ChillEDog

I just looked at itinerary and we're in Ketchikan 7am to 1pm.  Seems too short for a fishing trip, would you agree ?  I've emailed Nick at C.T. with same question.  Fishing is supposed to be  r  e  l  a  x  e  d ….   🙂

>> Good for you. Don't forget to come back and let us know how that worked out.

Apologies for not posting followup about our cruise !

Booked HAL Oosterdam.  We LOVED it !  As I tell everyone, we were excited in the weeks prior about our first cruise but the actual experience was many times better.  I understand that, to a certain extent, the cabin doesn't matter, but, the Signature Suite is a big reason we enjoyed it so much.  And the beds, oh my gosh.  I think I watched the first 30 minutes of 5 or 6 movies at night...cuz the beds were crazy comfortable I just fell asleep.

Highlight may have been, standing on the balcony before departure (Port Everglades), gazing at the waterway and beyond to the ocean and....the ship starts moving!  Hey we're moving !!!  It was so exciting.

We loved Pinnacle grill, Cannaletto not so much... ate most meals in Lido (service a little mediocre), couple meals in MDR which we wish we'd done more of.  Loved our cabin stewards, loved at-sea days as much as shore days.  

Yeah it was fantastic.  Currently booking 2nd cruise, in September, to Alaska, for wife's birthday.   $ignature $uite 2x as much!  Oh and we're making sure to go on Eurodam, see how that compares to Oosterdam.  I believe it's 5 years newer but otherwise will be very similar.  Can't wait for our next cruise!

My TA is quoting me exactly the same price as if I call the cruise line.   Worse (2nd time I've used him), I call him up and say "we're thinking of this cruise, can you look into what else is available" and couple hours later he'll call back and say (the cruise I mentioned) is the best deal available.  Feels like he's just regurgitating what I said and not really researching.  Definitely getting a "what's the point" (of using the TA) feeling.  I guess I'm just ranting !

thanks for the suggestions, what you did sounds fantastic but we have exactly 7 days - how I wish we could do 10 or more - dear retirement, please hurry - so whatever we do we'll be doing during stops on our cruise

was Time Bandit at the pier ?  pretty gosh darn cool either way

how did you like Princess / Alaska ?

thanks !

got both their websites tagged and look forward to booking one maybe both once our cruise dates are finalized.  thanks again

Brilliant!   I'll look them up.  

what'd you do with your catch ?  somebody said you have to have it processed and sent home.  I guess that means they won't cook it for you on the boat.

ps what's a silver ? 🤔

Hi everyone.  We're in the process of booking Eurodam to Alaska via Seattle in September.  Would like to book one or two fishing excursions - I see they have salmon and halibut charters, and bay and fly-fishing which I assume is river fishing.  Just wondering if anyone has any advice on best time to go, where to go, who to book with?  Thank you.

1 hour ago, Cajuntraveler said:

I'm not sure this is to right place to ask this question. I just booked a cruise on the Nieuw Statendam for next month.  This will be our third cruise and the second  on HAL. We were on the Oosterdam last month and took advantage of the unlimited laundry for $49 for the 7 day voyage.  Does the N. Statendam offer the same laundry service?  I can pack light if I know the laundry is available.  Also, any experience in the Vista Suites - size of room/balcony/storage would be helpful. ( we are on deck 5)

Don't forget, some ships have self-service laundry.  But of course, the $20/bag or $49 for 7 days is *very* hard to beat.  We did the $20/bag one day and everything came back beautifully pressed/hung/folded.

We were on Oosterdam one month ago in a Vista suite and loved it.  bigger than expected, wonderful bed, plenty of storage, and COLD a/c.  only complaint was...wait there weren't any complaints.  there are three lockers, plus there are a couple drawers at the base of the bed (that we didn't discover until next-to-last day).

We were also on Oosterdsm recently.  We thought the $20 bag of laundry was GREAT.  Stuffed quite a lot into that bag and, i thought it would come back washed and folded,  but everything was perfectly pressed on hangars. 

On 11/27/2018 at 2:47 PM, invisible_pineapple said:

We just sailed on Oosterdam.  I only got in the Lido pool, I recall markings of 4feetsomething in the shallow end, and 6feet9inches in the deep end.  But we are talking about my memory here...  I recall the water being verrrry soft, don't think it was salt water.  Did not get to enjoy the aft pool.  No issues getting deck chairs, I'd say they were 60% occupied the couple times I visited.  We bought the thermal suite package, $219 for two for the week, but we only went a handful of times.  It was nice tho.  Water in the thermal pool was maybe 5 feet deep.

J

We just cruised on Oosterdam.  Coffee, water and tea are free in the dining room.  You pay for everything else including sodas and bottled water.

Thx. Good info. We haven't booked a thing including excursions. Thinking about the $150/wk spa pass just for access to the thermal pool & heated chairs. Probably a la carte on the drinks + the $18/ day Quench (?) package for smoothies + mocktails.

