Just back from the Oosterdam with 11 month old

[JoeCruisin]

Well we just got back from a great week on the Oosterdam. Here's what I thought:

 

Room: our SS cabin 6059 was great - lots of room and storage - we even had a pack and play for our 11 month old daughter in the room and still had a lot of space. The balcony was also roomy and we were able to have our cabin steward open the partition so we were able to share balconies with our parents in the next cabin. The bathroom was also roomy and having the extra shower stall was awesome.

 

Food and Dining: Overall I thought the food quality was great and the main dining room was very elegant. Lobster night was fantastic - 2 good sized Maine lobster tails. I was a little confused with the Dutch night thing - there was no mention of it before hand and the only way I knew it was Dutch night was because we had hats on the tables - the menu didn't seem Dutch and our waiter never even mentioned that it was Dutch night. The BBQ was not on the same night as Dutch night. Our service in the main dining room was the worst service we had on the whole ship. The first few nights we weren't able to get a wine steward to our table for almost 30 minutes. We had wine and champagne waiting at our table but no one would open it. Very frustrating. Our waiter also seemed over worked and barely talked to us - very non-personable. This was unfortunate because the atmosphere and food were A+ but the poor service really ruined the experience. After complaining several times things got better but it was kind of too little too late. The Pinnacle (2 times) was superb - quality and service - well worth the $ and a great bargain the first night. The steaks were fabulous but I think the Shrimp Scampi may have been the most impressive entrée. The volcano cake was a downer - probably the most overrated thing we came across - it was dry, didn't present well, and just wasn't any good. The Baked Alaska on the other hand was fantastic. The Lido was great for breakfast and lunch but was not a good alternative for dinner. Luckily we were able to secure a baby-sitter through the front desk for several nights so we were able to go to the dining room while our daughter slept. This worked out great. It was $8 per hour and there is a form at the front desk you fill out with your requested times.

 

Ports: We were very lucky and very happy that our itinerary was not altered at all because of the busy hurricane season – we made all our planned stops to HMC, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. HMC was great – what a beach – we had the yellow cabana and it was perfect. It had running water and power and made for a great day. Jamaica was a mixed bag. We climbed DunnsRiverFalls – what a great excursion and well worth it. But the overall port area right off of the ship was a little disturbing. We didn’t get to see much of Grand Cayman since we did a snorkel excursion which basically went right in front of where the ships docked. But the snorkeling was great as usual on Grand Cayman. Cozumel has changed a lot since I was last there – and for the better. We took a cab to Mr. Sanchos and had another great beach day. Mr. Sanchos offers a pool, beach chairs, shaded tables, good food and drinks and there was no cover charge. Just a $14 cab ride each way. The shopping right off the ship in Cozumel was plentiful and very nice.

 

 

Service: Overall the service was very good but not excellent. Other than the problems we had at the main dining room with our waiter and wine steward everyone else was fantastic. We did switch to an earlier dining time in the main dining room one night so we had a different waiter and wine steward that night and they offered excellent service – totally different than what we had at our usual 8PM dining time – so hopefully what we experienced was isolated to our table. Our daughter received a ton of attention and we never had a problem getting a high chair at breakfast or lunch. Our cabin steward did a great job keeping our room clean and in order. Abigail from the front desk was very nice and professional we were very excited and happy to have her watch our daughter while we went to dinner. As I mentioned before this worked out great.

 

Other: Boarding the ship was pretty easy – about 30 – 45 minutes for the whole process. The ship was very nice and extremely clean, all week long. The pools did have a sign saying no diapered children allowed and we obeyed accordingly. The ages of the passengers varied greatly and seemed like any other cruise line. The tenders were great – never had to wait and they seemed to run all the time. We were able to bring a soda and liquor aboard easily – in our checked baggage. I don’t think I’d do the soda card again since it was much easier to get iced tea than go to the bar to get a soda every time. There was no problem at all with loud music anywhere on the ship. This may have been the most overblown topic I have read about. There is no music at all in the hallways or elevators and when they had it by the pool it is unobtrusive. If anything they may need to step up the entertainment by the pools a little bit.

