RevNeal's Oosterdam Cruise Review

Review of the ms Oosterdam

The Holland America Line

February 5 - 12, 2005

7-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise

(Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.)

Introduction:

Having cruised many times on the Holland America Line, and being well-acquainted with their popular Statendam and Rotterdam Class of ships, I was nevertheless very ambivalent about the new Vista ships. Over the past few years I had read quite a few reviews which left me worried and unhappy about the direction HAL was taking in their newest vessels, and entirely unwilling to try them. According to these reviews they were too large, were appointed with strange (“funky”) furniture and color schemes, were “shoddy” in their construction, had terrible vibration problems, were too large, too crowded, and had rooms that were too small. All of these criticisms, and more, had been written about the Vista ships ... and because of these statements I was very hesitant about trying them out.

However, the Oosterdam and the Westerdam had also received some excellent reviews, and after reading several such from people whom I trust, I determined to try the Oosterdam on one of her 7-day Mexican Riviera Itineraries. After much research I found a deal that enabled me to book a cruise, with single supplement, for an acceptable (“low”) price, and so I jumped at it.

Embarkation, Cabin, and Sail Away:

The Oosterdam was docked across the pier’s parking lot from the San Diego Ship Terminal, which was occupied by the Carnival Spirit, so we had to use the “tent” (aka, “the big top”). It wasn’t a bad setup, and there was plenty of room inside “the big top” for the check-in operations and the line. Check-in was, itself, a fairly painless process. By far, this was the longest line I stood in the entire cruise; it was, thankfully, a fast moving line, so I really don’t have a great deal to complain about. I passed through the terminal gates and surrendered by luggage to HAL staff at 12:20. By 1:30 I had gone through the check-in line, been processed, and was moving up the gangway line and into the ship. Since I boarded prior to the Staterooms being readied, I was directed to elevators and whisked to the Lido deck, where food was to be found in a panoply of delicious variety and amazing quantity. Long ago I discovered that a 7-day cruise is often a week-long gorge fest interrupted by 3 ports-of-call; this was certainly the case aboard the Oosterdam.

After having explored the Lido Restaurant, and being much-impressed with its layout and ease of access, and after having consumed an excellent lunch of fruit, vegetables, roast beast, and ice cream, I sat and chatted with a few fellow passengers until an announcement was made (along about 2:45) informing us that our staterooms were ready. And, so, I proceeded down to my cabin on Main Deck, # 1037, a J-Category large enough to dance in! I was extremely pleased with this cabin; research had told me that many of the inside cabins were tiny, but that most of those on Main Deck were larger than average. Truth be told, that’s was an understatement: these J cabins on Main Deck are “huge.” Within a few minutes of arrival in my cabin a knock on the door announced that my luggage had arrived, and I quickly unpacked, putting everything away into closets and cabinet space which was ridiculously more than adequate for one, and would have been sufficient even for three. As it was, I didn’t use all of the storage space available to me.

The sail away party was nice, and well attended -- pretty much standard HAL fair -- however departure was delayed due to something of a minor disaster ... well, it wasn’t so minor to those whose luggage had been dumped into the bay. Yes, that’s right, the pier staff had accidentally dumped a pallet of passenger bags into the bay and underneath the ship. The captain announced that they were sending divers down to make sure that all the bags were recovered, and I later learned that those who suffered this mishap were compensated, their clothing cleaned, pressed, dry-cleaned, and repaired. Nevertheless, we set sail at about 8pm, just before second-seating dinner.

(To Be Continued)

The Oosterdam:

Since this review is more about the Oosterdam, herself, than it is about this particular cruise, I really should shift my focus, now, to the ship in her many aspects. Contrary to the reports of others, I must say that this vessels is not too big. Yes, the Vista series of cruise ships is larger than HAL’s other vessels, but she is very much a HAL ship. On a cruise ship which could, easily, carry 2700 passengers, HAL plays host to just 1800-2000 guests with grace and style.

Improvements

The signature of the Holland America Line’s traditions can be seen everywhere aboard the Oosterdam. Even given her distinct arrangement of public rooms, I quickly discovered the logic of the designers in their orientation. One major improvement over the S and R class vessels is that, on both public decks (the Lower Promenade and Promenade Decks) one may pass all way through the ship, from the Vista Lounge in the front to the main Dining Room in the aft, without having to go up or down a deck to go around the kitchen! This is a marked improvement over the older design.

