JoeCruisin
November 8th, 2004, 10:38 AM
Well we just got back from a great week on the Oosterdam. Here's what I thought:
Room: our SS cabin 6059 was great - lots of room and storage - we even had a pack and play for our 11 month old daughter in the room and still had a lot of space. The balcony was also roomy and we were able to have our cabin steward open the partition so we were able to share balconies with our parents in the next cabin. The bathroom was also roomy and having the extra shower stall was awesome.
Food and Dining: Overall I thought the food quality was great and the main dining room was very elegant. Lobster night was fantastic - 2 good sized Maine lobster tails. I was a little confused with the Dutch night thing - there was no mention of it before hand and the only way I knew it was Dutch night was because we had hats on the tables - the menu didn't seem Dutch and our waiter never even mentioned that it was Dutch night. The BBQ was not on the same night as Dutch night. Our service in the main dining room was the worst service we had on the whole ship. The first few nights we weren't able to get a wine steward to our table for almost 30 minutes. We had wine and champagne waiting at our table but no one would open it. Very frustrating. Our waiter also seemed over worked and barely talked to us - very non-personable. This was unfortunate because the atmosphere and food were A+ but the poor service really ruined the experience. After complaining several times things got better but it was kind of too little too late. The Pinnacle (2 times) was superb - quality and service - well worth the $ and a great bargain the first night. The steaks were fabulous but I think the Shrimp Scampi may have been the most impressive entrée. The volcano cake was a downer - probably the most overrated thing we came across - it was dry, didn't present well, and just wasn't any good. The Baked Alaska on the other hand was fantastic. The Lido was great for breakfast and lunch but was not a good alternative for dinner. Luckily we were able to secure a baby-sitter through the front desk for several nights so we were able to go to the dining room while our daughter slept. This worked out great. It was $8 per hour and there is a form at the front desk you fill out with your requested times.
Ports: We were very lucky and very happy that our itinerary was not altered at all because of the busy hurricane season – we made all our planned stops to HMC, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. HMC was great – what a beach – we had the yellow cabana and it was perfect. It had running water and power and made for a great day. Jamaica was a mixed bag. We climbed DunnsRiverFalls – what a great excursion and well worth it. But the overall port area right off of the ship was a little disturbing. We didn’t get to see much of Grand Cayman since we did a snorkel excursion which basically went right in front of where the ships docked. But the snorkeling was great as usual on Grand Cayman. Cozumel has changed a lot since I was last there – and for the better. We took a cab to Mr. Sanchos and had another great beach day. Mr. Sanchos offers a pool, beach chairs, shaded tables, good food and drinks and there was no cover charge. Just a $14 cab ride each way. The shopping right off the ship in Cozumel was plentiful and very nice.
Service: Overall the service was very good but not excellent. Other than the problems we had at the main dining room with our waiter and wine steward everyone else was fantastic. We did switch to an earlier dining time in the main dining room one night so we had a different waiter and wine steward that night and they offered excellent service – totally different than what we had at our usual 8PM dining time – so hopefully what we experienced was isolated to our table. Our daughter received a ton of attention and we never had a problem getting a high chair at breakfast or lunch. Our cabin steward did a great job keeping our room clean and in order. Abigail from the front desk was very nice and professional we were very excited and happy to have her watch our daughter while we went to dinner. As I mentioned before this worked out great.
Other: Boarding the ship was pretty easy – about 30 – 45 minutes for the whole process. The ship was very nice and extremely clean, all week long. The pools did have a sign saying no diapered children allowed and we obeyed accordingly. The ages of the passengers varied greatly and seemed like any other cruise line. The tenders were great – never had to wait and they seemed to run all the time. We were able to bring a soda and liquor aboard easily – in our checked baggage. I don’t think I’d do the soda card again since it was much easier to get iced tea than go to the bar to get a soda every time. There was no problem at all with loud music anywhere on the ship. This may have been the most overblown topic I have read about. There is no music at all in the hallways or elevators and when they had it by the pool it is unobtrusive. If anything they may need to step up the entertainment by the pools a little bit.
Overall we had a great cruise. The Oosterdam is a great ship and the quality throughout was impressive. This was our first time with HAL and I would recommend them to anyone. Crusing with our 11 month old turned out to be a perfect vacation for our situation. Having grand parents on board to help watch her was critical. But with all of the service and all of the food available without having to worry about where to eat made for a low stress vaca with an infant. Hopefully we’ll be going again soon and hopefully for a longer cruise.
