cruznon
February 26th, 2005, 10:51 PM
We arrived back this morning from the Oosterdam. As a first-time HAL cruiser, I'm sure my "gushing" over some of the touches many of you have come to expect, may seem a bit naive, but I'm a HAL "newbie."
Arrival, check-in and boarding.... all easy and quick. We arrived at 11:00 and were aboard by 11:30. We got into our cabin at 1:30.
The Ship: The Oosterdam is big and beautiful both inside and out!
There have been many comments on the boards about the colors on the vista-class ships. I felt the vibrancy of the colors added to the richness and elegance of the ship.This cruise had 1900+ passengers, yet it never seemed crowded. The design of the interior provided so many small areas to enjoy music, conversation or quiet personal space.
I loved the fresh flowers. All the tables in the Lido had fresh, blooming orchid plants. There were tiny vases of flowers on all the tables in the bars and lounges and the massive bouquets throughout the ships were wonderful.
The ship is spotless and well-maintained by an obviously proud crew. All the crew we spoke with seemed to really love the Oosterdam.
We had cabin 5187, an aft suite with a huge wrap-around veranda. It was wonderful--so much space: loads of closets, a dressing area and huge bathroom. The view from the veranda was amazing. To us, the aft cabin was worth the extra walking. We even had a full moon! It was our first suite and wow, HAL does know how to take care of suite guests.
The glass elevators were so neat! What a view as you came down from deck 9 to deck 2 with the aqua water churning below, along the side of the ship, in the deep blue sea. (Even with the large number of passengers, we usually had these elevators to ourselves.)
The Neptune Lounge was a delight. (Yes, I too, loved the coffee machine!!!! ) It was a quiet spot with the best munchies with a staff to answer any questions or requests.
The Food: We enjoyed the Vista Dining Room very much. Our waiter and his assistant made each evening a special event. They knew our personal wishes
after the first evening. There were a few evenings when the choice of entrees was very difficult--everything sounded great. We were pleased with all our meals there. The last evening's menu was disappointing for us--but that is a matter of personal taste. I opted for a steak . Since we didn't care for the appetizer options, we asked for and recieved shrimp cocktails instead. (They do aim to please!)
I felt the food in the dining room was excellent. My DD celebrated her birthday and (thanks to a suggestion from this board) I asked for the Indonesian birthday song and it was beautiful.
Lido food was very good and there was a wide variety of choices. The service here was helpful and given with smiles.
We ordered breakfast on our veranda once and the service was prompt and food was excellent.
Service: Overall, he service we had throughout the week was as excellent as I had heard it would be. There were some surprises on this cruise.
I was amazed at the age demographics. I had always heard that HAL was basically an older group --NOT this week.
Clothing on board: I was not expecting all the jeans on board. My DH wanted to board in jeans, I told him I felt jeans wouldn't be worn much on board. WRONG. They were everywhere---even on the formal nights after dinner. In the disco on formal night I saw several in jeans--some with torn knees and flip-flops! I was very disappointed when we got our rundown of dress for the cruise. It was changed from 2 formal, 1 casual, 4 informal to 2 formal, 1, informal and 4 casual! Some people seemed to REALLY take that to heart!
50-60% of the men in tuxedos. The ladies looked great in evening gowns/long dresses. Most stayed formal throughout the evening.
A few random thoughts....
The first evening there was a suite reception in the Neptune Lounge. There I met James Deering the hotel manager. I commented that I he was well-known on on cruisecritic.com. He smiled and said, "I'll see you tomorrow at 4:00 in the Crow's Nest." (He knew several CCers had made plans to meet on the roll-call board!) The next day a few CCers met and Mr. Deering came and met with us. He's a very knowledgeable, warm and accessible man. HAL is very fortunate to have him! We were fortunate to meet him several times throughout the cruise.
There's a new bar hopping drink card in which you pay $20 and get 6 drinks at various bars throughout the ship. It was very popular.
Northern Nights nightclub loud and crowded two evenings we stopped by. (Not my cup of tea.) I thought the Crow's Nest would be a "hot spot" but the two evenings we stopped by it was very quiet.
The Ocean bar dance floor filled and music was great.
Loved the musical call to dinner! Loved the Yum-Yum man!!!
The entertainment ..
The one male singer (Bobby Black I think was just Ok) We passed on the acrobats.
But WOW! the dancers! A new group of dancers came on board Saturday and they were fantastic! Everyone was talking about them and the two shows they did. They got a very loud ovation when introduced at the ending disembarcation meeting. The lead singers in the show were very good--especially the male lead. He has a wonderful voice and stage presence. Those two shows were the best I've seen on a cruise.
Excursions: We took one and it was very special. Everyone on the tour seemed to enjoy it. WE took the Sierra Madre, Concordia and Capalo tour. 7 hours long up into the Sierra Madre mountains. We visited two small towns. The last was a small village with cobblestone streets. Amazing views, lovely people, buildings from the 1700's. We stopped at a small furniture-making factory to see hand carving being done. Another stop demonstrated hand-made brick-making. I would highly reccommend this tour. Our guide was Elazar. He gave the rich history of the area and proudly told of the cultural life of his people.
It was a wonderful cruise....breathtaking sunsets, interesting ports, great service and many new, interesting aquaintances. Was everything perfect? No, But those small gliches happen when you travel. (Just a small blips on the radar screen.)
