Oosterdam-2/17--A True Banner Cruise

[cruznon]

The Magnificent Voyage, Part I

Greetings all!

The Oosterdam arrived early this AM back in San Diego (the web cam pix are great) and the weather is gorgeous at the port--bright, sunny and warm!

This cruise was absolutely wonderful! It was all I could have wished for and more! This ship and its crew are special.

Last Saturday we arrived at the pier at approx 11:15. We dropped off bags, checked in and walked on board. The whole process took about 15 minutes! We went to Neptune Lounge, left our bags and headed to Lido for lunch. This place was filled with like-minded pax, ready to begin the seemingly never-ending snacks/meals!

Back in the Neptune, I visited that fabulous coffee machine for a quick latte and then Abagail told us our room was ready.

We were in 6093--a last minute upgrade. Ah, it was wonderful--spacious, beautifully appointed and with a great location! We actually had closet space to spare, which is a miracle for us! I LOVE the small dressing area--such a lovely place to get ready for dinner, make up, etc. (This was MY space.)

What can you say about the HAL beds? I snuggled into bed each night, feeling like a princess: tons of comfy pillows, soft, luxurious linens and dovet. I've never slept better.

At 2:40 we headed to the bow with the banner unveiling. Soon Bill and Meril (insiders cabin) arrived and then Randy and Tina. They signed the banner. Photos were taken as we unfolded it and then we hung the banner in place. RevNeal said he wondered what those on the pier would wonder...he was correct. (A small group of folks gathered on the pier and pointed up to the banner.)

Lisa called and we waved for the camera. We've both e-mailed back and forth, but it was great to hear each other's voice! This was really a great way to start this special week.

We folded the banner and put it in it's clear zipper case. (The pen is tucked in the top right-hand side on the back.) I then took the banner to Mr. de Boer's office. (HM office is on deck 1--near the shore excursions desk.)

At 4:15 we had the lifeboat drill, then back to our cabin to open champagne. As promised, I toasted the HAL CCers as the ship slipped from the pier! Sailaway was beautiful--I love my city. My DH, Fred, got a Garmin GPS for Christmas. (He loves gagets) so his eyes were glued to the small screen and he kept giving me "updates" on our positions as we left the harbor. I replied, "I know. I'm LOOKING at the lighthouse!"

DH's luggage arrived before LB drill. Mine was there when we got back. After leaving the harbor we unpacked and settled into our new home!

We had 8:00 dinner, lower level. With the staggered arrival times, we decided to ask for a table for two instead. We had table #117 by the window, starboardside. Right beside us was another two top with two charming sisters. We had the very best of both worlds at dinner: our own table, with wonderful dinner conversation between our two tables.

Our waiters took good care of us the entire week. The food was excellent. Good service throughout.

On Sunday , the CCers had a gathering in the Oak Room, Hans Becker (Beverage director) Simon de Boer(HM) and some other officers were there to welcome us, chat, answer questions, etc. (I believe Randy has already written about this gathering.) One of the real joys of these meetings is ACTUALLY meeting the people you have been conversing with on the boards. We'd meet, give each other our names, THEN our posting names and we'd all go, "Yes, I know you! We've spoken on the boards!" It was great. We kept running into each other throughout the cruise. All the CCers I met were such fun. ( I honestly can't remember laughing so much! Of course the champagne flowing throughout the week didn't hurt!!!)

Hans Becker took photos of our CC group right ouside the Oak Room. I'll download pix tonight and then post.

CCers were invited to a Captain's cocktail party which gave us another opportunity to visit, laugh and share cruising stories! The Oosterdam officers are to be commended for their gracious inclusion of CCers into so many events. They made us feel so special and that CC was valued.

On Thursday, a special behind-the-scenes tour of the galley and the provisions area was led by two of the culinary officiers in small groups. We not only saw the galley, but the food prep areas below the kitchens and saw the butcher shop slicing the steaks and saw the trays of lobsters for dinner that night. We got to go into a large freezer, the Pinnacle Grill kitchen, room service area and then the bakery! THe fragrance from the bakery was incerdible! They explained the precision of onloading the massive quantity of food, etc. We were all thrilled with this opportunity!

