Oosterdam Alaska Review 5/5 (HAL Newbie)

[wandb]

Loving your review! (And your sense of humor---hope DH and I sail with you one day and get to meet you!)

 

Being a great fan of mysteries and suspense movies, I don't mind your cliffhangers---just don't make us wait too long!!!!!

[JudyinGeorgia]

We leave on Sunday and I'm dying to hear how the trip was and if I need to bring my parka.....

[USNDiver]

If anyone has any specific questions about the ship/cruise (and you don't want to wait to see if I answer them in the review) ask 'em here and I'll answer as best I can.

 

 

Dave

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Dave, by taking HAL's shuttle transfer service from the Fairmont to pier 30 what time did you arrive to check in? Had boarding already started? Did you actually eat dinner Friday evening at the Fairmont, if you did, which restaurant?

[USNDiver]

Dave, by taking HAL's shuttle transfer service from the Fairmont to pier 30 what time did you arrive to check in? Had boarding already started? Did you actually eat dinner Friday evening at the Fairmont, if you did, which restaurant?

 

We got to the pier at about 12:20, and boarding had started at 11:30 (lines were minimal when we got there, 10 or 12 people in front of us.) Yes, we ate at "Shuckers" at the Fairmont Friday night and loved it. If you like seafood, this is the place. There is another restaurant, The Georgian, that was more upscale, but we looked at the menu for fun and they offered some nice dishes. Bottom line, I don't think there's a bad morsel in the place. Stop in the bar before dinner, you won't regret it.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Dave

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Thanks Dave, yes it does help:)

[kandyk]

Great review! Keep it coming.

[ipoder]

If anyone has any specific questions about the ship/cruise (and you don't want to wait to see if I answer them in the review) ask 'em here and I'll answer as best I can.

Dave

 

I'm scheduled for an excursion in Juneau that won't return until 7:45. That means missing my 6pm dining time and missing the lido's 8pm closing by the time I'm cleaned up and presentable. Does the Oosterdam extend the Lido hours or make some other arrangements for the set times in the dining room, or do I have to have room service?

Thanks,

JJ

[USNDiver]

I'm scheduled for an excursion in Juneau that won't return until 7:45. That means missing my 6pm dining time and missing the lido's 8pm closing by the time I'm cleaned up and presentable. Does the Oosterdam extend the Lido hours or make some other arrangements for the set times in the dining room, or do I have to have room service?

Thanks,

JJ

 

The Lido stayed open until 8:30 in Juneau, and late seating in the Vista ran from 8:00 to 9:00 (they'd probably be cool about seating you late.) If it makes you feel any better the room service food is pretty good.

 

Dave

[wizard-of-roz]

Love the Oosterdam...I know she belongs to Lisa but she shares her so well!!!!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Love the Oosterdam...I know she belongs to Lisa but she shares her so well!!!!

 

 

Thanks Roz:) Yes, I do but I love it when everyone else also loves my Oosterdam;) but then what's not to love:D

[USNDiver]

Awoke Sunday morning to a room service breakfast, grey skies, drizzle..

 

oh, and 10 to 15 foot seas (wheeeeeeee!)

 

 

Personally, I like the rough seas, and the motion of the ship that goes with it, but I'm certain I'm in a minority here. After breakfast we just sort of toured the ship. One major difference in the Oosterdam (probably on other HAL ships as well) is that instead of one or two main gathering areas (read "bar") the "O" has several smaller, more intimate, ones. I like it. We played some cribbage, hooked up with our friends to graze at the buffet, and sampled a cocktail or two.

 

A tough life to say the least.

 

 

The Wife went down to the spa for a facial and gave it high marks. She was asked if she was interested in buying some products but a polite "no thanks" ended the sales pitch. I've heard about some hard sell tactics in some ship's spas but this wasn't the case here. She was so impressed with the Greenhouse Spa that she booked me for a facial the following Thursday.

 

Pause here for laughter.

 

 

So with a little free time on my hands, I thought I'd meander down to the casino and try my luck on the machines.

 

Long story short, I've gotten better payouts from a parking meter (and no, that didn't dissuade me from returning several more times during the week.) The casino, while not big, is laid out nicely. A few gaming tables, poker machines, slots, the usual. One evening of the cruise is dedicated "smoke free" in the casino. Good idea. On the upside, the casino bar makes a great martini. Win some, lose some.

