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Holland America Line continues to raise the bar
on what represents a "premium level" cruise ship, lifted in
no small part by Holland America herself. New services and
new amenities seem forever in the works. As the final
edition of Holland America's acclaimed "Vista-class" series,
 Noordam epitomizes the line's position as a premium market
cruise leader. Holland America's tradition of museum-quality
artwork, fresh-cut flowers; soothing chimes to announce the
dinner hour; and gracious, white-gloved service are still
amply evident.
I was fortunate enough to join the Noordam
on the return 5 day leg of her 10 day NY/NY western
Caribbean cruise, as luck would have it the period coincided
with Halloween and we were advise to be sure to bring
costumes for the party (see the
photo's for a chuckle - see
if you recognize any of the celebrities).
HAL has always been my favorite large ship
cruise line.. I use the term large ship to signify her size
only, as she is large in volume but small in guest capacity,
something that becomes quiet evident when you are on a full
ship such as we were and find yourself wondering where the
rest of the crowd has gone. In
just a few words - More Size equals More Space! Holland
America staterooms are, on average, 25% larger than the
competition on ships that accommodate 25% fewer guests! You
get more personal space inside and outside your stateroom,
fewer lines, and fewer crowds!
The ship's decoration is stylish and
subdued, several small but significant changes are
incorporated in the Noordam, some of these feature will be
retro fitted to her sisterships. Possibly the most
important in some ways is the reshaping of the aft end of
the superstructure of the ship to incorporate a number of
new staterooms which has increased the capacity of the ship
to 1918 (double occupancy).
This ship is I believe, the only one
constructed to incorporate all the HAL "Signature of
Excellence" features whereas the rest of the fleet have been
up-graded to this status. This extensive upgrade
across the fleet includes luxuries in every stateroom
category. Premium, Sealy® Euro-Top mattresses, 100%
Egyptian cotton towels, upgraded robes, 250-count bed
linens, salon-quality hair dryers and make-up mirrors,
flat-screen TV/DVDs, and fresh flowers and fruit
assortments. Penthouse Verandah and Deluxe Verandah Suites
offer additional benefits, including a private lounge with
concierge services, and complimentary laundry, pressing and
dry-cleaning!
Additionally, the ship offers more
features - you have access to the Explorations Café-powered
by The New York Times. Snuggle up to a flat-screen monitor
with your favorite coffee creation and surf the Internet
(access to nytimes.com is free) work a crossword puzzle, or
check out a book from the large library. Partnering with
Food & Wine magazine HAL also presents (this is also
offered fleet wide) the on-board Culinary Arts Center
which offers cooking demonstrations and seminars conducted
by world-class chefs, tasting events and cooking classes.
The Greenhouse Spa & Salon
reflects today's interest in spa treatments offering a
solarium, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room, aromatic
room, 11 massage/therapy rooms, beauty salon, and a windowed
fitness center equipped with the latest equipment. Yoga,
Pilates, and spinning classes are available. The spa also
has couple's massage rooms with some sumptious-sounding
treatments.
HAL has also paid
attention to the fact that many families travel with
their children and although this is not a feature
our corporate clients have any interest in, never the
less I mention it because the facilities are so well
done. Noordam's Children's Program - Club HAL
features a play area
dedicated to children ages 5-17, with programming for
different age groups and one counselor for every 30
children. The play area has games, TV, Sony Playstations,
and Internet access. The teen program is located in a
new area designed exclusively for teens ages 13-17.
The Loft includes a lounge area designed to resemble
a New York City artist's loft, with TV, Internet, video
games, and karaoke. The Oasis, which is above The
Loft, is a teens-only sun deck, with a waterfall, snack
machines, sound system and light show for dancing.
Besides these new areas and programs, HAL
continues to upgrade their ever popular lounges, bars
and restaurants. Probably one of the most
popular bar areas is the Crow's Nest, aptly names,
as it sits high over the fore deck on Deck 10
(Observation Deck) and
provides just the best views when at sea. Moving aft one
finds the Oak Room which is a small lounge for
private functions. Aft on this deck is situated
the teen areas mentioned previously.
On Deck 9
(Lido Deck) - immediately below the
Crow's Nest is located the Gym with the Spa
and salon aft on both the Port & Starboard sides.