The Captain's reception on formal night was well-attended. There was an abundance of drinks, hot/cold appetizers and yes, Ruth, the good nuts!

There's more to say... But I need to start unpacking and laundry--UGH!!! I'll be back....

[localady]

Peggy- It sounds like an absolutely wonderful week, it makes me even more excited (if that was possible) for our upcoming 'O' cruise!!!:D

Thank you so much for making that beautiful banner, we will think of you each time someone signs it!!:D Look forward to seeing BillS and the whole gang out there this afternoon!!

Thanks again!!

[Sailorgirlseattle]

Welcome home! And thanks for all the wonderful details on your trip. Sounds just WONDERFUL!

[cruznon]

Part II

On to the next segment....

We took three shore excursions on the cruise. At Cabo San Lucas, we took the 2 1/2 hour Whale Watching tour. Monday, Cabo was gorgeous! It was aprrox 80 degrees, with a light breeze. We were very fortunate on this tour. We saw multiple whales--humpbacks and gray whales.--some relatively close. At one point two large humpbacks came up, then dove down(side-by-side) and their tailsrose and came down in unison! If only these magnifent creatures had any idea what a great stir they caused on our small craft!

In Mazatlan, we did the Deluxe City Tour which gives an overview of the city. We were there on the last day of Madi Gras-- you could see the special statues (set up for this event) all along the sea wall and the massive stacks of beer and tented "refreshment stands" throughout the seaside area. A show by the Pantanal Flyers

was very interesting. Weather was terrific that day, warm and sunny--approx 82 that day.

In Puerta Vallerta was beautiful on Wednesday. We took the City, Country and Tequila Tour. The city part was so-so, country part was good, but, of course, the main event, the Tequila factory was the highlight. The entire tequila-making process was demonstrated and then the tasting began. Very interesting.....and fun!

Throughout the cruise, we had smooth calm sea. Then, Friday things changed a bit. The sea became a bit stromy and rougher--aprox 10-12 ft seas and lots of white caps and some wind. It was too cold to be on the balcony. The last day going back to San Diego is usually a bit rougher. Last night the ship "danced" a bit. I personally like it when the seas cause the ship to move. (It reminds you that you are at sea!) In the dining room last night, we could feel the movements

of the sea most definitely.

 

During this cruise we saw many whales from our balcony. I awoke one morning to voices on the balcony ajoining ours, I quickly realized it was the excitement of seeing whales! So I grabbed the binoculars and joined in the watch. You could see whale spouts in several spots! Now, that was really an unexpected way to start my day.

DRESS: I was pleasantly surprised by the dress on board. Everyone looked great in the dining room. There were approx 10-20 % of men in tuxes (just a guess from what I saw) but I'd say almost 90+% of gents were in suit/ties. DH looked great in his tux. (Wish all men realized how great they look in a tux!)

I only once saw inappropriate dress in the dining room. One teenage boy wandered in late to join his parents on formal night. His attaire: jeans and a white Tshirts (with some sort of colorful message/logo)--of course it wasn't tucked in and his unkempt locks added to the entire image.

I really liked the way the leisure time dining worked. Basically, HAL is back to two dining times--early and late--iwth a variable window for arrival in dining room. Perhaps there were chimes announcing dinner, but I never heard or saw the "chimemaster" anywhere--I missed that.

FOOD: We were pleased with all our dinners in Vista Dining Room. Food was well-prepared, varied and had great presentation. We ate at the Pinnacle only for breakfast (which were wonderful.)

Lido Buffet was good, but it always seemed crowded. I guess our timing was off--finding a table was a task. The salad bar had long lines and I didn't care for their 1000 Island dressing. After one trip there, I didn't go back. The pizza was wonderful. l loved the bread pudding--not earth-shattering news to those of us who have partaken of this HAL delight.