Another significant improvement is the outside promenade deck is actually on the Promenade Deck, and that this deck is not an accommodations deck but, rather, a public rooms deck. Indeed, it’s the deck where the Ocean Bar, the shopping arcade, the Library, the Internet Cafe, and the lecture rooms are all located.

A further improvement, and one that is particularly interesting, is the placement of the Ocean Lounge amidships, surrounding the Atrium, on the Promenade Deck. On the Starboard side one find the bar, itself, with smaller gathering nooks and crannies, where one can sit and chat, drink and enjoy conversations somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle, noise and confusion, of the band and the dance floor, all of which can be found on the port side. This central location makes the Ocean Bar a very popular hangout for both pre-dinner cocktails and post dinner drinks.

The Crows Nest is larger and more open, with plenty of seating both at the forward windows, in the central section, and in the side lounges. I particularly enjoyed the Oak Room (or “smoking room”) on the starboard side aft of the Crows Nest proper. It has access to the aft observation deck, where one may enjoy “cigars under the stars” without bothers nonsmokers.

The Sports Bar is larger, with an excellent large-screen display for watching games (like the Superbowl). It is right off the Casino, and there are built-in Poker games on the bar, which gives one something to do other than just watching sports.

The Casino is much larger than on other HAL ships, stretching across the width of the ship, with more tables and more video poker and slot action.

The Night Club (on the Oosterdam, the “Northern Lights” is a large, noisy, dance floor and bar. One of my favorite places to go late in the evening. It’s existence makes for a quieter Crows Nest late at night, but it is a major improvement to have a large dedicated dance floor in a night club aboard ship.

The Pinnacle Grill is centrally located to port of the Atrium, amidships on the lower Promenade Deck. This location keeps it from either being buried in depths of the ship, cut off from the outside world (as on the R-class ships), or being a retrofitted afterthought (as on the S-class ships). It is plenty-large, and comfortable, and the meals provided here are excellent, indeed. The Hotel Manager, Mr. James Deering, invited me to dinner here one evening, and I truly enjoyed myself immensely. The steak was cooked to perfection, and the sides were delicious as well. The quality of the food was only matched by the quality of my host’s conversation.

The Front Office and Shore Excursions Desks are located on either side of the Atrium on Main Deck. This is an excellent place for these services, and the staff which manned each were exemplary.

Needs Improvement

The Vista Lounge -- where the evening’s main entertainment is performed and where the Captain’s Champaign Reception is held -- is large and comfortable, with three decks (Main, Lower Promenade, and Promenade) all providing access to it. However, certain elements of it are poorly designed, including the pillars in the middle section which support the balcony but which obstruct the view from several locations. Other vessels manage to support a balcony without such pillars, the engineers could have done a better job with this one. Another area that needs improvement is the location of the display screens ... they simply cannot be seen by anyone seating anywhere above the halfway point in the middle section.

The Queens Lounge is a very nice, medium sized show room, however it is not conducive to showing movies ... the heads of one’s fellow passengers get in the way.

The Windstar Cafe is a nice idea, however during our cruise aboard I didn’t notice it receiving much business; I, myself, didn’t use it at all. The Hotel Manger, Mr. James Deering, mentioned to me a suggestion which he will be making to the Home Office that the Windstar Cafe be replaced with a third alternative dining venue ... like an Italian Bistro. This sounds like a workable idea that, perhaps, should be explored.

The Explorers Lounge is divided into three rooms. The main room is where the classic music stand is located, the next room is divided off from this and, while one can hear the music from here, one cannot see the performance. This is also the area where the specialty dutch chocolates can be found. The third chamber is closed off from the others because it serves as the smoking room. In general, I really like the idea of having the Explorer’s Lounge divide off into seperate chambers, and I particularly appreciate that the smokers are given a room where they will not bother the nonsmokers. However, the division of the open Explorer’s Lounge into two chambers truly does limit the seating in the portion where the music stand is located. I found it difficult to find seating in the room for the classical performance on any evening. With this limitation in mind, however, I didn’t really find the Explorer’s Lounge to be overly small ... it is about the size of the Lounge on the Statendam, though it is much smaller than the lounge on the Maasdam or the Volendam/Zaandam. An improvement to the layout might be to leave the music stand in the middle, between the two nonsmoking chambers, but to open them up to each other so as to make the Explorer’s Lounge a large single room again. This would have the effect of doubling the seating area for those who wish to be able to see the music stand.