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Sounds like a good choice and a great deal. Enjoy! The Oosterdam is a very nice ship. !

 

I can get really bogged down trying to find just the right ship, itinerary, price, perks, etc. too., comparing and comparing until I drive myself nuts! Sometimes you just have to choose and don't look back. You will have a great time.

You got that right!! It's like one of those really big Mexican Restaurant menu with a hundred permutations of enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, and tamales. Eventually I get a headache and say "just get me the enchilada plate.". Maybe that's a weird analogy but if you live in Texas you know what I mean. :D

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. It helps this anxious cruiser. Next step, figure out what packages to book. The HAL website sure does try to sell you a lot of stuff... That said, the Suite Amenities Package - 2 robes, 2 bottles wine, 2 bottles liquor, comp. laundry, flowers, $419 - is tempting. We'll probably skip a drink package - we're not really drinkers. But I do wonder if some who are not drinkers ordinarily, get on a ship and go nuts with the cocktails. I mean that in a good way - might be fun to drink more than you otherwise would, at sea.

Thanks again for each and every reply. Very helpful information. My main takeaway - HAL is not *horrible* - you laugh maybe, but that's my biggest fear. Oosterdam sounds like a good fit for us - first time, low-key, good gym, art + classical & jazz music.

But the truth is, I'm so overwhelmed with all the info to consider I've reached the point where I'm thinking "eff it, I'm booking something... fingers crossed." :)

I'm using a local travel agent that was recommended on nextdoor.com. He doesn't charge anything and he is offering the same price as I found myself online...kind of tempted to book it myself via ebates/expedia...but I'm thinking this guy will offer some good insight on taking a cruise - he's been at it a long time.

So, looks like we're gonna book 7-day Oosterdam Signature Suite 8055, midship, Navigation deck, $2,028 includes $200 OBC.

Thanks again for all the help!

Thanks for additional helpful reponses.

- checked Harmony, Oasis, Allure - no 7-days departing Nov 17. We can only do 7 days, and it has to be Nov 17 due to wife's job

- checked Celebrity - same story :(

- checked youtube - great suggestion, thanks.

kind of leaning toward HAL, I actually like quiet / older altho to be honest Nebr.cruiser's opinion sort of concerns. Our wants are simple (and maybe novice-level): I want a cool cabin with balcony, a good gym with bikes, good food. My wife wants a casino (ok me too). Not even that interested in excursions...I envision working out, reading, eating, and time on deck. So if I stop there, HAL works. But good entertainment would be a bonus - classical music, jazz, maybe some broadway if it's not too cheesy. Disco ? no thank you :)

We *don't* want a ship overrun with kids but that possibility seems low since it's a mid-november cruise.

from my search here there are five possible Nov 17 7-day departures. Probably no-go on SotS due to price. Any of the others stand out ? Thank you again !

Norwegian Epic

Royal Princess

Independence of the Seas

Symphony of the Seas

Oosterdam

Thanks everyone, huge help. Apologies for misunderstanding CB's post. Some observations, no particular order:

- they're both balcony cabins, ocean view. I'll have to dig deeper into the details of each cabin now that I know there may be differences.

- SotS sounds pretty fab, but not +$3k fab. We're looking for a) nice cabin with balcony b) fitness center c) good food d) casino for wife e) absence of zillions of screaming kids :) So Oosterdam is starting to sound pretty good.

- My main concern was, is there a vast difference between the basics- accomodation, views, food and drink. My takeaway from all the great replies here is, a lot of the cost difference lies in the 'extras'. As first timers, and being just a couple 55+, while we might enjoy all the Vegas-like or Disney-like features, we can do without it as well.

- We only have the week of Nov 17 to cruise and looking here I've found 5 candidates, all Eastern or Western Carribbean. Of those, I sampled the 2 highest reviewed (4 stars). The others are 3.5 stars.

Honestly, with the huge price difference, I was concerned there was some basic difference such as, one includes food, the other does not. (Did I mention this is my first time?) From the replies here it sounds more like the differences have to do with what the ship offers beyond the basics. Very helpful and now I will dig deeper.

One last question, if anyone is still reading. Any thoughts on how much one should expect a 7-day cruise Eastern / Western Caribbean to cost, balcony cabin for 2 ? Obviously the answer to a certain extent will be "it depends", so I guess I'm asking what you would pay for that kind of cruise...if you don't mind saying.

Thank you!

Thanks for replying. .. i assume you mean physically lowest (lowest deck) as opposed to lowest price level. Apologies, i'm not sure, at this point i'm just doing test bookings to get an idea of prices...so i did not note the deck levels.

But i take from your reply that deck level can impact price?

Total first timer here, planning a Nov 7 night cruise from Ft Lauderdale for my 60th. Balcony cabin for two. The Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas, $4,500, is 3 times the cost of the Holland America Oosterdam, $1,600. Both rated 4* on cruise critic. If anyone could enlighten me what differences between the two might be i would appreciate it. Thank you.