Cruise report - Oosterdam

In mid-October DF and I (60+ y/o) went to Australia and New Zealand for one month. We spent a week in Sydney, cruised 2 weeks on the Oosterdam, and ended with a week in Auckland. I arranged all our tours online before leaving and we did none at all through the ship. I was pleased with all our tours and reviewed them individually in Trip Advisor. The summary which follows reflects my personal opinions and experiences and would be different for someone else, with different tastes. Take what is useful for you and leave the rest. Warning: long report.

Week 1: We booked 2 one-way tickets to and from USA in order to cut about 3 hours off the overall travel. We flew to Sydney on Qantas (home on Air New Zealand), and caught the train from the airport to our hotel, the Coronation. The Coronation is a small, centrally located hotel very near the QVB. It has a small, dingy lobby, but once you get past that, it is a great value hotel and I would definitely stay there again. Our room was large and bright and quiet and had a fridge and kettle. The hotel is next door to the grocery store, Woolworth’s, so we bought breakfast supplies and ate in the room before heading out each day. (Woolworth’s also had a very nice cafeteria on the top floor with tasty, inexpensive meals.) We took the I’m Free walking tour of Sydney and it was great for getting our bearings. We visited the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens. Took the little red park train so we could see the gardens, get off and back on the train, and it saved a lot of walking. Had lunch at the café in the gardens and it was nice. On another day we climbed the bridge pylon and took the ferry to Manly for lunch. We walked to the Australian Museum from the hotel and looked at the Aboriginal artifacts one morning. That afternoon, we were picked up by Boutique Tours to do their safari tour, seeing local animals in the wild. It was a great tour and our favorite of the whole trip. We were driven about 90 minutes out of Sydney to an area around Berrima, where our guide pointed out emus, kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, rabbits, foxes, birds, deer and koala. We saw all the animals on our list except the platypus – not bad. After dinner, we went to another place where we spotlighted for ring-tailed possums and saw lots of them. It was late when we were dropped back at out hotel, but had been a better-than-great day out in the countryside. Another fabulous whole day tour we took was with Blue Diamond Tours which took us to see the Blue Mountains and lots of other places. We got an early start and the owner/guide, Rob, had planned the day perfectly. He took us to places where there were no other tours or buses and he made arrangements ahead of our arrival so everything was always immediately ready for us, with no waiting at all. His good planning and organizational skills allowed us to see so much in one day that wouldn’t be possible on other tours. Highly recommended! For my last full day in Sydney I had arranged a private tour with Wildtours Australia. It was a gorgeous day and again, out of the CBD, but officially still in Sydney (which is huge). We canoed on the Kangaroo River, hiked in the Royal National Park, had lunch in a local café, went to a coastal area for whale watching (didn’t see any whales, but enjoyed watching the paragliders taking off beside us). Then a scenic drive down the coastal road and over the Sea Cliff Bridge, and back to hotel. A great day and, again, highly recommended!

