MS Oosterdam - what a disapointment (dirty, worn out, noro virus)

[donaldsc]

While I can not comment on your complaints as I do not sail on HAL, your thread title comment on Noro is not fair. A ship does not have Noro. Noro arrives on the ship with the passengers and basically there is little that can be done to stop it.

 

DON

[jmkennett]

Currently on the Westerdam (see my review). Ship is beautiful but the cabin balconies and a lot of the decks are in bad shape. I'll bet some cargo ships have better looking decks. I'll post pics that should embarrass HAL.

[Stefan_Cruise]

Currently on the Westerdam (see my review). Ship is beautiful but the cabin balconies and a lot of the decks are in bad shape. I'll bet some cargo ships have better looking decks. I'll post pics that should embarrass HAL.

that is intersting!

[Stefan_Cruise]

that is nice!

[frankc98376]

Rust on balconies? As Ruth said hers was painted and just a few days later rust started again. Those who live next to the ocean are too familiar with rust from salt air.

 

I'm sure Regent, Silversea, and Seabourn have more painters on board to keep the rust at bay. What they don't have though is $399 seven night cruises.

 

People don't want to see prices go up. Our price for an inside minimum in 1983 was $799 pp. Keeping up with inflation would be over $2000 now. Everything else went up and fares have dropped. Mass market lines are being forced to cut anything they can and find other sources of on board revenue to stay in business.

 

If Carnival hadn't stepped in in late 80's HAL would likely be another memory of the old days. The financial situation was very grim.

 

I still see the same great smiling people, beautiful ships, and gracious service I have always loved. I'm not going to spend my cruise searching for rust or a paint scratch. Also don't expect to see a Flight Attendant rolling a Prime Rib cart down the aisle serving dinner on my flight.

[canadianbear]

I am so sorry the OP had this experience and I would definitely write a letter.

 

We were just on the O in April and our suite was beautiful. We had no issues at all with anything in

our cabin or on the ship. Every one though can experience an issue and I would not hesitate to follow

up with it.

[KroozNut]

Will report back after our cruise on the Oosterdam next week.

 

Please do, will be anxiously awaiting your report as we sail Oosterdam in October. OP's report and photos are definitely discouraging, and not what we would expect from HAL. :(

[KroozNut]

As well, I would want the people fined who were the last occupants since there were cigarette butts on the balcony.

 

Agree 100%, but this would be nearly impossible to prove, and the previous occupants would likely claim innocence.. "must have been the folks on the cruise before us, and was never noticed... we didn't notice them".

[kazu]

Agree 100%, but this would be nearly impossible to prove, and the previous occupants would likely claim innocence.. "must have been the folks on the cruise before us, and was never noticed... we didn't notice them".

 

If nothing else, it would quickly be discovered how often the balconies were cleaned ;).

 

Balconies are cleaned on a regular basis and stewards are out there every day (or supposed to be) - at least that's what happens on my cruises.

[KroozNut]

We were on the Osterdam in January in a Signature Suite and had no problems with it (they had been refurbished along with the Neptunes) or seeing the kind of disrepair the OP saw. I, like Tampa girl, didn't care for some of the upgrades, but that's my opinion. i would not hesitate to book a cruise on her again if the itinerary met my needs. One has only to own a boat to understand how fast things happen!

 

 

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What are your observations of the general condition of the public spaces?

[KroozNut]

Tell me about it! My Prinsendam balcony was rusty. Regular maintenance came through and cleaned it, then again to prime, and the next day to paint. It was a very thorough job, and I was impressed with how good it looked---so much better.

By the next week I could see several fresh rust spots in the areas just worked on. I could not believe how fast they came back.

 

I'm fairly certain now that the painting team goes down one side of the ship, then the other---and then just starts all over again. The rust happens that fast.

 

During my 24 years in the U.S Navy, it was simply a fact of daily life on a ship that there would be sailors chipping and painting rusted and / or corroded areas of the ship 24/7; at sea or in port... didn't matter.

A ship is made of steel, and steel rusts when it lives on the ocean. The problem has to be kept up with, and that's nearly an impossible task most of the time.

