Just Back from Oosterdam - Review

[San Diego Cruzer]

Hello all - just back yesterday from the Oosterdam and overall had a wonderful cruise. Just wanted to pass along some of my general impressions, since before I left I read many questions, comments, etc. and was a little hesitant going into the cruise especially with all the talk of the azipod situation. Glad to report we had a good time and the ship looked great.

 

Embarkation: always been our experience that in San Diego it is a breeze. This time no different. On the ship within 15 minutes from luggage drop off. I have to commend the HAL staff - very organized and efficient.

 

Ship: We have been on another Vista class and the ship looked pretty much the same in terms of layout. I do like some of the smaller bars, lounges and sitting areas, but the layout on Decks 2 and 3 seem at times a little congested. The ship's condition overall was very good. I noticed little if anywear real wear/tear. Yes, a chair in our cabin had a small stain on it - but no big deal. Everything else looked very good. The staff was always cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I do think the library could be better/bigger. I enjoyed the library on the Ryndam so much and I hope eventually the Oosterdam can be upgraded to the same. The Crows Nest is one of our favorite areas to hang out, read, listen to music (Jaylyn and the Halcats were great!) and have a cocktail. Even saw some Whales one day. Quite a show.

 

Cabin: we had a VA balcony cabin - Deck 8. Very nice, good size, enough storage/closet space for our 7 night cruise. The bathroom had a shower/tub combo. There was the flat screen TV and DVD player, which we found nice. The climate control worked very well. No strange noises, etc. The bed was very comfortable. No complaints in this category. I really saw no effects from the azipod not fully operational other than some decreased times in PV and Cabo (which was a little disappointing to us). One night we were originally seated in the dining room right at the back and really felt the vibrations so much that we asked to be moved to another table. Don't know if this was related to the azipod or just the ship itself.

 

Staff: Can't say enough good things in this area. Everyone we came into contact with from room steward to dining room waiter to bar staff, etc. was TERRIFIC. The service on the Oosterdam may be the best we have experienced on HAL (with the exception of the casino staff, who I found just so-so.). We never had any problems with wait times, etc. for dining or drinks. Everyone was always pleasant and seemed to go above and beyond to greet you and try to help. The Captain was a wonderful man, as was Mr. Deering and the new Hotel Director, Simon de Boer, who we had an opportunity to meet. Very gracious. Hats off to Sandy and John, the CCs who arranged our get together. Nice job!

 

Food: One of my favorite parts of the cruise! Of course, this is the most subjective part as well. Overall I was left with a very good impression. Certainly I do not think this is 5 star dining, but I found the food of very good quality, the presentation beautiful and the choices very good. We always do the formal dining in the evenings and as much as possible for breakfast and lunch, as I do not prefer buffet style dining. That being said, the Lido buffet was actually quite nice. Lots of variety, not too crowded other than the 1st day at lunch and the last day at breakfast. I liked the made to order omelts and the sandwich and salad bars were very nice. I never had any of the ice cream bar, but many passengers raved about it. The Taco bar by the Lido pool and the grill were nice for a snack. They had hamburgers, chicken breasts, veggie burger, etc. and also taco fixings, nachos, etc. The dining room food we found to be very good. Some nights I would say I enjoyed the menu more than others. I liked the fresh fish selection nightly and I also enjoy Duck and it was offered several times throughout the week in different fashions. The lobster tails were actually very good as were the escargot! We had no problems ordering our food to taste and no problems ordering off the menu if necessary. Hats off to Chef Thomas for his wonderful meals. If you have a chance go on the galley/kitchen tour (it was offered 2 or 3 times during our cruise) - we enjoyed a peak at what happens behind the scenes! My only complaint in this area was the soups (felt the choices were lacking and not all the tasteful) and the quality of the coffee.

 

Room Service: Very good. We had breakfast and/or coffee delivered on several mornings - came just as requested. Even ordered things not on the menu and received it no problems. One afternoon we did have a 40 minute wait for a snack - but they forewarned us it was busy - so no problems. Presentation and service was very good.

 

Entertainment: An area where I had mixed feelings. I felt the Oosterdam nightly shows and the choices, were not as good as our previous cruises. I did enjoy the Broadway show and another show with a signer, but the other ones I did not care for, one I found rather "cheesy". I feel improvement could be made in this area. I did find several of the bands very good (in the lounges) and I enjoyed the Piano Bar, especially Name that Tune. Activities were pretty much like on other HAL cruises - overall o.k. I did enjoy the Culinary demonstrations. The nightly (after diner) was somewhat lacking - probably due to the age of the passengers! The casino size was pretty good, I did not find the slots very loose. They do have some nickle slots, which I had never played before, but saw how much fun people were having on them so one night tried them and do agree they were fun. There were several BJ tables, one Roulette, one Craps and several other tables. The 1st night the minimums were $3 (nice!) after that the min was $5.

