Launched in 2006, ms Noordam is the 4th and last Vista-class Holland America cruise ships, together with ms Westerdam, ms Oosterdam, and ms Zuiderdam.

History - construction & ownership

Holland America Line (HAL) is a Seattle-based American owned cruise line, which has been owned by Carnival Corp. & plc since 1989. From 1873 to 1989, HAL was a Dutch shipping line, a cargo line, a passenger line, and a cruise line operating mainly between the Netherlands and North America. Holland America Line was instrumental in the transport of hundreds of thousands of immigrants to North America. Founded in 1873 as the Dutch-American Steamship Company (Nederlandsche-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij), it was headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and provided service to North, South and Latin America. The first ship of the company was the original Rotterdam. On October 15, 1872 the vessel sailed its 15-day maiden voyage to New York City from the Netherlands. Other services were started to new world ports of call. In 1989 Holland America ceased operating as a Dutch line, as it was bought by Carnival Corporation for 1.2 bill guilders (530 mill euros).

The 82,897-ton, 1,214-passenger cruise ship ms Noordam was the first vessel built to include into her layout all of the changes, according to the 2003 Holland America's "Signature of Excellence" undertaking (wherein the line would refit all of the vessels in its fleet with stylish Euro-style mattresses, upgrade the bedding, add waffle-weave bathrobes to all cabin categories, incorporate massage-type shower heads into the baths, add flat-screen LCD TVs and DVD players to the rooms, expand its children and teens' amenities and change some of the public cabins into contemporary, multi-aim meeting places). The Culinary Arts Center of Noordam (instead of the Wajang Theatre - films are still played there) and the Explorations Cafe (which replaced the Windjammer Lounge, Cafe Bar and the library) can be the greatest changes onboard Noordam but they are certainly not the only ones. Outstanding, though, to Noordam cruise ship were some additional modifications. 27 feet of aft deck space was added to the Lido Deck and thirty-five new staterooms were included into the project, cutting away much of the angled raking at the stern and providing a straighter up/down aft end. This has been deemed very successfully that each of the other Vista-class vessels in turn went into dry-dock to get the same additions.

Cruise itinerary program

MS Noordam itinerary program is based on Mediterranean and Caribbean voyages from Fort lauderdale FL, with Transatlantic repositioning crossings.

Cabins

Most ms Noordam staterooms are 210-360-sq.foot balcony rooms (499). Nearly 70% of ship's accommodations have private balcony views. There are a total of 961 staterooms in 29 categories. 29 are the wheelchair accessible rooms. The largest aboard ms Noordam are the Pinnacle Suites (1150 ft2).

Dining options - Food & Drinks

Noordam's main dining rooms are joined by a grand staircase. Breakfast consists of made-to-order waffles and eggs, plus the usual baked goods and cereals. Lunch offers starters, mains and desserts. Entrees might include salmon piccata, Swiss steak and stuffed bell pepper. A daily "express combo" caters to those who are in a hurry. One of HAL traditions is the Afternoon tea, served in the upper dining room daily. Three themed teas - Cupcake, Indonesian and Royal Dutch - are served once during a sailing. Signature dishes available nightly feature Caesar salad, French onion soup, grilled salmon, roasted chicken and broiled strip loin. There is at least one vegetarian entree plus a full vegetarian menu with vegan selections, which should be ordered the night before.

Follows the complete list of ms Noordam restaurants and food bars.

• Pinnacle Grill (145-seat reservations-only seafood/steakhouse restaurant with fine wines selection; free for passengers under 12 yo). The venue transforms into “An Evening at le Cirque” once per cruise via partnership with NYC “Le Cirque” French restaurant.
• Vista Restaurant (1050-seat, aft Dining Room; features open seating Breakfast and Lunch, two Dinner options – 2 fixed seatings or “Any Time” dining between 5:15 p.m. - 9 p.m.)
• Terrace Grill (fast food pool bar; complimentary)
• Lido Restaurant (420-seat complimentary buffet restaurant; offers self-service Breakfast 6:00 a.m. -11 a.m., Lunch 11:30 p.m. - 2 p.m., Afternoon Tea, and Dinner 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.)
• Canaletto Restaurant (Lido Restaurant annex; operates as Italian restaurant for Dinner, reservations required).