[tuolumne couple]

originally posted by Frankc98376:I still see the same great smiling people, beautiful ships, and gracious service I have always loved. I'm not going to spend my cruise searching for rust or a paint scratch. Also don't expect to see a Flight Attendant rolling a Prime Rib cart down the aisle serving dinner on my flight.

 

I so very much agree. If i spent that time, even at home, looking for fault, i would be an unhappy person to be around. I spend my time looking at the ocean, looking in the eyes of my love, looking at the wonderful meals being served to me by people gracious enough to not notice my worn jeans and sloppy sandals, or the fact that my formal attire is not so very formal. This November will be our 10th HAL cruise and earning our 4th star , and i can honestly say i am still loving it. I don't believe that i have ever seen anything really wrong, but i see a lot of attempt at upkeep on my hotel on the sea.

[Sir PMP]

I loved my cruise on Oosterdam but I have to agree with the OP. I was disappointed with the upkeep. This was the ceiling in my room above the balcony door. Water actually dripped from this when it rained.

 

I am surprised that this ship left drydock in this condition, totally unacceptable...

[3redheads]

We sail on the O next September. This is a bit concerning. Our last cruise was on a new ship. I am looking forward to finding out what the public spaces looked like.

[Gryphonette]

What are your observations of the general condition of the public spaces?

 

 

 

The public spaces were fine, far as I could tell on last month's cruise. One can detect the cut back in staffing because sometimes there would be glasses and cups left on tables, whereas in the past, someone would spot them and whisk them away, pronto.

 

Now if one sits and reads in the Ocean bar area, for instance, there probably won't be anyone around unless the bar is open, so if one leaves things behind, they will stay until a crew members passes by and removes them.

 

But though it was cause for occasional "tsk'ing" on my part, it wasn't awful. Merely a minor annoyance.

 

I enjoyed the Oosterdam very much and would relish the opportunity to sail on it again. [emoji6]

 

 

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[tuolumne couple]

I am surprised that this ship left drydock in this condition, totally unacceptable...

well, she is just shy of her 15th birthday. cut her some slack.

[kazu]

I am surprised at rust spot I saw in a cabin. That is shocking to me.

 

Rust spots on the balcony are pretty normal no matter what ship you are on. I was on one less than 4 years old and rust spots were still there - you are at sea. (Not a HAL ship - an upscale ship that costs more).

 

But, I don't expect to see them in a cabin.

 

Aside from the cabin (which, I hope was anomaly), rust exists.

 

I recall a fellow cruiser on the Rotterdam complaining of the condition of the ship. I was surprised and said what's wrong with your cabin? Nothing he answered, but I went looking and on top of the retractable roof for the Lido I found three rust spots. Seriously? I just smiled and said ok. If you look for it you will find it ;)

[xofave]

Please do, will be anxiously awaiting your report as we sail Oosterdam in October. OP's report and photos are definitely discouraging, and not what we would expect from HAL. :(

We are on oosterdam out of san Diego the end of Sept this is an older ship they renovated the public areas and most reviews are very favorable. Any ship if you look hard enough you will see that it's a product on being on the sea.

 

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[VennDiagram]

I have to say this concerns me a bit. I have been on the Oosterdam, and generally thought it was "meh". We have a cruise booked for next winter on it, and I was already somewhat reluctant. Now? More than "somewhat" reluctant. I won't cancel yet, but will be interested to see other reports.

[KroozNut]

We are on oosterdam out of san Diego the end of Sept

 

We may be on the same sailing as you out of San Diego; 30 Sep to Mexico? If so, please feel free to join our rather quiet roll call! ;)

[talavera_7]

I made 15 cruises on different cruise lines (MSC, Costa, RCL, Seabourn, Oceania, etc), but I have never seen a ship in such an awful condition. Disembarked two days ago in Seattle from the cruise on the HAL Oosterdam (Alaska - 16th to 23th of july 2017). Here are the pros and cons:

 

Pro:

- First time in Alaska was wonderfull

- Good food (sometimes in the Lido Market is was not very warm)

