We just returned from a ten day cruise on the Holland America ms Noordam. We were scheduled to depart Ft. Lauderdale on 11/3/2010 and returning on the 13th. Our itinerary was two days at sea, St. Marteen, St Lucia, Barbados, Martinique, St Thomas, a day at sea and then Ft Lauderdale.

Firstly, we are retired and take trips several times a year. We have cruised on Premiere (the old Disney), Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and now twice on HAL.

We booked on last years' New Years Cruise. We chose a cabin in the VB class on Deck six. About three months prior to the sailing date, we were notified that our cabin assignment had been changed to deck 8, class SS. I didn't see and advantage and considering the higher deck, I contacted HAL and asked why I had been changed. I was informed that they reserve the right to change cabin assignments and this new cabin was an upgrade.

Two weeks prior to sailing, my travel agent contacted us and said HAL was offering an upgrade to a Deluxe Veranda Suite for $149.00 each. He explained that the suite was double the size of our current assignment and included, free laundry, dry cleaning and pressing, evening hot and cold hors de' oeuvres in our cabin, mid day snacks and special breakfast, all day snacks, espresso, cappuccino, latte' and a bunch of other good stuff in the Neptune Lounge. Also in the lounge are Melanie and Franz. They are Concierges for those with access to the lounge. I think you have figured it out, that we took the deal. It was worth every penny.

Day 1

We live in Florida and drove to Ft. Lauderdale. We planned to arrive at about 3:00 PM so we could avoid the initial rush to get aboard. Arriving at about 2:30, I parked in the covered parking garage and we then breezed through the check-in procedure. The only glitch was the computer not being able to store our photos onto the card. After a few minutes, we were on our way. We headed to our cabin. When we opened the door we were amazed at the size of the room and verandah. We quickly set-up our toiletries and the formal wear that we hand carried. While doing so, Bayu and Fendy our cabin attendants, stopped by. They iced the waiting bottle of champagne and advised us to call the Neptune Lounge with any requests and they would do their best to provide us with what we wanted.

Since we had pre-purchased the Thermal Suite Package, we went to the Spa to get little stickers applied to our ID cards. When we gave our cabin number the girl told us that we had over paid for the package at $349.00, as it was now $249.00. She said the only way to apply the credit was to charge us $249.00 and then she would have the $349.00 deducted. After doing this, she informed us that we could redeem the credit of $100.00 by buying any services or products at the spa. I was smelling a rat.

We went to the main desk to ask to see how may times we paid for this package. The attendant said she would have to check with the manager of the spa and would call me.

The first night we had dinner in the Vista Lounge. We had requested Open Seating and showed-up at about 8:00. After dinner we went to a Magic Show, which was quite good. A nightcap, and Day 1 was in the books.

Day 2

After a great breakfast we set-up poolside for our first day at sea. At about 10:00 we went to the Crow's Nest Lounge for a "Meet & Greet" reception that was arranged on Cruise Critics Board. HAL provided coffee, tea, champagne and mimosas. We chatted and then decided to check with the desk, regarding our "Spa problem". My wife was waiting in line and I was standing on the side. A ship's officer approached me asking if there was anything he could help with. I told him why we were there. He introduced himself and gave me his card. He was Hotel Manager, James Deering. He told us not to waste any time on this matter as it would be handled. Later in the afternoon we received a call explaining how the erroneous charge would be handled and we would receive a written account of the refund.

After lunch, we attended the "Premium Wine Tasting" at the Culinary Arts Center. We have attended these on a prior cruise and this was not as well done. We were supposed to sample several wines with several foods and savor the effects of each upon the other. When we finished, there were several food items that we hadn't touched and still full glasses of wine. The presenter, Ben, left and the group stayed until we finished.


The rest of the day was spent poolside and then snacks and cocktails on our verandah. Since this was a formal night we dressed and went to the Pinnacle Grill. Great food and service!

We closed with drinks and dancing at the Ocean bar. The Jazz trio was great.

Day 3

This was another day at sea. We relaxed poolside, and had a great day.