Entertainment options - Fun & Sport

The Vista Lounge showcases a resident cast with song-and-dance numbers - a staple of cruise entertainment. Guest performers include musical acts and comedians. The lounge is quite comfortable, with plush seats and excellent sightlines from the balconies and the main floor. The B.B. King Blues Club located on Deck 2 is a multi-use spot that also serves as the Culinary Arts Center and the Queen's Lounge. It gets a grove on when B.B. King All-Star Band appears on the stage 3 times nightly on most evenings to belt out high-energy rock 'n' roll, funk, soul and blues. It's the most dynamic venue onboard. The club closes around midnight.

Follows the complete list of ms Noordam lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Atrium (3-deck high midship open-floor area with live performances)
• Vista Lounge (846-seat theater/main show lounge; also serves Holland America’s enrichment program (via partnership with BBC Earth)
• Piano Bar; Sports Bar; Pinnacle Bar (36-seat wine bar); Ocean Bar (Atrium bar and lounge, with dance floor and stage for live performances)
• Northern Lights Disco & Nightclub
• Queen’s Lounge & Culinary Arts Centre (170-seat, with live band entertainment, cooking shows, culinary classes; via partnership with “Food & Wine Magazine”)
• Explorer’s Lounge & Bar (lounge with bar; classical concert performances)
• Meeting Rooms (Hudson, Half Moon, Stuyvesant)
• Photo Gallery & Shop; Art Gallery
• Casino (served by Casino Bar and Sports Bar)
• Screening Room (38-seat indoor cinema)
• Atrium Shops (boutiques for duty-free tobaccos and liquor, perfumes, watches, clothing, HAL logo merchandise, souvenirs); Marabella Luxury Shop
• Explorations Cafe (specialty coffee bar and patisserie; also serves as ship’s Library and Online Centre/Internet computers room)
• Neptune Lounge (club venue for Deluxe Suite and Pinnacle guests only)
• Fitness Center (gym with separate Aerobics Room)
• Greenhouse Spa & Salon; Lido Pool area, served by Lido Bar and Terrace Grill; Sea View Pool area served by Sea View Bar; The Retreat (adults-only)
• Crow’s Nest (observation lounge; bar and dance floor; becomes disco at night)
• Sport Court (basketball, volleyball, soccer); Promenade Deck, Walking Track
• Club HAL (kids lounge, complimentary youth programming)
• The Loft (teens club lounge area, with Video Games Arcade, computers, PlayStations; teen disco).

• Cabin grades number: 29
• Total number of cabins: 961 (of which 162 Suites, 480 Balcony, 153 Inside rooms)
• Dining Rooms: Vista
• Restaurants and food bars: Lido (buffet), Terrace Grill (grill, pizza, burgers), Pinnacle Grill (steakhouse, in the evenings with French cuisine), Canaletto (Italian).
• Lounges & Bars: Queen’s Lounge (theater, culinary arts), nightclubs (Northern Lights, Crow’s Nest), Explorer’s, Neptune (suite), Casino, Atrium, Pinnacle, Ocean, Piano, Sports, Club HAL (kids), The Loft (teens), poolside bars.
• Amenities: complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("Club Hal"), cruise ship weddings, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.
• Adults relaxation areas (Sea View /pool, Retreat /private cabanas), Greenhouse Spa, Fitness, 5 jacuzzis, 3 pools, around-ship Promenade (Deck 3).
• Being one of the HAL's "compass ships", Holland America Noordam ship is the line's 4th (last) Vista-class vessel. Her name's meaning is "North" (in Dutch). Her sisters are the Holland America ships Oosterdam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam.
• The ship name means "North" in Dutch. MS Noordam cruise ship Maiden Voyage was on February 22, 2006, godmother - Marlee Matlin (actress).
• ms Noordam is able to produce up to 1700 t (450,000 US gallons) of fresh water a day using the desalinization method. Fuel consumption (daily) - ~216 t (57,000 gallons) of heavy fuel oil, 90 t (23,000 gallons) of marine gas oil.