Live from Oosterdam 12 night Mexico from Vancouver

[Javaholic]

No self service laundry on board- you will need to send it in. If in a Neptune or Pinnacle Suite it is free. Otherwise I believe $20 per bag or buy unlimited laundry only for I believe $7 per day (Need to buy entire cruise length.

 

Thank you so much! Enjoy your cruise.

[shrimpboat123]

I believe that it's officially known as a "bronze" medallion. However, if Frank can get a photo of his copper medal with Copper Jon in the picture, that's pretty much the best cruise photo ever.

 

It's a good thing it got changed to Bronze otherwise it might turn "Green" on those rough sea days. :D

[POA1]

It was a 'copper' medallion from the time it was first introduced. At some point HAL publicity started referring to it as a 'bronze' medallion, but it sure looks like the same copper medallion to me.

In any case, it's always a question of how much of the mentioned metal is actually in the medallion! (I think none, but what do I know about it)

I'm sure that you are correct. I just don't want to mess with the bear. If he says it's "bronze," then bronze it shall be.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Enjoying your reports.

[KroozNut]

Frank, thanks for the reports.. Hope to see you Saturday at sailaway from San Diego... can't wait!! :D

[frankc98376]

Great day in Astoria 84f or 29c in the afternoon. Lovely little town and very nice people. Picked up two nice bottles of wine for dinners.

 

Happy to report that hot appetizers are back in the bars and very nice. On the plate last night was on with a piece of lettuce and what appeared to be Blue Cheese. My bad- popped it in my mouth to discover it was not Blue Cheese it was Lutefisk. I guess my face said it all because everyone around was laughing.

 

Still have been unable to find anything wrong on the ship- honestly haven't looked that hard because having way to much fun. Service has been amazing. Found out yesterday that Friday will be Sel de Mer in PG. When we booked said it was PG that night so I guess we will have 2 Sel de Mer nights. We have heard great reviews from others on board so looking forward to it tomorrow.

 

PG Manager Arlin is new to HAL and is wonderful. She has a great crew that has been spoiling us rotten at breakfast and dinner. Did hear today that they will not have Rib Steak until San Diego- honest we did not eat it all. Or NL Concierges are the best- kind, professional, and on top of everything.

 

Love all of the new uniforms- much warmer and perfect for the HAL environment. All shirts have one orange button on the left collar- I'm sure a salute to Holland. PG is blue shirt (with one orange button), black tie and pants and a long black apron. NL and Front Office white shirts with black skirt or pants. No more brown hotel uniforms. Bar staff all black.

 

Our PCC is on board on a working trip and is joining us for dinner in PG tonight. Will bring our new wine purchase with us for dinner. Love getting to see her face to face.

 

Calm seas and Oosterdam rocked us all to sleep last night with a very mild gentle roll. A/C, plumbing, all working as designed. We had one squeaky closet door we let our steward know about and was fixed within 20 minutes.

 

Internet is per minute and pretty slow so I guess it is working as designed :)

 

One complaint- after Muster Drill only one elevator on each bank was working-others were bocked for luggage. We ended walking up the stairs to deck 9 as it was more of a zoo than normal trying to get on an elevator. I think the email that had requested people to board up till 4pm slowed things down. After 2:30 the terminal looked pretty empty (both other ships were finished) so 4pm was probably a little over kill.

 

Two days at sea then San Diego. Got a note from the Concierges that I will receive my Bronze on Oct 6 at Mariner reception. So does that mean I can get Bronze from Copper???

[KroozNut]

Great day in Astoria 84f or 29c in the afternoon. Lovely little town and very nice people. Picked up two nice bottles of wine for dinners.

 

Happy to report that hot appetizers are back in the bars and very nice. On the plate last night was on with a piece of lettuce and what appeared to be Blue Cheese. My bad- popped it in my mouth to discover it was not Blue Cheese it was Lutefisk. I guess my face said it all because everyone around was laughing.

 

Still have been unable to find anything wrong on the ship- honestly haven't looked that hard because having way to much fun. Service has been amazing. Found out yesterday that Friday will be Sel de Mer in PG. When we booked said it was PG that night so I guess we will have 2 Sel de Mer nights. We have heard great reviews from others on board so looking forward to it tomorrow.

 

PG Manager Arlin is new to HAL and is wonderful. She has a great crew that has been spoiling us rotten at breakfast and dinner. Did hear today that they will not have Rib Steak until San Diego- honest we did not eat it all. Or NL Concierges are the best- kind, professional, and on top of everything.

 

Love all of the new uniforms- much warmer and perfect for the HAL environment. All shirts have one orange button on the left collar- I'm sure a salute to Holland. PG is blue shirt (with one orange button), black tie and pants and a long black apron. NL and Front Office white shirts with black skirt or pants. No more brown hotel uniforms. Bar staff all black.