The Lido Deck has a tastefully done pool area
with sliding roof for inclement weather, in this area is
located the main pool and ever popular hot tubs, the
Lido Bar and the deck BBQ - Terrace Grill as
it's called. Moving aft one comes to the Lido
Restaurant which is the casual dining area of the
ship, there are a number of buffet station where the
every smiling staff will happily serve you with wait
staff to carry you tray to your chosen table. Exiting
the restaurant aft one arrives at the Sea View Pool
deck which is home to a smaller pool usually frequented
by a quieter group without children than one finds
around the Lido pool, there are hot tubs and a small
bar.
From here most of the other public
areas are located on Deck 2 & 3 with the exception of
the Neptune Lounge inboard on Deck 7
(Rotterdam Deck). Deck 3 (Promedade Deck)
- houses from forward - the upper level of the Show Lounge - The Vista Lounge - The main meeting
rooms - The Styvesant, Hudson and Half Moon
Lounges. The Exploration Cafe (mentioned previously) and
the adjacent shops. The most popular meeting area
during my stay on-board was probably the Ocean Bar
which is located around the upper level of the Atrium
and adjacent to this is the Photo Gallery leading
into the Upper level of the Vista Dining Room. It
is also the walking deck of the ship and one can walk
around the whole length of the ship (3 laps = 1 mile),
there are quality teak deck furniture, loungers with
cushions and in cooler weather - travel blankets to keep
you warm, all set out for your use.
Deck 2
(Lower Promenade Deck) forward starts with the mid
level of the Vista Lounge then moving aft - the
Piano Room, the Sports Bar and on the
opposite side of the ship - the Casino, leading
into the night club - Northern Lights and the
Queens Lounge which is a multi function room with
stadium seating and also the home of the Culinary Arts
Center. The alternate restaurant - The Pinnacle
Grill - and opposite, the Pinnacle Bar which adjoins the Art
Gallery and Explorers Lounge with the upper
level of the Vista Dining Room fully aft.
Deck 1
(Main Deck) forward is home to the lowest
level of the Vista Lounge the rest of this deck
being accommodation until your midships at the lower
level of the Atrium and here is located The Pursers
Office and The Shore Excursion office aft
from here is all accommodation.
Finally,
on Deck A is home to the Medical Center,
hopefully you will never need to find it!
So, what is it like to cruise on the
Noordam... in a word - AMAZING. The quality of the
cruise experience HAL delivers is by far the best in the
big ship category of the cruise industry and I continue
to wonder why one of their competitors gets this title
year after year when their product in my opinion falls far
short of the HAL experience.
The Noordam has all the "Signature Of
Excellence" features at your disposal and they are
impressive to say the least. From the ultra
comfortable beds to the little touches like hand passed
hot & cold hor's d'ouvres at cocktail time.. they all
leave you in no doubt that this is luxury at this level.
Add to all this, the very friendly and willing staff
that amaze you by remembering your name after the first
meeting.. so many nice touches, and quality, quality
everywhere you look.
We dined in all the dining venues and
found overall the quality of the food served was
excellent, tasty menu's, well cooked and the the buffet
plates
constantly changed to be fresh for you. I
personally am not a fan of buffets, but the variety of
choices offered amongst the various stations meant you
where never at a loss to find a number of choices to
tempt your palette. The main dining area is just
that, it the the culinary center of the ship, with well
thought out menus, numerous choices in each
category and excellent, professional service from
friendly, unobtrusive staff. The Pinnacle Grill is Noordam's alternate restaurant where for an additional
$35 per person you can dine in this delightful,
exclusive, bistro type setting. Service was
sophisticated, the food was excellent, the menu's are
basically fixed, but offer daily specials - well worth a
visit.
The ship has an intimate feel
and you
never feel your in a crowd, there are many lounges and
enough bars to more than accommodate a full compliment
of passengers, and its never a problem to find a quiet
corner to relax with a book, of a friendly barman to
serve you a cocktail.
We traveled with a group of industry
people who were a fun but experience cruising group,
and I happy to report that in the five days we where
together I did not hear any complaints other than a
minor one regarding the lack of skimmed milk in the
coffee shop on one occasion - terrible how
pampered we can be.
Worldwide has chartered numerous HAL
ships over the years and found them to be a popular well
sized vessels for exclusive use. The standard HAL
delivers is consistently good and the on-board
experience well received by all who sail on them.
The crew go the extra mile to deliver what you promise
even before your cruisers board. (See LB's report on a
recent charter of the Zaandam).
Some basic facts regarding the ship:
Number of Decks: 11
Passenger Elevators: 14
Public Rooms:19
Passengers: 1918
Crew: 620
Gross Tonnage: 81,769
Length: 935ft
Width: 105.8 ft
Draft: 26ft
Engines: Diesel Electric
Max Speed: 21 knots
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