Review of the Oosterdam to Alaska July 20 2014

[brookeinmn]

I want to write my cruise review while everything is still fresh in my memory. To put it simply, we had an amazing trip! It was truly my favorite vacation ever. We had a group of 10 that included my in-laws, my husband, me and our 2 boys, his brother and girlfriend, and an aunt and her friend. Another brother met us in Seward.

 

We left for Vancouver late on Saturday night. We had a good flight, got a taxi and checked into the Delta Vancouver Suites. This was my first time booking a hotel through Hotwire. The reviews on the hotel were good, so I wasn’t too worried. The hotel was nice and very convenient to the Canada Place area. They do not however have rooms with two queen beds, so if this is what you desire check somewhere else. My hubby and I just laughed and made the best of it. We could have shared a bed with one of the boys, but they are REAL bed hogs!

 

We woke up to an overcast day in Vancouver. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we grabbed a taxi to drop our bags off at Canada Place and do some shopping. The cab dropped us at the BC Liquor Store across from the Blue Horizon Hotel. I shopped for wine, while my husband went to the Urban Fare around the corner. The staff were very helpful in recommending a few local British Columbia wines that were a good match for me as well as a NZ Sauvignon Blanc. They were all very good and reasonably priced. Hubby grabbed some bottled water, Diet Coke and hand soap at the grocery store. I guess Mountain Dew isn’t popular in Canada. From here we decided to walk to the ship. It took us about 15 minutes or so.

 

The boys (husband included) had been out for a walk that morning and had already seen the ship. I could not wipe the smile off my face for hours after seeing her for the first time. We walked as fast as we could to the check in area while balancing kids, backpacks, and our purchases. Check in took a little longer than I expected. The security line was fast, and going through U.S. customs was very efficient. Things seemed to move in slow motion as we checked in with the HAL people. Perhaps I was just too darn anxious to get on the ship. The part I hated was being seated in the cattle car area after we were given our room key. That was torture!! I just wanted to run on the ship. While we waited some young girls spotted my handsome 10 year old and couldn’t stop giggling. Needless to say he turned beet red. After just a few minutes we were invited to board the ship. I think the whole process took about an hour. We were on board about 12:20pm.

 

Quick note on WINE: I’ll just say this: Our wine in our carry on was spotted and we were told while leaving the x-ray area to check in at the wine desk. The wine desk was a non-descript table that was practically around the corner from the x-ray machines. Take that info and do with it what you wish.

 

A little bit of this information is a repeat from my Live From post.

 

 

First view of the Oosterdam

 

 

Leaving Canada Place

 

 

Chasing the Celebrity Century

Edited August 1, 2014 by brookeinmn

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review. Looking forward to more and your wonderful photo's.

[brookeinmn]

On Location from Departure Day

 

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2014 by brookeinmn

[chrismch]

Nothing like the excitement of stepping on your ship to start a cruise. Just thinking about it makes me smile.

[POA1]

Great start to your review! :)

[brookeinmn]

Day One: Vancouver

 

The first evening aboard was a blur. We hurried to our room and unpacked a little before heading to the Mariner's Lunch. After that we explored the ship, checked out our table assignment, booked the Pinnacle, Thermal Suite and Club Hal. Whew! After a bit more unpacking it was time for Muster, which was quick and painless. We enjoyed sailaway from our Balcony while we got ready for our first dinner.

 

We had early fixed dining. The service the first night was pretty bad. It took 2 hours for dinner. Luckily we were all juiced up with anticipation so it didn't bother us too much. Dadan, the Asst Dining Room Manager came by at the end of the meal and asked how we enjoyed the dinner. I told him the food was great, but the service very slow. He promised it would be better.

 

After dinner, we dropped the kids at the Club Hal and enjoyed some quiet time on the balcony. There were only 65 kids on board and most of those were age 10 and up. My 6 year old was with the older kids all week.

 

Notes from the day: We had adjoining rooms 8091 and 8093. They were nice and roomy and generally in very good condition. We brought along a small cot for my youngest son in case the grandparents didnt feel like sharing their sofabed. Thank Goodness we did because Grandpa came down with a bad cold/flu on the second day. We had no problem fitting the cot between the desk and bed.

 

Book your Pinnacle Grill reservations before you go. We only had 3 nights to choose from, which did not include our preferred day.