 

 

 

Overall we had a great cruise. The Oosterdam is a great ship and the quality throughout was impressive. This was our first time with HAL and I would recommend them to anyone. Crusing with our 11 month old turned out to be a perfect vacation for our situation. Having grand parents on board to help watch her was critical. But with all of the service and all of the food available without having to worry about where to eat made for a low stress vaca with an infant. Hopefully we’ll be going again soon and hopefully for a longer cruise.

[localady]

Great to hear that you had a lovely vacation with the family! Super great to hear that the Cabanas are up and running again!:D

 

You are not alone in your complaints about slow service in the dining room, it seems to be one of the main complaints coming from passengers these days. It seems that the cuts made to staffing in the dining room has really compromised the experience for many.:o

Thanks again for your review!:cool:

[dakrewser]

Thanks for the excellent review. WE'd been considering whether or not our 18-month-old grandson might be a candidate for a cruise and your experience certainly points us towards a "yes".

 

 

Interesting that the early sitting in the DR was better srvice - perhaps the staff simply tires by 8?

[Tatka]

Thanks for the excellent review. WE'd been considering whether or not our 18-month-old grandson might be a candidate for a cruise and your experience certainly points us towards a "yes".

 

 

Interesting that the early sitting in the DR was better srvice - perhaps the staff simply tires by 8?

I think waiters have too many people to serve...I think our waiter-team had 4 tables...while on X they only had 2.

[JoeCruisin]

We definitely thought that the service issue was due to a staffing issue. It wasn't like our guy was lazy, he was just too busy. We'd start making a comment to him and before we were half way through with what we said he was already gone, hurrying across the room to another table. After we complained he got better but it seemed like he was forcing himself to spend more time on us which was uncomfortable in another sort of way. The 8PM seating was more crowded than the 6:15 so it's likely the service was better because of the numbers. There definitely was a shortage of wine stewards amd someliers.

[KMiller]

Thank you for your review. My family and I will be on the "O" Dec. 19 with my 13 month nephew. I'll tell my brother about Abigail, as I know they'll be times when auntie ( that's me) and grandmother won't be available to babysit.

[Ziggy7]

Thanks for the great review!

Did you take your daughter on shore excursions and if not what were the arrangements you were able to make :) Thanks!

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your review. I enjoyed reading it and am happy your had a good family vacation.

 

Seems to be a common theme that many people are not satisifed with the service they are receiving in the dining room.

 

We have not had a problem with slow or poor service yet....hopefully we'll continue to have no problems.

 

Welcome Back.

[lknick]

You are lucky to have such a good child.

 

At that age, my first child [all girls] would have been a dream, my second would disappear to introduce herself to everyone in sight, my third would have raised hell, my fourth would have instructed the captain in navigation, and my last would have pouted.

 

Currently, they are a warehouse manager, a lawyer, a naval aviator, a hotel manager and a federal marshal.

 

Enjoy it while you may.

[JoeCruisin]

Thanks for the great review!

Did you take your daughter on shore excursions and if not what were the arrangements you were able to make :) Thanks!

We didn't take her on any excursions. My wife and I did the Dunn's Rivers Falls and a snorkeling trip on Grand Cayman. While we did that Jessica (our daughter) was with her grand parents who took her into port for shopping. We had a cabana in HMC which was great to keep her out of the sun and also had electricity to heat her bottle. In Cozumel we took her with us for a beach day at Mr. Sancho's which also had umbrellas and tiki huts to keep her out of the sun. So far Jessica loves the warm, clear, caribbean water as much as her parents.

[Val S]

Hi. I just booked this am to go on the Oosterdam this coming sun, my TA said that we are not going to Grand Cayman, has that changed? thanks val s.

[Ziggy7]

We didn't take her on any excursions. My wife and I did the Dunn's Rivers Falls and a snorkeling trip on Grand Cayman. While we did that Jessica (our daughter) was with her grand parents who took her into port for shopping. We had a cabana in HMC which was great to keep her out of the sun and also had electricity to heat her bottle. In Cozumel we took her with us for a beach day at Mr. Sancho's which also had umbrellas and tiki huts to keep her out of the sun. So far Jessica loves the warm, clear, caribbean water as much as her parents.

Awesome, glad you all had a wonderful time :) Glad the little one had a good time too :)

[JoeCruisin]

Hi. I just booked this am to go on the Oosterdam this coming sun, my TA said that we are not going to Grand Cayman, has that changed? thanks val s.