 

Our PCC is on board on a working trip and is joining us for dinner in PG tonight. Will bring our new wine purchase with us for dinner. Love getting to see her face to face.

 

Calm seas and Oosterdam rocked us all to sleep last night with a very mild gentle roll. A/C, plumbing, all working as designed. We had one squeaky closet door we let our steward know about and was fixed within 20 minutes.

 

Internet is per minute and pretty slow so I guess it is working as designed :)

 

One complaint- after Muster Drill only one elevator on each bank was working-others were bocked for luggage. We ended walking up the stairs to deck 9 as it was more of a zoo than normal trying to get on an elevator. I think the email that had requested people to board up till 4pm slowed things down. After 2:30 the terminal looked pretty empty (both other ships were finished) so 4pm was probably a little over kill.

 

Two days at sea then San Diego. Got a note from the Concierges that I will receive my Bronze on Oct 6 at Mariner reception. So does that mean I can get Bronze from Copper???

 

Excellent update of course. We'll see you on Sat in San Diego!:)

[Btimmer]

We were on the Oosterdam just before you (disembarked in Seattle). Yes it’s in great shape! We REALLY enjoyed the Sel de Mer dinner! Eating in the MDR continued to be super slow, so we generally ate in the Lido which really has nice decor. We also loved the dueling pianos with Rachel and Jordan. Our TV was out of service for 3 plus days, but eventually got fixed. Our Silver medallions were presented on this cruise.

 

Looking forward to more of your reports.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[frankc98376]

For anyone interested there was no Elemis pillow spray in the NS this cruise. I'm wondering if there is no more as it is not available to purchase anywhere.

 

When we came back from Gala Night last night there was a small grey gift box with Le Belge chocolates on the bed. Nice to see little extra touches returning. The appetizers in the lounges before dinner have continued and are all great (except the Lutefisk) :)

 

Tonight is our first Sel de Mer so anxious to experience it.

 

Also for those anxiously waiting for the horror stories of Oosterdam we found something. On our veranda there is a sign stating "Please don't throw anything overboard". On the sign there is a small dot of white paint from the railing. Inexcusable I say- I think we deserve a free cruise for it!!!!!;p Also it has been foggy and sometimes our veranda is a little damp in the morning.

[Vict0riann]

In any case, it's always a question of how much of the mentioned metal is actually in the medallion! (I think none, but what do I know about it)

 

Ruth, I think at one time I heard that if you peel it it is full of chocolate!

 

OP, please give our regards to Copper! :D We did enjoy meeting him last week.

[RuthC]

Ruth, I think at one time I heard that if you peel it it is full of chocolate!

Sadly, no. :( Trust me on this one; I have done the research.

[aaaaa]

Thanks for the reports, and enjoy the rest of your cruise. Is the late-night themed buffet available everyday?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got caught up with this thread.

Love your reports.

[kazu]

LOL on your thorough investigation of things not perfect :hearteyes:. Imagine that - a damp balcony after a rain.:eek: :')

 

Enjoying your posts. Sounds like you are having a great time! And congrats on the medallion :)

[RJ2002]

Enjoying your reports, and congrats on your medallion. We received ours earlier this year on the Zuiderdam. It is a very nice recognition, and the reception and presentation ceremony were very well done. Hope you enjoy yours. :)

[birdie16]

We are on the Oosterdam for 14 nights, October 21st, I can't wait! Thank you for your updates, it is great to hear the ship is in such great shape, I hope they can take care of that speckle of paint before our cruise, I would hate to have it spoil things for us. ;-)

[madjohn]

Enjoying your reports. Will be on the ship in December and love hearing the details.

 

Thanks.

[frankc98376]

At sea today. Had a nice day in San Diego- of course the weather was perfection. There was a big fishing boat on fire just south of the Midway so a LOT of black acrid smoke on and off all day. They said it could burn for a week.

 

Glad to say that the terminal was very efficient processing the in-transit pax around those waiting to board. Note to anyone traveling soon -the new escalator is NOT working yet and will be at least 2 weeks before usable. So it's the solo elevator or stairs still.

 

We are still raving about Sel de Mer- dinner was magnificent. Started with a baguette with assorted tapenades. Next was a scallop on I believe sweet seaweed with orange. Next was escargot (in shell) with a head of roasted garlic. Loren gad the Duck Cassoulet entree and I had Maine Lobster Tails. Loren's duck had amazing flavor- best duck I have ever tasted. The Lobster was perfect with a small copper pot of reduced butter. We finished with Rudi's Souffle- a Salzburger Nockerl. Was a beautiful vanilla souffle with a fresh berry compote at the bottom- amazing. Looking forward to one more Sel de Mer in Mazatlan.

