All things Oosterdam.............

[HALleluiah]

I'd like to start a thread that discusses all things Oosterdam. As a lover of Lady O, I'd enjoy hearing of how my favorite stewards are doing, what's being served for dinner tonight, see pictures with my favorite people, etc.. It seems like this could be a go to thread for Oosterdam cruisers to see what not to miss and hear which people could really make their cruise special!

Wherever the Oosterdam roams, I'm home!

[HALleluiah]

I'll start us off on the right foot with a few of my recommendations! My only request is that when you see these people on the Oostie you give them a warm hug from me! (FYI - This is where everyone was stationed 12/13/08.)

SeaView Bar (Lido Deck/outside by the pool/Daytime) - Stopping to see Andrew is a must, must, must! Send him love from his friend in El Paso! His smile, friendliness, and attention to detail will keep me coming back to Lady O for years to come! Andrew has a great crew and the new guy Ray just boarded mid-December. He comes from another HAL ship and has a great personality. For those of you who know Boozy, this guy could be a close second after he finds his niche on the ship. Carlos is also part of Andrew's team and is soft spoken, but will wait on you hand and foot. When the shift change happens, watch for Romeo. There are a few Romeos on board and this one is the "lover boy" Romeo. He has a smile that will warm your heart and your glass will never be empty if he is around. Ask to see his toothpick trick! You'll get a kick out of it and he'll get a kick out of showing you!

Piano Bar - Andrew and Romeo are back to serve you until the partying is done in the Piano Bar. Swing by and give them another hug for me! Like I said.... Not to be missed. Andrew is usually in the bar area and Romeo serves. I've seen the whole Piano Bar filled and everyone with drinks and poor Romeo running around serving everyone, as fast as Andrew can make the drinks. No one's drink ran out! What a team! Check out the Filipino Crew Show and you'll see these guys perform. Last I heard, Andrew was doing the very difficult rice dance. Yikes! I fear for his ankles!

Cellarmaster - There was a change and RJ was filling this position for awhile. He is also someone not to be missed. On other cruises he was a wine steward and was excellent. Being the Cellarmaster made him less accessible to the public, but he still made a point to stop by and ensure that all was well. If he is back to stewarding or still the cellarmaster, be sure to say hello. He has a great singing voice too! Check out his solo in the crew show!

Vista Lounge (2nd floor) - We love, love, love Belinda! Ask her for advice in your different ports. We got great tips from her on what to do, what to see, and what to pay!

Like I said, be sure to give them a warm hug from me and send my love! Just mention El Paso and their favorite blonde and I'm sure they'll know just who you're referring to! Maybe you'll even get something special for knowing me! HA! (Doubtful... but you never know!)

[Flindy&Doc]

Thanks for starting this thread. We will be on the Oosterdam next month so will be checking here for any suggestions and maybe can make some comments after our cruise.

[SweetP2]

Hi, thanks for the tips. We'll be on 'O' for the first time Feb 21st sailing (waiting to do the doc dance:D).

We last cruised on 'Z' and loved many of the staff on Z (dining, wine steward especially) and are now looking forward to finding our fav people/personalities on 'O'. Should be a bit different on O in the dining room as we are trying the new format instead of fixed dining. Thinking might be a bit harder to get to know wait staff if its different each night...but that is why we will give it a try this short cruise!

What about the SPA on the O - any comments?

SP

[jimgev]

When mentioning special staff members, you must count in Boozee (sp?). He is so much fun.:)

[rochelle_s]

What a great idea to start a thread on a particular ship on the roll call board which makes it so much easier to find information about a particular ship especially when the search function might be down.

I have previously sailed HAl S and R class ships, in particular the Ryndam and the Zaandam. My April cruise on the Oosterdam will be my first time on a Vista class ship. If you or anyone else has any experiences on the other classes would you mind pointing out what some of the differences are, other than the obvious overall size and capacity?

