Oosterdam Spanish Farewell 2023: The good, the great, and well, the cold.

[ldlewis45]

So a bit of back-story first.  This is my 3rd HAL cruise, and coincidentally, also my third on thr Oosterdam and in Neptune Suite 5190.  My other cruises were 7-day round-trip Alaska cruises from Seattle, so this was my longest cruise on the ship.  To be honest, I was worrying that I would run out of things to do on a longer cruise, since the Oosterdam is not a massive ship. 

 

I was pleasantly surprised, although there were a few changes in the 4 years since I'd last boarded her that I wasn't thrilled with.  For one, I miss B.B. King's.  It was replaced with the Rolling Stone lounge earlier this year, and while I'll admit that the variation in musical styles is nice, the lounge isn't acoustically suited for rock music (the reverberation is a little too much sometimes), in my opinion.  Another change is that they aren't doing the Rudi's pop-up dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, and that was one of the dining highlights of the Alaska cruises I took on the Oosterdam.   HAL has apparently also cut out the additional Elemis toiletries in the suites now (used to have pillow spray, lip balm, eye gel, etc. provided at night). And apparently chocolates are no longer provided every night.  I was given a couple of pieces on the cruise so far, but not since the first week (and I think only on two occasions that week).  

 

My biggest complaint has been that I have been unable to get truly hot water in my suite at any point on this cruise.  To the point where there was literally only cold water on two mornings.  I've made a couple of complaints, but it's only been a temporary fix and still has never resulted in actually hot water.  I've kept the knob turned as hot as it'll go, and it's still usually a bit tepid at best.  To make the point, the mineral pool in the spa has always been hotter than the hottest water I've gotten in my suite.  I'm guessing the root cause is a lack of maintenance, as this was never an issue during my previous cruises in the same suite.  While she's still a nice ship, the Oosterdam is badly in need of updating in the staterooms. 

 

The view from 5190 and its balcony can't be beat (it's a massive, completely covered aft corner wrap balcony with a dining table, four dining chairs, 2 arm chairs, and 2 lounge chairs with a side table) but the room and especially the bathroom are in need of updates.  While admittedly subjective, the bed is probably the least comfortable bed I've had on a cruise, and that's counting the two previous Oosterdam cruises, where I was sleeping on the couch bed.  The two sides have definitely had uneven wear.  It's not a deal-breaker or the end of the world, but again shows a need for refurbishment.

 

In terms of food, service and quality has been decent to very good.  I've dined in the Pinnacle Grill twice and Canaletto once.  The Canaletto meal was okay, but the appetizers (burrata with tomatoes and some really tasty meatballs) were better than the ossobuco, which had decent flavor but seemed like it had been improperly pressure cooked (kind of tender, but somehow still dry).  The highlight of the premium meals was the chocolate souffle that I had both times I ate at the Pinnacle Grill.   It was perfectly cooked and just the right level of richness and sweetness.  Again, I miss the pop-up Rudi's, as they have replaced it with a seafood boil in the lido.  I'm not a fan, as I don't eat that much seafood and when I do, it's almost always going to be either fresh fish or king crab legs.  As usual, the lido has been surprisingly good, to the point that I have yet to go the dining room.  I'm still a big fan of the custom omelets and crepes.

 

We have today, tomorrow, and Tuesday remaining, and arrive in Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday.  This has been overall a good cruise, but I'll admit I am hoping I can actually get a truly hot shower in my stateroom before I get off the ship, especially with how much this vacation cost.

 

Although, I am finding today a bit questionable since I'm currently laying on a hot tile lounger in the spa listening to a lady casually pass gas multiple times on lounger two down from me and literally just started clipping her toenails.  😬😬😬

Edited November 12, 2023 by ldlewis45

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your comments.

Too bad about the tepid water and the rude person (I can't call her a lady) in the spa.

[FLCruiser97]

Nice balcony.

I'm sailing on Her in April Trans-Atlantic. Hopefully by then some of the cabin issues will be fixed.

[ldlewis45]

1 minute ago, puppycanducruise said:

Thanks for sharing your comments.

Too bad about the tepid water and the rude person (I can't call her a lady) in the spa.

She literally just lifted her leg and let another one rip right before she sat up to clip her toenails.  Not even an, "Oh, excuse me," or anything.  I thought it was unintentional until then, then I realized that was definitely not the issue at hand.

[ldlewis45]

1 minute ago, FLCruiser97 said:

Nice balcony.

I'm sailing on Her in April Trans-Atlantic. Hopefully by then some of the cabin issues will be fixed.

It's weird, because it seems like water issues are a problem in multiple areas.  One of the people in my rollcall said that they've got the opposite problem, that their hot water can get so hot sporadically that it probably isn't safe.

[FLCruiser97]

2 minutes ago, ldlewis45 said:

It's weird, because it seems like water issues are a problem in multiple areas.  One of the people in my rollcall said that they've got the opposite problem, that their hot water can get so hot sporadically that it probably isn't safe.

Oh My! That definitely is dangerous. 

[Sir PMP]

1 hour ago, ldlewis45 said:

She literally just lifted her leg and let another one rip right before she sat up to clip her toenails.  Not even an, "Oh, excuse me," or anything.  I thought it was unintentional until then, then I realized that was definitely not the issue at hand.

Clipping toenails in the spa, that's awful:

[ldlewis45]

4 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Clipping toenails in the spa, that's awful:

Especially since she didn't even clean them up!  She couldn't have figured out in the changing room that she needed clipping and done it there?  

[Shalandara]

Also on this cruise and I have had no issues with water temperature.  I’m sorry you are.

