Noordam Review

Enjoyed the 'average'

Review for Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Noordam
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rks@cc
2-5 Cruises • Age 80s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Sep 2016
Cabin: Deluxe Verandah Suite

We selected this cruise for the itinerary for 43 days. We wanted to see Hawaii, some of the South Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand. We opted for a Neptune Suite which had the perk of the Lounge, which we thoroughly enjoyed and used a lot for an intimate continental breakfast and lite bites throughout the days at sea. The suite itself had very comfortable beds and an abundance of space but horribly uncomfortable chairs at the desk and coffee table. It was also miserable to have a full meal served inside on the coffee table so we did not do that very often. The food that we enjoyed the most was in the Pinnacle Grill which had excellent meat and side dishes simply and tastefully prepared; not drowned in some weird 'gourmet' sauce. For that reason we avoided the main dining room and for the fact that green salads were very scarce on that menu. It was gourmet fare, which we don't enjoy, and required patience to wait for service. We took advantage of the salad bar in the Lido every night, frequently to the exclusion of other entrees offered and stuck with ice cream for dessert. I lost 10 pounds as a result...pretty good for a 43 day cruise! We are avid readers so loaded our Kindles and did not participate in ship activities or entertainment other than the casino and Bingo. I am mobility challenged and have found that I cannot fully participate in large bus tours so did not arrange but 2 with Holland America. I arranged private tours on my own. Accessiblity on the ship itself was very good. The most outstanding part of the cruise was the service. It was absolutely impeccable while on board. However, I was dropped on my own to disembark since I didn't request a wheelchair but I had a walker and luggage and was not offered any help from the ship into the luggage area. Miserable! Yes, I will consider Holland America for another cruise but maybe on a different ship with nicer décor.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Verandah Suite

Cabin SB

Very comfortable beds. Abundant storage space. Terribly UNcomfortable chairs at desk and at coffee table. Having meals on a coffee table was dicey.

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