duck tune
January 14th, 2008, 11:58 PM
I apologize for dropping the "Live" report from the Oosterdam thread but the darned internet connection on board got slower than normal and I could not keep up with the report without spending extra money!
The weather on the cruise was beautiful, only cooling off and getting windy on the last sea day. It was a treat to enjoy warm weather and wear shorts. The room temperatures were unpredictable on the Oosterdam - The Queens Lounge and the Vista Lounge were at times "cold enough to hang meat" in while in the aft section of the lower dining room could be quite warm.
DH and I went to one Bingo game in the above mentioned ice box Vista Lounge. The O is testing a new format where no cash will be exchanged either for purchase or for payment. If you buy a triple card (3 bingo cards) you play the same cards for four games - folding the paper numbers back then repositioning them after a game. The winners have the jackpot credited to the cabin key card and can have it redeemed at the front desk or the casino cashier. DH and I are not huge bingo players but didn't like this version.
The As You Wish Dining, called "Open Seating" by the crew of the Oosterdam in all respects, worked OK for DH and I. We asked for a table for two for each evening and on the second night we got a nice table aft by the big windows with only a table for four between us and the view of the aft wave. The dining steward, assistant steward and wine steward were excellent and told us to ask for the table by number when we called and made the reservation for the next day. Well, DH did that and as long as we agreed to eat at 5:15 p.m. we would be "considered" for that table but no guarantee. That was the response to DH every morning at 8 a.m. when he called. We did get the table but could not have a different dining time. What it looked like to us was that they would fill the aft section of the dining room with the early times then fill the tables closer to the entrance as the time progressed and then begin again at the aft. Most of the people around us were the same ones every night. On the final night I asked the wine steward if he liked the new dining plan and his response was "this is how it is going to be from now on so we have to get used to it". He did say that the dining room staff would rotate each week, those who had the "open seating" on our cruise would be moved to the fixed seating the next cruise (this week). We were thrilled with the attention we received from our dining room staff and tipped them extra on the last day.
DH and I did make the best of the cruise but it does rank as probably our least favorite. DH had to go to the front desk to ask for our bath robes the third day out and the staff was surprised that we hadn't received them. For the first time on a HAL cruise our cabin steward never introduced himself to us and the cleaning times were inconsistent. Sometimes we got the daily program the night before and sometimes it was handed out in the morning. The service was adequate, but something was missing besides the inconsistency. The "sofa" in our cabin was the most uncomfortable one we've ever had and made even more so by the lack of the usual sofa pillows.
We were on Code Red the entire cruise. Hunky Dory and John Wayne were very cheerful (I did give them greetings from John and Maria and they were so excited!). A couple of the other Lido staff tried to learn people's names and were very cheerful while others were obviously tired from the extra work required by them to get the coffee, drinks, everything! People were cleaning the ship constantly but not all passengers used the Purell dispensers regularly. I did not hear of any incidents of illness on this cruise.
On the day after we left Puerto Vallarta the captain made an announcement around 12 noon that we would have to divert to Cabo San Lucas to transport a passenger with a heart condition that needed to be hospitalized. We arrived a little before 1 p.m. and it took about 45 minutes for the entire process. A small boat with paramedics came out to meet the "O" and we could see two older women, one older man and the ill man on a stretcher off-loaded from the main deck starboard aft. I sure hope he is doing OK and felt terrible for the group of four that left. This is one time that travel insurance would be good to have!
We were a little late getting into San Diego due to heavy fog. I woke up about 4:30 a.m. to the sound of fog horns and realized it was the "O". The captain had announced on Friday afternoon that he expected us to dock by 5:15 a.m. but it was 6:05 a.m. before we docked. The first passengers did not start to leave the ship until 8:30 a.m. (two non-residents were repeatedly paged to the customs room and finally showed up). DH and I got off the ship about 9 a.m. and took a taxi to the Hilton Harbor Island to spend one last night before going home. We were fortunate to get a balcony room view of the bay so watched the "O" depart San Diego in a light fog. The fog really came in at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night and flights were cancelled at the airport so one thing to consider about flying into and out of San Diego -- sometimes there is fog. Fortunately for us the fog cleared early Sunday morning and we were able to leave San Diego at 10 a.m.
We did miss the little extra touches that we enjoy about HAL - the flowers and fresh fruit that is usually in the cabin, the pillows on the sofa, the information guide to tell you what is on the TV channels. Code Red does remove some of these things we love to have. We had a VE balcony and don't think we will go that route again on the Vista Class - it is a little too crowded when you get used to the S and R class balcony space!
We had cruised on the O before and we did have a great time - just felt like something was missing. Next time we want to save up to splurge on an aft suite and see what that's like! We were thrilled to meet some of our fellow CC'rs and ran into a few during the cruise.