Weeks 2 & 3, Oosterdam: The ship was not docked in OPT where most ships dock. It was docked at White Bay Terminal, about half an hour by cab from CBD. This was my 20th cruise and the second-worst boarding ever. We sat and waited a long time while there was no boarding activity at all. Then, when the process began, I stood in line for about 2 hours, holding my carry on. And we were among the early boarders, as the computers went down later and made a bad situation even worse. The ship in general is dark and has ghastly décor, oppressive. We had open seating for dinner and really enjoyed all the great people we met. Everyone was so friendly and most were seasoned travelers, which made for great conversation. In Melbourne we took the I’m Free walking tour and Erin was an energetic, knowledgeable guide; the tour lasted about 3 hours and was very thorough. When we returned to the ship we found out that, due to bad weather, we would not go to Hobart, Tasmania or Milford Sound; everyone was hugely disappointed, but sometimes it happens that way. (That caused us to end up with an extra sea day and 2 ½ days in Port Chalmers.) As for the ship, I found the entertainment to be underwhelming, with the exception of one speaker who discussed Aboriginal Culture, which was very informative. Food was plentiful and not bad, though sometimes surprising (not what you would expect from the menu, or a very large or very small serving). There were blackout times when you couldn’t even get a cup of coffee and it would have been great to have a DIY coffee machine somewhere, available 24/7. Our room was fine, as was our steward (though I felt he was overworked with 29 rooms). When we docked in Port Chalmers, there were too few shuttle buses for the passengers wanting to go into Dunedin and when we saw the massive lines, we decided just to check out the little village. The next day there were regular shuttles into Dunedin. We looked around the town and went to the Settlers Museum (free), which I found very interesting and interactive. (They also had computers you could use to check email.) It is really worth the time and I enjoyed it more than some larger, fancier museums I saw later. On the final day in Dunedin, we took the Taieri Gorge RR. We had booked our reservations online for $92 each and it was the same trip as the one the ship offered for $200 (except on theirs, the train met the ship and they had a box lunch, while we took the shuttle into town and bought our own lunch). It was a very scenic ride and a lovely day. Next port was Akaroa, where we had booked the Akaroa Fur Seal Colony Safari. We tendered ashore, where we were met by Paul, the owner/guide. He took us to his 750 acre farm and showed us around, telling us the history of the area. On the coastal edge of his property there is a fur seal colony and we got up close and personal with the seals. It was fascinating. We sat on the rocks a couple of hours and communed with the seals while Paul told us about them and what was going on in the colony. Then he served us tea and muffins before taking us back to the port. I was so enchanted by the outing, that I would do the same thing again if I went back to Akaroa. The next stop, Picton, has been described by others as a throw-away stop and I agree. It is very small with little to see or do and we were there for a full day, 9:00-8:00. In Wellington we walked to TePapa Museum, which was very good. Ate lunch in the café there then took the cable car for the view, cable car museum, and perfumery. Had a latte while overlooking the city. In Napier we went to the earthquake museum and walked around the town. Had to be onboard at 1:30, so not time for much else. For Tauranga we had reserved places on the Learning Journey Tour to Rotorua and it was great. (cruisetauranga.com) The weather was all over the place with sunshine, clouds, mist, rain, and hail – but it didn’t interfere with the outing. Simon was knowledgeable and we covered a lot of territory. The geyser really made a show and kept shooting steam for as long as we wanted to watch.

Week 4, Auckland: Actually getting off the ship was okay, but getting a taxi was the same mess boarding had been. There was an unbelievably long line and people were given taxis out of turn so there was much arguing and a fight almost broke out - poorly planned. We had allowed ourselves week in Auckland and it proved to be too much. Two or three days would have been plenty. We had thought we’d do daytrips out of the city, but had already seen the nearby attractions we were interested in. There were one or two tours I found at the I-Site which I would have joined, but they were already fully booked. We were very pleased with our accommodations at the Waldorf Tetra Serviced Apts. We had a 2 bedroom unit; bedrooms held only a bed and wardrobe, but the rest of the apt. was spacious. We went to Devonport, a cute one-street town on an island just a short ferry ride away. The Fuller’s Ferry trip and tractor tour of Rangitoto (an island in the harbor created by a volcanic eruption 600 years ago) was very interesting (1/2 day). The Auckland Museum is interesting, too.

After a month away from home and a lackluster time in Auckland, we were ready for home. Our hotel arranged a reasonably priced taxi to the airport for us and we left on Air New Zealand. The strongest advice I can give you as you plan your trip, is to book your tours early as the best ones book out months in advance.

Thanks very much for your trip report. Interesting reading. Sorry you missed Tasmania and the Sounds.

I love reading other cruiser's trip reports. Can I offer a gentle suggestion - more paragraphs would make for easier reading.

Thanks. I agree. I originally wrote it as a word document with paragraphs, underlinings and bold type to set off tour names, but when I copied it to CC format, it took those out. I tried to put them back in, but the changes were not accepted and I just didn't have the energy to retype the whole thing. :confused:

Thanks for that report, sounds like you enjoyed Sydney, shame about missing Hobart and Milford Sound, you would have enjoyed both.

Picton, yes very missable and a week in Auckland is too much, I agree.

Shame about the bad points of the ship.

