Cruise review - 7-Day Mexican Riviera on Oosterdam 11-18 FEB 06

[Ine]

I am waiting for PVR.....

(have sent you an e-mail about March 10.)

[stanford's girl]

Nice job John! :cool:

Looking forward to reading the rest.:)

[caribbean girl]

Great fun...AND a singing gorilla!:)

[PaMimi]

Awesome, detailed review. Thank you! We leave on Saturday for this itinerary. Looking forward to the rest!

 

Coleen

[Family Man]

John,

 

I am really enjoying your review. Having traveled the same itinerary on the Sapphire Princess in November, your review is bringing back some great memories! We also did the Sierra Madre tour out of Mazatlan. The hand-crafted furniture shop produces some incredible pieces. And yes, that banana-coconut cream pie in Copola is unbelievable!!! :D

 

I loved the Mexican Riviera and am anxious to read the rest of your review. Thanks!

[Himself]

Nice report. Glad you liked the OOSTERDAM. There are some nice places on the Mexican Riviera.

[Copper10-8]

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

 

The Oosterdam is anchored in Banderas Bay off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. The weather is great again with a temp. of 86 degrees Fahrenheit under sunny skies and a light breeze. We’ve been using room service for breakfast the last two days and we have absolutely no complaints so did it again. It is delivered on time and hot an even comes with a flower. What else can you ask for ? Took the tender ride to the Terminal Maritima and discovered that there were two other cruise ships in town, the Carnival Pride and “the World” a ship with luxury “vacation residences” such as 1-3 bedroom as well as studio apartments that travels, you guessed it, the world. We had reserved two spots on an excursion called “Puerto Vallarta Discovery Tour” which left at 7:45 am.

 

Our first stop took us to El Pitillal, the largest municipality within the jurisdiction of Puerto Vallarta. We visited the Church of San Miguel Archangel located on the central plaza and viewed it’s amazing 26 foot wooden statue of Christ ascending, backlit by blue light. Next was a short “shopping stop” back in PV off Calle Morelos. Low and behold, the bus stopped right in front of another jewelry store with more guys with fliers and coupons buzzing around, too funny! Back on the bus after 30 minutes, we traveled the Malecon alongside the waterfront and Banderas Bay and past the city hall, Plaza de Armas and the famous crown-topped Our Lady of Guadalupe church into “old Vallarta” and her Cobblestoned streets and then up the highway heading in to the hills, arriving at a scenic stop overlooking Mismaloya Beach where “Night of the Iguana” was filmed. Sure ‘nough there were a couple of guys walking around with pretty good sized iguana’s that they were more than happy to drape around your neck for a photo op. Tried to get Maria to do it but she’s once found a little bitty lizard in the shed of our backyard, the thought of which still haunts her, so she wasn’t really that exited about a 3-footer. I should have known better than to bring that up. I would have done it but the bus was leaving, what can I say. Found out that Banderas Bay (Bay of flags) got its name back in the 1500’s when a Spanish explorer was greeted by natives waiving colorful flags. Next stop was back in Viejo Vallarta and a short walk to the Santo Tequila Gallery, a small non-working tequila factory. A native Huichol tribe teenager was hard at work making intricate beaded art. The tequila making process was explained here and those who wanted were given the opportunity to taste different sorts of tequila with our without worm. The last stop on this four-hour excursion brought us to a tile factory where very colorful tiles, plates, jugs, pots, etc. were manufactured. Got a chance to watch some of the artists delicately hand paint the tile work. Back to the marina and the short tender ride to Oosterdam.

 

We had a leisurely afternoon onboard Oosterdam but since she was not departing until 10 pm, we had reserved another tour called “Rhythms of the Night”. Back on the tender to shore. In the Marina, I finally spotted an orange zodiac with two outboards that CC poster Ine (from Holland - Goeie dag Ine, tot over 10 dagen!) had told me about. Her daughter Astrid is a guide here in PV for Open Air Expeditions and does whale watch tours. Took a pic and saw a young lady on the zodiac but she later turned out to be the owner. So we didn’t see Astrid but there is always next time! Our tour left the pier area at 4:15 pm and involved an approximate 1-hour ride in a catamaran to Las Caletas, a secluded jungle cove accessible only by sea. Las Caletas was for many years director John Huston’s (Night of the iguana) private Garden of Eden. The ride across on the cat was interesting with the crew keeping everyone busy with rum punch, pina coladas and/or soft drinks among other things and entertained with some dancing and prancing.

