Noordam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Unfortunately, the Holland America cruise was a costly fiasco, and the worst cruise we've experienced. I'd like to point out only a few key examples of our experience aboard the ship, on our first day we noticed a bad combustible/ diesel like odor in our cabin, this was while trying to get some sleep, as well as a loud whistle-like noise throughout the entire cruise. Less than halfway through our cruise we had mechanical problems and the ship stayed in  Napier for two entire days which meant we missed two different ports and consequently missing some incredible and three of the best planned tours. This meant the ship was not at sea for the 4 days that was promised but for an entire 7 days instead.  My wife and I spent many months extensively planning this dream cruise, we were extremely excited to go to New Zealand, however this ship, its food or staying at sea were not the reason why we chose to go to New Zealand, that we wanted to get out of our trip to this beautiful location is to truly experience its world known geographical beauty and it's people.

We were offered a 20% discount towards another cruise by Holland America representatives, which was humorous and upsetting at the time especially when our cruise was a disaster and Holland America ruined our very costly and what we hoped to be our dream vacation. 

The food was good but not always great.

The service was excellent.

Spa Service was wonderful

The entertainment was good but not great

We crossed from New Zealand to Australia in a Gale; the waves were 11-30 feet; it was exciting and a little scary; frequent weather updates were not reassuring.

Large Library; Cooking classes; Computer and Camera classes; Mixology classes

Supplied over-priced medically needed distilled water and then slapped a bar surcharge on it to add insult to injury.  Of the 7 other cruise lines that I have been on, none charged for distilled water.

Lido deck closed regularly, had limited hours, and limited coffee access

They kept laying new carpet in major hallways (at night) but I expected this kind of work to be done when ship is docked for "repairs"

5 ports on the first five days of the cruise left me exhausted; I will look at this more carefully in the future.  If it were not listed on the elevator floor, I truly wouldn't know what day it was.

Room Service was great.

The cruise was good.  Staff is very nice.  They provided us with special food which was palatable but not exceptional. The ship met with high winds for three days and was rocky perhaps that may be due to the fact that it is relatively a smaller ship.  What was not good was that there were very few day time entertainment opportunities.  The lack in this area big time.  Their Microsoft seminars were great and often people waited to get in to the small size room and went back as there were very few seats available.

Used the anytime dining ,loved it and the service provided By Inman Marco and Allan my wine steward Table 183 I continued to request this table because of the care and service

Excited to go to the continent of Australia and then New Zealand.  Enjoyed great shore excursions, good food and entertainment!  Ship is very clean and staff is friendly.  

The first reason for choosing this cruise was that had eight stops and nine days to take incursions. I also have found Holland America a cruise line that fits my life pace and quality dinning. I was a little disappointed with both the quality and variety of choices in the main dinning room. The service was excellent as expected. I was also disappointed  with lack of on board entertainment. Not taking away from the night show after dinner. There was know or little educational programs. I do want to thank Holland America for encouraging and allowing church services.

Our 5th HAL cruise and 2nd on the Noordam. We were not disappointed. The service and dining on the boat were both fantastic.The Noordam was well taken care of as we saw constant cleaning, polishing, and upkeep. We opted for a suite this time and it was lovely. We used the gym, spa, casino, lounges, and attended all the shows and music we could fit into our schedule.

BB King Blues Club singers were great, offering a wide variety of music. Adagio players in the Explorer's Lounge were exceptionally good. Captain Henk Draper sailed the ship beautifully, knowing when to slow her down to avoid excess motion and when to speed her up.  There was plenty of trivia, music, culinary classes, port talks, and information sessions throughout the 14 days. We could not fit everything in our schedule that we wanted to do while on board.The ports of call were fantastic. Plenty to see, information at each port available for "sight seeing on our own". Shuttle buses provided where needed and everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and smiling.

See detailed reviews below for each category. We took many pictures, I've shared just a few.

We obviously enjoyed our trip based on the five star rating.  While every shore excursion was either very nice or wonderful, the length of the excursion often precluded time for anything else in the town.  

Holland America could set themselves apart by offering free on board wifi.

We purchased extended leg room seating on both Delta and Air New Zealand.  Delta was fine.  Seating on Air New Zealand very disappointing and just plain cramped.  Would not to choose to fly that airline again.

We loved New Zealand.  Glad the itinerary included cruising Milford Sound.

Julie, from Cruises Only, was wonderful.  Attentive.  Helpful. Friendly.  Professional.  Good job, Julie!

Embarkation at Vancouver was tedious and not very well organized.  The rest of the cruise was as advertised with only minor hiccups along the way.  The rest of the trip/cruise was uneventful.  Second time on this same itinerary.  Really enjoyed the service provided.

The cruise, glaciers, scenery, and ports were fantastic.  My only regret was that I booked excursions before boarding the ship thru cheap cruises; would not do that again because on board you had plenty of time to book plus you got to talk face to face with a person who knew the areas and the excursions.  Their advice was so much more informed. But because we prepaid we were locked into the excursions we took.  Would have loved to changed them. 

Very relaxing and the scenery was spectacular.   Cool temps and some rain the first 4 days, but sunny and warm the rest of our trip.   WOW...Don't let the loud music get to you in BB Kings....sit back and remember the good times had.

We liked the simplicity of the cruise. There was no pressure of stops at ports for almost 3 days. So we didn't feel rushed to do everything on the ship in a day! It was very relaxing!