Room: our SS cabin 6059 was great - lots of room and storage - we even had a pack and play for our 11 month old daughter in the room and still had a lot of space. The balcony was also roomy and we were able to have our cabin steward open the partition so we were able to share balconies with our parents in the next cabin. The bathroom was also roomy and having the extra shower stall was awesome.
Food and Dining: Overall I thought the food quality was great and the main dining room was very elegant. Lobster night was fantastic - 2 good sized Maine lobster tails. I was a little confused with the Dutch night thing - there was no mention of it before hand and the only way I knew it was Dutch night was because we had hats on the tables - the menu didn't seem Dutch and our waiter never even mentioned that it was Dutch night. The BBQ was not on the same night as Dutch night. Our service in the main dining room was the worst service we had on the whole ship. The first few nights we weren't able to get a wine steward to our table for almost 30 minutes. We had wine and champagne waiting at our table but no one would open it. Very frustrating. Our waiter also seemed over worked and barely talked to us - very non-personable. This was unfortunate because the atmosphere and food were A+ but the poor service really ruined the experience. After complaining several times things got better but it was kind of too little too late. The Pinnacle (2 times) was superb - quality and service - well worth the $ and a great bargain the first night. The steaks were fabulous but I think the Shrimp Scampi may have been the most impressive entrée. The volcano cake was a downer - probably the most overrated thing we came across - it was dry, didn't present well, and just wasn't any good. The Baked Alaska on the other hand was fantastic. The Lido was great for breakfast and lunch but was not a good alternative for dinner. Luckily we were able to secure a baby-sitter through the front desk for several nights so we were able to go to the dining room while our daughter slept. This worked out great. It was $8 per hour and there is a form at the front desk you fill out with your requested times.
Ports: We were very lucky and very happy that our itinerary was not altered at all because of the busy hurricane season – we made all our planned stops to HMC, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. HMC was great – what a beach – we had the yellow cabana and it was perfect. It had running water and power and made for a great day. Jamaica was a mixed bag. We climbed DunnsRiverFalls – what a great excursion and well worth it. But the overall port area right off of the ship was a little disturbing. We didn’t get to see much of Grand Cayman since we did a snorkel excursion which basically went right in front of where the ships docked. But the snorkeling was great as usual on Grand Cayman. Cozumel has changed a lot since I was last there – and for the better. We took a cab to Mr. Sanchos and had another great beach day. Mr. Sanchos offers a pool, beach chairs, shaded tables, good food and drinks and there was no cover charge. Just a $14 cab ride each way. The shopping right off the ship in Cozumel was plentiful and very nice.
Service: Overall the service was very good but not excellent. Other than the problems we had at the main dining room with our waiter and wine steward everyone else was fantastic. We did switch to an earlier dining time in the main dining room one night so we had a different waiter and wine steward that night and they offered excellent service – totally different than what we had at our usual 8PM dining time – so hopefully what we experienced was isolated to our table. Our daughter received a ton of attention and we never had a problem getting a high chair at breakfast or lunch. Our cabin steward did a great job keeping our room clean and in order. Abigail from the front desk was very nice and professional we were very excited and happy to have her watch our daughter while we went to dinner. As I mentioned before this worked out great.
Other: Boarding the ship was pretty easy – about 30 – 45 minutes for the whole process. The ship was very nice and extremely clean, all week long. The pools did have a sign saying no diapered children allowed and we obeyed accordingly. The ages of the passengers varied greatly and seemed like any other cruise line. The tenders were great – never had to wait and they seemed to run all the time. We were able to bring a soda and liquor aboard easily – in our checked baggage. I don’t think I’d do the soda card again since it was much easier to get iced tea than go to the bar to get a soda every time. There was no problem at all with loud music anywhere on the ship. This may have been the most overblown topic I have read about. There is no music at all in the hallways or elevators and when they had it by the pool it is unobtrusive. If anything they may need to step up the entertainment by the pools a little bit.
Overall we had a great cruise. The Oosterdam is a great ship and the quality throughout was impressive. This was our first time with HAL and I would recommend them to anyone. Crusing with our 11 month old turned out to be a perfect vacation for our situation. Having grand parents on board to help watch her was critical. But with all of the service and all of the food available without having to worry about where to eat made for a low stress vaca with an infant. Hopefully we’ll be going again soon and hopefully for a longer cruise.