About half-way across, we suddenly were surrounded by a large school of dolphins yucking it up. Very cool! Upon arrival at Las Caletas, we were greeted in a traditional welcome ceremony by several of the actors that would later perform for us. We were the led to an intimate ocean-side table for two . It soon got dark and we enjoyed a nice dinner by candlelight under a sky with thousands of bright stars. (You just don’t see those things in the L.A. basin). After dinner, we followed a path lined with small candles and tiki torches to an open-air amphitheater where an approximate one hour show of Mexico’s mythological past complete with flutes, drums and dance was performed for us. This celebrated the union of man and woman represented in a pre-Hispanic wedding ceremony. It was obviously professionally choreographed but we really enjoyed it. On the catamaran trip back to the marina we could see fireworks being lit off above Puerto Vallarta. We were back onboard Oosterdam by 9 pm. Glad we took this excursion! Got back to our cabin to discover a towel monkey hanging from the wall. We gave him a banana and let him do his thing. Bowo has been busy the last three evenings making an elephant, lobster and now the monkey. He’s pretty good at it and we’re slowly getting a petting zoo, great fun! Oh yeah, before I forget and in an effort, to calm all nerves. He’s using the small round blue stickers from the ship’s invitations for eyes and for the minkey’s mouth, as Clouseau would say, a red sticker. Haven’t caught him yet opening our closets and drawers “rummaging” through our stuff but I have booby traps set and CCTV deployed for just such an occurrance . Tonight was the Filipino crew show but the full day, rum punch among other things got to us (must be getting old) so we called it a night.

[caribbean girl]

NO...not the dreaded towel animals! :eek: I was expecting you to tell us about the full sized human-clothing people propped up in various areas of your cabin!:rolleyes: It sure sounds like you guys had a really beautiful trip!

[Ine]

It felt like I was there again John, great report...

See you on the 10th or 12th.

[Copper10-8]

Thursday, February 16, 2006

 

Another great sea day on the way back north-bound in the Pacific. After breakfast in the Lido, found a deck chair on Promenade deck and did some more reading of the DaVinci Code. I’m sure many have experienced this but as soon as you start reading on that deck in one of those padded chairs, the sound of the waves, the fresh air and the world floating by start tugging on your eye lids and before you realize it, it’s lights out. Hate it when that happens ! Woke up about an hour later and by that time, we had to get ready for the Mariner Society reception in the Vista Lounge at 11:30 am. Vic joined us in the front a short time later. There were actually quite a few mariners gathered this morning and the bar staff was doing their best to serve champagne, orange juice and hors d’oeuvres to all. Unfortunately, there were no “bitterballen” being served oh well, can't have it all. Captain van der Waard, Hotel Manager Deering and Cruise Director Lynett moved to the stage area and the reception was opened by Jimmy. He explained the awards pins and medals and, what they represented as well as the actual awards process. He then promptly introduced the Oosterdam’s captain as Captain Jeroen van Donselaar . Problem with that was that good Captain van Donselaar was probably doing his duties on the Zuiderdam in an exemplary fashion at that same moment but he was most definitely not in charge of the Oosterdam! Jimmy immediately realized his potential “career ending” mistake and in almost the same breath re-introduced Captain van der Waard by his correct name and added that he would more than likely be joining us at disembarkation in San Diego on Saturday looking for new employment. Captain van der Waard showed his good sense of humor by remarking that he and Captain van Donselaar are about as opposite in physical appearance as is humanly possible and everybody had a good laugh. The mariners who were getting awards were then introduced as was one couple who were onboard displaying platinum medals and who had already attained the status of having sailed with HAL for over 700 days! Pretty impressive.

 

At a little after noon, we passed Cabo San Lucas on the starboard side at a distance of about 10 miles. At this time, the temp was 78 degrees Fahrenheit under partly sunny skies. H/M James Deering had scheduled a Cruise Critic question and answer session in the Oak Room at 2:00 pm. Vic and I showed up, as well as Mr. Deering himself, but that was it as far as CC members. We did have the Q & A session (moved it to the side of the Crow’s Nest) with a couple of gentlemen as well as a female TA from Texas. This session once again reinforced the theory sometimes floated around here that, at least in Mr. Deering’s case, he is a HAL employee who does read CC on a regular basis. He informed us that he does it primarily to get a read on some of the pax experiences on board HAL ships (and in particular on his assigned vessel) and their feedback, be it positive or negative. He uses it in about the same way as the passenger comment cards received at the end of a cruise (he reads all of those too). Especially if a former pax here on CC gives thanks to a HAL crew member (in this case on the Oosterdam) for a job well done, Mr. Deering makes it a point to personally bring this to that crew member’s attention. I’m sure this is very much appreciated because getting an “attaboy” is better then receiving an “ah shoot” as we all know. He also stated that after each cruise he gets positive as well as negative feedback on the same topics i.e. the temperature in some of the public area’s. Some pax feel that it’s too cold and others are of the opinion that it is too warm. Not much that can be done here so he attempts to find a middle ground somewhere. You can't please everyone all the time!