 

Spa/Gym: Pretty nice. Several classes in the gym free of charge and several pay ones. The gym was pretty busy, but never had to wait for a machine. The thermal space, armotherapy showers/steam rooms were great and worth the money for the day ($40 or $150 for the week).

 

Ports of Call: LOVED PV and Cabo was great. Mazatlan was nice too. I mentioned the shortened times in port already. Still tendering in PV, though hopefully the Oosterdam will be able to use the new dock soon. The Tendering procedures were great! Best I've experienced. Very organized.

 

Disembarkation: Usually very good - especially since we do the Express check out (great option!), but this time, very crowded and misinformation given over the annoucement system, that caused confusion and a mass of people trying to go the wrong way. I'd give this one a big thumbs down.

 

Passengers: The average age was, well, without meaning to offend anyone, OLD. Many in wheelchairs, many frail people. Very few children (maybe a plus, depends on you). So the night life was well, lacking. Many of the activities I felt were geared towards the older crowd, though I thought HAL was aiming towards a younger demographics? Anyway, the worst was a group of about 200 people, who I found extremely rude. Unfortunately, we kept coming into contact with them.

 

Despite the minor "cons" I've noted above, we did enjoy the cruise, the ship, the food and the staff. I would recommend the Oosterdam.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Kristine, I am so glad that you had a good time. I cannot agree with you more about San Diego for embarkation and debarkation. It is my favorite port. :)

[10s nut]

Hey Kristine...Really enjoyed meeting you at the CC meeting. I am just sorry we didn't see each other for the rest of the cruise. I am still in San Diego with DH. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this city. We did the Old Town Trolley yesterday, ate fabulous food in Old Town, and crashed last night. Today we toured the Midway..what a treasure.

 

I have to agree with all of your comments. Am going to post a short review as I have a few additional thoughts.

[San Diego Cruzer]

Just wanted to commend HAL for showing the NFL Playoffs on TV, including in the Sports Bar and some lounges (Northern Lights). Though our San Diego Chargers didn't win - at least we saw the game.

 

Also re the As You Wish dining - didn't think we'd like it, but we did. Originally signed up for the Traditional dining, but then one night wanted to go to the early show and missed our dining time, so we were allowed to switch to the other option. Worked out great. We loved the flexibility - eat early, eat late, eat with a large group or just us. Never needed reservations, just walked up and never had a wait. Only negative was that we had different servers every night so no chance to "bond" with them, and if you have a good waiter, it makes the week very enjoyable. Luckily, every waiter we had was terrific!

[San Diego Cruzer]

Reba - enjoyed meeting you at the CC meeting as well. Hard to believe we never ran into each other the rest of the cruise! Glad you had a good time and glad you love San Diego (though our weather here has left a little to be desired). We were actually going to Old Town last night for dinner, but decided we had eaten WAY too much on the cruise. Would have been funny if we had run into you!

Have safe trip home.

[niborHS]

It's interesting how you can have so many different opinions about the same ship. I am glad you enjoyed it. The more we read, the happier I think I will be with our choice. I am a little unsure of the fact that this is the first time we have been by ourselves on a cruise at all, and the first time in 5 or 6 years where we didn't have other adults. We have cruised 14 times with our sons, who are now in college. I have heard that other people were very happy with the library, so I am surprised you said otherwise. I plan to bring 2 books, which I may end up reading on the flight from NY. I figured I would fill in with books from the library, especially with 3 1/2 sea days.

I am most happy that you enjoyed the dinners, because others said they did not. I take cruise dining as it should be, at best it is good banquet food, not great restaurant food. I know we are spoiled being from NY, but what I always said is that if I wanted great food on vacation, I would just stay home and go out to eat.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[MercedMike]

The thermal space, armotherapy showers/steam rooms were great and worth the money for the day ($40 or $150 for the week).

 

Was that the couples price, or per person? We love the Thermal Suite. Plan to use it a lot on the Westerdam next month.

 

Glad you had a GREAT Cruise.

[funny1]

Thanks for the great review. We enjoyed the CC meeting, too. I agree with your review so much that I don't have to write my own. I only want to mention a few things. It's so important to get a good night's sleep and we appreciated that the bedding was so very nice. We've been on about twenty five cruises and I think this bed and bedding was the best.

 

We had traditional dining and really enjoyed the food. I thought the quality and presentation was better than most. We didn't have a meal we didn't enjoy and that includes the Lido and the pool area buffets. We, too, found the Lido a little crowded a few times but we always managed to find a place to sit.