Last night's dinner conversation centered around where we want to sail next......
Thanks to the crew of the Oosterdam for making our cruise so terrific. Holland America is very special!
Arrival, check-in and boarding.... all easy and quick. We arrived at 11:00 and were aboard by 11:30. We got into our cabin at 1:30.
The Ship: The Oosterdam is big and beautiful both inside and out!
There have been many comments on the boards about the colors on the vista-class ships. I felt the vibrancy of the colors added to the richness and elegance of the ship.This cruise had 1900+ passengers, yet it never seemed crowded. The design of the interior provided so many small areas to enjoy music, conversation or quiet personal space.
I loved the fresh flowers. All the tables in the Lido had fresh, blooming orchid plants. There were tiny vases of flowers on all the tables in the bars and lounges and the massive bouquets throughout the ships were wonderful.
The ship is spotless and well-maintained by an obviously proud crew. All the crew we spoke with seemed to really love the Oosterdam.
We had cabin 5187, an aft suite with a huge wrap-around veranda. It was wonderful--so much space: loads of closets, a dressing area and huge bathroom. The view from the veranda was amazing. To us, the aft cabin was worth the extra walking. We even had a full moon! It was our first suite and wow, HAL does know how to take care of suite guests.
The glass elevators were so neat! What a view as you came down from deck 9 to deck 2 with the aqua water churning below, along the side of the ship, in the deep blue sea. (Even with the large number of passengers, we usually had these elevators to ourselves.)
The Neptune Lounge was a delight. (Yes, I too, loved the coffee machine!!!! ) It was a quiet spot with the best munchies with a staff to answer any questions or requests.
The Food: We enjoyed the Vista Dining Room very much. Our waiter and his assistant made each evening a special event. They knew our personal wishes
after the first evening. There were a few evenings when the choice of entrees was very difficult--everything sounded great. We were pleased with all our meals there. The last evening's menu was disappointing for us--but that is a matter of personal taste. I opted for a steak . Since we didn't care for the appetizer options, we asked for and recieved shrimp cocktails instead. (They do aim to please!)
I felt the food in the dining room was excellent. My DD celebrated her birthday and (thanks to a suggestion from this board) I asked for the Indonesian birthday song and it was beautiful.
Lido food was very good and there was a wide variety of choices. The service here was helpful and given with smiles.
We ordered breakfast on our veranda once and the service was prompt and food was excellent.
Service: Overall, he service we had throughout the week was as excellent as I had heard it would be. There were some surprises on this cruise.
I was amazed at the age demographics. I had always heard that HAL was basically an older group --NOT this week.
Clothing on board: I was not expecting all the jeans on board. My DH wanted to board in jeans, I told him I felt jeans wouldn't be worn much on board. WRONG. They were everywhere---even on the formal nights after dinner. In the disco on formal night I saw several in jeans--some with torn knees and flip-flops! I was very disappointed when we got our rundown of dress for the cruise. It was changed from 2 formal, 1 casual, 4 informal to 2 formal, 1, informal and 4 casual! Some people seemed to REALLY take that to heart!
50-60% of the men in tuxedos. The ladies looked great in evening gowns/long dresses. Most stayed formal throughout the evening.
A few random thoughts....
The first evening there was a suite reception in the Neptune Lounge. There I met James Deering the hotel manager. I commented that I he was well-known on on cruisecritic.com. He smiled and said, "I'll see you tomorrow at 4:00 in the Crow's Nest." (He knew several CCers had made plans to meet on the roll-call board!) The next day a few CCers met and Mr. Deering came and met with us. He's a very knowledgeable, warm and accessible man. HAL is very fortunate to have him! We were fortunate to meet him several times throughout the cruise.
There's a new bar hopping drink card in which you pay $20 and get 6 drinks at various bars throughout the ship. It was very popular.
Northern Nights nightclub loud and crowded two evenings we stopped by. (Not my cup of tea.) I thought the Crow's Nest would be a "hot spot" but the two evenings we stopped by it was very quiet.
The Ocean bar dance floor filled and music was great.
Loved the musical call to dinner! Loved the Yum-Yum man!!!
The entertainment ..
The one male singer (Bobby Black I think was just Ok) We passed on the acrobats.
But WOW! the dancers! A new group of dancers came on board Saturday and they were fantastic! Everyone was talking about them and the two shows they did. They got a very loud ovation when introduced at the ending disembarcation meeting. The lead singers in the show were very good--especially the male lead. He has a wonderful voice and stage presence. Those two shows were the best I've seen on a cruise.
Excursions: We took one and it was very special. Everyone on the tour seemed to enjoy it. WE took the Sierra Madre, Concordia and Capalo tour. 7 hours long up into the Sierra Madre mountains. We visited two small towns. The last was a small village with cobblestone streets. Amazing views, lovely people, buildings from the 1700's. We stopped at a small furniture-making factory to see hand carving being done. Another stop demonstrated hand-made brick-making. I would highly reccommend this tour. Our guide was Elazar. He gave the rich history of the area and proudly told of the cultural life of his people.
It was a wonderful cruise....breathtaking sunsets, interesting ports, great service and many new, interesting aquaintances. Was everything perfect? No, But those small gliches happen when you travel. (Just a small blips on the radar screen.)
Last night's dinner conversation centered around where we want to sail next......
Thanks to the crew of the Oosterdam for making our cruise so terrific. Holland America is very special!