Holland America Line - Noordam IV
Fact File
Ship: Noordam IV
Cruise line: Holland America Line
Star rating: Not yet rated
Tonnage: 81,769 GRT
Maximum passenger capacity: 1918
Entered service: 2005
Description:Nearly 20 public rooms include familiar Holland America favourites such as the Crow's Nest observation lounge, Ocean bar and Explorer's lounge. New public venues include the Explorations cafe and the Culinary Arts Center, with cooking demonstrations. A combination entertainment complex includes a casino, piano bar, sports bar and nightclub.
Dinner is served in the main Vista dining room in four seatings. Alternative dining is available in the Pinnacle grill by reservation only or the Lido restaurant for casual buffet-style meals.
Prices for Noordam's New York-based Caribbean cruises start at $1595 per person, twin share cruise only. Rates for 10-day Mediterranean sailings begin at $2327. Sixteen-day transatlantic crossings begin at $1595.
For further information contact your travel agent or Travel the World on (02) 8296 7072.
Noordham IV
Holland America's new signature of excellence initiative adds luxurious touches to its latest vessel.
My very first cruise was aboard old Noordam III in 1988. It was a 12-day cruise-tour of Alaska, and I was hooked. Nearly 20 years later I'm still writing about the cruise industry and there's a brand new Noordam in port, Noordam IV. Although it shares the same name as its predecessors, the new Noordam is a far cry from its previous incarnation. Noordam IV registers 81,769 tons and carries 1918 passengers based on double occupancy. By comparison Noordam III, which served in the Holland America fleet from 1984 to 2004, registered 33,930 tons and carried 1214 passengers on double occupancy.
Beyond the numbers, though, Noordam IV incorporates public rooms, amenities and lifestyle programs that were unthought of two decades ago. From hardware to software, Noordam represents the best that cruising has to offer. There is an abundance of private verandahs, numerous WiFi hotspots, extensive wellness facilities, a comprehensive kids' program, and more. As a result, it epitomises the changes that have swept through the cruise industry and shows just how far we have come.
The interior of Noordam was designed by Frans Dingemans, who has been responsible for the decor of all HAL ships since Nieuw Amsterdam of 1983. On Noordam, as with previous HAL ships, he blends the nautical with the new, the traditional with the trendy. Holland America's longstanding emphasis on its history is very much in evidence, and throughout the vessel passengers are reminded of this maritime legacy with paintings and other objects d'art.
Although perhaps not as pronounced as on some previous Holland America ships, evidence of this maritime legacy can be found throughout the vessel, especially for those with a keen eye. There are, of course, the obligatory nautical oil paintings that hang in the stairway landings between decks. Then there are various ship-themed works of art which can be found hidden in miscellaneous nooks and crannies, from the atrium's Ocean bar to the top-deck Crow's Nest lounge (another Holland America tradition). Perhaps most interesting, however, are two ship models made entirely of bone which are on display outside the Pinnacle bar and grill. These were salvaged and originally displayed on Noordam III.
Alternative dining is one of the most significant changes to cruising and on Noordam and other Vista-class ships Holland America offers the Pinnacle grill. Located overlooking the atrium, the Pinnacle grill is a Pacific Northwest-themed restaurant. Topping the menu are premium cuts of beef that include two different sizes of filet mignon. A tempting array of starters may include clam chowder or Thai-style chicken soup. Equally enticing are the desserts - passengers may choose from many decadent selections including Grand Marnier chocolate cake.
The Pinnacle grill is just one of the many improvements that Holland America has dubbed the Signature of Excellence, a $225-million initiative that covers virtually every aspect of onboard life. Noordam is the fourth and last of the line's Vista ships (which also include Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam), and the first to emerge from the shipyard with its Signature amenities already in place.
Another pillar of the Signature of Excellence is Holland America's expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon. Its features include additional treatment rooms; new manicure, pedicure, and relaxation areas; and thermal suites with hydro-therapy pool, steam and aromatic room, heated ceramic lounges, and in-suite showers. In conjunction with the spa upgrades, Holland America is stocking its stateroom bathrooms with an array of Elemis products, the same brand used in the spa. These "Time to Spa" amenities include Elemis Pure Shine Shampoo, Elemis Pro-Vitamin Conditioner, a pure glycerin Citrus Soap Slice, Sharp Shower and Bath Gel, Pure Zest Cleansing Soap, and Vitamin Rich Body Lotion. Noordam is the first to offer these in-bath amenities, which are being rolled out across the fleet in conjunction with Noordam's inauguration.
Other in-cabin Signature upgrades include a host of improvements big and small. Passengers will have a good night's sleep on the line's new Euro-Top beds and 250-thread-count sheets. They can enjoy their morning coffee while lounging in fluffy, terry-cloth robes for him and her. Towels are 100 per cent Egyptian cotton. Cabins are beautified by a bouquet of freshly cut flowers and also supplied with a complimentary basket of fresh fruit, which may include apples, oranges, grapes and pears. All are equipped with LG-brand flat-screen televisions and DVD players.Passengers in suites enjoy additional amenities. These include fully stocked mini- bars and personalized stationary. They also have exclusive use of a concierge service in the Neptune lounge.
Among the most important attributes of Noordam, and a centerpiece of the Signature of Excellence, is the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food &i Wine magazine, located in the Queens lounge. On a stage surrounded by cabaret-style seating sits a full-scale demonstration kitchen. On either side are four flat-screen plasma televisions for close-up views of the preparations being made by the chef during television-style demonstrations.
Besides the Culinary Arts Center, Signature elements include the Explorations cafe powered by The New York Times, a very atmospheric lounge with 16 computer stations, where guests may relax with a magazine, recent best-selling books or current copies of The New York Times. An espresso bar offers hot and cold drinks to go served in paper cups. They even have 'sippy' tops - all the rage on cruise ships these days. One Holland America hallmark that has been relegated to the background is the Explorer's lounge. This traditional Holland America place for meeting and lounging, a feature on all Holland America ships including Noordam III, is now overshadowed by the Explorations caf and Queens lounge. Its location on the Lower Promenade deck just forward of the Vista dining room - the ship's main restaurant (serving dinner in four seatings, another Signature of Excellence improvement) - means the lounge will most likely be used by passengers either before or after their time spent in the dining room.
Just above the Explorer's lounge on the Promenade deck outside the balcony level of the Vista dining room is the art gallery, stocked with works that later will be offered at auction. According to one of the auctioneers, the gallery - operated by Minnesota-based Park West Galleries - offers artwork that spans five centuries. Representing the 1500s could be Albrecht Durer, while the 1600s might feature Rembrandt. The 1700s offer Goya, the 1800s Renoir and the 1900s range from Pablo Picasso to Peter Max, the auctioneer says. This upscale range of artists is likely to appeal to Holland America's mostly affluent clientele. "On Carnival we might sell one Dali per cruise," he notes. "On Holland America we might sell four."
Look out for Noordam - it cruises the Mediterranean from May to September, home ported in Rome. On September 28 it returns to New York to resume Caribbean service until April 21. It then transits the Panama Canal en route to Seattle, where it takes up residence for a series of cruises to Alaska's Inside Passage in summer 2007, starting on May 13.
Written by MT Schwartzman - 24 Winter 2006