Oosterdam Alaska Review 5/5 (HAL Newbie)

[codyody]

What a wonderful job you're doing, USND! This is the first big thread of the Alaskan season and this year I GET TO GO, TOO:D :cool: :D . Love your sense of humor and choice of libation. Thank you for this.

[Copper Lanterns]

Thanks for a wonderful review!

 

Your positive attitude makes for a good read.

We are going in August and you make me wish that we were going with

HAL. Maybe next time.

Please keep them comming--

[USNDiver]

Managed to sleep in this morning then headed down to the Lido with our friends to graze at the breakfast buffet (good stuff.)

 

We entered Yakutat Bay at around 10:00 and the deck railing's were crowded with spectators (here's the advantage of having a balcony.) The stewards were walking the deck, offering cups of Dutch Pea Soup (which is not to be missed!) to take off the chill. After a cup, we hit the Ocean Bar for an alternate method of taking off the chill. The four of us went down to our cabin to enjoy the view of Hubbard Glacier (which we got to about noon.) As we were going in, I caught a glimpse of the Mercury (fresh from a dry dock) just leaving. Good memories on that ship.

 

Hung out on the balcony until the chill drove us back inside (40 degrees +/-) and back up to the Ocean Bar (getting thirsty again.) We didn't get that close to the glacier face, due to the ice pack I think, but it was still spectacular. Some of the ice chunks were a shade of blue that has to be seen to be appreciated.

 

Left Hubbard around 1:30, and since there wasn't much going on, we grabbed a short siesta before we were going to throw caution to the wind and

 

PLAY BINGO!!!:eek: (Are we wild or what?)

 

 

I can't remember the last time I played bingo but thought it might be fun. It was. The caller kept the game moving and had a good enough sense of humor to keep it enjoyable. Went back every day for th erest of the cruise and, Just like at the casino, didn't win (sighhhhhh.)

 

 

Another fine dinner (martini at my place at the ready when I sat down) and we called it a night.

 

Didn't really do much today and, you know what? Felt pretty good.

 

 

Looking forward to Sitka in the morning.

 

 

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

[Old As Dirt Mom]

.........

 

 

... we grabbed a short siesta before we were going to throw caution to the wind and

 

PLAY BINGO!!!:eek: (Are we wild or what?)

 

 

Dave

 

 

 

Definitely wild:cool:

[USNDiver]

Definitely wild:cool:

 

In the words of Jim Carrey

 

"Somebody Stop Me!!"

[Solo Cruiser]

Oh dear lordy, say it isn't so... cribbage AND bingo on one cruise. And they say cruisers don't know how to have fun. HA! Keep those reviews coming, they sure are enjoyable.

[USNDiver]

Oh dear lordy, say it isn't so... cribbage AND bingo on one cruise. And they say cruisers don't know how to have fun. HA! Keep those reviews coming, they sure are enjoyable.

 

Sandy,

 

Just wait until tomorrow, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

 

Mayhem will ensue.

 

 

 

 

Stick around,

 

 

 

 

IF YOU DARE!!:D:rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

 

More soon,

 

Dave

[fcorey]

darn, how many days until we leave for seattle now??? keep the review coming....

[USNDiver]

Up early for a quick breakfast and took a little exercise. The absolute coolest, most endearing feature on the Oosterdam has got to be the wraparound promenade deck (do all HAL ships have these?) I mentioned earlier about how the "O" looks like a real ship and the promenade really puts the icing on that cake. This is the first ship I've cruised on that actually has one. Sort of conjures images of well dressed couples, walking arm in arm (martini's in hand, natch) in the moonlight.

 

DANGER - Hopeless Romantic Alert!!!:rolleyes:

 

 

So after a few laps around, we went to hit the tender line (bypassing the Ocean Bar this time.) I try to avoid tendering like the plague, whenever possible, but Sitka looked like such a neat port we just had to get off. I tendered once on another cruise line (which shall remain nameless) and I've witnessed multi-car pileups on the innerstate that were better organized. I give HAL much credit for having this tender business well organized (like everything else associated with this cruise.) Went down to the Queen's Lounge, took a numbered ticket, and waited for the number to be called (about 10 minutes.) 5 Minute tender ride and we were there.