 

Overall I considered this to be an excellent cruise and I would recommend Holland America to anyone.

[San Diego Cruzer]

Was that the couples price, or per person? We love the Thermal Suite. Plan to use it a lot on the Westerdam next month.

 

Glad you had a GREAT Cruise.

 

That was the single price. There was a special for 2 for the week - I think it was about $250 for the couple - but don't hold me too it. I did not see a special for the couple for the day.

[Vic The Parrot]

Anyway, the worst was a group of about 200 people, who I found extremely rude. Unfortunately, we kept coming into contact with them.

 

Despite the minor "cons" I've noted above, we did enjoy the cruise, the ship, the food and the staff. I would recommend the Oosterdam.

 

 

 

Great to hear that the "O" is still up to snuff .... welcome home!

 

 

But who were those twits in that large group? :eek:

[Underwatergal]

Thank you for posting your thoughts:D I am just rapidly disgesting all the info about the Oosterdam, in prep for our adventure. Positive, negative, so-so reviews are SO appreciated! Heavens...I'll know so much about the ship, there won't be any reason to go:eek:

 

April 7 just can't come soon enough for my husband and I. :rolleyes:

[RANCHOVISTA]

Hi to all, traveling on the "big O" 2-3-07. Per HAL, we are receiving a $25 per person onboard credit due to reduced sailing speed. Does anyone know anything about this? What's wrong with the ship? Anyone else get the same credit? Anyone else from Oregon going on this cruise? Thanks in advance for all answers and comments. Jeff, the question man......

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your review.

[Underwatergal]

One of the azipods is malfunctioning, so the cruising speed has been reduced. This has been a long-term problem, but is expected to be repaired when it is hauled into dry-dock, just before the ship begins the cruises to Alaska.

 

Every passenger is getting a $25 ship-board credit, which is a plus. The only down-side is that times in ports have been reduced, most especially in Cabo. Some folks have also said that there is a severe vibration at the stern, especially felt in the dining room (or is it in the Pinnacle Grill?). Nothing to make the cruise non-workable, however.

[MikeT718]

I am so glad you had a good cruise..I love to read great reviews they tend to bring me back to my last time on the O'Ddam..

I do have one question you mentioned that you got to meet Mr. Deering and the New HM where is Mr. Deering going??

[Old As Dirt Mom]

....

I do have one question you mentioned that you got to meet Mr. Deering and the New HM where is Mr. Deering going??

 

Mike;

 

I understand he's going for his much-needed vacation until mid-March, when he'll be back on the O.

 

Karin

[wizard-of-roz]

Underwatergal: Thanks for the review of your trip. I'm so glad you had a wonderful time.....and, I so agree with you about our waiters getting to know us and us them......

For us the dining experience is very important....I like when I go into dinner that my drink/bread/butter/breadsticks are waiting for me....because my server knows what I like and how I like it! May sound silly to some....but, "it's the small things" in life, that make such a difference in our day! :)

I can't wait to board Miss "O", in April. :p

[goforfun]

It was an enjoyable cruise, wasn’t it? Sorry the board broke for a time—it isn’t only the O that goes on the fritz on occasion! I came home to add a post and was disappointed that the board wasn’t working. John and I enjoyed meeting the CCers. Hans Becker and his staff did a great job tending to our needs and providing complimentary beverages. Think we ran into almost everyone at various times during the week. Familiar faces and friendly hellos are always nice.

 

Thanks to Reba, Kristine and Susan (Hi, guys) there’s not much else to say besides ditto and recount some of my own impressions.

 

We were treated very well this last week as CCers and as individuals. I was impressed that several of the ship's hotel officers came to meet us at our CC get together. We had access to them throughout the week for conversation and comment. For a brief time last week we had the listening ears of two hotel managers, as James Deering left the post for a well-deserved break and Simon de Boer assumed the office for the interim. (Mr. D will be back on the O after his holiday.) Our CC comments are read and appreciated. Even Captain Mercer--famous in his own right!--occasionally reads the boards.

 

The “As You Wish” dining trial seems to be working well. When we cruised on the Oosterdam several months ago, I was one of the voices encouraging more dining choices. I am all for a flexible dining option, but don’t want to see traditional dining go away for those who really want it. I can see the problem created for solo cruisers by “As You Wish,” if that’s the only choice available. I am sure adjustments will be made to meet needs as they emerge. We actually had traditional dining and were fine with it, but another time we’ll try “As You Wish” for its greater flexibility.