Yes it has changed. Since we went to GC last week I would expect you would be going there this week. We were not notified until we were on board.

[Oceanwench]

Great review, Joe!

 

I was on the same ship, same deck as you.

And we had very similar observations.

 

Went to the Pinnacle the first night and was disappointed in the chocolate volcano cake ... I think it was overrated. In fact, there was a chocolate truffle cake in the regular dining room later in the week that was waaaaaay better.

 

I absolutely agree with you about dining room service.

We had early seating, lower dining room. We could not believe that our servers did not introduce themselves to us -- we thought maybe it was b/c we were at the Pinnacle on the first night.

But they were so busy, they ignored our table and our water glasses went empty!

My husband complained to the Manager of Food & Beverage. Things improved a little after that.

But what a difference from last year, when we had a great time with the dining staff!

After observing the situation, I concluded that they are overworked -- is this why there are staggered times for early and late seatings, to cut down on staff and make them work twice as hard?

For us, the camaraderie in the dining room is a big part of the cruise.

 

Music by the pool: I missed having a steel drum band. The jazz band they had was pretty much out of synch with the atmosphere!

 

And as far as the tipping ... where do I begin?

We were used to the old HAL way ... so when the changes came, we were a bit confused.

My husband went down to the front desk twice to make sure he understood it correctly.

Our concern: We wanted to leave the $10/pp a day tip on our bill, but we wanted to give a little extra to those who we felt did outstanding jobs.

My husband asked if those extra tips had to be turned in.

He was told they did not -- if we kept the $10/pp a day on the bill.

So he asked: How does the cabin steward know that we paid the $10/pp? Does he turn in the extra $ we gave him, or do we tell him he doesn't have to?

The answer: "We have not had any problems with this."

[JoeCruisin]

So the service was just as poor during the early seating? When we switched one night and ate earlier we had much better service so I assumed/hoped it was only our waiter who was the problem. I agree about the music by the pool - totally lame in my opinion - the jazz wasn't that bad but when they had the 2 guys from the waitstaff playing music by the Lido pool I had to leave, it was that bad. The other thing I was disappointed in (although my wife was not) was the sports bar on the ship. We were in FLL on Sunday until 5PM and Florida waters for another hour or so yet not even the sports bar carried any of the NFL games. The only channel the sports bar got was the international ESPN which carried soccer games. No CBS or Fox, so if the World Series did go to 7 games no one on board would have been able to see the World Series:eek:

 

And after experiencing this automatic tipping policy I think it is a MAJOR mistake. The staff no longer has any incentive to provide superioir service and it apparently shows.

[canoeny]

We were also on that same cruise. I was disappointed in the dining room atmosphere for the same reasons as Oceanwench. On other ships at other times, a string quartet or trio performed at the beginning of the meal, not on the Oosterdam this time -- and the lighting was always very BRIGHT. Our waiter and assistant were very busy, too busy to talk as they have in past cruises. The service was still excellent with our after dinner capacino right at hand every night and we did have a great wine stewart. I did miss the chance to hear about their families and to joke around as we have on other cruises with HAL.

 

On the plus side, I thought the ship was in excellent shape, very clean, and the food was, if anything, better than other times we have been on HAL. Our table mates made up for any lack of crew attention. They were the ideal cruise meal companions - funny, witty, interesting and instantly friends. We actually put off our usual Pinnacle Grill nite just because we didn't want to miss an evening with them.

 

I add my voice to the general concern for the change in the tipping policy. I did tip the wine stewart and our cabin attendant who did introduce himself and did take care of us very well. Another issue which I think the new tipping policy affected as well; we have coffee and OJ every morning at a specific time. On previous cruises, we had the same waiter every morning and the knock on the door was at precisely the exact time we requested. Not this time, it varied to 1/2 hour early to 1/2 hour after with 4 different waiters. They too did not have any time for conversation -- just put the tray down and left.

 

All in all, we had a wonderful time and will continue to cruise with HAL. But....some things have changed that I wish had not.

[JoeCruisin]

I forgot to mention the issues with room service - our parents in the next cabin ordered coffee through room service each morning and each morning it arrived on time - but cold. They eventually gave up and went to the Lido. You wouldn't think getting a hot cup of coffee sent to your cabin in the morning would be a difficult thing to get right.

[starysacz]

Thank you for the report JoeCruisin. Appreciate it.