 

Several friends both new and old departed in San Diego yesterday- always sad to say farewell. One dear friend will be boarding Amsterdam today and will be aboard until April 29, 2018. Look forward to hearing all about her adventures.

 

Have to say again that the entire crew on on Oosterdam has been amazing. We have made so many wonderful new friends aboard. PG Manager Arlin is new to HAL and hopefully will be on the ships for a long time- great Manager with a great staff. Our server Fiori has been one of the best and on top of everything. They have pampered us every day at breakfast and dinner. Concierge team on NL is great and has taken care of any requests immediately.

 

Happy to say that the daily program is back to tri-fold and shows most of the day's activities.

 

Even though there are usually a few challenging moments in any cruise I am happy to say that this one has been 99.9999% perfect on a beautiful happy ship! The one tiny challenge was that I picked the wrong internet package (forgot we included internet) . Concierge quicky got it fixed and all is great now. HUGE thank you to a great Hotel Director and staff and a great Captain for the safe wonderful trip on Oosterdam!

 

More once we get into Mexico!

[kazu]

At sea today. Had a nice day in San Diego- of course the weather was perfection. There was a big fishing boat on fire just south of the Midway so a LOT of black acrid smoke on and off all day. They said it could burn for a week.

 

Glad to say that the terminal was very efficient processing the in-transit pax around those waiting to board. Note to anyone traveling soon -the new escalator is NOT working yet and will be at least 2 weeks before usable. So it's the solo elevator or stairs still.

 

We are still raving about Sel de Mer- dinner was magnificent. Started with a baguette with assorted tapenades. Next was a scallop on I believe sweet seaweed with orange. Next was escargot (in shell) with a head of roasted garlic. Loren gad the Duck Cassoulet entree and I had Maine Lobster Tails. Loren's duck had amazing flavor- best duck I have ever tasted. The Lobster was perfect with a small copper pot of reduced butter. We finished with Rudi's Souffle- a Salzburger Nockerl. Was a beautiful vanilla souffle with a fresh berry compote at the bottom- amazing. Looking forward to one more Sel de Mer in Mazatlan.

 

Several friends both new and old departed in San Diego yesterday- always sad to say farewell. One dear friend will be boarding Amsterdam today and will be aboard until April 29, 2018. Look forward to hearing all about her adventures.

 

Have to say again that the entire crew on on Oosterdam has been amazing. We have made so many wonderful new friends aboard. PG Manager Arlin is new to HAL and hopefully will be on the ships for a long time- great Manager with a great staff. Our server Fiori has been one of the best and on top of everything. They have pampered us every day at breakfast and dinner. Concierge team on NL is great and has taken care of any requests immediately.

 

Happy to say that the daily program is back to tri-fold and shows most of the day's activities.

 

Even though there are usually a few challenging moments in any cruise I am happy to say that this one has been 99.9999% perfect on a beautiful happy ship! The one tiny challenge was that I picked the wrong internet package (forgot we included internet) . Concierge quicky got it fixed and all is great now. HUGE thank you to a great Hotel Director and staff and a great Captain for the safe wonderful trip on Oosterdam!

 

More once we get into Mexico!

 

Great reports Frank :)

 

Are you saying the old set up of the "on Location" is back? Is the tear out portion back too? That would be wonderful :).

[frankc98376]

Thanks for the reports, and enjoy the rest of your cruise. Is the late-night themed buffet available everyday?

 

Not sure about themed but I know that there is food available in the Lido from 10:30 to 11:30 pm. We ahven't been up to see what is available

[Krazy Kruizers]

Loving your report.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your reports.

[lilcruiser55]

I will be on Oosterdam Jan 2018 ,my first with Holland America , the Elemis spray sounded wonderful as I'm a HUGE Elemis fan, was this only available in suites? Can it be purchased in the spa? BTW the reports are awesome.

[frankc98376]

Great reports Frank :)

 

Are you saying the old set up of the "on Location" is back? Is the tear out portion back too? That would be wonderful :).

 

Not what it once was with the tear off- better though than the single fold 8.5x11 that we saw on out last cruise. Lots more activities listed and information so getting closer.

[frankc98376]

Nice day in Cabo although about 95 degrees. We were offered Glass Bottom Boat, Submarine, Fishing, Cuban cigars,"weed" twice and a "happy end" massage while walking thru town. We opted to head back to the ship and a cool Sea View Pool with a Pina Colada. Off to the shops tonite to find some Aloe :-)

 

Keep forgetting to mention that the full bar menu is back (at least in Pinnacle Bar). Nice to see it back.