Room Service: I love room service! We bay shrimp cocktails and cheese plates a couple of time in the afternoon. They were nice appetizers when you have late dinner. I have heard talk about the cheese plate before here. We thought they were excellent--four/five different cheeses (brie, monterey jack, blue cheese, etc) dried apricots, sweetened walnuts,etc. We had breakfast in several days.

The crew/the ship: "Special" is the word that comes to mind. The ship is in wonderful condition. I'm sure if I searched, I might have found a spot where the carpet was worn, or perhaps a scratch in an elevator or even a loose piece of resin rattan on a balcony chair. But looking for imperfections was in my goal, so I just gloried in all the things that make the Oosterdam a wonderful ship.

The crew is all we've come to expect and MORE!! Friendly smiles, thoughtful, gracious service was given throughout the entire cruise. The officiers were so acessible via CC gatherings, cocktail party/receptions or even causaul meetings on the ship. One evening Simon de Boer saw us in the dining room and came over chat with us several minutes. The warm and caring of this crew will always be remembered. Hans Becker(Beverage) was very personable.

Finally, the ending survey: I made sure to let them know how much we like traditional dining AND formal night traditions! I do think this is important for us to mention, if we don't want future changes.

I was also VERY vocal about the "ART" auctions. Again, two day this "ART" was stacked throughout the Ocean Bar--UGH!!!!! One of the fiirst evenings they had this stuff filling the Crow's Nest--DOUBLE UGH!! I mentioned that I felt they were intrusive. Public areas shouldn't be highjacked by this framed stuff.

This cruise was all (and more) that I could have hoped it would be. I relaxed, laughed, met wonderful people, and feel so fortunate to have had this wonderful week! To those of you sailing soon, You'll love this ship. To those of you I met on board, I'll be in touch and hope to sail with you again. (But I keep thinking that) some very lucky people are now in MY stateroom!

Peggy

[cruznon]

oophs...double post

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Peggy, what a wonderful review. I can just hear your enthusiasm. I trust me I am already extremely excited and can't wait for 3 weeks from now. But on the down side I dread 4 weeks from now. I truly think this will be a cruise that they will have to drag me off Kicking and Screaming:D Then talk about big puppy dog tears, they will be there.

Thanks again for doing your review so quickly, gee I am sure I will not be as quick as you.

[Copper10-8]

Great review and thanks again for doing the whole Oosterdam "banner thing", the start of a HAL/CC tradition.

Quick question: Did Mr. de Boer (or Mr. Deering) give instructions on what to do when the H/M is not in his office and some CC member wants to grab the banner? Lisa, feel free to pipe in;)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Well......Not exactly:D I am guessing that if the H/M is not in that Stephen who's office is right next door might be in his office and he may be able to get it for us. I believe today that Mr. de Boer was not available he was in a meeting and Bill said that Hans the Beverage Manager knew they were coming and retrieved the Banner for him. The Banner is being kept in the closet that is to the left of the H/M's desk. I think that now that they know this will be a weekly ritual they will plan for us to get it. Next week will be Mr. de Boer's last week then Mr. Deering will be there on the 10th. I am pretty sure he will always be expecting us.:)

It is too bad that there will only be a few more cruises till fall to be doing this. I think there will only be 7 more times till the Oosterdam heads to Victoria for Dry Dock. Too bad there is not a Web Cam from the Star Bucks Headquarters that would zoom in on the Oosterdam in Seattle for the Alaska Season:D

[mamaofami]

Great review. I loved reading about your adventures in places that I haven't been to. Made me want to go.

Quite a difference in the Meet and Greet you guys had and the one we had on the Noordam last week where someone dropped the ball and we didn't even get coffee. But we had a great time meeting each other since as you say after writing to each other for so long, it's exciting to put a face to a name. And with CC, you always know people aboard.

Your banner idea is great!

[cruznon]

tried to send photo...I'll try again

Peggy

[Tinknock50]

Enjoyed your review! Thanks for posting it and happy to hear you were happy with it. :)

[codyody]

"I know. I'm LOOKING at the lighthouse!"