 

A scenic town, with some great photo material and friendly locals. Sitka offered many of the same souvenir shops but, like the other ports, if you look closely, you can find some very nice things. We bought a very unique cribbage board (which we sort of collect) and a small whale bone carving for fairly reasonable prices. I'd go back and spend a few days anytime.

 

Grabbed some lunch in town (fresh fish galore,) made another loop of the shops to make sure we didn't miss anything, and headed back to the ship. Again the tendering went well. Our boat was only about 1/3 full, but since no one else was waiting to board, they headed back to the ship (no waiting for a full tender to make the trip.) A while later I was looking out my balcony and saw a group of 3 seals, on the surface, sharing a salmon the size of a VW Beetle. A group of 4 Bald Eagles kept diving in and trying to take it away.

 

This by itself was worth the price of the cruise (like watching live National Geographic Channel.)

 

We went up on deck for the 5:00 sailaway (yes, drinks in hand) and could not stop admiring the scenery. I think that of all the ports we hit, this was my favorite. Once we got into the main channel, we again noticed that the "Golden Princess" was still eating our wake. We had been playing tag the entire trip (we docked together in Juneau) and they couldn't seem to keep up (guess that new pod paid off.) The cruise director eventually started calling it "The Alaska Taladega 500." We ran into some cruisers from the "Golden," who live not far from us, and I remember them saying "I wish we were on your ship." I think that says it all.

 

So we dressed out for dinner (smart casual again) and stopped by the Olive Pit for some refreshments. I should mention at this point that there were two groups on board with us. There has been much discussion on these boards regarding groups on cruises, and the difficulties they sometimes cause. The first group was about 400 folks from Austraila. Aussies are some of the most amiable, fun loving, and unpretentious people on the globe. I think we were lucky to have them aboard.

 

The second group was (if you can beleive this) the North American, Pauly Shore, Fan Club. We didn't have any trouble with this group and both members seemed very nice (okay, this one's a joke:D but there were really a group of Aussies on board.)

 

Dinner was great this evening. The usual choices, plus an Indonesian Rice Plate, Nasi Goreng (that I had been waiting for.) Our waiter, Nyoman, was pleased that someone at the table ordered it, and had some knowledge about their cuisine. If I could make one recommendation on the food, it would be to incorporate more Indonesian dishes into the menu. If youv'e never sampled their fare, you are missing out. I wish the Pinnacle could add a few of these dishes to their repertoire. I'm sure HAL already has the talent on their staff already to do this.

 

Back to the room to discover a Stingray (and a couple chocolate's) had taken up residence on our bunk. This was the absolute COOLEST towel animal I 've ever seen. If I could have gotten it into my bags, without wrecking it, it would be sitting here right now.

 

The Wife called it a night and I hit the casino to make another deposit (unlucky at cards, lucky in love, C'est la vie.)

 

Our ship had a nice roll and, again, we slept like babies.

 

 

Kethikan (and a couple's massage) tomorrow.

 

 

Dave

[Solo Cruiser]

Whew, I'm glad I took that dare USND. Sitka was somewhere I wanted to go in Alaska but Princess didn't stop there on my itinerary. If I fall in love with HAL as much as it appears I'm going to, who knows, I may take one of their ships to AK next time.

 

Envious over your whale bone cribbage board. Is that classified as a sort of scrimshaw? My father (an old soldier) taught me to play when I was 8 to help me learn to add in my head. He passed his love of the game and his board collection to me.

 

Thanks for the reviews so far and I can't wait to hear what's next. (if I dare... HA!!)