Again, sorry for dropping the other thread mid cruise. I wish happy, healthy cruising to all.
The weather on the cruise was beautiful, only cooling off and getting windy on the last sea day. It was a treat to enjoy warm weather and wear shorts. The room temperatures were unpredictable on the Oosterdam - The Queens Lounge and the Vista Lounge were at times "cold enough to hang meat" in while in the aft section of the lower dining room could be quite warm.
DH and I went to one Bingo game in the above mentioned ice box Vista Lounge. The O is testing a new format where no cash will be exchanged either for purchase or for payment. If you buy a triple card (3 bingo cards) you play the same cards for four games - folding the paper numbers back then repositioning them after a game. The winners have the jackpot credited to the cabin key card and can have it redeemed at the front desk or the casino cashier. DH and I are not huge bingo players but didn't like this version.
The As You Wish Dining, called "Open Seating" by the crew of the Oosterdam in all respects, worked OK for DH and I. We asked for a table for two for each evening and on the second night we got a nice table aft by the big windows with only a table for four between us and the view of the aft wave. The dining steward, assistant steward and wine steward were excellent and told us to ask for the table by number when we called and made the reservation for the next day. Well, DH did that and as long as we agreed to eat at 5:15 p.m. we would be "considered" for that table but no guarantee. That was the response to DH every morning at 8 a.m. when he called. We did get the table but could not have a different dining time. What it looked like to us was that they would fill the aft section of the dining room with the early times then fill the tables closer to the entrance as the time progressed and then begin again at the aft. Most of the people around us were the same ones every night. On the final night I asked the wine steward if he liked the new dining plan and his response was "this is how it is going to be from now on so we have to get used to it". He did say that the dining room staff would rotate each week, those who had the "open seating" on our cruise would be moved to the fixed seating the next cruise (this week). We were thrilled with the attention we received from our dining room staff and tipped them extra on the last day.
DH and I did make the best of the cruise but it does rank as probably our least favorite. DH had to go to the front desk to ask for our bath robes the third day out and the staff was surprised that we hadn't received them. For the first time on a HAL cruise our cabin steward never introduced himself to us and the cleaning times were inconsistent. Sometimes we got the daily program the night before and sometimes it was handed out in the morning. The service was adequate, but something was missing besides the inconsistency. The "sofa" in our cabin was the most uncomfortable one we've ever had and made even more so by the lack of the usual sofa pillows.
We were on Code Red the entire cruise. Hunky Dory and John Wayne were very cheerful (I did give them greetings from John and Maria and they were so excited!). A couple of the other Lido staff tried to learn people's names and were very cheerful while others were obviously tired from the extra work required by them to get the coffee, drinks, everything! People were cleaning the ship constantly but not all passengers used the Purell dispensers regularly. I did not hear of any incidents of illness on this cruise.
On the day after we left Puerto Vallarta the captain made an announcement around 12 noon that we would have to divert to Cabo San Lucas to transport a passenger with a heart condition that needed to be hospitalized. We arrived a little before 1 p.m. and it took about 45 minutes for the entire process. A small boat with paramedics came out to meet the "O" and we could see two older women, one older man and the ill man on a stretcher off-loaded from the main deck starboard aft. I sure hope he is doing OK and felt terrible for the group of four that left. This is one time that travel insurance would be good to have!
We were a little late getting into San Diego due to heavy fog. I woke up about 4:30 a.m. to the sound of fog horns and realized it was the "O". The captain had announced on Friday afternoon that he expected us to dock by 5:15 a.m. but it was 6:05 a.m. before we docked. The first passengers did not start to leave the ship until 8:30 a.m. (two non-residents were repeatedly paged to the customs room and finally showed up). DH and I got off the ship about 9 a.m. and took a taxi to the Hilton Harbor Island to spend one last night before going home. We were fortunate to get a balcony room view of the bay so watched the "O" depart San Diego in a light fog. The fog really came in at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night and flights were cancelled at the airport so one thing to consider about flying into and out of San Diego -- sometimes there is fog. Fortunately for us the fog cleared early Sunday morning and we were able to leave San Diego at 10 a.m.
We did miss the little extra touches that we enjoy about HAL - the flowers and fresh fruit that is usually in the cabin, the pillows on the sofa, the information guide to tell you what is on the TV channels. Code Red does remove some of these things we love to have. We had a VE balcony and don't think we will go that route again on the Vista Class - it is a little too crowded when you get used to the S and R class balcony space!
We had cruised on the O before and we did have a great time - just felt like something was missing. Next time we want to save up to splurge on an aft suite and see what that's like! We were thrilled to meet some of our fellow CC'rs and ran into a few during the cruise.
Again, sorry for dropping the other thread mid cruise. I wish happy, healthy cruising to all.