 

ROFLOL!!! Thankfully, my DH only has GPS for the golf course:eek:; it works the same, tho...Honey, I can see there's a lake between here and the green. I don't play well enough to care that it's 85 yards away or 100; I'm going to "lay up" if I can:D

 

Thanks for the enthusiastic review (I waved back last week).

[RuthC]

I enjoyed reading your report (did you ever dream you'd become the "mother" of a tradition? :) ) and am real glad you had such a nice time. And the good nuts. :rolleyes:

But you didn't mention anything about entertainment. Were you too busy "entertaining" each other to notice what HAL was providing? ;) Or do you have a comment or two to share. :D

[cruznon]

Ah, Ruth......

We enjoyed the small dance band in the Ocean Bar--I'll have to check the groups name. The Rosario Strings played each evening in Explorers Lounge and sounded lovely as we passed through after late dinner. I'm afraid we're not night owls on a ship. (That is strange since normally I AM a night owl--guess those comfy beds and the rocking of the oceans make me drowsy.) Plus, we were up early several mornings for excursions, tours, etc.

We saw four shows. Two were reviews--the first was not so good. Vocalists sang way out of tune. I saw show starring Peter Fernandez(male singer) who was very good. There was a female comedienne--VERY funny--warmly received! The last review entitled "Escape" was rather good. Missed the last night's show--packing. We didn't get to piano bar, sorry.

You're right, there was a lot of entertainment on board the Oosterdam, Ruth.:)

[cruznon]

grrr....Difficulty transferring a photo....I will figure this out.

[eroller]

Thanks so much for the great and positive review! I really enjoyed reading it. I'm leaving one week from today on OOSTERDAM. My second time onboard. I can't wait! Thanks for putting me in a really good mood!

 

Ernie

[OceanFantasys]

Great review Peggy.. Welcome back to the boards with us. Darn you found the bread pudding and I didn't see it anywhere on her a few weeks ago.. I love that stuff !!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I am helping Peggy out here, she is having technical problems with uploading.

Here is a Group picture of her Roll Call Group.

 

I will let her come and and tell more.

 

Click the thumbnail for larger pic

[cruznon]

Thanks, Lisa,

I have a new laptop, new camera and software and I'm NOT the most technically-minded person.

This photo was taken at our CC gathering last Sunday. It was taken outside of the Oak Room. I'm in red on the front row.

[dvdfreakmc]

Thanks for starting the flag tradition and for your review. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Can't wait to get on the "O" this summer!

[db777]

Thank you so much for the nice review. I can't wait for my first trip on the "O" in a few weeks...did you take the ship excursions or were the private ones arranged through others? I echo the others in recognizing your contribution to establishing a tradition for CCers on the "O..."

[RuthC]

Thanks for the info on the entertainment, Peggy. I try to stay away from the production shows, but appreciate info on the guest entertainers and HAL groups. They tend to move from ship to ship, so it's always possible to run into them. It's nice to have an idea what they're like when you see their name on the Daily Program.

I haven't seen the Rosario Strings since '04, when they were the best game in town at night. I asked for a particular song one night and, from then on, whenever they saw me they played it. Even when they spotted me in the dining room on Formal Night!

[cruznon]

Ruth,

I went back to check my daily program to check music personnel for you. I thought the classical quartet was Rosario Strings--MY error. It was the Ocean Breeze instead. They sounded great--Explorer Lounge filled every evening. Some further info: music in the Ocean Bar was the Sean Bell Trio--they were great--lots of folks dancing! Piano Bar:Bob Style.

[Grampy]

Peggy, Pat and I loved your review.:) Right when I was yearning for part 3 Ruth asked about the entertainment. Thanks for filling us in. Doesn't a week go by fast when you are having fun? I hope that you are still rocking a little today.:)

[cruisinjudy]

Peggy,

Great review. wish I was back there again!

 

Rhonda,

You had to ask at the dessert center to get the bread pudding. No more serve yorself I guess.