[USNDiver]

Whew, I'm glad I took that dare USND. Sitka was somewhere I wanted to go in Alaska but Princess didn't stop there on my itinerary. If I fall in love with HAL as much as it appears I'm going to, who knows, I may take one of their ships to AK next time.

 

Envious over your whale bone cribbage board. Is that classified as a sort of scrimshaw? My father (an old soldier) taught me to play when I was 8 to help me learn to add in my head. He passed his love of the game and his board collection to me.

 

Thanks for the reviews so far and I can't wait to hear what's next. (if I dare... HA!!)

 

Thanks Sandy,

 

My Father (Navy Man) taught me the game, and I passed it on to the family (now all hands are addicted to cribbage.) The board we bought wasn't whale bone (though there were plenty available) but a simple wood one, with a neat design. We bought a carved Canadian Goose made from Baleen Whale bone (eggs were extra) and it's resting on our mantle now.

 

Would like to hear more on your collection,

 

Dave

[Old As Dirt Mom]

..... The absolute coolest, most endearing feature on the Oosterdam has got to be the wraparound promenade deck (do all HAL ships have these?) I mentioned earlier about how the "O" looks like a real ship and the promenade really puts the icing on that cake. This is the first ship I've cruised on that actually has one. Sort of conjures images of well dressed couples, walking arm in arm (martini's in hand, natch) in the moonlight.

 

DANGER - Hopeless Romantic Alert!!!:rolleyes:

 

Ain't it grand? YES, ALL HAL ships have the wraparound promenade deck! It's a major reason I've chosen to sail with the HAL fleet:)

 

 

.....Sitka looked like such a neat port we just had to get off....

 

Sitka was my favorite port of call on our Alaska cruise last year, and I'm doing the same itinerary again this year, one reason being that I want to see more of Sitka!:)

 

A scenic town, with some great photo material and friendly locals. Sitka offered many of the same souvenir shops but, like the other ports, if you look closely, you can find some very nice things. We bought a very unique cribbage board (which we sort of collect) and a small whale bone carving for fairly reasonable prices. I'd go back and spend a few days anytime....

 

We went shopping at the Sitka Rose Gallery, and found several things we liked (and bought!)

 

..... If I could make one recommendation on the food, it would be to incorporate more Indonesian dishes into the menu. If youv'e never sampled their fare, you are missing out. I wish the Pinnacle could add a few of these dishes to their repertoire. I'm sure HAL already has the talent on their staff already to do this......

 

Yes, yes, yes! My mother was born and raised in Indonesia, and I have a fondness for her fiery, delicious Indonesian cookery......I would love to see more of these dishes onboard......

 

The Wife called it a night and I hit the casino to make another deposit (unlucky at cards, lucky in love, C'est la vie.)

 

Awwww, now THAT'S hopelessly romantic:)

 

Our ship had a nice roll and, again, we slept like babies.

 

 

Kethikan (and a couple's massage) tomorrow.

 

I'll stay tuned!

 

 

Dave

 

 

Bless you Dave; you tell a good story.........:)

 

Karin

[USNDiver]

Yes, yes, yes! My mother was born and raised in Indonesia, and I have a fondness for her fiery, delicious Indonesian cookery......I would love to see more of these dishes onboard......

Karin,

 

Next time we're in Seattle (our favorite city!) we'll be by for Ristaffel )what kind of wine should we bring?)

 

:D

 

Dave

[Old As Dirt Mom]

......

 

Karin,

 

Next time we're in Seattle (our favorite city!) we'll be by for Ristaffel )what kind of wine should we bring?)

 

:D

 

Dave

 

 

For rijstaffel, bring beer :D !

[fcorey]

My Father (Navy Man) taught me the game, and I passed it on to the family (now all hands are addicted to cribbage.)

 

Funny how that happens, learned to play when I was an NROTC cadet aboard a Knox class frigate on my first cruise, me and the guys I work with play every day at lunch when I am in the office

 

great review , keep it coming

[codyody]

Sandy - too bad there's not much need to count to 15 with new math:rolleyes:. The best thing I learned from FIL was cribbage; DH and I still have mini-tournaments.

