Negative reviews of Oosterdam

[Seayalater]

Hi all,

I know this is a HAL board but I am alarmed about seeing so many low ratings and negative reviews of ms oosterdam. I googled reviews to get unbiased opinions, but even Cruise critic gives it a low rating.

We are sailing in January, not too late to cancel. We've sailed Princess, Celebrity & Carnival. I love sea days, good food and coffee; the last two being a bone of contention in most reviews. Thank you for your imput in advance.

[aliaschief]

Sailed on the MS Oosterdam last November and had a fantastic cruise from San Diego to Mexico and back. The crew was fantastic and the ship was pristeen. IMO "try it you will love it."

[cruznon]

Interesting....where did you read all those negative comments? Perhaps I have missed something.

The Oosterdam is my favorite ship. We've been on it three times and will again be on in February. It is a wonderful ship with a great crew. I noticed it's recent sanitation score (April, 08) was a perfect 100!

I can assure you that the coffee is far superior to Princess (they use coffee syrup--ugh) Coffee is a big issue with lots of folks, I know. I have yet to find great coffee on ANY ship in the buffet or Lido dining areas--much too strong for me. However, dining room coffee is excellent on HAL--IMHO.

I have alway enjoyed food/service in the Oosterdam dining room. Buffet food is usually very good also.

On HAL, you can get a hot breakfast delivered to your cabin/balcony--many lines don't do that.

Oosterdam is far superior to any of the 4 Carnival ships we've sailed, the one Princess cruise we took and similar to the one Celebity cruise we had--if that helps any.

I hope I have helped alleviate some of your concerns. There are many of us here who love the Oosterdam.

If you feel uncomfortable venturing to HAL, then you'll do what you must to feel you've made the correct choice. Whatever ship you choose, have a great cruise.

[Northshorecruisers]

Wow, I'm surprised to hear that there are negative reviews out there for the Oosterdam. Everyone I speak with that has sailed the ship loves her.

Last time we cruised the Oosterdam the coffee was fantastic and the food was very good.

We're sailing again in October so I'll report back what we find.

[Windseek]

Aloha,

 

My wife and I are sailing on August 23, 2008. Before I booked I did alot of research on cruislines and specific ships. What I discovered is that there are very view reiviews considering the amount of people on any given boat. This is just my opinion, but the Oosterdam carries 1850 people. Right now the ship sails of Seattle every week. Yet if you go to the reviews at Cruise Critic you will see only 7 or so reviews out of several sailings since they began in May. That is an unbelievable low percentage of reviews based on the number of passengers and the number of sailings. My conclusion is that there are basically two types of reviewers: those that either had a great time or those that had some kind of bad experience. If you buy into my phliosophy you will find that overall there are many more people who had a great time then those who just did not like the experience. Yes Cruise Critic gives the ship a 3+ yet the member rating is 5. You cannot get any better then this.

 

Also, I have two friends that sailed on the Oosterdam within the last year and they both loved it.

 

On top of that you have HAL's reputation wich is considered to be very good.

 

Reviews are just one source of information.

 

I am betting that we (you and I) will have a great time on our cruises!

[jodster]

I don't post very often, but felt I had to comment on your post........we sailed on the beautiful Oosterdam last March to the Mexican Riviera and found this to be one of our favorite cruises.

 

We loved everything about the Oosterdam (we have also sailed on the Westerdam too). It's a perfectly lovely ship with an outstanding art collection on board (you can download a tour of it on your ipod, if you have one).

 

The ship was clean and well maintained and it goes without saying that the

staff/crew on HAL is top-notch and that's what brought us back to HAL again.

We also love their beds/bedding and the tub/shower combination in their cabins..........silly to some I'm sure but it's important to me.

 

I love coffee and enjoy a good meal and I thought both were very good. You can get free espresso and cappucino's after dinner that were just as good as Starbucks IMO. Food is so subjective but I thought the food was very good to excellent. I actually thought the dining room food was much better on the Oosterdam vs. Westerdam. I have sailed on Princess and Carnival and HAL's buffet wins hands down for me. You can't always take a review to heart, because everyone has such different expectations whether it be food, entertainment, decor, etc. Just go with an open mind........good luck!

 

Jodi

[Susie51]

I am going on the Oosterdam in Dec. From all of the comments I have read on HAL forum, I am expecting a wonderful cruise experience. I have been on HAL twice. Five with NCL, 5 RCCL, 2 Princess, 1 Celebrity, and 1 Disney. HAL has the best beds. Food in Dining room and Lido are very good. I like the size of Oosterdam. I have been on Zuiderdam and Maasdam also.

 

Have a wonderful. If I were you, I would try HAL.

[Bill HaHa]

The only thing we did not like on our Oosterdam cruise last October was that it was only 7 days long. It should have been at least 10 days. She is a great ship in every respect. I don't like 7 day cruises. Too short.

