Noordam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Spent a few days in Auckland before boarding the Noordam. Embarkation takes awhile to get so many people onboard. Spent about an hour waiting in line. Once you get through the line, it is a quick process for getting your cruise card and going through security. The ship is remarkably clean, and well maintained. Not a large ship, so it does not take long to walk from one end of the ship to the other. The crew is amazingly friendly and helpful. Incredible how so many crew can remember your name just after a few days. Really enjoyed the food and service in the Main Dining Room. Never felt rushed. Waiters were wonderful. Lido buffet for breakfast and lunch were always very crowded. Takes awhile to find a seat, but the food and service was also good. The cabin stewards kept the cabin clean and refreshed multiple times during the day. The production singers and dancers get and A for effort. Not the glitzy and highly produced productions you find on larger ships, but still fun entertainment. Comedians, vocalist, and instrumentalists filled the other nights shows, and were all very good. Piano bar entertainer was quite talented, and was fun to pop into at anytime in the evening. Great ports with beautiful scenery. A couple of tender ports that took some time waiting in line, but were handled quite efficiently. All in all a great cruise with a wonderful crew.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
Large cabin with sofa, and plenty of room to move around. Tub with shower was larger than most other ships. Great veranda with nice patio furniture. TV was older technology, with a few basic news channels, but no streaming or selecting movies. Cabin stewards kept the room clean and fresh multiple times a day.
Port Reviews
Tauranga
Best port of call on the cruise. Such a beautiful location. Ship is docked right next to a nice beach. Great hiking in the mountain right off the beach. Easy to spend the day taking pictures, and hiking.
Auckland
Nice city for wandering around on foot. Cruise ship was docked downtown, within a few blocks of anywhere you might want to go.
Napier
Interesting town with a lot of history. Destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt. Nice shopping area, and great beach walk. Free transportation to town provided by the city.
Wellington
Big city. Bus transportation provided into the downtown area. Nice hike to the top of a lookout, and nice botanical gardens. Free museum for the history of New Zealand.
Picton
Beautiful little fishing village. Bus transportation to town. Great hiking trails that take you out to amazing views of the bay. Main street has some nice bars.
Akaroa
Another beautiful little village with amazing views, and beaches. Nice hiking trails. Most people take buses to Christ Church but if you are not up for a big city, its a great place to spend the day. Tender ride takes 30 minutes, so be patient.
Hobart
Fun city. Lots of open air markets to explore. Great harbor area with bars and cafes. Easy to walk around the city.
Melbourne
Long walk from port to the river walk in the city and back. Need to be a good hiker, otherwise should probably take the tram or a bus. Melbourne is a great city, so much to see and do.
Eden (Australia)
Another beautiful little village. Great hiking along the main beach. Takes time to hike from the ship to town, and then to the long beach on the other side. Bus is provided to those that don't feel like a long walk. Interesting history about a catholic nun turned saint. They have a free museum about it.
Sydney (Australia)
So much to do in Sydney. Spent 3 days doing all the touristy stuff. Get the opal card and you can take any train or bus for $15 per day.