This was a change for us since our last 5 cruises were on Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. So weve been used to smaller ships with all inclusive policy. We have, however been on larger ships many years ago. But we chose the Noordam because the itinerary was good and the ship was brand new. Also it wasnt as large as many of the other cruise lines. We were pleasantly surprised.

The size of the ship was very comfortable, carrying about 1900 passengers. And the ships style and dEcor was positively beautiful. It is beautifully done with lots of leather in different colors and textures, all in excellent taste. The designers and decorators are to be commended! The service was good in most areas.

The buffet for breakfast and lunch had good selections, but this is the only place I have criticism of the service. It seemed to me that if the dining room captains were not visible the servers were not as attentive as they should have been. There were a small few who really went the extra step to be of service, but they should have been a little busier. They needed to clean off tables faster, etc. Maybe they still needed some training since the ship was only on its 13th voyage. The food in the main dining room was okay but not fabulous. But our dining room section manager was great. The stateroom we had was fabulous. In the category we were in we enjoyed some extra benefits such as laundry service, and a private lounge which had complimentary snacks and coffee almost all of the time. This was nice because otherwise you had to pay for cappuccino elsewhere on the ship. And the bed was extremely comfortable. Also the bathroom was spacious and the closet space was terrific. Read more