shoresofsuperior
August 17th, 2009, 03:37 PM
Just back from the 12 day Venice - Barcelona Mediterranean Romance Cruise and thought I'd post a few thoughts while fresh in my mind. The entire cruise from beginning to end was perfect!
Embarkation: We stayed several days in Venice pre-cruise at a delightful and elegant hotel next to St. Mark's Square. Took the Alilaguna taxi to the cruise port where embarkation was in process at 1 pm for a 2:15 sailaway. Organized and efficient, we were on the boat in no time and found our way to our stateroom.
Stateroom. We stayed in an SY suite on deck 6 starboard side, and were thrilled with the immaculate and well-furnished room and lovely big balcony. The bathroom was roomy with double sinks, a free-standing shower and a full-size tub. Dual mirrored cabinets held everything easily and there was a large shelf under the vanity to hold much more. There was plenty of closet and drawer storage for all of our things and our cabin stewards Amin and Frank were attentive and gracious for the entire 12 days. The cabin temperature was always comfortable and ice and toiletries were replenished regularly. All onboard gifts and shore excursions were waiting on the desk, just as requested, as was the sail away champagne. We ordered the unlimited pressing package and used the laundry service...all returned promptly and perfectly done. Room service breakfast on our balcony was a daily treat and arrived on time and just right each morning.
Dining. We love fine dining and were thrilled to hear that there would be two guest chefs on board; Michael McGreal and Kyle Richardson, both well-known culinary professors in the US. Each and every meal was exquisite, from the succulent roast pheasant to the fabulous fresh fish creations; all plated with flair and imagination and served with finesse by our server Suhendra and his assistant Kris. We had a lovely table for two and early fixed seating which worked perfectly for getting to the 7 pm shows. Even the nights on which our shore excursions arrived after our set time, we were welcomed to our table and not rushed in any way. We ordered the Navigator 5 bottle wine package and wine steward Leo made certain our chosen bottle was ready and waiting on our table before we arrived in the DR each evening. He came by several times each meal to see if all was OK and to take our order for the next day if we wished. What service!
Entertainment: the large productions were high-energy and very entertaining and the costumes by Bob Mackie and Vegas-worthy sets were fantastic. Illusionist Leo Ward kept us all laughing and was a real crowd pleaser. There were several smaller ensembles on board, however, which were not really as polished as they could have been...more rehearsal time needed. The screening room is a very comfortable venue in which movies are run four times daily and we enjoyed several films. One must arrive early, however, as seating is very limited.
Ports & Excursions. We booked quite a few shore excursions in advance and were not disappointed by any. Of particular note was the whole day tour of Rome which included an afternoon at the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. The tour included lunch and managed to cram an enormous amount into twelve hours including a lengthy walking tour beginning at the Trevi Fountain and ending at the coliseum. The whole day tour to Sorrento and Pompeii was also exceptionally well-done as was the tour to the Greek Theatre ruins in Taormina. No delays and such an efficient process to get people organized prior to each tour. Well done.
After reading these boards, I was happily surprised to find a large majority of cruisers were about our age- early fifties, but many young families with very well-behaved children. When the captain announced on the final day that there were 250 children on board, I was so surprised...not sure where they all were, but obviously having fun somewhere on board!
All in all, it was an exceptional vacation and Holland America's gracious and accomodating staff made certain that our every request was happily seen to. The Oosterdam is a lovely vessel and seemed to be in fine repair following her April dry dock. I hope some fellow CCrs are counting days right now to the same cruise. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions about the experience! Can't wait til our next.:)
Embarkation: We stayed several days in Venice pre-cruise at a delightful and elegant hotel next to St. Mark's Square. Took the Alilaguna taxi to the cruise port where embarkation was in process at 1 pm for a 2:15 sailaway. Organized and efficient, we were on the boat in no time and found our way to our stateroom.
Stateroom. We stayed in an SY suite on deck 6 starboard side, and were thrilled with the immaculate and well-furnished room and lovely big balcony. The bathroom was roomy with double sinks, a free-standing shower and a full-size tub. Dual mirrored cabinets held everything easily and there was a large shelf under the vanity to hold much more. There was plenty of closet and drawer storage for all of our things and our cabin stewards Amin and Frank were attentive and gracious for the entire 12 days. The cabin temperature was always comfortable and ice and toiletries were replenished regularly. All onboard gifts and shore excursions were waiting on the desk, just as requested, as was the sail away champagne. We ordered the unlimited pressing package and used the laundry service...all returned promptly and perfectly done. Room service breakfast on our balcony was a daily treat and arrived on time and just right each morning.
Dining. We love fine dining and were thrilled to hear that there would be two guest chefs on board; Michael McGreal and Kyle Richardson, both well-known culinary professors in the US. Each and every meal was exquisite, from the succulent roast pheasant to the fabulous fresh fish creations; all plated with flair and imagination and served with finesse by our server Suhendra and his assistant Kris. We had a lovely table for two and early fixed seating which worked perfectly for getting to the 7 pm shows. Even the nights on which our shore excursions arrived after our set time, we were welcomed to our table and not rushed in any way. We ordered the Navigator 5 bottle wine package and wine steward Leo made certain our chosen bottle was ready and waiting on our table before we arrived in the DR each evening. He came by several times each meal to see if all was OK and to take our order for the next day if we wished. What service!
Entertainment: the large productions were high-energy and very entertaining and the costumes by Bob Mackie and Vegas-worthy sets were fantastic. Illusionist Leo Ward kept us all laughing and was a real crowd pleaser. There were several smaller ensembles on board, however, which were not really as polished as they could have been...more rehearsal time needed. The screening room is a very comfortable venue in which movies are run four times daily and we enjoyed several films. One must arrive early, however, as seating is very limited.
Ports & Excursions. We booked quite a few shore excursions in advance and were not disappointed by any. Of particular note was the whole day tour of Rome which included an afternoon at the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. The tour included lunch and managed to cram an enormous amount into twelve hours including a lengthy walking tour beginning at the Trevi Fountain and ending at the coliseum. The whole day tour to Sorrento and Pompeii was also exceptionally well-done as was the tour to the Greek Theatre ruins in Taormina. No delays and such an efficient process to get people organized prior to each tour. Well done.
After reading these boards, I was happily surprised to find a large majority of cruisers were about our age- early fifties, but many young families with very well-behaved children. When the captain announced on the final day that there were 250 children on board, I was so surprised...not sure where they all were, but obviously having fun somewhere on board!
All in all, it was an exceptional vacation and Holland America's gracious and accomodating staff made certain that our every request was happily seen to. The Oosterdam is a lovely vessel and seemed to be in fine repair following her April dry dock. I hope some fellow CCrs are counting days right now to the same cruise. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions about the experience! Can't wait til our next.:)