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I suggest you go on the roll call for this cruise and see what others are doing. There may be some non ship excursions that you would like. Many times fellow passengers have organized private tours that are as good, if not better, than the ship excursions. They can be less expensive and with fewer people. Just a suggestion, Cherie

In 1989 Holland America ceased to be a Dutch line although most of us think of HAL as a Dutch line. I may not be correct in this but that is what I understand. But it really doesn't matter where you are from or what you are used to at home. When you are on a ship with more than 1000 passengers from many places you may need to relax and know that all passengers do not think like you. People walking the wrong way on the promenade is a problem for the OP. There were other things that I would complain about. But...I chose to cruise on a ship with over 1000 passengers and understand that not all passengers will be courteous in the Lido, at the pool, in the spa, etc., etc., etc. This is not my private home territory. I hope that HAL can work out the problem with passengers walking the wrong way or going faster than me on my future cruises. And I feel fortunate if this is all I have to worry about. Cherie

Any suggestions for a guide in Galway to go to the Cliffs of Moher? Thank you, Cherie

Different directions don't bother me. The 3-4 abreast is offensive. It's not that hard if you are walking a different direction to take a step or two in the other direction. We do it all the time when walking near our home. Not everyone is going to be courteous or walk in the direction you want them to and you just need to be prepared to deal with it. My husband and I would laugh at dinner on the Oosterdam when watching someone walking against what some think is the norm. We would say..."Oh, they're going to be in trouble." If you can easily get around someone isn't that o.k.? If you need something to get upset about that's o.k. too. If everyone on a cruise ship followed the rules that we think exist it would be awesome. Are rules posted on the cruise ships as to the only direction walkers should take? I didn't see any on the Oosterdam. Otherwise, sometimes we just need to not think that our way of doing things is the only way. JMO. Cherie

On the way to our 1/7 cruise in San Antonio, Chile I asked the driver to stop somewhere so that I could purchase flowers. I purchased 3 varieties of flowers. I had a travel vase with me. When arriving at our stateroom our room steward, Yudi, asked if I would like one of the ship's florists to help. The ship's florist came, looked at my flowers, and asked if he could arrange them for me. The arrangement was amazing and lasted for our 3 week voyage. I also had some of the flowers in another vase. Of course I tipped the ship's florist and really appreciated his arrangement. I love flowers and especially loved being able to pick out the ones I wanted. Cherie

My only comment about HIA is do not purchase if it is for the excursion credit. Both of our HAL excursions were cancelled and we had plans for all other ports. It was worth it to us for the other benefits, but if the excursion credit is the big deal I would suggest not to take HIA. JMO. Cherie

Wow. So sad that many have had such negative experiences on the Oosterdam. We were on the ship 1/7-1/29. We had anytime dining. Do not like early dining and 8 pm was a bit late to make it to the late show. So we usually went to the MDR @7-7:15. We were always seated within a few minutes and the service was good to awesome. Several times we had others joining us. We had staff ask us to request their table. If we had been sitting at a table for an hour without anyone taking our order we would have been gone 30 minutes prior to that 1 hour mark. I can't imagine waiting 1 hour without talking to someone. The dining room did not seem to be full, except on port days when everyone returned late. There is always turnover of staff depending on when their contracts are up. It was nice to hear that some of the staff in the MDR would soon be leaving for a visit with their families. 0106's post is what we experienced. If we were in a hurry we would did not choose the MDR and expect to receive soup to nuts in 1 hour. The MDR experience is a relaxed dining experience. If you do not want to spend a lot of time do not order an app and dessert. The dining room manager and/or the assistant dining room manager always made a stop to make sure everything was o.k. I congratulate the management and staff of the MDR for putting up with the requests and changes by passengers. At times it was a bit shocking as to how passengers thought they were superior to anyone else on the ship and how they treated the staff. This is our experience and my opinion. Cherie

Pete and Judy, Thank you so much for all of your posts. We recently used Edir at Iguassu Private Tours for our Iguassu Falls adventure and I connected a friend to Judy's list of yarn shops in ports. Thank you so much for the details and letting us think we are cruising with you. Cherie

We had a Thermal Suite pass for our 3 week cruise on the Oosterdam in January. It had been suggested on this forum that evening was the best time to go. Our first evening we went about 5p.m. The pool was not crowded but there were no seats available in the thermal seat area. There is a 15 minute limit but this was not enforced. It seemed to be a nice place where people enjoyed reading their books. We ended up going @6:30p.m. Often we were the only ones in the pool and always had thermal seats afterwards. The thermal suite itself needed some upkeep and maintenance. The showers in the pool area did not work, and the entire pool or the benches in the pool were out of order for about 5 days of the cruise. I think the thermal spas on newer ships may be a bit nicer. JMO. Cherie

But when the food has no flavor, ordering something else does not make a difference. In 22 days we tried several dining options, communicating to the server that the food has no flavor would not do anything to alter what is done in the kitchen. It would just create a difficulty for the server. I just think you have to know what to order.. We didn't go hungry, just left a lot on our plates and tried a bit harder to order what we would like. The Canelleto was a favorite. JMO. Cherie

