Long-Awaited Oosterdam Review is Up!

[HALOnlyCruiser]

Hi Everybody!
The review of the July 15-22 Oosterdam Alaska cruise is finally posted on the Member Review Board! But the beginning of it got kind of messed up, so here it is:

OK...Here it is....
Oosterdam Alaska July 15-22, 2006
R/T Seattle
Ports: Monday-Juneau
Tuesday- Hubbard Glacier
Wednesday- Sitka
Thursday- Ketchikan
Friday PM- Victoria, B.C.

Cabin: VA 8112, Deck 8 (Navigation) Aft (Immediately below the Lido exit onto the aft pool deck, port side)

Cast of Characters:
Captain: Olav van der Waard
HotMan: Firmin van Walle
Cruise Director: Jimmy Lynett
Cruise Staff: Sr. Ass't CD: Everett (the Baby-Faced Bingo Boy)
Daryl (Team Trivia), Lee (DJ). Stephanie, Terri
Cruiser #1 and ATM Machine: Cindy (aka Mom)
Cruiser #2 and June high school graduate: Anne (age 18)


Also, where I used quotation marks, there are some strange heiroglyphics. But the essence of it is intact. Let me know what you think. Here is the link:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=20121

Cindy

[lougee1043]

so sorry that so many things on the odam fell short of your expectations

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hope that this doesn't stop you from sailing HAL in the future.

[HALOnlyCruiser]

Really, the cruise wasn't that bad. I hope it didn't come across as though I hated it...I didn't. I just don't like the Vista Class ships as much as the R and S class ships.
And as for it stopping my HAL cruising days? Don't even think that! We had a wonderful time! And HAL was its expected, wonderful self. I'm really sorry if I came across as being unhappy with the cruise. True, I wasn't crazy about the ship and some of its features, but I would never be unhappy with a cruise as a whole.
Some of it was even supposed to be funny!:o

[Host Walt]

Really, the cruise wasn't that bad. I hope it didn't come across as though I hated it...I didn't. I just don't like the Vista Class ships as much as the R and S class ships.
And as for it stopping my HAL cruising days? Don't even think that! We had a wonderful time! And HAL was its expected, wonderful self. I'm really sorry if I came across as being unhappy with the cruise. True, I wasn't crazy about the ship and some of its features, but I would never be unhappy with a cruise as a whole.
Some of it was even supposed to be funny!:o


Frankly I read your review and found it to be written by someone who truly cared for HAL and the HAL experience and who was providing a set of objectively written observations of your cruise.

For example I immediately related to your first impression of the Lido because I, too, was used to the single line, waiting for some to make the really tough decisions, like which cheese to select. It is a bit dazzling when you expect one thing and find something completely different.

In my opinion, yours was neither a cheerleader's review or an iconoclast's review. It was a well written summary (and very easy to visualize exactly what you experienced).

If others have different opinions, well, that's what makes a horse race.

[hammybee]

Thank you for organizing your thoughts so very well and making the time to share them with us. It certainly sounds as though the VISTA class of ship is not for you. We too sailed the"O" in Alaska and prefer the more traditional ship layout and traffic flow, but perhaps not to the extent that you do.

I wonder if your guarantee had turned out better, if the overall experience might have been a little better for you. The sound of heels clack-clacking could certainly change a cruiser's disposition.

As for the garlic, I cannot get enough of the stuff. Like all food, it's subjective.

As an aside, it is often fairly easy to infer a poster's age bracket. In your case, you read 45+/-, and I mean this in the most complimentary way.

[HALOnlyCruiser]

Hammybee:
Thanks for the input! But 45! I wish!!!!! I'm almost 60, but a very young 60!:D

[AlohaPride]

I agree with Host Walt. I thought it was an easy read with humorous and sarcastic sections. Thank you for taking the time to post your reviews on this ship. Hopefully, with a new cabin, your next will have higher marks. I did understand with your last paragraph, that overall you liked your cruise. Which is great!

[krewzin]

I would have to concur on your observations of the 'O,' and the Vista Class (we recently got off of the Zuidy). That traffic jam-setup at dinner (going through the photo shop) is a little kooky, and I wasn't too crazy about that Lido setup.

And although my review also had a negative undertone, we too had a wonderful time (how can anyone have a bad time on a HAL cruise?).

We've been attempting to give the Vista Class another shot while looking to book the Noordam/Alaska '07 this time around, but it looks to be completely booked for the times we want, so we're gonna give Celebrity Infinity a shot.

Anyhow, EXCELLENT review...thank you!

[Scrumpy]

Woo-hoo! Glad the review is finally up. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks Cindy. I share some of your concerns about Oosterdam. I believe I was in Lido only once (to eat). Not an experience I'd care to repeat. Much too crowded. Overall, I think I liked the ship a little better than you did, but not as much as we liked Maasdam.

So, do you have a ship in mind for next year?

Thanks again for a comprehensive and well-prepared review!!! :)

[scopewest]

I must speak up and defend the Lido on the Oosterdam! We've taken a dozen cruises on various ships and my DH loved the O's Lido so much we ate breakfast and lunch there every day. (We ate dinner in the dining room as we had a table for two.) We eat breakfast early in the a.m. when it's not crowded, and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it, as we never had trouble getting food. I also don't recall a problem at lunch. We must have timed it right or the ship wasn't wall-to-wall passengers.

In fact the next cruise we were on (not HAL) we hated the ship’s Lido layout and ate all three meals in the dining room.

The ironic part is we ate at the Pinnacle and were not impressed and felt it was a waste of money.

[HALOnlyCruiser]

So, do you have a ship in mind for next year?

Thanks again for a comprehensive and well-prepared review!!! :)
Thanks, Scrumpy! You're too kind! Next year? Anything but a Vista!

scopewest:
"The ironic part is we ate at the Pinnacle and were not impressed and felt it was a waste of money."
Now that you've brought it up, our Pinnacle experience was a gift from our TA. I'm not entirely sure I would have spent the money on it otherwise!

Cindy

[scopewest]

Cindy:

I have mixed feelings about surcharge restaurants. Why must we pay for "better" food? However, I realize when the QM2 opened up Todd English's place and there was no charge for the first few cruises, every seat was booked every night it was open before the end of the first day of those cruises, and I got the impression from some CC reviews that some people booked more than once and thus some passengers never had a chance to try it. Hence the charge now by Cunard. Same with that adult Sanctuary on the new Crown Princess. People were fighting to get in until they decided to charge a user fee. I guess there's no easy solution.