Oostertdam ... your current experinces ... would you do a 20 day Med on her?

[liamur14]

🙂 Your thoughts and current experiences on the Oosterdam, Mediterranean cruises.   We are considering a 20 day Med 2024 but  current reviews are not good or exciting. We loved the Maasdam, and the Eurodam.   If you had to choose from your experience would you choose  Island Princess or Oosterdam?? and. Why??   They have similar 20 day Med itineraries, so your current input is appreciated.

[BSinPNS]

We did 22 days in South America/Antarctica on O-dam.  Good clean ship, engaging crew.  Same vintage ship as Island Princess.  We would certainly book her again.  Not sure any HAL ship would be classed as exciting.  .  

Edited July 5, 2023 by BSinPNS

[OlsSalt]

Enchanted Princess (Mediterranean 21 day) is a much larger ship. I personally would always take the smaller ship, when there is a choice - so that would be the Oosterdam. 

 

Where were you reading all these "negative reviews"?

 

Because the almost exact same question was asked here recently, and recent passengers on the Oosterdam reported things were uniformly great.  Seacrh the archives for this recent thread. 

[CruiserBruce]

From just a couple days ago:

 

 

[Ilovesailaway]

Just finished a Med cruise on Oosterdam... It was awesome!!

The ship was well maintained and kept very clean. I got the sense that it was a well run operation and management stayed on top of things.

[terrydtx]

We did a 14 day cruise from Venice last August on the Oosterdam and we enjoyed it very much. We were is a Signature Suite and the furnishings and cabin were in great shape. We thought the food in both Lido and MDR were very good. The only place I noticed signs of wear and tear for an older ship was walking down the halls of the cabins, many dents and scratches on walls and doors. I much prefer HAL over Princess and would book that cruise again.

[Heartgrove]

We have been on a 20-day Mediterranean cruise aboard the Nieuw Statendam when it was new so are familiar with the itinerary. We have also been on a 15-day Transatlantic aboard the Oosterdam last Fall so familiar with an extended cruise on the ship in question. Further, I just recently looked at a 10-day itinerary for the Island Princess on a possible 10-day cruise for Fall 2024 in the Mediterranean. 

 

We usually travel to Europe for five-six weeks and do two cruises during that time but trying for three in 2024. The Island Princess cruise would be a perfect fit for the days we were looking at between a MSC cruise and a HAL Transatlantic. I looked at YouTube videos, Marine Traffic photos, and CC reviews. In the end I decided against it for a number of reasons. Some of these are: the lack of seating in the stateroom with the Princess policy of only including a couch in Mini-Suites and above; the general layout looking at deck plans; and just a dated look of brass in the interior. Some reviews commented on how additional staterooms added (compared to the original configuration the sistership Coral Princess) took away public space for an increase of 107 staterooms/214 passengers. The price also was a bit high for the per day cost but that varies so much by a number of factors including port fees and operational costs.

 

Not fully decided but will probably plan for an additional MSC cruise. In answer to your question, I would book the Oosterdam if it was just between the two.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Heartgrove

[FlaMariner]

14 hours ago, liamur14 said:

current reviews are not good or exciting.

 

I keep seeing this type of post about the Oosterdam and do not understand.......and I keep responding.....

 

We were on the Oosterdam in March/April 2023 in South America and had a fantastic cruise....spotless ship, engaged captain, top notch attentive crew, fun entertainment and educational stuff also, delicious food....

 

We enjoyed the Oosterdam so much that we booked her for a TA and a Mediterranean cruise this April.

 

 

[Sea42]

Oosterdam is scheduled for dry dock in October, so maybe the hallway bumps and bruises will be taken care of. And a library addition would be an added bonus for many!🤞

 

[Roz]

I was on the same cruise as @FlaMariner and had a fantastic time on the Oosterdam.  Don't understand bad reviews.  Ship was in great condition, service outstanding, and food prep and selection good. 

 

What specific things are you reading in reviews that concern you?

[Roz]

@liamur14, here's a link to my review of my recent 31-day cruise on the Oosterdam:

 

 

 

[kenphy]

Absolutely would do a 20 on her!  We just did a 12 day in the Med and were totally surprised how very much the crew loved this ship.  Yes, it is getting old and needs some maintenance, but the food is fabulous, the crew terrific, the service nearly flawless, just everything about this ship and the cruise was great.

[Sea42]

1 hour ago, Roz said:

@liamur14, here's a link to my review of my recent 31-day cruise on the Oosterdam:

 

 

 

Thank you, I appreciated your great review! We're booked on Oosterdam for 1/2025. Your review was very helpful.

Edited July 6, 2023 by Sea42