I went on a cruise with Archers holidays, travelling between Australia and New Zealand. The ship was called The Holland and American cruise ship. The disabled room stank of stale urine, the smell was extremely overwhelming. When I went to customer services they offered me a spray to neutralise the smell. I immediately asked to leave the ship and the woman told me I could only leave if I signed a form to say I will not be entitled to a refund. When I refused to sign she told me she would get security to stop me from leaving. Customer services seriously need training in every area.

The ship needs a makeover its very dingy. When I attempted to get my money back they lied through there teeth about the events that took place that day.

Initially I would say the average age of passengers on the Noordam is the highest of any Cruise Ship, probably between 65 and 80 with very few younger, always very few children.

Fabulous ship with good staff. The food is generally above average in the main dinning room but the Vista is a self service nightmare, but that is similar to many other cruise-ships when it is self service. The Entertainment is extremely poor and not worthy of one star, but it is understandable as most people are in bed by 1030pm on this ship.

The cost of wine and drinks in general is expensive but in moderation it is acceptable.
The major problem on this ship is the Smoking Policy. People can smoke almost anywhere and for this reason we will never sail with HAL again.

The Noordam is a beautiful, modern ship, and the Holland America cruising experience is first class. HA is not widely marketed in the UK, due to American focus etc. but some of the itineries available in the Meditteranean and Northern europe are excellent. The passengers are mainly American, but we met people from Ireland, wales and England. The ethos on board is American, which is refreshing compared to the "British way" on some cruiselines.

We found the age range to be mainly 20's to 70's with a high proportion in 30/40's range. There were also some teenagers who had a ball, and were never rowdy....just out to enjoy a wonderful experience.

The cleanliness of the ship is apparent from arrival to departure, and the cabins are tastefully decorated.

Food is plentiful, varied and well prepared, with eating options to suit all tastes. Even in the main restaurant, with 2 sittings, there is a degree of flexibility regarding eating time. We always go for late sitting and, whilst billed as 8.30 the "flexible dining" policy allowed for anytime between 8.00 and 9.00pm. This does mean that sometimes at your designated table, each party can be at different stages of meal but this is not a problem and the level of service is very good, if not quite excellent.

Ship staff do all they can to make your holiday experience first class, and are never intrusive...always there and available but never in your face. There was no pressure from either the ship's management (eg. newsletter etc.) or any of the staff at tipping time!! There are specific amounts (outlined in the brochures) automatically billed, which can be amended. It was just never an issue, which is not the case on all cruiselines!!

The entertainment was excellent, and varied, with lots going on to suit all tastes in different areas of the ship.

There was absolutely no pressure to take the organised trips, although most of the Americans did...probably first time in Europe for many. On our 10 day cruise, we only took one tour (Ephesus) and did our own thing easily and at less cost, which we always do. The real benefit of this is that you do what you want, for as long as you want, when you want to and return to the ship when you are ready to do so. No waiting around, or messing about doing the group thing.

Would we sail again on this ship (or another HA ship), yes, yes and YES again, tomorrow please!!