Rochelle

[HALleluiah]

We dined when we wanted and where we wanted in December. For dinner, most of us really enjoyed the Vista and having our food brought to us. The first couple of nights we sat at different tables and got to know different waitstaff. Then we found a twosome that we really, really, really enjoyed and we requested to be seated there for the rest of the week. We walked up and were seated there every time. We only made reservations once and only had to wait more than 2 minutes once, so I have rave reviews about the new system.

I'm going to post some photos with my Vista recommendations, so you can know these guys when you spot them. Priyo and Mawatra/Wamatra/Tallest Asian You've Ever Seen are who we love, love, love!

[HALleluiah]

Booze, Booze, Booze was a riot in June. I'd hoped to see him in December, but he had left for his vacation two weeks before my arrival. I hope he has signed his contract and is headed back to the Oosterdam so you all get the pleasure of meeting him.

As for my other recs, I think I have a pic of RJ and a pic of Andrew so you guys can "study" and know who they are when you see them. Oh! And Rudy! He is in the Lido. I'm sure we have pics of those three. I'll look for those as well when I'm posting my servers from Vista!

[HALleluiah]

Argh.... I am having a not so wonderful day and have been taking myself to my Oosterdam memories. I had hoped someone had posted something about the Oosterdam that I could savor, but alas.... nada. I'll just have to go on my own memories.

I LOVE THE OOSTERDAM!

[HALleluiah]

Pictures are coming... I haven't had time yet.

Anyone know the mailing address for crew on the Oosterdam while in port at San Diego?

[Kroosin]

This is a fabulous thread we are booked on the O for almost the entire month of July and love reading all your fantastic memories. We promise to add our own when the time comes!! Just keep those great memories coming! Does anyone have anything about the Lido deck? The Lido is DH's favorite spot on every ship we've ever been on. He finds a quiet corner and settles down with a book and splits his time between reading and gazing out at the sea.

[localady]

We will be sailing her again in a few weeks and looking forward to seeing Erwin, the Yum Yum man for sure.

Can't wait to be on board, our cruise was amazing in every respect this last November.

This will be our 4th cruise on her and will miss her large aft cabin decks after the renovations. Going to party back there before they do!! No better way to cruise out of San Diego......

[HALleluiah]

I am soooooooo jealous! Are you sure you can't sneak me in your suitcase?

[Mapalad]

My future wife and I will be on the O for the 24 day b2b from Venice to Barcelona sailing on 18 July 2009. We are really excited! We are from the Philippines. Are the crew from Indonesia or the Philippines?

[jimgev]

My future wife and I will be on the O for the 24 day b2b from Venice to Barcelona sailing on 18 July 2009. We are really excited! We are from the Philippines. Are the crew from Indonesia or the Philippines?
As I recall, there are about 900 "crew" members from about 25 countries. Most of the waiters and cabin stewards are from Indonesia while most of the bar staff and a lot of the kitchen staff are from the Philippines.

[Chelly]

Does anyone know who the Oosterdam's piano-man is? Is it always the same person or do the piano players do a rotation?

[Mapalad]

As I recall, there are about 900 "crew" members from about 25 countries. Most of the waiters and cabin stewards are from Indonesia while most of the bar staff and a lot of the kitchen staff are from the Philippines.

Thank you.

[HALleluiah]

Magandang gabi!

I guess Malapad you won't be taking advantage of the free Tagalog lessons on the Oosterdam! It's not formal, but the bar staff are all Filipino and are more than happy to share their language and their culture.

If I had the money, I'd cruise more just for language tutors. When I come home I don't get to use any of my Tagalog!

The majority of my recommendations on wait staff at the top are ALL Filipino. Some of the guys will be home on vacation while you're there in July, but some will be on board.

[Mapalad]

HALleluiah,

Magandang (Good) umaga (morning)/tanghali (afternoon)/gabi(evening) from the Philippines!

I guess I won't. Hehehe. Ours is a pacified race brought upon by 333 years of Spanish colonialization. I suppose that comes in very handy being in the service industry. Good things can come out of really bad situations. (Though the short span of American occupation did bring about changes to our outlook and attitude.)

I'm very excited about the O. Can't wait for July.

