4-20 March Oosterdam Panama Canal review

We flew out of Reno,NV, on 3 March leaving 20F snowy weather behind. We were met at San Diego airport by a HAL rep and sent directly to the Hilton. Everything went smoothly at the hotel, transfer to the ship, boarding, etc.

Spoiler alert: don’t expect a lot of “buts...” in this serialized review, except when we get to the attack of the killer bees, of course.

We booked the aft-wrap Neptune suite 7151. Now this will be great in the Canal, but it is so far from Everything except the MDR.

More after cocktails.

Cruises, stars, it’s all so confusing...

Looking forward to more of your reports.

Thank you for beginning your cruise review.

Hope you have a fabulous cruise.

Following along.

Keith

Loved doing the canal, looking forward to reading about your experience.

Allan

So, first the ship. Oosterdam is wonderful and appears to be aging gracefully, imho. We have a minor complaint about the showers - the handheld shower head is hard to keep in position. Otherwise all ok. I am lot permitted to comment on colors (my crayon box has 8 colors, including black and white), but everything looks nice to me.

Service? The best. I cannot say enough good about the crew. Helpful, friendly, and readily engaging in conversation.

Food? No complaints. MDR, Pinnacle Grill, Lido, Neptune Lounge, room service, all good.

Btw we are in the canal now entering Gatun Lake.

Excursions? We booked several “easy” tours with HAL. They varied but all had interesting bits. Most interesting was the “Attack of the Killer Bees” - an unusual incident. This was on the “Cortijo el Rosario Estate and Equestrian Show” excursion. After a great horse show, we shuttled by bus to the clinic and then walked to the gift shop. One of the groups arriving just after us disturbed a bees nest and the bees drove us out of the shop. Many sustained annoying stings but apparently not seriously. I got three. More after I get home and can type on my computer!

But so far so good, and our champagne has not run out, thank goodness!

Oh, btw, please know that my report is only about my experiences aboard, and does not include any hearsay from others. I have heard some negatives but others will have to post them.

Finally (for a few days) I want to thank HAL for assigning Aan and Sulhan as our room stewards: quietly efficient, ready to help, and not intrusive. They are the best!

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Home at last! At least the bed has stopped moving around with the ship. I found it disturbed my sleep a couple of times, but nothing serious.

So this installment is about the MDR. We requested early dining at a shared table. Our party of three - DW and I, and our neighbor Ingrid - was joined by a lovely couple from Maryland, John and Bev. We had the good fortune to be stuck in a rather spacious back corner (starboard side) at an oval table for five. Our dining steward Paizul was astonishing. How he remembered our names and preferences I will never know. It is almost enough for me to choose our next cruise by finding out where he (and Aan and Sulhan) will be assigned at the time.

We found the food to be delicious, and served appropriately hot, cold, cool, whatever. Preparation of beef tends more to the steakhouse interpretation of doneness (rarer) rather than restaurants in general. However, if you order a steak well done, that is the way it will be served, and it will not be cooked to death.

Fish. They offered lots of fish. All good. The salmon was uniformly tasty and juicy. And we ate lots of shrimp. Lots. Also the surf and turf on the last Gala Night was really good. John ordered - and was served - two lobster tails. By that point of the cruise I was begging for smaller portions, not because the portions were too large, but because I had arrived at the point that I always felt full - and then it was time to go to another meal!

Very good.

We also ate some breakfasts and lunches in the MDR. The service, menu, and food was always very good. We did not realize on our first cruises that breakfast and lunch were served there...

Sticking with food but digressing from the MDR, burgers, fries, and Nathan's hot dogs at the Dive Inn on the Lido Deck were good. Also the taco bar. Next time I will bring a couple of bunches of cilantro - I like a LOT of cilantro on my tacos and nachos. TIP: go to the salad station on the Lido and get a little lettuce in a big salad bowl, then go to the taco bar and make yourself a taco salad. I think I saw that suggested here somewhere, but it is such a good idea it bears repeating. Also, the Neptune Lounge rotating small plates and snacks - and ESPRESSO/COFFEE MACHINE! - tided us over a few times (more about the NL Concierges in a later post).

Back to the MDR. The china in the MDR is chipped, and I mean a lot of it is chipped. During every meal we ate there, several plates (cups, saucers, etc.) were chipped. It did not worry me, but I thought Holland America was not putting their best foot forward. It also Made me wonder what message this sent to the MDR staff?

And Pinnacle Grill? We were comped lunch there one day, and I was very favorably impressed. Again the service was the best, but the food was really good also. Since we only went once, and it appears the PG has its own dinnerware, I don't remember if the MDR chipping issue occurred there.

OK. That wandered around a bit, but stuck with a food theme, so I guess I am happy with it. More when we make headway on the laundry...