OOSTERDAM-anyone sale on this ship????

[guccibaby]

I'm looking at the Oosterdam european cruise out of Barcelona, spain. Has anyone taken this cruise and how was the food, service, shows, etc...how does it compare to Celebrity, RCCL which I cruised on before and loved them.

[rochelle_s]

I will be on the first med trip of the season on the Oosterdam out of Barcelona on April 25th. I don't believe the Oosterdam was in the med last year. Due to this you might not find much response for your request for information...yet. I will be posting while on my cruise and do a review when I return home, which you might want to read. In the meantime you should check out the ship reviews. Here is a link;

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=283

I also found the the European ports of call boards here on cruisecritic also very helpful in the research and planning of my trip. Here is a link to that;

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19


Good luck with your plans...

Rochelle

[kenevenpar]

OOSTERDAM-anyone sale on this ship????

No, but I was thinking of buying it;), but my tax stimulus increase was .31C:eek:. Maybe next year:D

And welcome to CC!

Ken

[Scrapchick]

Yes, I've been on it and am booked to go again in November. She's a sister ship of the Noordam and Westerdam, both of which I have also been on. She's a lovely ship. I'm not so wild about the art deco style of decor they went with, but that's just me. We were extremely happy with everything on the ship and are quite happy to be going on her again later this year. Both trips will be Mexican Riviera, as the Oosterdam sails out of San Diego at that time of year and there aren't too many other places to go for a week long break... I've taken the Westerdam to Alaska and the Noordam last year on a Greek Isles trip out of Rome. That was so much fun...

We thought the food was fine, the service friendly and excellent. Didn't bother too much with the shows but they are standard ship and HAL fare from what I could tell.

The Vista class ships are all fairly young and modern and a decent size, neither too huge nor too small. Were going on the smaller, 15 year old Ryndam this weekend and I'm a bit more nervous about that one, to be honest with you.

If you like HAL, I can't imagine that you would not have a great time on the Oosterdam.

[Scrapchick]

oosterdam-anyone sale on this ship????

no, but i was thinking of buying it;), but my tax stimulus increase was .31c:eek:. Maybe next year:d

and welcome to cc!

Ken

lol...

[MisVic]

My husband and I are looking at sailing on the Oosterdam July 6 out of Barcelona. We've already been to many of the ports but there is always so much to see. I am wondering about booking our cabin. We are looking at a VE or better. Is going up to a superior Verandah suite worth the extra money? This is a 24 day cruise and will no doubt spend a lot of time in our cabin.

Vicky:)

[skippyy]

Fine ship..sailed her to Alaska last year..our first time on HAL but
have since booked May/Canada/New England. Caters to mature
adults, not alot for children...Cabins, food, service were 5 star..
piano bar offered best entertainment for us...very well mannered
travel companions, few complainers and little to complain about..
hope this helps..:)

[califgary]

Thanks for the info on the ship - we will be doing the Sea Of Cortez (Mexico) next April. Wasnt sure about HAL (Celebrity-Princess cruiser) but so few lines do Baja Mexico.

The ship and HAL sound great - thanks for the info.

[Scrapchick]

My husband and I are looking at sailing on the Oosterdam July 6 out of Barcelona. We've already been to many of the ports but there is always so much to see. I am wondering about booking our cabin. We are looking at a VE or better. Is going up to a superior Verandah suite worth the extra money? This is a 24 day cruise and will no doubt spend a lot of time in our cabin.

Vicky:)

We've had a deluxe verandah suite a couple of times, not because we chose to book them, but because HAL kept throwing upgrade offers our way until we gave in. I'm thrilled if I get a balcony, so anything on top of that is dessert with a cherry on top!

The deluxe verandah suites are wonderful. They're a big square shape, extremely roomy, with lots of window area and big balcony. I got very spoilt in those cabins and now even a balcony cabin seems like a major comedown!

If you are likely to spend a lot of time in your cabin, then you'll probably appreciate the extra room and features. If money were no object, I would book one of these every times I sailed. As it is, every time we sail with HAL we seem to get the paid upgrade offers coming our way and at some point we often give in, because we know how good the cabins are...

[Ajyacht]

We went on the ship to Mexico December of 2007. Great time, great staff. You should enjoy yourself a great deal. In fact I will be taking another HAL ship to HI in December of this year!

[Northshorecruisers]

We've sailed on the Oosterdam twice now with a third trip booked for Jan 2010. Love the ship, crew has always been excellent, and the quality of food and options really great.

[Susie51]

In Dec. 2008 DH and I were in an SY suite on Oosterdam. We loved the extra space. I have cruised with RCCL, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, Disney, and Carnival. HAL has a lot of things I truly love, nice hot breakfast served promptly to enjoy on the balcony and a nicely arranged buffet with fresh squeezed OJ, very few announcements, and great beds. I hope you enjoy HAL as much as DH and do.

[cheshire cat]

Sailed on the Oosterdam in February. Can't say enough good things, great food, great crew, etc. It was our firsr HAL cruise but it won't be our last. We preferred the size of the Oosterdam to the larger ships, easier to find your way around.
Irene.