 

I really wanted to go to the Animal Towel Folding Demonstration at 3:00 pm but there was also a Martini Bartending class in the Olive Pitt bar one half hour later. This was no doubt one of the toughest decisions we had to make all cruise long. After discussing it for 30 minutes, Maria twisted my arm backwards and we made our way to the Olive Pitt bar at the foot of the atrium. I remembered that CC members RenoRita (Rita) and Stanford’s Girl (Janice) had become serious fans of this class on their October cruise (they even showed up in bed sheets for an impromptu toga party) so I suddenly became very interested. Unfortunately we weren’t the only ones with this plan because, on our arrival, we found all bar stools occupied. We decided to stick around as spectators and Maria sweet-talked one of two nice sisters into given her the three Martini recipes that were handed out by the bar tender. She was very proud of herself (I was too) and we decided to return tomorrow for part 3 of the class.

 

Tonight was another formal night and it was also our turn for dinner in the Pinnacle Grill with a 5:30 pm reservation. We were seated at a nice table for two across from the window and had an outstanding meal and excellent service. We chose crab cakes and Thai chicken soup for appetizers, shrimp scampi and filet mignon for the main course with scalloped potatoes and creamed spinach on the side. Had a couple of Appletini’s in between and espresso afterwards. About half-way through our meal, we were approached by one of the Indonesian PG waiters who had recognized us. This turned out to be a nice young man by the name of Fitri who we had first met as an asst. waiter pushing a coffee cart around in the Lido on the Rotterdam in Sep 2002. Some of you might remember him because he was always singing “I have coffee for you” to the tune of “happy birthday to you”. We had him one more time after that and now he had been promoted to PG waiter, very nice!

 

The entertainment this night was the second and last production show by the Oosterdam cast named “Escape”. This was another high energy, quickie changie show and turned out be an outstanding performance. The 8:30 show was also their very last show after spending six months together as a cast on Oosterdam since the entire group would be leaving the ship with us on Saturday, their contract having come to an end. As a result, some of the young ladies and gents got a little emotional at the conclusion. They all received a much deserved standing ovation from several in the audience. After the show, we found ourselves in the Northern Lights Lounge for something called “Dance through the decades” DJ Matt basically played dance music associated with each decade from the 40ties through the 90ties and about every 15 minutes was New Year’s Eve with a countdown and confetti. Very cool! Met a very nice couple from Montana who invited us and our table mates Lou and J.J. to share a booth with them. Stayed out until about 2 am and a good time was had by all. Love those SOE mattresses!

[flime2dc]

Thanks for such a thorough review!

I will be on the Oosterdam for the 4/22 itin and definately liked to read about your shore trips. I do wonder tho' if anyone on here as some experience with "do-it-yourself" shore excursions. I speak enough Spanish to get by and figured I would just hire a taxi or 2 to take me around. Has anyone else tried this?

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for such a thorough review!

I will be on the Oosterdam for the 4/22 itin and definately liked to read about your shore trips. I do wonder tho' if anyone on here as some experience with "do-it-yourself" shore excursions. I speak enough Spanish to get by and figured I would just hire a taxi or 2 to take me around. Has anyone else tried this?

 

Hey Eric, thanks (and to everyone else for their nice comments too!:) ) In every port you'll find local guys advertising tours that will take you to all and/or some of the places the Shorex excursions go to. In addition, pax will hire a taxi driver for the day or for a portion of the day to take you there. In a lot of cases it'll be cheaper than going through Shorex. I'd say "go for it" and if you "habla" a little, so much the better. Just be sure you negotiate a price before you get in and leave and know what you're gonna get. Doing some pre-checking on the internet works too! Have an awesome cruise on the Oosterdam on 22 APR!:)

[gdries]

Copper, thanks for the great review. We are sailing on the 3/25/2006 sailing on the Oosterdam as well. This will be our first tie on Holland America. We are traveling with our children and in rooms 6103/6105. Do you know how the mini-suite accomodations are, and compare to those of some of the other lines. We have sailed on Princess, Celebrity and NCL before.

 

It is good to hear that James Deering is doing so well. We were on the NCL Star, Dawn and Sky during ties that he was the hotel manager. He had a great way with the customers and always treated us well. Is he still doing wine tastings? We certainly look forward to sailing with him again.

 

Thanks for all the port tips as well. Please keep the information slow going.

[redjoan]

Copper.........

You mentioned that your new table mates at table 301 upstairs included two sisters from Vancouver. Their names weren't Margie and Esther by any chance were they? We were on a cruise last year with two sisters from Vancouver......they would be funny if they were the same sisters!?