 

 

Headed back to the cabin to change into the good duds for the formal night, and noticed sea sick bag stations had sprung up around the ship. Good planning on someone's part. We stopped at the Olive Pit (THE martini bar onboard) for a little pre dinner apertif, and saw the Captain and Mr. Deering nearby. I know of Mr. Deering's reputation from the boards here so I though I'd introduce myself as (I think) the only CC member aboard. A pleasant gentleman, who took the time to chat for a few minutes, despite having what must be a punishing schedule. We bumped into him several times on the cruise and would always stop for a short talk and seemed genuinly concerned if we were having a good time (despite the big, dopey, grins on our faces that I mentioned earlier.) This was the pattern with all of the Officers we encountered on board. Never too busy for a quick chat. High marks again for the crew. We had some formal shots done and they came out nice.

 

Walked down to the dining room and, as if by magic, a Sappihre Martini, up, w/a twist of lime was waiting at my place, courtesy of Priscilla, our Wine Steward. I'm not a wine drinker so this would just have to suffice.

 

Is this anyway to run a ship?:D

 

The dinner was superb but, due to the seas, some passengers excued themselves early. One of the friends we traveled with got one or two bites down and quit while she was ahead. Our waiter, Nyoman, picked up on this and, once he was sure that it wasn't the food, immediately produced a plate of sliced green apples, as a sure fire remedy for seasickness. On a similar note, there is a special section on the room service menu for "passengers that are feeling the sea" consisting of green apples, beef broth and crackers. Very cool.

 

We finished dinner and headed up to the Crow's Nest for a nightcap and up there you can REALLY feel the sea. Loved it. People were tacking back and forth across the room with the motion of the ship and I noticed more that one who was "a little greenish." I watched one lady (easily 75 years old)enter the room in a gown, and very high heels, and I remember thinking "oh, this won't be good" but she walked across the room, without missing a beat, and plopped herself down at the bar. God bless her, I wanted to buy her a round (She'd probably drink me under the table too.)

 

With a full day behind us, we headed down to the cabin to find (again) a neatly turned down bed and a very, very cool lobster towel animal.

 

Life is good.

 

More in the morning,

 

Dave

[hammybee]

Dave, I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying riding along with you.

Thanks for sharing and keep em coming.

[dvdfreakmc]

Keep them coming, Dave -- your review is totally enjoyable.

[jackkip]

Dave,

Love the review. Now I can't wait until my trip on the "O" on 6/2. Just keep them coming,

Jackie

[ldog]

"I watched one lady (easily 75 years old)enter the room in a gown, and very high heels, and I remember thinking "oh, this won't be good" but she walked across the room, without missing a beat, and plopped herself down at the bar. God bless her, I wanted to buy her a round (She'd probably drink me under the table too.)"

 

 

I want to be this lady when I grow up!:D

 

Dave, thanks for the reviews.... keep 'em coming!

[wizard-of-roz]

Dave: I'm waiting............................................................

[RuthC]

You're doin' good here! Keep it up. :)

[SDHALFAN]

Great review Dave and I am thoroughly enjoying the "cliffhangers".

 

Can't wait for the next episode.

 

Valerie:)

[fatcat04]

We finished dinner and headed up to the Crow's Nest for a nightcap and up there you can REALLY feel the sea. Loved it. People were tacking back and forth across the room with the motion of the ship and I noticed more that one who was "a little greenish." I watched one lady (easily 75 years old)enter the room in a gown, and very high heels, and I remember thinking "oh, this won't be good" but she walked across the room, without missing a beat, and plopped herself down at the bar. God bless her, I wanted to buy her a round (She'd probably drink me under the table too.)

 

Particularly enjoyed this part.

 

I am a people watcher too. Thanks for sharing. I really feel like I am there with you. :)

[Solo Cruiser]

Dave:

 

Great review so far, thanks. I'm getting more and more excited about my first HAL cruise just reading about yours. And I loved that you mentioned my favorite card game, cribbage. Did you and the Mrs. bring your own board or do they have them in the game room somewhere?

[USNDiver]

Dave:

 

Great review so far, thanks. I'm getting more and more excited about my first HAL cruise just reading about yours. And I loved that you mentioned my favorite card game, cribbage. Did you and the Mrs. bring your own board or do they have them in the game room somewhere?