The Main Dining Room is certainly larger, and while several improvements (including lovely new chairs and side-seating arrangements) have been made, the center of the Dining room is taken up by a large central music stand and service area. This may be more convenient, but it takes up critical central dining space, robs the room of it’s open feeling, and it is -- essentially -- impossible to hear or even know if music is being played on the stand from a table on the lower level in the aft or side galleries. Frankly, I’m not sure anything can be done to repair this problem ... it may just be an unfortunate fact that on a ship the size of the Oosterdam not everyone is going to have a dining table well-positioned for seeing what’s going on throughout the meal.

The aft Verandah cabins are probably wonderful accommodations, and their balconies are truly huge, but one should really take care not to nude sun-bathe on them. The view from above -- from the aft Lido deck abaft the pool -- is quite “good.” Frankly, I’m not sure I like this arrangement, though I suppose I should withhold judgment unless and until I actually book one of these cabins. If I do, I promise you I shall be fully clothed while on my deck. ;-)

And, finally, I must say that the Vista Ship’s lacking the self-service laundry is a hindrance to taking longer-range cruises. I would suggest HAL consider retrofitting the ships with at least one or two laundries for the use of those of us who “travel in steerage.”

Noted Problems Not Noted:

Many reviews had indicated vibration problems in the main dining room and shoddy workmanship in the construction of the Vista class ships. None of these “problems” were observed on this cruise. Indeed, even when “The Big O” was making 23 knots, the dining room was smooth and stable, with only the very slightest shimmer noticeable. I have noticed more motion, and more vibration, on the Statendam than I noticed on the Oosterdam this cruise. Likewise, I thought that -- after one year in service -- there were few, if any, signs of “shoddy workmanship.” I noticed one light fixture out on the aft pool deck, a cover blown off the port side compass stand on a forward observation deck, an occasional plant that could do with some TLC, and one “Captain Kirk chairs” in the Crows Nest that needed attention. Frankly, one should remember that a ship like the Oosterdam is a working vessel at sea and -- as is true with all things man-made -- maintenance is warranted. And, indeed, every day I noticed the crew working on the ship: painting, cleaning, repairing ... work continued around the clock! The Oosterdam is a credit to “The Spotless Fleet” monicker of the Holland America Line ... and, having twice achieved a nearly unheard of 100 on her CDC health inspections, her Hotel Manager hopes to have her make history by earning another 100 at her next inspection. If any ship of the Line can do it, the Oosterdam can!

(To Be Continued)

The Crew:

What else can I say but “wow!” I have always expected the best from HAL crew and staff, and I have rarely been disappointed, but on the Oosterdam every single expectation was met and, indeed, surpassed. My cabin steward, Andri, was exemplary; he kept the cabin spotless and in order, even though I am neither of these things. So superb was his work that I was tempted to forgo packing my clothing and just pack him! Something similar could be said about my dining room stewards: Sri and Tammy were outstanding in terms of service; they were quick, courteous, and never failed to “make things right” when something was lacking. Even though their had many passengers to serve, they never failed to take the time to chat, and were truly a pleasure to get to know. Especially Tammy, who proved in the Indonesian Crew Show that he could sing and dance as well as the ship’s cast -- though, perhaps, he would have preferred dressing as one of the ladies!!!!!

The lounge staff were excellent, particularly the stewards in the Ocean Bar ... on a ship of 1800+ passengers I never cease to be amazed that these people can learn my name and my normal cocktail of choice.

The Hotel and Beverage Staff are all under the able direction of the Hotel Manager, Mr. James Deering, who is, truly, an excellent officer. Knowledgeable in his field and in the history of cruising, I must say that HAL has chosen well in taking him back into their service from a competitor Cruise Line. Needless to say, I am impressed with his abilities and his wealth of knowledge, and I hope to cruise, again, on a ship where he is serving.

The Ship’s Cast was excellent. I have often found HAL’s professional entertainment staff to be able, in not a bit too frenetic, but on the Oosterdam I found the cast to be capable in their areas of specialization and a joy to watch. Excellent singers and dancers, all, they are to be commended. Sadly, I cannot say the same for the entertainment which they brought aboard for this cruise ... by-and-large, I could have done without most of them.