[Solo Cruiser]

I was kind of an oddity (for way too many reasons to go into here LOL) growing up and being the only girl I knew that played cribbage. I've played in a couple of small tournaments and won them both (one against a retired USNSeal). My inherited board collection contains an ivory board from way back when the USA was still importing it, an extra long board made from a Jack Daniels whiskey barrel slat or stave or whatever they call it, and a board that mimics a toilet seat. Blessed... ain't I?? :rolleyes:

[DFW-Cruiser]

I am so enjoying your travelog. We leave Saturday for the same cruise, and except for the heavy seas, this just whets my appetite and excitement all the more! Could you possibly report on both Ketchikan and Victoria by midnight Friday??

 

:)

 

DFW Linda

[wizard-of-roz]

Dave: I, too, am so glad that you are truly enjoying every aspect of your cruise!

 

Side note: About the wrap-around-deck.....If you have a service dog, that is where they put the "potty-box" (forward)....needless to say it was very interesting to watch the looks on the joggers/walkers and lookie-loos, as they journied past the area.....I met some people I may have never met otherwise!;)

Continue to have a glorious vacation and keep us up to date on the happenings!

[hawgwildterry]

Roz,

 

Now you and I both know that Brenda does not use the 'potty box'. She has learned how to 'sit' and push the magic button with her paw.

 

Terry

[wizard-of-roz]

Wahoooooooooooooooo! It's my friend Terry! Hi, honey, how are you and your beautiful DW?

;) (If you've sailed with the nicest man on the high seas, then you've sailed with Terry!) ;)

Life is good here.....Work is keeping me very, very busy (gotta save for future cruising!)

Brenda is an amazing dog....and, one of my biggest concerns (always), is where is she going to potty (I wish it were as easy as you suggest!)

The most convenient area was on Princess and NCL.......a stairwell near our cabin and a closet (used by the crew only!)

It's always interesting to see what innovative ideas the cruislines come up with!

Mr. Deering was the most congenial about this! He was always asking me if I was happy with the "box!"

Be well and hopefully we'll cruise together again.:p

[USNDiver]

Had a light, roomservice, breakfast of toast & coffee (roomservice I could get used to) to ward off any of thos embarrassing "growlings" during our massage. I'm not what you'd call a big "Spa" person but the Greenhouse is a pleasant place to be. I went in for a facial earlier in the cruise (Okay, I can hear you laughing at me) and thoroughly enjoyed it. What I'd like to see offered for men is an old fashioned, hot shave, with a straight razor:eek: This would beat any facial hands down and I'd bet that the men on board would be lined up out the door to get one at almost any cost. I understand that another cruise line (again, no names) offers "The Ultimate Shave" with hot lather, hot towels, and a disposable razor. Tacky, Tacky.

 

So my Wife and I were introduced to our Masseuses and led into the couples room. Nicely appointed with some soothing music in the background (God I sound girly!) My masseuse, a petite smiling thing, seemd a little undersized for the job, but, well, I guess she knows what she's doing.

 

I swear this girl could have crushed rocks in her bare hands. I could picture her beating up Hulk Hogan, and taking his lunch money, without breaking a sweat. She asked if I liked a hard, soft, or medium massage. I figured medium would be fairly safe for a deep tissue massage and, though it was a little less than comfortable once or twice, it was a great, relaxing, experience that I'd do again in a second. High marks for the spa.

 

 

Met up with our friends, and walked right off the ship, without a wait, into Ketchikan. Strolled the streets, had some coffee and bought (more) souvenirs. If you're shopping for jewelry, they say this is the place to buy it. I've never seen so many jewelry stores, in such a small area, in my life! We tied up with the Golden Princess again and, again, their passengers looked longingly at the Oosterdam. We learned that the "Golden", while not that much bigger than the "O," holds 2600 passengers (and I understand it was at capacity.) Can you say sardine can? Climbed back on board for the 50K Snowball Bingo (nope, didn't win again but had fun.) Headed up to the cabin to change for the second formal night. The Wife had picked up a new gown prior to cruising and I went with the kilt again. Personally, I like the formal evenings, but it seemed that we took the dress code a bit more seriously than many of the other passengers. This entire dress code subject has been beaten to death, many times over, so I'll just let it go at that.

