ms Noordam

The 2006-built MS Noordam cruise ship is the 4th/last Vista-class Holland America liner, with sisterships ms Westerdam, ms Oosterdam, ms Zuiderdam.

The vessel (IMO number 9230115) is currently Netherlands-flagged (MMSI 246028000) and registered in Rotterdam.

History - construction and ownership

Holland America Line (HAL) is a Seattle-based cruise company owned by Carnival Corporation (shipowner). Between 1873-1989, HAL was a Dutch cargo and passenger shipping company operating regular Transatlantic crossings between Holland and the Americas. HAL was founded in 1873 as "Dutch-American Steamship Company" headquartered in Rotterdam Netherlands. In 1989, HAL was acquired by Carnival Corporation for around EUR 530 million. Among the company's assets are the Westmark hotel chain (Alaska-Yukon), Worldwide Shore Services (warehouses-logistics) and Half Moon Cay (Caribbean private island).

The 1214-passenger ship 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 successful so each other Vista-class ship in turn, went into drydock to get the same additions.

Decks and Cabins

MS Noordam staterooms (986 total, in 30 grades) include 162 Suites, 499 Balconies, 163 Oceanviews, 162 Inside cabins. Most staterooms are sized 170-205 ft2 (16-19 m2). Nearly 70% of all passenger cabins have private step-out balconies. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 28. The largest accommodations are the Pinnacle Suites (1000 ft2 / 93 m2, with terrace sized 320 ft2 / 30 m2).

The boat has 11 passenger decks, of which 7 are with cabins.

Implemented fleetwide in 2019, "Club Orange" program provides exclusive amenities to Suite passengers booked in categories Neptune and Pinnacle. Bonus perks by this program include:

• priority services (check-in, disembarkation, tendering, dining reservations)
• 24-hour concierge service (assistance, information, reservations)
• exclusive dining venue (serving complimentary Pinnacle Grill breakfast and Dining Room dinner, plus exclusive dishes)
• dedicated Concierge Desk (Guest Services and Tours)
• room service (a la carte breakfast menu with complimentary gourmet dishes - including smoked salmon, steak and eggs)
• sparkling wine (embarkation day), Club Orange tote bag, premium bathrobes (cabin use, available for monogramming and purchasing).
• Club Orange Restaurant is part of the Main Dining Room (designed as a separate VIP dining section).

Shipboard dining options - Food and 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 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 a 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 5:15-9 pm)
• Terrace Grill (fast food pool bar; complimentary)
• Lido Restaurant (420-seat complimentary buffet restaurant; offers self-service Breakfast 6-11 am, Lunch 11:30-2 pm, Afternoon Tea, Dinner 5:30-8 pm)
• Canaletto Restaurant (Lido Restaurant annex; operates as an Italian restaurant for Dinner, reservations required).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and 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. Other amenities include: complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("Club Hal"), cruise ship weddings, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

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 theatre/main show lounge; also serves Holland America’s enrichment program (via a 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 a 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); 5 jacuzzis
• 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).

Itineraries

MS Noordam itinerary program was previously based on Mediterranean and Caribbean (from Fort Lauderdale Florida) voyages, with seasonal Transatlantic repositioning crossings.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Noordam ship was paused for 2 years (March 2020-2022). "Grand World Voyage 2022" (129-day roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale/Jan 3-May 12) was canceled. Operations restarted on May 8, 2022, with 7-day Alaskan itineraries (between homeports Vancouver BC Canada to Whittier AK) followed by Australia-New Zealand deployment (between Auckland NZ and Sydney NSW).

Being one of the HAL's "compass ships", Noordam is Holland America's 4th (last) Vista-class liner, with sisterships Oosterdam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam. Noor means "North" (in Dutch). Ship's Inaugural Cruise/ Maiden Voyage was on February 22, 2006. Ship's Godmother was Marlee Beth Matlin - 1965-born US actress, author and activist. She is currently world's only deaf performer to have won the "Academy Award for Best Actress" (for the 1986-released movie "Children of a Lesser God").

The Noordam liner can produce up to 1700 tons (450,000 US gallons) of freshwater daily by using the desalinization technology. Vessel's fuel consumption (daily) is approx 216 tons (57,000 US gallons) of HFO (heavy fuel oil) and 90 tons (23,000 US gallons) of MGO (marine gas oil).

MS Noordam refurbishments review

The ship's last refurbishment was in 2019 (November). The 14-day drydocking project was done at Victoria Shipyards (in Victoria BC Canada). The conducted works included Billboard Onboard (added to the Music Walk area), Microsoft Studio (added in Explorations Cafe), Fujifilm Wonder Photo Shop (new photo studio). On Sports Deck was added pickleball court (doubles badminton court, sized 20×44 ft / 6,3x13,4 m).

All suites (cabins and bathrooms) were renovated and updated with new furniture. Also renovated (as furniture and carpeting) were Pinnacle Bar, Pinnacle Grill, Dining Room Restaurant, Lido Market (buffet restaurant), the wellness complex (Greenhouse Spa and Salon).

During drydock 2015 (May) all passenger cabins (including the bathrooms) were updated with new furnishings (sofas, chairs, headboards, carpets, wall coverings, privacy curtains, draperies, bed runners, bed skirts, quartz stone tops (bath vanities), vanity lighting, dressers, dressing tables, nightstands, smart HDTVs, BOSE SoundDock (iPod stations). New USB charging ports, power outlets and LED lights were installed.

MS Noordam drydock 2015 was part of Holland America Line's USD 300 million fleet renovation program (2016-2018).