[Seayalater]

Aloha,

 

My wife and I are sailing on August 23, 2008. Before I booked I did alot of research on cruislines and specific ships. What I discovered is that there are very view reiviews considering the amount of people on any given boat. This is just my opinion, but the Oosterdam carries 1850 people. Right now the ship sails of Seattle every week. Yet if you go to the reviews at Cruise Critic you will see only 7 or so reviews out of several sailings since they began in May. That is an unbelievable low percentage of reviews based on the number of passengers and the number of sailings. My conclusion is that there are basically two types of reviewers: those that either had a great time or those that had some kind of bad experience. If you buy into my phliosophy you will find that overall there are many more people who had a great time then those who just did not like the experience. Yes Cruise Critic gives the ship a 3+ yet the member rating is 5. You cannot get any better then this.

 

Also, I have two friends that sailed on the Oosterdam within the last year and they both loved it.

 

On top of that you have HAL's reputation wich is considered to be very good.

 

Reviews are just one source of information.

 

I am betting that we (you and I) will have a great time on our cruises!

Thank you all, I appreciate all the folks who take the time to write back.

My husband says "stop reading the boards", I have this feeling every time

I try something new, and then end up love love loving it.

All those cruising on her, have yourselves a fun cruise.

Maria

[NetwrkEng]

I guess all you need to know about our experience on the Oosterdam is that we were on in early June and then take a look at my countdown clock. ;)

[hammybee]

I just took a peak at the Oosterdam Review page. The pithy CC review appears to have been done before 2004 and was backfilled with standard HAL profile stuff. The CC reviewer gave it 3+ anchors. There are 222 Member Reviews with an overall 5 anchor rating.

 

Of course there are some reviews that are not favorable. About 2000 passengers sail on this ship, every week and no doubt about it, some of them are going to be disappointed for an endless number of reasons. From time to time, people post their reviews on this board and it's a hoot to read how different each perceived their experience on the same cruise.

 

Over the years, I have probably read thousands of reviews on various ships and cruise lines. About the only thing I walk away with is knowing more about the reviewer and his/her values and sensibilities than I do anything else.

 

Survey says the coffee is good, but all that really matters, is if it's to your taste. Know what I mean?

[localady]

We are booked on the Oosterdam in November as well as twice in 2009. DH and I love the Oosterdam and would not ever hesitate to cruise on her. We are truly sad to see her leave her San Diego home port and hope that one day (soon ;) ) she returns!!:D :D

[norcal2]

I did the same as you and checked the reviews for the Noordam because I have never sailed on a HAL ship. Though the Noordam has many good reviews I checked the bad ones and it surprised me. Many of the complaints seemed to be things that are beyond anyone's control and actually a part of all cruise lines. One in particular stands out of embarkation and power going off as they were being helped. That happened to us on NCL but it was a computer failure. It added 5 minutes to our checkin and I never thought to include it as a negative but there it was, something similar on the Noordam board. I read raves about the food and negatives about the food as you see on other line's boards but my best guess is it still gets down to what your expectations are and what you order.

 

To be sure every line is plagued with the best/worst food, cabin, this, that, and the other. What I decided in the end is the cruises I have taken have been wonderful with some minor nit I never logged as their fault so I assume the same applies to individuals on any HAL ship. I expect to have a great cruise but no ship gets a negative from me for those things out of their control. That is the way it is in real life or we'd all be fired.

 

That's how I roll in life and that's how I sail. I don't look too closely at the raves or the slams as I suspect both sides personal experience is unrelated to the cruise I'll be taking. I like to give my critical brain, my "queen bitch" alter ego (this one is a great sacrifice,) and mainland rules home while I sail lazily and guilt free into an ocean of decadence and MY unique cruise.

 

Don't be afraid to grab YOURS wherever it is. ;)

[lynnemac]

Remember posts are like opinions and everyone has one. As great as CC and the posters are they make up a very small percentage of all people who cruise. We are here to help or discourage and you pick out what applies to you.

 

Happy opinions,

 

Mac:) :) :)

[san diego sue]

The Oosterdam is a wonderful ship. Sailed last December. Am booked again in October and also booked on 32 day from San Diego to Rome.I would never book that long a cruise on any ship unless I knew for sure it would be wonderful. And it is. Can't wait.

Sue:D

[PennyAgain]

A very, very picky family member had a really nice cruise on the Oosterdam. She defines the word 'picky' and is very hard to please.

 

She did a late season cruise to Alaska in 2007.

[haligonian37]

I never did a formal review but I sailed on the Oosterdam about 8 weeks ago and had a great time. IMO, we had the best dining room staff in the entire fleet....never have I had so much fun at dinner! The same could be said about my room steward and other staff we encountered (except for the FCC, but that's a whole other story :p) during the 7 day cruise.

 

Sure, the ship shows wear here and there and there are always little bumps along the way but that's to be expected and it never amounted to anything that would ruin the cruise. Oh, and the coffee is quite adequate for the purpose....but there is always the Explorations Cafe (for a fee, of course).

 

Whatever your final decision is, the main thing is to enjoy yourself!