Day 4

We arrived at St Maarten in the morning. We have been to St Maarten many times. We used to rent a villa each year on the French side. Since we were there a short time we didn't want to rush to the French side and decided to shop a little and return to the ship. The drop shipment from the jewelry manufacturer arrived two days ago.

Day 5

This was our first time to St Lucia. We had signed-up for the Tranopy and Canopy Shore Excursion. We were transported to the Tranopy site via van. Once there, we were outfitted with harnesses and helmets and given a short instructional on how to zip through the jungle.

This was a ball! We zipped through about 18 lines of varying lengths and repelled straight down once. It was allot of fun. After that, we went on a tram ride up the mountain and back down. We learned allot about the rain forest and St Lucia.

While we were at the Tranopy, our ship played host to a group of children from an orphanage on the island. Our ship also off-loaded thousands of gallons of water and food supplies to aid in the islands recovery from Hurricane Tomas.

We were supposed to leave the dock at 4:00 PM and follow the coast to see the Tetons on the North side of the island. However, one of the orphans, Darien, decided that ship life was better than the orphanage and he stowed-away. The Captain made public announcements to entice Darien from his hiding place as we stayed in port past 5:00 PM. Finally, Sister (can't recall her name) got on the ships horn and told Darien to turn himself in. I guess he saw the light. He appeared at the gangway and we were off. However as we went to the ships top deck to see the Tetons, we were only able to see a dark sky.

Day 6

Upon arrival in Barbados, we loaded into 4 wheel drive trucks for our 4X4 Island Safari Adventure and Swim. The trucks were like a pick-up with five seats on each side, facing each other. We belted-up and our driver took us on a tour of the island. This was another island that we had never been to and I was impressed. We drove through several towns and saw much of the different areas. We also drove through sugar cane fields and the forest. the ride was a bit rough and some of the women were screaming. I let out a girly yelp myself, when we stopped and a monkey jumped on my back.

After about an hour our Jeep was overheating so we stopped at a rest area and a replacement was sent. We then toured some more of the island and then were brought to a small beach. There was nothing there, no food or drinks, nothing. We stayed about an hour and some of us went swimming. Then we were given some rum punch at the rear of the truck, prior to returning to the ship. We could have used that while we were at the beach. Overall, Barbados is on my list of islands to return to.

Day 7

We arrived at Martinique at 8:00 AM and were scheduled to leave at 12:00 PM. I can see why. The city, Fort De-France, was a slum. They didn't accept US dollars and in one store would not guarantee that a US credit card would work. We went to a church which was in town and tried a museum but that was closed for renovations. When I saw a homeless guy peeing at the curb about 50 feet from a policeman, I thought it was time to return to the ship.

This was our second formal night, however we missed that memo. We went to the Ocean Bar for a cocktail before dinner and when we saw the formal stuf, my wife directed us back to the cabin to re-dress. We had a wonderful dinner at the Pinnacle Grill and dancing at the Ocean Bar till the wee hours.

Day 8

We arrived early at St Thomas and we had our first day of rain. We were supposed to go on an excursion, the Kayak, Hike and snorkel at Cas Cay. The ship announced that some of the shore excursions were being canceled as there was some lightning around. Ours was one of them. So we put on some rain gear and went ashore. The weather was not terrible for shopping and we had fun looking around a place we had never been to. We had a light lunch at the Green House and then went back to the ship. I think that we will return to the US Virgin Islands.

Another great dinner at Canaletto's and more dancing at the Ocean Bar.

Day 9

This was our last day at sea. We hung out and relaxed during the day and then went to the Pinnacle Grill for our last formal night.

Day 10

Upon arrival at Half Moon Cay, we took a tender over and went to a reserved Clamshell. The beach was wonderful. We had been to Half Moon Cay, twenty years ago, while on a Disney Cruise which was run by Premier Cruse Lines. The lunch at the island was not up to HAL standards. Still, we enjoyed the day.

For our last dinner aboard, we decided to return to the Pinnacle Grill. It was wonderful as always.

Our arrival at Ft Lauderdale and disembarkation was fast and easy.

Overall, our cruise was a great one.

Pluses

Food, Cabin, Service, Thermal Suite Pool

Minuses

The Spa and gym are run by an outside agency (Steiner) and there is an attitude evident.