 

We planned to eat ashore in Victoria, the next evening, so we took this opportunity to thank our table staff for all they've done for us. Like the whole dress code issue, the tipping thing is a minefield that I won't step into here. We brought along a package of small thank you cards, with a modest amount of filler, for a little extra compensation (I felt it was well earned.) The envelopes were proffered discretely, and accepted with a slight bow, a large smile and a sincere thank you. I've witnessed what could best be described as greed, on other lines, but saw no evidence of it here. We're aware of how the tips are distributed but recognized those that really gave the great service. We made the rounds of the bars onboard, our last couple days, and slipped a few extra bucks to the bartenders, and servers, we had the pleasure of dealing with. Made us feel good. A similar envelope was offered to our cabin Steward, who we would have brought home with us if possible.

 

We attended the disembarkation talk in the afternoon, before we docked in Victoria, and the Cruise Director took the time to recognize all the crewmember's contributions, and even singled out Hunky-Dory as a HAL Icon (well earned.) Pulled into Victoria at about 6:00 and finally got off about 6:30. There was a line of shuttle buses at the pier, going to the downtown area (I think it was about a mile and a half walk, which I would have made if we had more time.) Round trip shuttle ticket, to downtown, ran $6.00 and the shutlles ran about every 15 minutes. Good system. Like Sitka, I would have liked to spend more time in Victoria. So we walked down to Chinatown and enjoyed an excellent Chinese meal. Back to the ship at about 9:00 and called it a night. We finished our packing, and left the bags outside our door (the cutoff for this was 1:00 A.M.)

 

The disembarkation was well organized and we were asigned a color, and a number, which they'd call when it was your turn to be dragged off the ship kicking and screaming.

 

We had brekfast in the Lido, while waiting to be called, and managed to run into some of our table staff for some last minute goodbyes and thank you's.

 

Left the ship (grudgingly,) found our bags, segregated by color, and hoped in a cab for the ride to the airport (the shuttles are a great service, but a little on the slow side.) Made it to SeaTac in plenty of time for our 11:10 flight and we were on our way.

 

 

I've got a few more comments, observations, thoughts, opinions about the cruise that I'll add.

 

Stick around,

 

Dave

[grannynurse]

Thanks Dave,

I really enjoy your writing style. This review has been great.

GN

[Grammakel]

Such an enjoyable review!

 

We're taking the same cruise end of August. First cruise for us ever!

 

The more I read of your posts, the more excited I am. Bless you for all the pertinent info and the humor...I love your outlook!

 

Here are a couple questions: Were you able to walk everywhere in each port, or did you have to take a taxi, shuttle, etc? (How about from the actual dock)?

 

Thanks again, great writing!

[USNDiver]

Such an enjoyable review!

 

We're taking the same cruise end of August. First cruise for us ever!

 

The more I read of your posts, the more excited I am. Bless you for all the pertinent info and the humor...I love your outlook!

 

Here are a couple questions: Were you able to walk everywhere in each port, or did you have to take a taxi, shuttle, etc? (How about from the actual dock)?

 

Thanks again, great writing!

 

Gram,

 

Thanks for the kind words. In Juneau, Sitka (tendered) and Ketchikan, the shops and such were just a few minutes walk from the ship (no hills or anything.) Downtown Victoria is about a mile and a half from the pier, and there are cabs, busses, pedicabs etc lined up when you get off the ship. Saw and old Chevy convertible (55, 56?) that offered driving tours of the city. Next time, that's the way I'm going.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Dave