Thanks for taking the time for the review.:D

Thank you for taking the time to post a review! I found it interesting and useful especially with respect to organizing private tours. It sounds like you packed a lot in your vacation time as well.

Thank you for taking the time to post your report.

Some lessons to be learned here. Best time to visit NZ is Feb. Picton is great for a winery tour or a cruise around the sounds, not much in town.

You can save heaps $$ by doing the Taeiri Gorge railway on your own as the OP has done.

On reflection, you probably could have shortened your Aukland stay and flown to Queenstown for a look around, including a day trip to Milford Sound, but not sure if you had refundable hotel bookings.

Such a pity you missed Tasmania and Milford Sound.

Your comment on the ship decor is interesting to note.

Hugh

Thanks for this detailed report. Very interesting! I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to us!

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Thanks for your review.

Did the Oosterdam take the Foveaux Strait route from Melbourne to Port Chalmers?

Not sure. We headed towards Wellington to offload an ill crew member, but weather was too bad to dock, so proceeded to Port Chalmers.

Thanks for your reply.

Maybe you sailed through Cook Strait towards Wellington, then down the South Island East Coast to Port Chalmers.

Thank you Nalla for your itinerary report, it will be quite helpful as we begin our early planning stages!

You really packed a lot into your month long adventure!

Thanks for your report, I was looking at going on the Oosterdam, but I have lost interest now.

Thanks for your report, I was looking at going on the Oosterdam, but I have lost interest now.

Don't dismiss on the grounds of one review, it really depends on what you are looking for in a cruise line. I happen to like the Oosterdam with its more intimate feel and cosy bars. It is more 'ship' like with the Promenade Deck, etc. I must admit the decoration in some areas is a little 'quirky' but that didn't worry me and I wouldn't call it ghastly. However if you are someone who loves big open airy atriums, modern glam look, etc you will find the Oosterdam is different, it is more outward looking than inward like the big mega ships.

Docking - that's White Bay's issue not the cruise line, we have left from the OPT and never had a problem. Unfortunately since the opening of White Bay those ships that fit under the bridge are usually sent there with the bigger ships getting the OPT, especially at the moment while renovations are under way there. So the only way you guarantee to leave from the OPT is to book one of the big ships.

Coffee is available 24/7 in the Lido Buffet or alternatively there is room service. Admittedly they do not keep the whole Lido open 24/7 but I am not a person that looks for Pizza at 2.00 am in the morning and they have a late night supper for those that want it, but for some people this is a real issue as they eat at later hours.

The staff are lovely, very friendly and really go out of their way to assist, I really missed this aspect recently on Celebrity (not that Celebrity staff weren't nice, just not as cheerful).

Picton is a lovely Port but only a small township so you do need to go on a tour, it is a lovely region around that area.

So keep an open mind, as people say on CC take the worst review and the best review and the reality is somewhere in the middle. However if consistently bad, then you have a problem :) but reviews of the Oosterdam differ as much as any other ship.

Very good review Nalla. Your Sydney selections seemed very good. It is a shame you were not more aware of what Auckland has to offer. Devenport is not on an island it is over on the north side of the Auckland bridge. If you had been able to hire a car for the day you would have had the opportunity to go over the bridge and do the northern beaches and the kauri museums and wineries and another day go to west of Auckland into the ranges and once again wineries and beautiful scenery.

We were on the same cruise Nalla, but started in Vancouver, Canada so we worked out all the kinks to get coffee when needed (room service) and everything else. I like Holland ships because they are decorated simply and neutral.

We were quite happy to get off the ship after 39 days but it was very nice overall. We enjoyed Auckland for 3 days then rented a car and toured all of New Zealand for the next 4 weeks. Just returned home last week because we included a week at Cairns, Australia for the Great Barrier Reef.

The bad weather preventing visiting Hobart and Milford Sound continued for at least the next cruise as we heard from some fellow passengers who stayed on for the return to Sydney. Springtime in New Zealand can be all types of weather. It was cool but never crowded - it was a wonderful trip and we hope to go back but not by cruise ship next time. Nothing against Holland. 39 days would be too long on a private yacht.