[Copper10-8]

Copper, thanks for the great review. We are sailing on the 3/25/2006 sailing on the Oosterdam as well. This will be our first tie on Holland America. We are traveling with our children and in rooms 6103/6105. Do you know how the mini-suite accomodations are, and compare to those of some of the other lines. We have sailed on Princess, Celebrity and NCL before.

 

It is good to hear that James Deering is doing so well. We were on the NCL Star, Dawn and Sky during ties that he was the hotel manager. He had a great way with the customers and always treated us well. Is he still doing wine tastings? We certainly look forward to sailing with him again.

 

Thanks for all the port tips as well. Please keep the information slow going.

 

Hey Gdries, we have never been on Celebrity and/or NCL so I won't be of much help to you on those. Re: comparisons of mini-suites between HAL's Oosterdam and say, Sea Princess. The two rooms you mention on Oosterdam are Superior Verandah suites at 389 sq ft. (including balcony) and IMO very nice. Sea Princess' Mini-suite with private balcony is 370 sq ft. also with the balcony, so not much difference there (never been in one of those on Princess). Princess is a very nice line and we've never had any problems with them except felt the showers were pretty small on Dawn. I think you will like Oosterdam and HAL!

James Deering is a very open individual with a "can-do" attitude who seems to always have (or make) time for his guests and is very easy to talk to. He has a million stories after approx. 30+ years in the industry so if you have a chance to pick his ear, go for it, you won't regret it! He will still be on Oosterdam during your cruise! I don't believe he was involved in any wine tasting on our cruise but then again, we went to martini tasting instead of wine tasting;)

Have an awseome cruise on 25 MAR 06

[Copper10-8]

Copper.........

You mentioned that your new table mates at table 301 upstairs included two sisters from Vancouver. Their names weren't Margie and Esther by any chance were they? We were on a cruise last year with two sisters from Vancouver......they would be funny if they were the same sisters!?

 

That would be funny Redjoan but their names were Pam and Stephanie:)

[exgman]

gdries

 

Just got off today and their were two wine tastings given during the week, although james Deering didn't give them. A gentleman from India who does all the wine buying for Oosterdam did. There was one given on the first sea day that cost around $10/person. We were going to go, but got sidetracked. We did make the one on Thursday and enjoyed it. It was kinda pricey at $28/person, but we had fun.

 

Dan

[exgman]

Great review John. Made me think I was still onboard

 

Dan

[Copper10-8]

Great review John. Made me think I was still onboard

 

Dan

 

Thanks! Hope you had a great cruise Dan!

[FlorenceItaly]

We did make the one on Thursday and enjoyed it. It was kinda pricey at $28/person, but we had fun.

 

Dan

 

That is kinda pricey. Can you share in more detail what it was like? I'll be onboard in TWO weeks. Thank you.

 

Marie

[exgman]

John, we also had Risbowo for a cabin steward and you're right. he's great. I think he worked 16 hrs a day and always had a smile and a hello for us.

 

Dan

[Copper10-8]

John, we also had Risbowo for a cabin steward and you're right. he's great. I think he worked 16 hrs a day and always had a smile and a hello for us.

 

Dan

 

Very cool and a small world!! Yeah, he's really good! Hardly ever see him:) Once he finds out your routine (if you have one) you go up to the Lido for breakfast, come back and your room is made! Great guy!

[exgman]

That is kinda pricey. Can you share in more detail what it was like? I'll be onboard in TWO weeks. Thank you.

 

Marie

 

Hi Marie. The first wine tasting was held in the Vista Dining Room on the first sea day (Sunday). The charge was $7.50, but since my brain failed me that day, we didn't go. I would assume they used cheaper wines and the Vista stemware for tasting. The tasting we went to was held in the Pinnacle Grill and we used the PG stemware (VERY nice) and tasted some of their better wines. We had 2 reds, a Merlot from Washington state and a Sangiovese from Italy, 2 whites, a chardonnay from Napa and a Savingion Blanc, can't remember from where. We also had an orange muscat and a champagne. They also had a plate of cheese, fruit and cold meat. The host, I can't remember his name, is very knowledgeable about wine and can answer just about any question you can throw at him. However, I thought $28/person was a bit much. For that price, they should have poured more wine. Oh, if you order wine for dinner during the tasting, you get 10% off. I don't know what they charged for the Martini classes, but those people had a FUN time.

Have a great cruise. Other than too much purple, we loved the Oosterdam

[FlorenceItaly]

Since I love purple I will probably adore the Oosterdam :). I was on the Zuiderdam in December, and enjoyed it so much I came home and booked the Oosterdam. I've read the martini classes are $20 each class. How many people were in the wine tasting group that you were in???

 

Marie

[exgman]

Marie, about 22

 

Dan