The Itinerary:

I suppose a few words should be said about the Itinerary. This was the “Mexican Riviera” cruise out of San Diego, with port stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

In Cabo I took the basic “Coastal Highlights” tour, which gave me excellent views of the harbor from Giorgio's Restaurant, a stop at Cacti Mundo to view an amazing array of Cacti, a trip to San José del Cabo where I toured a Mission Church and did a little shopping, and a stop at a glass blowing factory.

In Mazatlan I took the Deluxe City Tour with Papantla Fliers. This was an excellent overview tour, which provided a trip to the downtown Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a shopping stop where I was able to purchase local handicraft, and an excellent Mexican and native cultural show including the performance of the Papantla Fliers (nothing something to be missed).

In Puerto Vallarta I went on the “Dolphin Encounter” excursion, where I got to swim with, pet, ride, and kiss a wonderful bottle nosed Dolphin. It was, truly, an experience to remember.

Conclusion:

If you are a fellow HAL Mariner who has been apprehensive about the size and passenger compliment of the Vista class ships, and have avoided them up until now, I’m here to tell you that you should set your concerns aside and give these ships a try! The Oosterdam, with her excellent wonderful crew, is an exemplary addition to the Holland America Line! I had a wonderful cruise aboard her, and am looking forward to future cruises on Vista Class ships like the Westerdam and the new Noordam. And, of course, I would return to the Oosterdam in a heartbeat. While I think I still prefer the S and R class ships for their smaller size, these Vistas are handsome vessels indeed!

Wonderful review! (as usual) Interesting to see James Deering is with HAL now. He was on the NORWEGIAN DAWN (NCL) when I was on her in 2003 and did an outstanding job with that ship (IMO) It was one of my favorite cruises. Thanks for taking the time to write the review. Im anxious to try HAL someday.

What a wonderful, detailed review. It gives you a good sense of what we can expect when we take our cruise on 4/9. We (3 of us) are also in a J cabin (hoping for an upgrade as we're Mariners...not sure if that really means anything). I am sure most of our time will be out of room so we can flex our elbows.:p Did you happen to get a feel as to how the KIDS program was running...i.e, were there a lot of kids on your cruise? Did they look :) or :( . Can you tell I really need a vacation ?????? Again, many thanks for your insightful review.

J.T. Faison

I'm printing the review out for bedtime reading.

Can't wait to see your new photo's! Any idea when you will get them posted on your web site?

Thanks for your excellent review, Greg. I enjoyed reading it. Glad you enjoyed your first "Vista Cruise".

Thanks for your great review Rev Neal! Glad you enjoyed the "O", we might just have to try sailing her!:D

Greg, wonderful review. You always tell of your experiences in such painstaking detail and I want you to know that I most certainly appreciate your efforts.

Sadly, I couldn't be quite as complimentary as you have been but I certainly agree she's a magnificent vessel and she never seemed crowded (well, except for the Lido at lunch). And, of course, it's entirely possible there have been improvements since we cruised in November and I'm delighted they have obviously taken place. Our crew was overworked and tired, yet always terribly nice and so desireous to do their very best. Our cabin steward, also, was amazing ... our cabin seemed to clean itself as if by magic:D .

Many thanks! I really enjoyed reading this:)

Excellent work as always, Greg. Thanks for taking the time to be very specific about what you observed. Now you've got me really wanting to sail on the Oosterdam and the other vista ships besides Zuiderdam (which we really enjoyed.)

Greg, thank you for another well-done report. I always respect your point of view.

May I ask your opinion of this ship in Alaska? I'm planning to take my (will be then) 15 1/2 year old grandgirl in '06. I was hoping to sail an S-class round-trip out of Vancouver, but no S-class are doing that route.

So-o-o-o, the choices are: different route or different type ship. I think the choice on that route are Volendam or one of the Vista's.

What say you?

Thanks for anything you can add to my thought process.

Thanks for the review Greg! Sounds like you had a great time!

Now you understand why I like Oosterdam so 'Dam' much...

:D

Thanks for your great review Rev Neal! Glad you enjoyed the "O", we might just have to try sailing her!:D

Does it not go without saying these days that revs like "O"'s.