God bless. (yet another blessing in disguise from the Spanish occupation)

[jtwilltraveler]

Are there safes in the cabins on the O? We'll be on the O beginning Feb. 28 and that's something I've never found out...

Thanks anyone who knows!

Johnette:D

[Kridder]

[quote=jtwilltraveler;18128427]Are there safes in the cabins on the O? We'll be on the O beginning Feb. 28 and that's something I've never found out...

We are just back from our cruise on the O yesterday and there was a safe in our cabin. By the way, the staff was fabulous! Visit Rommel in the Crow's Nest as well as Mydel in the the Dinning Room - both were fantastic and a lot of fun!

[Chelly]

Does anyone know who is playing in the Piano Bar? Good, bad, so-so?

[SweetP2]

[quote=jtwilltraveler;18128427]Are there safes in the cabins on the O? We'll be on the O beginning Feb. 28 and that's something I've never found out...

By the way, the staff was fabulous! Visit Rommel in the Crow's Nest as well as Mydel in the the Dinning Room - both were fantastic and a lot of fun!

We'll be on the O Feb 21st...which dinning format did you choose, fixed seating (upstairs) or the anytime format? So we know which Mydel will be in?

We'll be sure to seek out Rommel in Crow's Nest - we'll be in there for sailaway :) WHOOOHOOO!

SP

[Kridder]

We had the "anytime" format and it really worked well for us. We only made a reservation one time and were always able to get a table for 2. But we tend to eat a little earlier so the dinning room wasn't that crowded. On our cruise, Mydel was the Wine Steward for the "Anytime" format. But, we also saw him up on the Lido deck occasionally.

Regarding the Piano Bar.....I believe it was Charlie (don't know his last name). Although we didn't go to the Piano Bar we did frequent Happy Hour in the Ocean Bar where David played the piano.

Hope you enjoy your cruise - we did! Feel free to ask me anything else and I'll do my best to answer your questions. :)

[bella68]

Hope you enjoy your cruise - we did! Feel free to ask me anything else and I'll do my best to answer your questions. :)[/quote]

Could you tell me what the temperatures are in the public rooms onboard? And can we control the temps. in our stateroom? Thanks.

[Kridder]

Bella - The public areas were all very comfortable - I couldn't tell you what the temps were but I never needed any type of sweater or jacket while indoors (especially in the evenings). But I'm typically always warm - it's an age thing know what I mean?

Regarding you cabin temperature, you are able to control the temperature in your cabin. Although you might need to play with it a little to get the temperature right. I actually got cold the first night in our cabin and had to get up to turn the "heat" up. But after that it wasn't a problem.

[bella68]

You've answered my temp. questions...now, will you help me pack?

[HALleluiah]

How is the Oosterdam? What say ye?

[Flindy&Doc]

We left her in Ft. Lauderdale on the 14th. She goes into dry dock in Europe so should be all pretty and new soon. We had a very enjoyable cruise. I needed an extra blanket at night, but DH was very comfortable. I took a wrap to the dining room some evenings, but never felt like I needed it. Wish I was still there sitting by the pool with a book and maybe a blue coco mojito!

[Mapalad]

Hi everyone!

I wonder how the dry dock went.

God bless!

[HALleluiah]

Any word on dry dock?

[Chelly]

She left dry dock this past week. Yesterday, she was docked in Barcelona for her April 25 Barcelona to Venice cruise. Don't have any details though. I am hoping we'll get reports after the cruise.

[lulubell]

Having heard about the Tamarind restaurant I was wondering does the O have one too?

[Chelly]

And I am wondering if she got a new movie theater while in dry dock.

[Chelly]

Ms O did not get a Tamarind restaurant, but she did get a Cantalino (sp?) restaurant. She has has a new screening room for movies. I guess the Library was moved as was the computer room. Anyone have more info? I'm sure when the cruisers who are now on the April 25 sailing return home, we will get all the details....I hope. I hope.
C

[Chelly]

Clarification: The new restaurant is Canaletto, a no extra charge Italian restaurant on one side of the Lido.