Some of the ports were just industrial areas with no"tourist" facilities. Shore excursions involved long drives and short tours.The cruise passed several ports which are scenic and/or interesting. 

If you like knitting, cooking, bingo, art and purse sales, or gambling, this is it. They also had ping-pong. If you like pleasant quiet music outside at lunch, forget it. 

They seemed to have no idea that a lot of people would be looking for coffee in the morning. Long lines, and sometimes working coffee makers. Did you want ice in your drink at lunch -- well maybe... Staffing and food operations seemed to be designed around an idea that there would be an even flow of passengers over two or three hours. So when the crowds all show up in a short time, they were completely unprepared.

One day we had no hot water. The first response was "I'm sorry you're having a problem with your plumbing. I'll send you someone to explain how to turn it on". Later it became "We're already aware of a problem. You don't need to tell us". The third time it was "The problem was fixed some time ago. You must not be running the hot water long enough".

The balcony had rust on the metal, and white paint drippings scattered around from the last paint job. 

I have cruised with Holland America several times and always had a good experience. Not this time. There were multiple maintenace issues.  There was a smell of sewer gas from the toilet that was always present. Two days without hot water. Ill fitting drawers in furniture. The food was very disappointing. Very poor quality and poor service in the main dining room. Several of the servers on the Lido were rude. The bright spot were the two guys who took care of our cabin. I will definitely look at other cruise lines if I want to cruise again.

Due to a fall during life boat drill we were told we needed to quickly disembark in Ft Lauderdale to be checked out at hospital.  We were informed that we would need proof from hospital before being permitted to re-board ship in St Maarten.  We were left sitting at the port unassisted (11/2 hours) without immediate transportation to hospital with what could have been a serious head trauma......and without adequate means of communication (cell phone not charged).  Eventually a port security guard called for transportation and loaned me his phone. We were not given good contact information for assistance and a clear procedure for re-boarding the ship.  All communication for assistance I had to initiate.  I had to arrange for ground and air transportation from Ft Lauderdale to Miami Airport to St Maarten. More frustrating communication with representative of Holland American to secure lodging for 2 night stay in St Maarten till ship docks. Arriving at the port in St Maarten we were initially not cleared to re-board.  Another delay.... finally we re-boarded ship.  It took several days to unwind after the frustrating experience the first part of the trip.  Never totally enjoyed the remainder of the cruise.

Every port of call on this itinerary was wonderful. Half Moon Cay , Grand Turk , Samana , Bonaire , Curacao , and Aruba. That's why I booked this cruise. The actual ship on Holland America Line was a means to get there. The size of the Noordam was acceptable , I don't care for mega size ships. The entire atmosphere  on HAL is outdated , a bit on the boring side. I felt as if I went back in time for 10 days. Couples were everywhere and singles were scarce. Most music played was old and I do mean OLD. Perhaps this is the atmosphere that HAL is attempting to provide for their passengers and they have succeeded . Unfortunately time changes and I believe that HAL , at some point, will have to make their line more appealing to newer generations.....Just my opinion... 

Despite the few irritants while on the cruise, I think that the service, and the quality was excellent and I would definitely book another cruise on the Holland/America line.

Enjoyed the ship as it was new to us.  The room stewards were great and kept the room up nicely.  Dining was on the slow side, but as we had no where else to be we were ok with it.  Piano Bar entertainer was outstanding.  Actually, he made the cruise a better one because we got to see/hear him every night and always acknowledged us when we ran into him on the ship.  We only got off on the ship at the two ports that were new to us - Dominican Republic and Bonnaire.

We were given our bronze medals on this cruise, had our picture taken with the captain and his top guy.  He was always very friendly when you ran into him on the ship. 

This was our first cruise on Holland America Line (HAL.) We are a middle-aged (55 & 60) long-term (20+) gay male couple.  We had heard that HAL was for "older" people, and had a reputation for being "stodgy", but what we found was a more mature behavior, a bit more formality, and we liked it.  A better class of people than we have seen on other lines.  Even though we usually keep mostly to ourselves (we're not outgoing,) when we were out and about, we were treated with complete dignity and respect.

The decor on the Noordam was understated elegance.  The food was the best we've had on a cruise.  We especially appreciated the made-for-you items in the "buffet" restaurant.  And the itinerary was fantastic.  I really love warm, sunny, clean, safe tropical beaches and I was not disappointed. Half Moon Cay is a treasure!  And Cayo Levantado in Dominican Republic was a nice surprise.

The only minor complaints...

Why *DO* they close the pools and hot tubs so early?  Why do they close them at all?  Other lines don't.

There were not enough shore excursions on Curacao and Aruba, and they filled up very early. Even just the "Beach Escape".  Book the first instant you can!

While the Noordam is beautiful, it's showing it's age.  I'm sure that will be remedied during its April 2016 dry dock.

Alternative dining was not available as often or as long as we would have liked.  Too often, we would return from a shore excursion very hungry, only to find most things closed.  And full dinner only from 6-8 PM???

Very nice ship, great food and service.  On board entertainment a disappointment compared to other cruises such as Royal and Norwegian.    Seemed geared for the 75+  travelers.   Small pool area as one  out of the two pools was for smokers.   Was never able to sit by pool.  Perfer a total smoke free ship.  Room staff and dining staff exceptional.