 

After the spa tour and booking the Thermal Suite, I was pressured into booking a salon appointment. She said, "you can always change it." Well, what she failed to tell me was that I couldn't cancel it. It required 24 hours notice and it was for the next afternoon. Luckily the Spa Manager was nice and cancelled it for me without a problem. So be aware of that little trick! The thermal suite was $149 per person and $249 per couple.

[brookeinmn]

Day Two: At Sea

 

I awoke early to a beautiful sunrise. I took advantage of a sleepy ship and took a few pictures and explored while it was quiet. Here are a few pics:

 

 

Beautiful Sunrise

 

 

Face of a pretty statue

 

 

I really love textures. Name this room!

 

 

Another mystery room..any guesses??

 

 

Loved these elevators!

[erewhon]

Thanks for taking time to review your Oosterdam cruise.

Thanks for buying the NZ wine. Hope you enjoy it and buy more in the future.:)

[brookeinmn]

Day Two continued

 

After a relaxing morning and lunch with the boys a few of us from our group went to the wine tasting. We had a great time. The wines ranged from ok to pretty darn good. After the wine tasting I headed to the Thermal Suite for the first time. I really enjoyed both the hydrotherapy pool and loungers, but found it a bit boring not to have someone with me. The pool was the perfect temperature and very, very relaxing. The loungers were HOT and comfy. I loved it..just wished my hubby or someone else from my group would have joined me.

 

Tonight was formal night, so after the thermal suite we all got cleaned up and dressed up. My boys were so excited to wear their tuxes. My 6 year old was a hit since he opted to wear his light up tennis shoes with his tux.

 

Dinner at formal night was great. The service was perfection. We finally got a chance to really meet our steward, Rudy. He would prove to be a fantastic example of HAL's level of service. The best part was when a smiling Dadan (he was ALWAYS smiling) came directly over to me after the meal and asked me how the service was. I told him he indeed made good on his promise. After that first night we never had slow service in the MDR.

 

Here are a few pictures from dinner:

 

 

 

The watermelon gazpacho was sooo yummy. Many of us had the beef wellington, which we also enjoyed.

 

I forgot to take pictures of the dessert menu, but here is something to whet your appetite!

 

Double Chocolate Brownie...divine!

 

I forgot the name of this, but it was light and yummy.

Edited August 1, 2014 by brookeinmn

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

Edited August 1, 2014 by KirkNC

[Krazy Kruizers]

Loving your review.

Great pictures.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for posting.

Great pictures.

Looking forward to seeing more!

Have a great cruise.

[thetexasaggiecruiser]

What gorgeous pictures! Really enjoying this review. I am pretty sure we are going to Alaska next year, after reading all of these lovely stories and seeing the simply stunning pictures! Thanks for all the great information on the menus and spa. Really helpful!

[brookeinmn]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. I have lots more pictures to come!

 

Day Two Continued:

 

After dinner we took the kids to Club Hal and headed to the Captain's Toast. This was a bit more impersonal than I remember on my previous cruises, where the setting was more intimate. We really enjoyed Captain Bos and his commentary throughout the week. He could be seen dining in the Lido with his officers and was also available to speak to at the Mariner's Brunch. He obviously has a real passion for his job and the state of Alaska.

 

 

Master of the Oosterdam, Captain Bos

 

After the introduction to the Captain and his officers, we stayed for the Northern Lights show. It was um...different. The female singers were very good, and the dancers as well. The male vocalists weren't quite as good, but certainly not terrible. The show was just a very curious mix of styles that was suffering from an identity crisis. The jump from romance to lumberjacks, mounties, disco, mountain climbing, and a guy in a moose costume will leave your head spinning. My advice..just sit back and enjoy the show. It's just entertainment and the cast certainly put a lot of effort into it.

 

Coming up next: Ketchikan

[brookeinmn]

Day Three: Ketchikan

 

We had an early start today. We met Dave from Ketchikan Taxi Cab Tours at 7:30am and we were on our way. We really enjoyed our time with him. He took us to see the eagles at the boat launch, then we headed toward Herring Cove. The bears were staying away, but we did find evidence that they do frequent the area.

 

 

 

 

There is a bridge over the water at Herring Cove where you can watch the salmon. We were able to watch the big King Salmon. The sun was out, but with my polarizing filter I was able to get a good look through the water.