- friendly and fast service in the Bars and the Cafe

- Neptune Suite with a large veranda

- non-alcoholic-drinks not too expensive

- nice piano-players and a good band in the B.B.King-Venue

 

Cons:

- extrem worn out ship (take a look at the pictures)

- Lido Market extremly crowded - you have to stay in line nearly at every station

- 25 minutes waiting time for a burger is a joke (then it was cold)

- dirty cabin at embarkation (hairs everywhere, letter from the past cruiser in the safe, in the bathroom it smelt like urine, veranda was dirty too, we found cigarette ends on the veranda, and so on)

- even as a suite guest, you have to pay for every specialty restaurant visit

- AC in the cabin was a joke (either it blows warm oder cold and directly on the bed)

 

Here are a few photos of the condition of the ship

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhC_Kl3PLPX42AUIv0SoiW3d-wBz

 

I was really happy at disembarkation to leave the ship. I would not go back on the ship (even it is free) and would not recommend such a dump place. Maybe in Western Europe there is an other "unterstanding" about "cleaning" and "condition of a ship".

 

And best of all, we had a few people getting the Noro Virus! Maybe it is because of the missing cleanness!

 

best wishes

• We just disembarked from the cruise after yours, beginning on July 23. We had a great cruise with smooth seas and good weather. We were in a humble outside obstructed cabin and I did notice some chips in the bathroom floor and that the couch looked a bit shabby, but our bed was clean and fresh and the cabin was very clean with no bad odors at all.
  

Our positives:

• Alaska
  
• BB King Blues club band was excellent with outstanding vocalists.
  
• Lincoln Center Stage artists were wonderful, only complaint is that the programs at 30-40 minutes were too short.
  
• Great food in the MDR
  
• Friendly, welcoming, efficient HAL crew
  
• Flat screen TV with lots of on-demand programming and live news
  

Slight Negatives:

• Long wait for our dinner orders in Canaletto
  
• A few chips and scratches in paint and finish
  

We had a great cruise and would not hesitate to board the Oosterdam again!

[Gryphonette]

• 
   
  
• We just disembarked from the cruise after yours, beginning on July 23. We had a great cruise with smooth seas and good weather. We were in a humble outside obstructed cabin and I did notice some chips in the bathroom floor and that the couch looked a bit shabby, but our bed was clean and fresh and the cabin was very clean with no bad odors at all.
   
  

 

Our positives:

 

• 
   
  
• Alaska
   
  
• BB King Blues club band was excellent with outstanding vocalists.
   
  
• Lincoln Center Stage artists were wonderful, only complaint is that the programs at 30-40 minutes were too short.
   
  
• Great food in the MDR
   
  
• Friendly, welcoming, efficient HAL crew
   
  
• Flat screen TV with lots of on-demand programming and live news
   
  

Slight Negatives:

 

• 
   
  
• Long wait for our dinner orders in Canaletto
   
  
• A few chips and scratches in paint and finish
   
  

We had a great cruise and would not hesitate to board the Oosterdam again!

 

 

 

My sister and bro-in-law were on this cruise a couple of weeks before me and raved about the music in the B.B. King lounge. (I was down at the Lincoln Center Stage.)

 

Oh, and there are two America's Test Kitchen demonstrations during the week...one for salmon, and one for chocolate.

 

Really, it was a great trip.

 

 

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[Stefan_Cruise]

 

• We just disembarked from the cruise after yours, beginning on July 23. We had a great cruise with smooth seas and good weather. We were in a humble outside obstructed cabin and I did notice some chips in the bathroom floor and that the couch looked a bit shabby, but our bed was clean and fresh and the cabin was very clean with no bad odors at all.
  

Maybe you were lucky or you have an other "unterstanding" about cleanness! Have you tried one of the public restrooms?

[xofave]

We may be on the same sailing as you out of San Diego; 30 Sep to Mexico? If so, please feel free to join our rather quiet roll call! ;)

I think I'm on it and yes that's our trip.

 

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[xofave]

We may be on the same sailing as you out of San Diego; 30 Sep to Mexico? If so, please feel free to join our rather quiet roll call! ;)

 

It that cruise mate

 

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