[micro yaya]

First time on the o does the cabin have shampoo, and body wash??? On a 12 day when do they have the fill the bag laundry.. Can yu bring on wine in europe?thanks so much will be on in august

[cmoq]

My husband and I are going out of San Diego of January 9, 2010. We have never been on the O before and I have enjoyed reading this thread. Hope there are more comments to come.

[solocanadian]

What a great idea to start a thread on a particular ship on the roll call board which makes it so much easier to find information about a particular ship especially when the search function might be down.

I have previously sailed HAl S and R class ships, in particular the Ryndam and the Zaandam. My April cruise on the Oosterdam will be my first time on a Vista class ship. If you or anyone else has any experiences on the other classes would you mind pointing out what some of the differences are, other than the obvious overall size and capacity?

Rochelle
Rochelle: What sailing are you booked on? I could not find you on a Roll Call. Gail:D

[cruisemarmee]

Hey LocalLady, I know the "O" underwent some changes. We just booked an aft suite with wrap balcony for January 9 sailing. Does this mean our balcony and room wiill be small? Can't really tell from deck plan.

[nettarj]

I see that there are two couples on the thread that are booked on the same cruise as us. We are Ron and Carol from Newport Coast, California and looking forward to the cruise. I will start a thread for our cruise under Roll Calls. Although we have never cruised on the O we did cruise in 2008 on the Noordam for 20 days and the trip was terrific. The Vista class ships are wonderful.

[RVRCLC]

Has anyone seen the aft cabins after dry dock?

[bvocruise]

Does anyone have a map with table numbers for the upper level of the MDR? We want to have a list of two tops in mind when we board the ship so we know what to ask for. We may also try to e-mail the ship staff in advance if possible.

[jaspersmycat]

If you go to this site, you can select the dining room and see the map with table numbers.

http://www.wa70.com/hal/dining/

[bvocruise]

Thanks for the info!

[TLHB70]

I am enjoying reading this thread. DH and I have sailed on the Westerdam previously. We have the May 30, 2010, Alaska cruise booked on the O.
I am looking forward to it and want to learn as much as I can about the ship before I go.

[bbw187]

TLHB70,

Come join our thread for the 5/30/10 "O" sailing!

Beth

[snorkelingsearchers]

Basically we want to do at least one dinner in the Pinnacle and at least one lunch. This is our first time on HAL but we assume it is similar in that the formal nights usually have the better food. Does anyone have the 7 day menu for O? Are there any nights when the food in the MDR will be better than others?

I know its not Alaska time yet, but our itinerary looks like this:

June 13th Embark
14th - Day at Sea
15th - Cruising Glacier Bay
16th - Juneau 7am-8pm
17th -Sitka 8a-5pm
18th - Ketchikan 7p-1pm
19th - Victoria 6pm-12am
20th -Disembark in Seattle

Any input is appreciated! :) Jenny

[TLHB70]

TLHB70,

Come join our thread for the 5/30/10 "O" sailing!

Beth

Thanks! I just joined.

[fullhouse88811]

Basically we want to do at least one dinner in the Pinnacle and at least one lunch. This is our first time on HAL but we assume it is similar in that the formal nights usually have the better food. Does anyone have the 7 day menu for O? Are there any nights when the food in the MDR will be better than others?

I know its not Alaska time yet, but our itinerary looks like this:

June 13th Embark
14th - Day at Sea
15th - Cruising Glacier Bay
16th - Juneau 7am-8pm
17th -Sitka 8a-5pm
18th - Ketchikan 7p-1pm
19th - Victoria 6pm-12am
20th -Disembark in Seattle

We have the same dilemma, not knowing when to book the pinnacle. This would help for us first time cruisers also. Our itinerary is the same expect we leave June 20th. Any replies would be great!

Thanks,
Fullhouse88811

[TLHB70]

We booked Pinnacle for dinner of our Glacier Bay day. That day is similar to a sea day since you do not get off of the ship. That gives me plenty of time to get dressed up even after viewing the glaciers.
I prefer to be in the dining room on sea day because that will probably be our formal night. We enjoy MDR on formal night. We did not want to do Pinnacle after a port because we knew that it would be hard to get back on the ship after excursions and have time/feel like getting really dressed up for Pinnacle. Therefore the glacier day seemed to be the perfect choice for us.
Hope this helps some.