[Copper10-8]

Hey, she's got two azipods purring like happy kittycats and some of us here know that's been a whole different story in the past;) Have a great January cruise on Oosterdam!! We'll be right behind ya with the Yummers in FEB 09 and looking forward to it!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Two thumbs up for the Oosterdam from us! We've sailed on her twice to Alaska and it was spectacular every time! A cruise is what you make of it. We thought the food in the Lido was great, as was the food in the dining room. Not a coffee snob, but husband is, and he never once complained. The service is fantastic - say hi to our cabin steward Mano for us! The beds? Well, they are to die for! Don't be anxious about it - I'm sure you'll enjoy your sail on the fabulous Ms. O!

[off2ctheworld]

We loved the O last December and talked my sis and family into a cruise on her this spring and they had a great time too.

 

You will have a wonderful time-only bad part? They make you leave the ship when your cruise is finished!

[Sundagger]

I was on the Jan. 8th, 2008 cruise of the Oosterdam. Take a look at the reviews from that date. There is ONE very negative review of that cruise and three "5 ribbon" reviews. When the poster of the negative review posted on the HAL board, several of us gave our rebuttals (which don't show up on the CC review section).

 

This was a cruise that started off late due to a "super code red" cleaning. We were in code red the entire cruise - though we didn't have enough illness to even be reportable to CDC (I have no idea if there was ANY illness). The first day + was in one of the severe January storms that SoCal experienced. This was the 1st time for AYW dining on the Oosterdam. Given all these strikes to begin with, it is a tribute to the ship and crew to have made *almost* everyone happy.

[brucory]

Unfortunately complaints are always louder than praise... Just look at the recent comments about the Eurodam... The negatives came across much louder than the many positive and wonderful things that were said.

 

We loved our recent Oosterdam cruise and would love to go back on her. The food was beautiful and the staff superb. The ship looked great as well. Absolutely would not hesitate to go again....

 

If coffee, is really a big issue, take your own plunger. The additional cost of a packet of ground coffee should be minimal. :D :D :D

[MWGuy]

We were on the "O" in May to AK. It could not have been better.

Great food, service beyond, room with verandah very roomy, SS cabin..

2 sinks/separate shower/good storage. A HAL fishing excursion was worth the money and the Food and Wine Magazine culinary class was great fun too.

Beds better than we have at home :)

[hammybee]

HAL, like Princess, Carnival, RCL ,NCL and others, are in the business of filling their ships. They do this by marketing to the masses. Their objective is to please the masses. This is different than pleasing everyone or anyone in particular. Individual passenger experiences/perceptions vary by expecations and perceptions.

 

I googled " definition of fine dining". The first link was to another message board on this topic. Here are some of the responses from the masses:

 

In the Olive Garden ( Does this mean the chain or a place in Greece?)

 

A DECENT meal at affordable prices. ( What does decent and affordable mean to this person?)

 

When the waiter calls you "sir" ( Sometimes employees at fast food restuarants do this, too)

 

Posh restaurant, gourmet food, good waiter and wine waiter, beautifullly laid table ( What does posh, gourmet and beautiful mean to this person?)

 

Dining with exclusive items- unfortunately expensive. ( What does exclusive and expensive mean to this person?)

 

Not having to cook. ( Does take out count ?)

 

I like eggs. ( Many people do)

 

4-5 star Mobil rating or a chef with formal training who loves to cook.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

All I can say about negative reviews is..."Don't believe everything you read" The happy satified person is usually the least likely person to take the time to post a review.

Take a look at the number of times I have sailed the Oosterdam, then look that I also have 2 upcoming cruises on her and have sailed on her 6 previous times. I am an educated professional that cruises frequently if she was so bad I certainly would not keep returning :D

1.Monarch OTS March 2002 West.Carib,2.MS Zuirderdam April 2003 East Carib,3.Monarch OTS-December 2003 Baja Mexico,4.MS Oosterdam May 2004 Alaska,5.MS Ryndam Nov 2004 Sea of Cortez,6.MS Westerndam Mar 2005 W Carib,7. MS Maasdam NE/Canada July 2005,8.MS Oosterdam Oct 2005 Mex Riv,9.MS Oosterdam Feb 2006 Mexican Riviera,10.MS Ryndam May 2006 Inside Passage Alaska,11.MS Veendam Sept 2006 Pacific Coastal,12.MS Zaandam Nov 2006 10 day Mex. Riv,13.MS Oosterdam 30th Anniversary March 2007 Mex.Riv,14.MS Noordam Alaska June 2007,15.MS Noordam Alaska Sept 2007, 16.MS Oosterdam Dec 2007 Mex Riv, 17.MS Oosterdam Feb 2008, 18. MS Amsterdam Alaska June 2008

Up coming cruises

MS Oosterdam Mexican Riviera October 2008

MS Eurodam Eastern Caribbean Dec.2008

>THE Reunion Yum Yum Man Worshippers Cruise Feb. 14th 2009 aka The Yummers Are Coming Part II YES MS Oosterdam ;)

Sapphire Princess Pacific Coast May 2009

MS Zuiderdam Inside Passage September 2009