 

I agree, cribbage is one addictive game. We brought our own board so I'm not sure if there's any on the ship or not. We also bought a really nice one in Sitka as a souvenir.

 

Dave

[appletx]

We will be on the Oosterdam for our first cruise June 30 and your posts are so helpful. I love your descriptions of everything, but I was not expecting there to be so much "ocean motion" on the Alaska trip. We have never tried a cruise because my husband is prone to seasickness and I am just a "nervous nellie" in many situations. I thought Alaska would safer for us! I will have to per-order a supply of gin and tonic to settle the stomach.

[USNDiver]

Awoke to some calmer seas and another good room service breakfast. Weren't due in to Juneau until 11:00 so we broke out the cribbage board to kill some time (I won.)

 

Headed down with our friends to disembark at 11:20 or so, and found the lines to get off pretty long. We thought we'd play it safe and head to the Ocean Bar until the queue thinned out. Half an hour later the queue had thinned out. One hour later and we were still in the bar. Go figure.

 

We didn't sign up for any shore excusions on this cruise (though there were some really great ones offered) due to the fact that the weather could turn really ugly, really fast and I had no desire to be cold and wet on some expedition (I'm cold and wet a lot in my job, and I prefer warm and dry on vacation whenever possible.) So we just walked around Juneau and did some shopping and sightseeing. The shopping is best described as interesting. All the shops in the main shopping area pretty much sell a lot of the same things (Alaska T-Shirts, jackets, hats etc) but take the time to look around and you can find some unique items. Some other passengers said that there are some good jewelry bargains to be had in Juneau and Ketchikan (low state tax) so this might be an attraction for some (and a deterrent to others.) We stopped in for a late lunch at the Red Dog Saloon and you shouldn't miss this place, if for no other reason just to say you've been there.

 

Back to the ship to change for dinner, and this evening we were going try the Pinnacle Grill:eek: . I've read some rave reviews about the Pinnacle (and some scathing ones as well) so one way or the other it should prove interesting. My parents (veteran HAL cruisers) gifted us dinner for 2 at the Pinnacle and, as I discovered when I went to make reservations, so did Holland America. The only thing I can figure on this is that since we booked directly through HAL, this was given by them as a gift (who needs a TA?) Anyway, if HAL is reading this, thank you very much. We used the HAL gift to treat our friends to dinner (no hassle on this at all) and allowed them to pick up the tab for the drinks.

 

Good deal for all:p

 

High marks all around on the Pinnacle. The place settings, service, decor and, naturally, the food were first rate. This is definately a haven for carnivores. Once our drink orders were taken, the waiter brought over what I like to call "The Cart-O-Meat" They offer several different cuts and all were displayed, and explained, in great detail. If you shy away from dining on our barnyard friends, don't despair. Some very unique, and fresh, seafood items are offered. I had the plank roasted prawns, with cilantro butter, and could have eaten it three times a day and still not gotten tired of it. I kid you not it was that good. The Wife (the Consummate Carnivore that she is) had the fillet and didn't leave a morsel (I had to beg for a bite.) Our friends had the fillet and the lamb chops and I recall very little food left on the plates. The Pinnacle bar offered wine flights (small tastings of several different wines) and the others went with this (I stuck with my usual libation - anyone remember what it is?) I'm not a big dessert eater but the Wife and I shared a cheese plate (excellent presentation and variety) and our friends went with the ice cream and a VERY impressive looking Creme Brule (if you eat there, try this just for the presentation.)

 

So we rolled out of the Pinnacle and decided to take in a show. That evening there was a comedy juggler named Charlie Brown (no, really,) so we thought we'd give him a shot. Funny guy, and some good, wholesome, entertainment. Nice.

 

A quick stroll up to the Crow's Nest for a night cap and we called it an evening.

 

What was the towel animal du jour you may ask?

 

An elephant:D

 

Drifted off to sleep with Hubbard Glacier looming in the distance.

 

Could life be any better?

 

 

Dave

[SakeDad]

Dave,

So wonderful a review so far! While I'm on the Noordam this Sunday and a different itinerary you have whet the appetite for Alaska...can't wait to read more...but can you finish before I leave Saturday morning?:rolleyes:

THANKS!:)