We thoroughly enjoyed the ports we visited, however we did encounter a few missed ports due to both weather conditions and a problem with the ship's starboard thrusters. Parts had to be ordered from Finland so we spent two days in Napier. Unfortunately Aukland did not have a berth to house the ship the next day so we returned to Sydney. We also missed the Bay of Islands stop.

The food on the Noordam was not up to Holland America's normal standards - except in the Pinnacle Grill. We were also surprised that the Captain only showed his face when it was absolutely necessary!

I found the final "show" was a total waste of our time. On previous cruises, the entire ship's crew - including the captain and his officers - appeared on stage and the ship's entertainers did a short show. This "windup" consisted of crew staff coming on stage, facing left, right, and centre for picture taking and that was the end of the show! A real disappointment.