Noordam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
For years our bucket list has included a trip to Alaska. We are newly retired and chose the 14-day land/sea package offered by HAL. Having only cruised two other times, both with other cruise lines, this was our first HAL experience. We arrived in Fairbanks on July 26th, 2016 at around 2 pm.
HAL’s bus pickup in Fairbanks went smoothly. There was limited confusion – as with most things, anyone who listened had no problems. After check-in at the Westmark hotel, we had the evening to ourselves. We chose to walk to Bobby’s for dinner. We were very happy with our food. My salmon was juicy and flavorful. My husband said his meal was excellent and he raved about the carrots – HA!
Our Westmark room was typical. The bed was hard and uncomfortable for me, but I find most hotel beds to be that way. And I HATE the tiny pillows everybody seems to be using these days!
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
We were pleasantly surprised at our room, #4054 on the port side. Our deck gave us great views both straight out and forward. To the rear our view was blocked by life vessels, but we didn’t find that to be an annoyance. Our bathroom was very adequate. The room was quiet – the only thing that ever disturbed me was the slamming of other guest’s deck doors as they went out or in. The room seemed to be neat and clean except for several quarter-size spots along the sides of the bed, and our deck looked like it hadn’t been maintained or even washed and cleaned in quite some time.
Port Reviews
Glacier Bay
We loved the full day at Glacier Bay. We especially loved our deck because we had our own viewing area and didn’t have to join the crowds on deck.
Seward
We rode the Cruisetrain from Denali to Seward, which is a narrated journey. Although not a double-decker like the McKinley Explorer, we had wonderful views, sat at tables for the entire journey, and were served by a well-informed guide who has spent most of her life in Alaska. She even had her own photo album of fishing and hunting experiences for us to peruse. This was one of our favorite days simply because of the unbelievable scenery. We were gob-smacked at the beautiful country. The train took us right to the dock in Seward, where we boarded HAL’s Noordam. We left port that evening.