Its a joke.

an announcement was made (along about 2:45) informing us that our staterooms were ready.

That's late for cabin availability isn't it? I was under the impression that the cabins are opened at 1:00.

Glad your luggage was not one to be dumped!;)

Sadly, I cannot say the same for the entertainment which they brought aboard for this cruise ... by-and-large, I could have done without most of them.

Could you elaborate on this entertainment, please?

Greg -

You reassure me that I wasn't mistaken in my impressions of the O'dam which, as you know, I also was apprehensive about. I find I can't disagree with anything you had to say. And I do have to agree that Mr. Deering is a wonderful host (and an avid CC reader!)

Rev .. Excellent report! Thanks for sharing your experiences .. glad to read you had a great time and enjoyed the vista class experience!

Our first HAL experience was on the Zuiderdam .. We had a great time and loved the ship. Second was the Volendam .. Beautiful..but think we like the zuiderdam better..liked the more upbeat vibe on the zuiderdam. next up..zaandam..which I followed your review of last fall...we're headed to alasaka .. if the O dam was sailing from vancouver..we would have booked in a heart beat...but, I'm sure we're going to enjoy the zaandam too.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences....sincerely appreciate the time and effort it takes to compile ones experiences..

So...when is your next cruise!!??

Peggy Sue

Great review. I was on the O last summer in Alaska and yes, RuthC, it does a very nice 7 day Alaska stopping at Sitka. I can't believe the luggage went over the side! What a nightmare!

Great review and a very nice writing style! Thanks-Will

Greg, I am so glad you liked the Oosterdam. She is definitely one of our favorite ships. If not our favorite right now it is a toss up between her and the Ryndam.Your review was great, did you get a chance to see the pictures of your Bon Voyage. I got some good pictures of you on the ship and the ship leaving at night.

So glad everything went well:)

Greg-we sail on the O'dam this coming Saturday. Thanks for the timely update. After several cruises on Celebrity this is our first on HAL. You make it sound oh so wonderful (except of the longshormen dumping the luggage-but HAL has no control over them.)

Greg: thank you for an another excellent review from you about your latest cruise! You voiced a lot of similar thoughts and concerns that I have about a first cruise on a Vista-class ship, having become quite at home on the S-class ships and the Amsterdam. As a result of your review and other recent reviews of the Oosterdam, I am more confident that we will find the Oosterdam to our liking come May 7 on her first cruise to Alaska for this year. Glad you had a good time - your thorough observations are appreciated!

Can't wait to see your new photo's! Any idea when you will get them posted on your web site?

I'm processing photos right now ... should have them ready to upload by the end of the weekend ... hopefully by Sunday night. I took a lot of photos, but I'm trying to select the best and the most representative.

May I ask your opinion of this ship in Alaska? I'm planning to take my (will be then) 15 1/2 year old grandgirl in '06. I was hoping to sail an S-class round-trip out of Vancouver, but no S-class are doing that route.

So-o-o-o, the choices are: different route or different type ship. I think the choice on that route are Volendam or one of the Vista's.

Personally, I would choose the Volendam. As much as I love the Oosterdam, I must say that my preference is till for the Volendam or one of the other S/R-class ships. I still prefer the small HAL ships.

In Alaska one of the critical issues would be ship-size relative to the ports of call. Things can be congested-enough in those ports with other cruise lines and their floating mega-hotels, so I would be tempted to try and minimize the size of ship. The extra 400-500 passengers could be critical.

Rev

Have you decided not to join us on the Veendam in November? In looking at your future cruises, looks like you will be elsewhere. We will surely miss you.

Q

Could you elaborate on this entertainment, please?

Oooh, that's a difficult one. One of the entertainers was a juggler. I suppose he was ok, but that just wasn't my cup of tea. Another fellow was a singer ... last name of Black. I'm sure he was good ... he could sing well ... but I didn't appreciate his program. Specifically, he did a romantic song in which he invited all the couples to stand and dance, right there where they were sitting. I was the only single person in the midst of a whole bunch of couples, and so I was left sitting, alone, while others towered over me, dancing in front of their seats. It was very conspicuous, very uncomfortable situation. Solo-cruising can sometimes be awkward-enough without having my being alone rubbed in my face by the entertainment.

I wasn't the only person caught in this exceedingly uncomfortable moment.