all the maintenance issues will be fixed!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was excellent as always. One suggestion is that the side chairs are not comfortable but we had to sit in them (or lay in bed) in order to watch tv. There were plenty of storage options, and we unpacked completely for the 13 day cruise.
Ship tip
The Crow's Nest has all kinds of games and puzzles. Don't be afraid to ask to join people. We got to learn a bit about Mahjong this way!
This particular repositioning cruise at the end of September was rife with bad weather. We were only supposed to have 3 port calls, and all of them were changed or cancelled. Kushiro was cancelled because the port was closed for a typhoon. I would not recommend this exact itinerary because of this.
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