 

I agree with Kristine that HAL needs to continue to work on tweaking their passenger demographic—at least if the crowd we experienced last week is any indication. I surely don’t want to eliminate older folks—each year I’m getting older myself—but when I’m the almost the youngest person in a gathering, oh my.

 

We had a couple of small issues with our cabin that were addressed but not resolved during the week—probably because they are longer-term maintenance problems: a leaky shower (bad rubber seal around the glass panel, we think), and a large dark stain on the carpet that refused to come up, though our cabin steward did his best. We received a note of apology about the shower leak and a bottle of wine. Enjoyed the wine, but kept mopping and sopping up the bathroom all week!

 

Didn’t do a lot of shows during the week. We often prefer the smaller venues. Enjoyed the production show—again. We had seen it on the O in Alaska in May. Had fun several evenings in the piano bar with Bob Style, a nice young man from Germany who sings country music—other genres, too.

 

I agree that the ship is in good shape. Well, apart from an injured azipod, that is. With about 3000 souls aboard every day of the year, there is bound to be wear and tear. We saw very little evidence of wear and tear and a virtual army of staff cleaning, polishing, painting and replacing carpet—all without interfering with passenger enjoyment.

 

Two thumbs up here.

[San Diego Cruzer]

Sandy - Glad to hear your comments. Many thanks to you and John for organizing the CC meeting. I too believe we were treated very well by the Oosterdam staff/crew and loved having the opportunity to meet Mr. Deering and Simon - both lovely individuals and hear their frank opinions and responses to some of the "drilling" we gave them! ;) It was nice to hear what is coming down the line in cruising changes, etc. Also nice to know that they listen to us passengers. Very nice of them to provide the complimentary beverages and snacks. I received a very nice bottle of wine from Mr. Deering later in the week. A very nice touch!

 

Sorry to hear about the difficulties with the cabin - but glad you had a good attitude about them and didn't let them spoil your vacation.

 

As for the dining - I really enjoyed the As You Wish and had fully intended to hate it! That being said - I don't know which way I would choose for my next cruise.

 

Re the demographics - I didn't mean to offend anyone. I too am getting older and still plan to cruise! I enjoyed the Mariners reception and seeing how many days of cruising so many people have. It really is a testiment to HAL that so many people continue to cruise with them.

 

For those people who have posted questions on the azipod situation - there is at least one thread which was running which is loaded with information on it. We had reduced days in Cabo (I think the stated time was 12noon to 6pm with last tender at 5:30pm - but I believe we actually arrived earlier in Cabo - closer to 10:30 a.m.). Also in Puerto Vallarta, we were there from 8am to 6pm instead of to 10pm. We received a $25pp shipboard credit - which was greatly appreciated. I believe that this is the standard credit.

[San Diego Cruzer]

Sandy - I tried to post a reply to yours, but I got the dreaded white screen. Not certain if by posting this whether the initial one will go through.

[San Diego Cruzer]

Oops - sorry double posts. I'm having lots of problems today. Must be because it's my 1st day back at work after a wonderful cruise!

[legalslave]

I have a few questions for San Diego Cruzer. You stated you really enjoyed "as you wish dinning". Out of curiosity, what time did you eat dinner and did you have to wait for a table? Were you seated with others or have a table for 2? Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

 

Diane

[CPeters40]

It's interesting how you can have so many different opinions about the same ship. I am glad you enjoyed it. The more we read, the happier I think I will be with our choice. I am a little unsure of the fact that this is the first time we have been by ourselves on a cruise at all, and the first time in 5 or 6 years where we didn't have other adults. We have cruised 14 times with our sons, who are now in college. I have heard that other people were very happy with the library, so I am surprised you said otherwise. I plan to bring 2 books, which I may end up reading on the flight from NY. I figured I would fill in with books from the library, especially with 3 1/2 sea days.

I am most happy that you enjoyed the dinners, because others said they did not. I take cruise dining as it should be, at best it is good banquet food, not great restaurant food. I know we are spoiled being from NY, but what I always said is that if I wanted great food on vacation, I would just stay home and go out to eat.

 

About the library. This one isn't a "Signature of Excellence" library, like on the Volendam, for instance. They will be upgrading it in the next year or two. The choice of books is smaller, but the actual appearance of the library is very nice. Although I did check out a library book, I really spen't more time around the decks, talking to everyone, so I really didn't miss this feature. They do put a $30 deposit on your account, for each book you check out, but take it back off, when you return it. If you are not one to get your bill midweek, like I did, you won't even notice it. Have a great time on your trip! I loved our week on the Oosterdam (Jan 6-13).

Chris (Iowa)

As for the food--I gained 6 pounds--loved the Omelet station, and the Pasta of the day, and the ice cream station, besides all the great meals!