Holland America, Noordam: Cati

Where am I – Cruising from Hobart to Sydney on board the Holland America Line (HAL) 'Noordam'

A lovely four night getaway - the back end of a longer voyage starting in Auckland on 23rd November.

Highlight(s) – I attended two very interesting Lectures held on their ‘World Stage,' which were very professionally presented by the Cruise Director. One of these was on the HAL Origin Story, celebrating 150 years of history. And the other titled City on the Sea, which offered a behind the scenes look at life on board including introductions and 'job descriptions' from the Captain, Heads of departments and various crew members. A surprising fact that there is a Tailor with his group of seamstresses on board who provide uniforms for the complete crew.

The ship - The Noordam is an ornately decorated ‘Vista’ class ship, with a guest capacity of around 1,970. Elegant and traditional with great restaurants and music venues.

The Service and Food was excellent in all locations. The Lido deck Market had very well laid out food stations with staff serving, and in the Main dining room ( Deck 2) it was easy to just walk in for dinner with only a short wait to be seated. If you wanted the set dining time this was catered for on Deck 3.  Room service was all-inclusive, and the Breakfast menu was good. My fellow cruiser informed me that her breakfast was perfect and about half hour upon receiving, she received a phone call asking if all satisfactory. I recommend grabbing a fantastic Burger/Hot Dog by the pool at Dive In and/or the Tacos, sushi, cookies, the fresh salads and gelato up at the Lido.  Breads and patisserie are freshly baked, and pastas usually made onboard.

The Staterooms have plenty of storage, however I did find it very narrow between the bed and the wall.  They were very insulated with no noise heard from adjoining rooms or corridor.

Activities onboard – perhaps not as much as on other ships. The library was spacious and comfortable with current releases of books and plenty of seating areas adjacent to the coffee bar.  There was more of a focus on art and craft activities in the art studio located in the Crow’s nest lounge with its panoramic views where lots of game tables were set up with chess/ backgammon and a host of board games to choose from, plus Mahjong/ Bridge meeting rooms etc. 

There was a Casino onboard - not really my thing, so I can't comment on the variety and standard of the games and equipment on offer.

Physical activity was encouraged. (Unfortunately, the sauna wasn't hot enough for a pseudo-Finn used to throwing water on the hot rocks)  Times were set aside for stretching, Pilates, "walking a mile" tai-chi, ping-pong and golf putting. The sports court was on Deck 11 where guests could participate in Pickleball lessons and tournaments and Basketball shooting.   

Production shows in the Theatre which I saw were energetic and the backdrops were great. Guests that I spoke to on board were all very happy with the voyage, excellent service and were particularly impressed with the entertainment. Many passengers were repeat clientele. ( There were approx. 70% USA guests on board who flew from the states to AKL ) 

Trivia events, Karaoke and Happy hour at 4pm – were very popular.  This was the time I would sample the special drink for the day - delicious. Thankfully, my rendition of Words by the Bee Gees was favourably received at Karaoke!

We were able to experience Dinner at the Speciality restaurant – Tamarind – Asian inspired and food was excellent. We were also able to view some staterooms including a Neptune suite including the Neptune Lounge for Suite guests.  

Pre cruise (Hobart) - Prior to boarding the ship on Wednesday 03 December, I spent 2 nights at the Ibis Styles Hotel in Hobart - a good centrally located 4-star hotel on Macquarie St. With 1-full day to sightsee, I had a 24-hour Hop on-Hop off bus ticket, visited the Cascades Female Factory with its gruesome yet must-know history and the Maritime Museum. I also attended a very interesting lecture presented by Tidetech about global Tides and Currents and how the data can be used for current shipping and of course, the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race among others. Unfortunately, the highly recommended Hobart MOMA Museum of Modern Art was closed.