 

I am more than amused by the complaints on the Facebook pages … even more so by the complainers being contradicted by others on this cruise (sone even shutting off comments since they are not getting the reactions they want.)

[ldlewis45]

1 hour ago, Shalandara said:

Also on this cruise and I have had no issues with water temperature.  I’m sorry you are.

 

I am more than amused by the complaints on the Facebook pages … even more so by the complainers being contradicted by others on this cruise (sone even shutting off comments since they are not getting the reactions they want.)

I figure that every cruise can be a different experience for each cruiser, depending on their expectations, their stateroom location, stewards, etc.  I've had cruises that I thought were fantastic and I've later listened to people say it was the worst cruise they've been on.  I'm sure that other cruisers probably would have been screaming down the house at guest services with the water issues, but while it is frustrating to not  know from day to day whether I'll have sufficiently hot water, it isn't like screeching at the Neptune Suite concierge or guest services is likely going to change anything.  Bad pipes or water systems in that section of the ship isn't necessarily something they're going to make perfect without going into drydock.  What matters is that they have been responsive and have been trying to fix it, even going to the extent of shutting off the water entirely one morning nd basically destroying a hallway to try to get it fixed.

[kochleffel]

It can take a long time for water in my obstructed OV, deck 4 mid, to get hot, but then it ranges from hot to very hot. 
 

DR portions seem mostly smaller than on my last HAL cruise, in 2020, except when one is unpredictably huge. Service falls just slightly short. For example, it’s almost impossible to get a refill of coffee at breakfast. This morning I had a room-service breakfast at 7:15 and they phoned three hours later to ask whether it was okay.

 

It is painful to see the Lincoln Center Stage space, which is not being used for anything.

[OlsSalt]

Inconvenient I understand, but can they offer you a Thermal Spa pass to compensate for the lack to hot water in your Neptune Suite, until this issue can get resolved?

[0106]

Any comments on the sea day activities would be appreciated.  Is there an interesting guest lecturer?

[OlsSalt]

43 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Inconvenient I understand, but can they offer you a Thermal Spa pass to compensate for the lack to hot water in your Neptune Suite, until this issue can get resolved?

 

Sorry, I had missed your comments about your unhappy spa experiences too. Cancel that suggestion to use the Thermal Spa facilities, while waiting to get your own suite deficiencies fixed.

[OlsSalt]

Did the Oosterdam get some later aft deck cabins added later after the original build? Or,  am I confusing that with another HAL ship, where similar cabin utility problems were later reported.

 

I believe they did this  aft block of cabin additions to the old Prinsendam and the old Rotterdam, with unhappy issues showing up after the re-fit.

[TravelBluebird]

How is the Internet? I’m hoping that Oosterdam has the Starlink upgrade because I’m on her for a South America//Antarctica cruise in January, and decent Internet is a must-have for me.

 

Also, gosh, I hope the water issues are fixed before the Antarctica cruises! Hot water is a MUST have for that one!!  

 

 

[crystalspin]

22 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

How is the Internet? I’m hoping that Oosterdam has the Starlink upgrade because I’m on her for a South America//Antarctica cruise in January, and decent Internet is a must-have for me.

The whole fleet is supposed to have Starlink by the end of this year. I've "lost" my note about which ships had it and which still to go, but you should be fine in January either way!

[TravelBluebird]

Just now, crystalspin said:

The whole fleet is supposed to have Starlink by the end of this year. I've "lost" my note about which ships had it and which still to go, but you should be fine in January either way

 

Thank you! I know that Oosterdam is supposed to have it done…just trying to find out for sure before the cruise, so if it hasn’t been done for some reason I can prepare myself for work, etc.

[ger_77]

Sorry to hear about the cold water and bed issues - that's not good.  And about the gas-bag a couple of loungers down; a simple "Do You Mind?" would be my response!

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, ldlewis45 said:

She literally just lifted her leg and let another one rip right before she sat up to clip her toenails.  Not even an, "Oh, excuse me," or anything.  I thought it was unintentional until then, then I realized that was definitely not the issue at hand.

Perhaps you got the same lady we saw, clipping her DHs toenails, while sitting in loungers at the indoor pool on the QM2 :(.  She gets around.

[kazu]

24 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

Thank you! I know that Oosterdam is supposed to have it done…just trying to find out for sure before the cruise, so if it hasn’t been done for some reason I can prepare myself for work, etc.

 

Based on last year’s TA where internet was practically impossible on the transatlantic portion (don’t know why - it has been before) and that the OP is posting in the middle of the ocean, it certainly sounds like the Oosterdam may have it?  

[kochleffel]

53 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

How is the Internet? I’m hoping that Oosterdam has the Starlink upgrade because I’m on her for a South America//Antarctica cruise in January, and decent Internet is a must-have for me.

 

Also, gosh, I hope the water issues are fixed before the Antarctica cruises! Hot water is a MUST have for that one!!  

 

 

I needed to attend Zoom classes during this cruise. The Internet was fine whenever I needed it, but might not be as consistent at higher latitudes. Zoom’s two-way video requires a lot of bandwidth and so I had upgraded to the premium package.

[ldlewis45]

5 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Based on last year’s TA where internet was practically impossible on the transatlantic portion (don’t know why - it has been before) and that the OP is posting in the middle of the ocean, it certainly sounds like the Oosterdam may have it?  

For me, the internet has been fine.  I have heard several people complain about the internet, but I've never had an issue.  And I did on previous cruises, so it has definitely improved.

[Nodakboiler]

Onboard Oosterdam now- internet has been excellent but we did go 3 days without TV because of our route deviation due to Atlantic storms.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your report. sorry about the water and the bed.

You mentioned some Elemis products no longer supplied in the Neptune Suite, what Elemis products are still provided?