 

 

After watching the salmon for awhile we headed to the rain forest. We sampled salmon berries and took a short walk into the forest. The temperature dropped a few degrees and the musty smell of rich earth filled the air.

 

 

 

We took a drive across town and saw a few of Ketchikans hidden gems such as the wooden streets, the staircases with street signs, and the curious tunnel that you can drive through, over, and around. Our last stop was Potlatch Park and Totem Bight. Both sites are very interesting and worth the stop.

 

All in all a wonderful introduction to Ketchikan. We had Dave drop us off at Creek Street for a bit of shopping, then we headed back to the ship for a late lunch. The evening was spent enjoying the beautiful sailaway from Ketchikan.

[brookeinmn]

 

Proof that the sun does come out in Ketchikan!

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures.

[brookeinmn]

Day Four: Juneau

 

We all slept in this morning and took our time getting ready to meet the Harv and Marv guys at 10:20am. I can't say enough great things about their operation. We decided at the last minute (about an hour before sailaway from Ketchikan) that we wanted sandwiches on the boat. Callie handled everything quickly and without complaint. Simply excellent service.

 

We opted for the private boat tour for 8 of us, including my kids. It was worth absolutely every penny. Shawn was our Captain and the Alaskan was our boat. We had the most amazing day! I took about a 1000 pictures, so I will just let them do the talking.

 

 

Looking back toward Juneau. It was such a nice day we were able to see Mendenhall Glacier from Auke Bay.

 

 

Our first whale! The naturalist on board said her name was Sasha (I think that is correct.)

[KMB2014]

We are taking the same cruise in two weeks so I really appreciate the info and photos you are posting. I'm trying to talk my husband into the thermal room package at the spa. Is it worth it? Do you recommend it? Does your 10 year old like Club Hal? I'm traveling with a 10 yr old and 13 yr old and hoping there will be some new friends on board for them!

[brookeinmn]

We are taking the same cruise in two weeks so I really appreciate the info and photos you are posting. I'm trying to talk my husband into the thermal room package at the spa. Is it worth it? Do you recommend it? Does your 10 year old like Club Hal? I'm traveling with a 10 yr old and 13 yr old and hoping there will be some new friends on board for them!

 

If your husband is the type that can relax..then yes, I think any time parents can get time to themselves on vacation is great. My husband can't sit still, so I knew the thermal suite was just not happening with him. It does cost a lot and there are so many things to do on the ship...so keep your individual interests in mind. It takes at least an hour to go to both the hydrotherapy pool and loungers, change clothes, etc. But, yes. I loved it. It was very relaxing.

 

My kids both loved Club Hal. They were always ready to go there whenever it fit with our schedule. The staff seemed very dedicated. There were about 4 college age guys and just 1 female on the staff. She works with the younger set. I just asked my son if there was anything he didn't like. He said they need to make better pizza..LOL.

[brookeinmn]

More pictures from Juneau!

 

After following the female for a bit, we went to the Big Show. A group of 10-12 humpbacks were bubble net feeding. They would all rise up at the same time grabbing mouthfuls of the herring they had trapped in their bubble net. Then they would swim and take a few breaths before diving. About 5 minutes later they would sound then continue the process. We watched this over and over. It was so fun to try to predict where they would come up.

 

 

The birds were a good indicator of where the whales would pop up.

 

 

 

[krazy4kruisin]

More pictures from Juneau!

 

After following the female for a bit, we went to the Big Show. A group of 10-12 humpbacks were bubble net feeding. They would all rise up at the same time grabbing mouthfuls of the herring they had trapped in their bubble net. Then they would swim and take a few breaths before diving. About 5 minutes later they would sound then continue the process. We watched this over and over. It was so fun to try to predict where they would come up.

 

 

The birds were a good indicator of where the whales would pop up.

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Photos! Thank you so much for sharing! Keep them coming!

[brookeinmn]

[YOUTUBE]c8Mtr6ROsJc[/YOUTUBE]

 

How about a video?? Sorry it's so shaky.

Edited August 2, 2014 by brookeinmn

[TheSecondSister]

Thank you for sharing - great photos!

[KMB2014]

Thanks for the info! I'm getting so excited about this!