Source: Cruise Junkie dot Com

Events at Sea by Noordam

Events by:
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The events listed have been reported in the public domain or to cruisejunkie by passengers or crew members onboard.  The list is by no means comprehensive.  For that reason it is necessary to be cautious in drawing conclusions from the potentially limited data.  Keep in mind that some companies may be more transparent than others about things that go wrong; conversely, some companies may be better at concealing events and thereby project an appearance that is inaccurate.  With that said, the following list is still interesting, as are the patterns when viewed separately by ship.



dd/mm/yy
2008
Incident
20.11.08 A poster at Cruise Critic wrote a review of her cruise in the Mediterranean and their experience of being off-loaded in a remote area of Italy with no support or assistance from the cruise line. It is an illuminating read.
Offloaded - Failed duty of care
dd/mm/yy
2006
Incident
17.11.06
During a four day window starting 8 September, cabins on 10 sailings (from January to April 2007) were sold for $849 rather than $1399.  The company caught its error and is now requiring passengers to pay the difference between the original confirmed fare and the newly revised fare -- a charge of $1100 per couple.  According to the cruise line: "After fully reviewing all the facts ... our conclusion was that we werre not able to offer the mistaken rate."  See USA Today for more details.
Bait and Switch?

"Old" Noordam Events (Now sailing as Thomson Celebration

8.4.04
Carnival Corporation reported in its 10Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that on March 5, 2004, Holland America Line notified the United States and Netherlands governmental authorities that one of its chief engineers had admitted to improperly processing bilge water on the Noordam. A subsequent internal investigation determined that the improper operation may have begun in January 2004 and may have continued sporadically through March 4, 2004.  The matter had also been raised by Coast Guard officials in San Juan, Puerto Rico to their counterparts in Tampa following a report to them of the incidents.  It isn't clear whether Holland America's self-report predates the report made by the Coast Guard.  Holland America Line and three shipboard engineers have received grand jury subpoenas from the Office of the U.S. Attorney in Tampa, FL (where the ship was homeported).  (See CCL 10Q filed with the SEC on April 8, 2004)
Environmental
20.11.97
Forced to abandon a seven day cruise after striking an underwater object off the Mexican Caribbean coast (near Playa del Carmen).  Initial inspections indicate the ship damaged its starboard propeller; the following cruise is cancelled for repairs.
Grounded
6.11.93
Collision of the Netherlands Antilles Passenger Ship Noordam and the Maltese Bulk Carrier Mount Ymitos in the Gulf of Mexico November 6, 1993. (NTSB Report Number: MAR-95-01) Collision




Illness Outbreaks at Sea by Noordam

dd/mm/yy
Reported Illness Outbreaks
14.1.10 A passenger wrote to say the 10 day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to  the Caribbean (January 04-14 2010) had a norovirus outbreak on the  3rd day of the 10 day cruise and it ended on the last full day of the cruise. It was subsequently learned that the number of people infected was 36-38, so below the 3% threshold to be considered an outbreak.  The cruise left Fort Lauderdale 01/04/10 and the outbreak started 01/07/10 and ended 01/13/10.  My cynical self became very suspicious when there was no additional disinfecting practices observed.
22.10.09 Gibraltar News from Panorama reports the ship sailed into Gibraltar yesterday with food poisoning onboard. The bug caused a stir with some tour guides and coach drivers, as the word got round of what some were saying was an outbreak of gastro-enteritis. A number of drivers/guides refused to work given the nature of the outbreak. What is regarded as surprising is that passengers were allowed to come ashore, when in other ports it is sometimes the case that passengers are barred to avoid the spread of a bug onboard the ship. Questioned by PANORAMA, ship agents Turner & Co confirmed that there had been "some food poisoning onboard, but contained, and confined to one part of the ship." UPDATE: The CDC reports 16 of 784 (2.04%) crew and 140 of 1826 (7.67%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a 15 day cruise ending November 1 in Ft. Lauderdale.
16.1.08
The ship reported 12 of 816 (1.47%) crew and 103 of 1980 (5.2%) passengers had reported ill on a Southern/Eastern Caribbean cruise that began January 5 in New York City and which disembarked January 16.
16.12.06
From a passenger:  We were on the 12/06 - 12/16/2006 NYC/Caribbean 10 day r/t, and about the 3rd day received a note in all our rooms of a norovirus outbreak slightly above the normal rate.  There were members of the crew holding giant squeeze bags of Purell at all the entrances to the Dining Rooms, and offering it to everyone who walked in.


Illness Outbreaks by: