On Board the Noordam

As much as I've enjoyed sharing the highlights of our Alaskan adventure and have appreciated the comments, all good things come to an end, not in the travel sense, but in posting about our experiences.

Three previous posts about this trip included some of the sights seen and details on the onboard shows and dining. This final post shows some of the ship interiors.

This post is focused on the MS Holland America Noordam. The ship's smaller size, carrying 1,972 passengers, gives Noordam an intimate feel that makes it easy to meet people and make new friends.

This was the first cruise for both Patrick and myself, not counting his U.S. Navy time at sea, which was much less fun he assured me. As this was my first-ever cruise, I took precautions by taking anti-nausea tablets and wearing sea-bands for the first several days. (Sea-bands work by applying pressure to the P6 (Nei Kuan) acupressure point on each wrist to relieve nausea and vomiting.) These wristbands are considered safe and can be reused, plus they're washable, so a one-time buy. I also brought ginger lozenges (another anti-nausea remedy) but never used any.

Our 7-day cruise portion was mainly an Inside Passage one which provided cruising through a protected network of waterways along Alaska's coastline. Only the final day of cruising was a bit of rocking and rolling.

The Noordam has a total of 986 staterooms. These cabins are distributed across different categories, with most (nearly 70%) featuring private balconies, 16% are ocean-view cabins, the remainder are inside cabins. There are no dedicated family cabins onboard, but many regular staterooms can sleep more than two people. 

The color scheme in our cabin included a lot of a range of warm, muted colors with burnt orange, ivory walls and blond-wood furniture. The  stateroom bed consisted of two Holland America twin beds configured into a queen. Room furnishings included two bedside tables with drawers and a vanity/desk, hair dryer and chair. There were no drawers for clothing storage, two large closets had shelving and a safe. Luggage could be stowed under the bed. An in-room mini-bar was stocked with soft drinks, beer, wine, liquor — all at extra cost. A flat-screen TV featured movies, ship information and selected news channels. 

Our cabin, like most others, had a combination bathtub/shower. There was a medicine cabinet with three shelves and under-sink storage. Provided toiletries included soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner and lotion.

Our verandah stateroom was on deck 7. The ship's 497 veranda cabins (212 to 359 square feet with a 54-square-foot balcony) are on decks 4 through 8 and 10. Our balcony included two chairs, a small table and a footrest.

The word veranda is used by some cruise lines, like Holland America, to describe a cabin's private outdoor space vs. balcony or veranda. This spelling variation is a branding decision, there's no functional difference between a verandah, veranda or balcony. The interchangeable terms refer to the same thing. Historically, verandah with the h was more common in British English.

Our room was a short walk from the elevator. The decor differed on all floors with elevators. Noordam has an impressive number for its size. There are 14 lifts (including 4 outside ones) which means there was seldom a wait for those who prefer not to use stairs. 

Day of the week elevator mats in case passengers lost track of the day

While it's very easy to lose track of time and even days when traveling, there wasn't any confusion. The elevator mats were changed daily with the day of the week.

Additional signage pointed travelers to the front or back of the ship. Starboard Port indicates the front part of the ship, towards the bow. This is the right-hand side of the ship when facing the bow. 

Forward Port indicates forward port refers to the front-left section, which is the left-hand side of the ship when facing the bow. These terms are standard nautical terms. Using port and starboard avoids confusion as "left" and "right" can change depending on a passenger's orientation on the ship. Starboard derives from the Old English word for the steering side (right side of the boat). Port was adopted as it was the side of the boat used to load cargo when in port, a process that required the boat to be tied up to the dock.

The Noordam features two main pools (one with a retractable roof) and also a hot tub. A popular restaurant, Dive In, served speciality burgers and Nathan's Famous hot dogs for poolside dining. Both were very good as we each enjoyed a burger and hot dog, one of Patrick's favorites.

The onboard art gallery and library

Artwork was featured throughout the ship

Museum-quality art was on display throughout the ship and in a special art gallery. There was also a library where books can be borrowed for reading while onboard.

Explorations Cafe on Noordam

The Explorations Cafe was a popular hangout with a specialty coffee bar close by, and its location next to the library made it a daily hub of activity. There were many seating areas popular for reading, napping or relaxing.

Crows Nest on Noordam

The Crows Next provided panoramic ocean views and was a popular spot on most cruising days, its windows were great places for whale watching. Nature and wildlife talks were conducted here by National Park Service representatives several days during the cruise and were always well attended by ourselves and others.

A few lounge areas onboard the Noordam

The ship featured a variety of bars and lounges with many areas for conversation, drinks, games, reading and relaxing. 

The Noordam atrium with its Waterford crystal  and spiral staircase

A three-story atrium midship sports a curvy green glass stairway crowned by a colossal Waterford crystal compass. Gold-hued tiles mirror the surrounding walls. 

The atrium is quite unique with lots of brass, glass and gold tiles. I did not walk down that staircase during our entire trip.

The Promenade deck was popular for walking and sitting

The Promenade deck (Deck 3) was generously wide and encircled the ship (just short of the bow). On cruising days, it served as a walking track and I joined other passengers walking it several times. The deck chairs are empty in the above photo, which was an early morning shot. They were usually occupied on most cruise days with daytime temperatures in the mid to high 60s and plenty of sunshine. The crew would stow the chairs nightly and set them up again early the next day.

Fish-themed decor was seen throughout the Noordam

The ship’s name, which signifies the Northern point of the compass in Dutch, is reflected in nautical-themed decor throughout the ship. The shell and fish seats above look fairly uncomfortable, maybe that's why they were unoccupied.

The Noordam bow was a popular outdoor spot

The bow of the ship was opened to passengers daily, except if there were rough seas which we only experienced the last day of cruising, passengers were not allowed outdoors. The Promenade deck was closed off as well. 

A selfie on the Noordam bow

If you've followed along on this Alaska land-cruise adventure, we thank you. This is the final post of our 2025 anniversary adventure to the 49th state. 

Autumn 🍂🍁 officially arrived this week (September 22) and our fall travels are starting too. We're leaving today for a week-long road trip to parts of upstate New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. Our next adventure is mid-October with a first-time visit to Portugal. The year will end with U.S. travels in November and December. 

You're invited to travel along with us online. Mark Twain advised: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. We're going with that advice 🙂.