[fullhouse88811]

Thanks, that helps me. I didnt want to book the Pinnacle on the first formal night!

[charalec]

We are going on the Oosterdam to the Mexican Riviera on March 27. I was wondering if anyone knows when the 2nd formal night will be on this cruise?

How is the lunch in the Pinnacle? Is it as good as the dinner?

[KAYEF]

We have the same dilemma, not knowing when to book the pinnacle. This would help for us first time cruisers also. Our itinerary is the same expect we leave June 20th. Any replies would be great!

Thanks,
Fullhouse88811

We always do the Pinnacle on the first night out.............especially in Alaska. Once you get into the scenery, you may want to run out in the middle of dinner to see/hear calving (as we have done) and I don't think I'd do that if I was in the "P.":p
It's nice and relaxing after the hassle of getting to the ship, being with the crowds in the Lido on that first lunch, etc.

[TLHB70]

Our Glacier Bay times are scheduled 10 AM to 7 PM. We booked Pinnacle at 8 PM. That way there will be enough time to get to Pinnacle after the glaciers. Since we have a verandah stateroom (SA suite) we can see the glaciers from our room when we are getting ready.
I do not think I would care to go to Pinnacle on the first night just because of getting dressed up that first night. I am always pretty tired from travel, boarding, life boat drill, etc. Plus there is always a chance you will not get your luggage in time to get changed/dressed for dinner, too.

I understand everyone has differing opinions, though.

[fullhouse88811]

We always do the Pinnacle on the first night out.............especially in Alaska.

I was not able to book online the first night, do you have to wait until you are on the ship?

[downrunner]

charalec, I believe the second formal night is the last sea night (friday) before returning to San Diego.

[charalec]

Thanks downrunner!! That helps to plan for the Pinnacle reservation. Hope to meet you on our cruise!!

[Addrian]

Our Glacier Bay times are scheduled 10 AM to 7 PM. We booked Pinnacle at 8 PM. That way there will be enough time to get to Pinnacle after the glaciers. Since we have a verandah stateroom (SA suite) we can see the glaciers from our room when we are getting ready.
I do not think I would care to go to Pinnacle on the first night just because of getting dressed up that first night. I am always pretty tired from travel, boarding, life boat drill, etc. Plus there is always a chance you will not get your luggage in time to get changed/dressed for dinner, too.

I understand everyone has differing opinions, though.


You will have plenty of time! I did this cruise last year and I think we were out of glacier bay by 4pm. Plan on spending all that time out on your balcony if you are facing the glacier. Our captain put our boat right up by the glacier with our balcony facing it for a good 30 minutes.... it's something I will never forget, nor can you describe it to anyone and do it justice. Have a great time!!!

[TLHB70]

You will have plenty of time! I did this cruise last year and I think we were out of glacier bay by 4pm. Plan on spending all that time out on your balcony if you are facing the glacier. Our captain put our boat right up by the glacier with our balcony facing it for a good 30 minutes.... it's something I will never forget, nor can you describe it to anyone and do it justice. Have a great time!!!


Thank you. I cannot wait!

[TMWeddle]

We just booked for next February! We like to plan ahead. Any suggestions, opinions, advice, etc. will be appreciated.

[Host Walt]

This tread was started in the Oosterdam Roll Call forum. It was moved to the HAL Boards where it can be contributed to by Oosterdam veterans who might not have been aware of its existence.

[quartetman]

Does anyone have a copy of the menus from the Oosterdam they could send we will be on April 17th. Thanks.

RicK & Harriet

[packercruising]

Good thread! Thanks for moving it. We are booked for Oct 23. Doesn't seem to be a Roll-Call for it.

[mnbruce]

Booze, Booze, Booze was a riot in June.


I'd have to say Boozie was one of the more entertaining staff members I have ever met.

http://imagesbybruce.smugmug.com/Travel/Alaska-Cruise/boozie/374935811_aaDxx-L.jpg