MS Oosterdam Questions

[cruisingagainsoon]

My husband and I will be cruising on the February 11 sailing of the MS Oosterdam and I have a few questions that I hope all of you wonderful cruisers can help me with. I'm sure this is just the beginning of my questions.

1. Can the dividers between the balcony's be opened?

2. Is there anything besides the Holiday Inn within walking distance of the pier in San Diego?

3. Will it be warm enough in our ports to visit the beach and warm enough on the days at see to enjoy the pools?

4. Is there a place to copy my photos from my digital camera to either a CD or a flash drive on the ship or should I bring my laptop?

5. Does the ship have a self-service laundry?

As I said above I'm sure there will be more questions but I'll just start with these few.

Thanks for the help :D

[stebul]

1. Yes, but you will need to ask to have it opened because they are by default locked for your security.

2. Depends on what walking distance means to you. We pack with a large roll-aboard style suitcase and a carryon that attaches, so walking 1/4 to 1/2 mile is acceptable. That opens up the Embassy Suites, Wyndham, W, Best Western, and possibly a few others as being walkable in good weather. You can fall back to a taxi if needed. There are no alternatives as close as the Holiday Inn.

3. Again, it depends. It can be a little windy and chilly between San Diego and Cabo that time of year. South of Cabo, the weather is usually warm enough to enjoy the beaches and pool but not always.

4. You can use the ship's computers free of charge. You pay for internet time.

5. No self service laundry. S Suites and above get free laundry service from your butler. SS and below can pay or improvise.

[cruisingagainsoon]

Thanks for the info. Regarding the walking distance from the pier, I guess what I was really wondering about is if there are any stores near by.

Thanks Again.

[lougee1043]

5. No self service laundry. S Suites and above get free laundry service from your butler. .

when did hal start butler service for the s suites (or do you mean cabin attendant)

[gizmo]

My husband and I will be cruising on the February 11 sailing of the MS Oosterdam and I have a few questions that I hope all of you wonderful cruisers can help me with. I'm sure this is just the beginning of my questions.



2. Is there anything besides the Holiday Inn within walking distance of the pier in San Diego?


:D

Seaport Village is close. I am not sure if you can walk it.
http://www.seaportvillage.com/

There is also the Gaslamp Area:
http://www.gaslamp.org/

[stebul]

Yes, lougee is correct. There are no butlers on HAL, it is the S cabin attendant who does more for you in a S suite than in a SS or below. Most of my cruises are on Celebrity where the butler is a butler.

[peaches from georgia]

There are no butlers in S or PS suite categories, but there is a Concierge in the Neptune Lounge who will do virtually anything for you- make reservations for excursions or Pinnacle Restaurant, Make Spa and Beauty Salon appts., plan a party, solve any and all problems you may have or find someone who can, and on and on. The Suite cabin steward functions like the attendants in all the categories and does not have special duties for suite pax.

[stebul]

Peaches, our S cabin attendant did take care of laundry, pressing, etc. You do not get that below S category. On other cruise lines butlers do that. I've taken or planned four cruises on three lines in the past 11 months .... sorry for getting mixed up.

[peaches from georgia]

If pax in any category send items to the ship's laundry, it is their cabin steward who takes and returns it, no? All pax can use the ship's laundry service and it is their cabin steward who does the delivery in all categories. The only difference is that it is complimentary for Suite pax.

[stebul]

OK, I give!

[peartree]

My husband and I will be cruising on the February 11 sailing of the MS Oosterdam and I have a few questions that I hope all of you wonderful cruisers can help me with. I'm sure this is just the beginning of my questions.

1. Can the dividers between the balcony's be opened?

2. Is there anything besides the Holiday Inn within walking distance of the pier in San Diego?

3. Will it be warm enough in our ports to visit the beach and warm enough on the days at see to enjoy the pools?

4. Is there a place to copy my photos from my digital camera to either a CD or a flash drive on the ship or should I bring my laptop?

5. Does the ship have a self-service laundry?

As I said above I'm sure there will be more questions but I'll just start with these few.

Thanks for the help :D

:p :p
I posted the following a few days ago. Seaport Village, the maritime museums, AMTRAK, the San Diego Trolley (north to Spanish Old Town, south to Tijuana). Downtown SD with Horton Plaza are just a few blocks away. Even ride the trolley downtown, if U want.



I posted:

The Holiday Inn sits between Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway at "A" Street.

Horton Plaza sits between Broadway (really "D" Street) and "G" Street at First Street. It is several square city blocks large. Ralph's Grocery Store is at "G" and First. Broadway ("D") Street is a short distance away. Horton Plaza is about 6 blocks up Broadway from Harbor to First Street.

AMTRAK and the Trolley (Red Cars on train tracks) are at Broadway and Pacific Highway...just look and listen. The Trolley runs up "C" Street with a stop at Second...just 1 block from Horton Plaza.

The Maritime Museums are between "G" Street and "A" Streets along Harbor Drive. The cruise terminal sits amid the museums. Across street from HI.

Look at the San Diego Port Web Cam: The HI sits behind the twin buildings at the right. Notice the train tracks. The left frame of camera is Broadway.

:o AND

I just called the Holiday Inn.

The HI is a short ride from airport and around corner from AMTRAK station.

They do have the airport shuttle. The Horton Plaza shuttle runs twice daily. Raplh's is near (behind) Horton Plaza. Both are within a 30 minute easy walk from the hotel.

Groceries and other foodstuffs are available at the Plaza.

:) Good sea food (Anthony's) and steak house (Ruth's Chris) adjacent to hotel.

If driving to town, try storage lots on India street near freeway..less expensive. Official cruise parking across the street from Cruise terminal and 1/2 block from HI. Lots of touristy things in immediate area.

Suggested time killers:
Take SD Trolley to Tijuana or San Diego's Old Town. Catch both trolleys at Amtrak station. Visit Natical museums and aircraft Carrier MIDWAY across street. "G" Street mole (actually pier). The scuzy bar in Tom Cruise movie TOP GUN. Night life in Gas Lamp District. San Diego Zoo requires several hours. Same with Sea World. Cross the bay to Coronado by ferry and visit Hotel Del Coronado and its great beach. Visit nearby Seaport Village.

[East Bay Don]

Stebul,

I'd be interested in know what cruises you recently took and what lines. We just finished our first cruise (on HAL) and now wonder about other lines. We really enjoyed HAL and know it would be great to take again, but were thinking that we should possibly try others also. Any input? What is your favorite line? Things you like about one over another? Thanks.

[stebul]

Don, there are active discussions on the Celebrity and Oceania Cruise Critic boards right now about the differences between Celebrity, Oceania, and HAL.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=256180

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=259039

Sampling the difference between "high end mass market (HAL and Celebrity)" and "near luxury (Oceania)" and the differences between suites, concierge (not on HAL), and regular cabins is a tough but enjoyable assignment that we have embarked on! Recently we have taken one cruise on HAL Oosterdam to Mexico, one on Oceania Regatta to the Caribbean, and have plans for Statendam to Australia/NZ and Celebrity Summit through the Panama Canal. We very much enjoyed the personalized service and intimate feeling on a smaller ship (Oceania Regatta accomodates about 680 passengers although on our sailing only 450 were aboard). However, right now overall itinerary and departure date are more important to us than size of the ship or cruise line. After we get done with this round of sampling, I want to try one of the luxury lines in a lower category stateroom to see how that compares.

[cruisingagainsoon]

Thanks for all the great info.