I always lose weight on a cruise, not a bad thing!!!!!!! You walk a long distance to and from the dining area and just enjoy the experience. I think that if I was on a long cruise, 25 or more days, I would eat more often when in a port. JMO. Cherie

We were on the Oosterdam for 3 weeks in January. I have to say that, except for the Pinnacle and Canelleto, I was not impressed with the food. I agree that food is subjective. But, how can you ruin potato soup? There is absolutely no need for the soup to taste like flour. I love soups and found them lacking in flavor. I think it is knowing what to order. We are very happy with late dining and a leisurely dining experience. I wouldn't be worried...just know what you think you might be happy with. Also, I ordered small or half orders because I hated leaving a lot of food on my plate. Cherie

0106 - I hope you had an enjoyable trip from San Antonio to Santiago. I don't remember if you are staying in Santiago or continuing home. Safe travels and thank you for letting us cruise with you. Cherie

Absolutely, but I'm not sure everyone understands that U.S.$ are not the preferred currency on this cruise and you may pay extra if you want to use U.S.$. That's why I recommend asking your tour guide prior to arrival. We loved the Falklands as I remember you did in your blog. Cherie

We actually did not find that the U.S.$ was the best everywhere. Especially in Chile they preferred Chilean pesos so that they did not have to pay to change U.S.$. We asked our guide the first night in Santiago. Also, if you are going to local craft or other markets they prefer local currency. If you give U.S.$ they will probably give you local currency as change. With the problems in Argentina you will get a good exchange rate on the Blue market for U.S.$. We experienced places that did not take U.S.$. In the Falklands there was a $50U.S. fee added to a tour when using U.S.$ and not Sterling or a credit card. We did take a lot of crisp U.S. bills in all denominations and used them when we could. We also used our Wise Mastercard which is specifically for traveling. You can add to it during your trip and there is no transaction fee. This is just our experience in January. If you have private tours arranged just ask your guide what is the best for you when visiting that location. Cherie

I cannot comment on the above tours but I can comment on our tour with Adrian at Kidney Cove Tours. There were only 4 of us. His ranch begins about 45 minutes from Port Stanley and besides the beautiful scenery we saw 4 species of penguins close up. Adrian was a great guide and made sure we had a good time. We did this tour in January. Cherie

It means that when you check ahead for an uber you might get the cost for a car, when you are ready for the pick up it says "moto" meaing motorcycle. It happened to a few people on our cruise, especially in BA. Cherie

We used local currency in Argentina and Chile. Agree with using ATM's in Chile. Your guide in Argentina should be able to get you the Blue rate for U.S. $. 0106, I am hoping you have a great last couple days on the ship. And, if your transfer from San Martin to Santiago includes the Casa Marin vineyard you are in for a treat. We spent two nights at Casa Marin before boarding the Oosterdam on January 7 and just loved it. An amazing vineyard where we talked to people who had just left the Oosterdam. Beatriz, Yasna and the entire staff are awesome. Cherie

We recently used the services of Iguassu Private Tours, iguassuprivatetours.com. Edir was great at planning our transportation and tours. Our guide for 3 days was Gabriel, and he was fabulous. We stayed at the Gran Melia Iguazu and I didn't want to leave. I think staying inside the park is worth the extra $. We made our own flight reservations and hotel reservations. Edir may also be able to help with that. We visited both sides of the falls. The cost of everything regarding our tours and transportation was very reasonable. Cherie

Hi, We were on the January 7 cruise from San Antonio. We chose this date because there was an aft wrap cabin on the port side. If we were starting in BA I would choose an aft wrap on the starboard side. We used our balcony ALL the time. If you have an aft or aft wrap balcony you see everything as the ship leaves to exit the area. When it was cold and windy we were very happy to have a balcony that we could pop in and out of. And, remember that the bow is not the only place to see the scenery. You do not need to get a "good" spot on the bow, usually the front of decks 4 ,5, 6 and 7 are open for viewing. And you don't have to worry about getting a "good shot." The captain asked those on the bow to be considerate of others and not hog the best spots but we all know how that goes. We were really happy to have a great balcony. Cherie

Patrick is amazing. We were on the cruise before you and he made such a difference in our experience. We did not ask for much but when we had questions or needs Patrick was on top of it. Sorry that you will miss the Chilean fjords and wishing you safe travels home. Cherie

0106, So happy to be following your cruise. 30 ft waves is more than we encountered on our January 7 cruise. Yikes!!!!!!! The captain and crew are amazing. Hope you are enjoying Deception Island. I think that we only had main stage lectures on the t.v. while in antarctica. It was really nice. Enjoy every nano second! Cherie

We were in an 8th deck aft wrap cabin and wifi was fabulous on our January 7-22 SA/Antartica cruise. My husband was able to take care of business without any problems. We had the wifi that was included with HIA. Cherie

We used Uber in BA twice within the last two weeks. We found that if the time we needed the Uber was important we scheduled an Uber. It costs more but the Uber is there. When arriving in BA from Iguazu we had a taxi and she arranged to pick us up from our hotel to get us to the airport that evening. Same price as Uber. If you would like her Whatsapp I will send it to you. The problem with Uber at the ports is that they give availability and price and then when you are ready it is a moto. If you take a taxi make sure they use a meter. We loved BA. Cherie

We arranged a private tour for 3 hours, there were 4 of us. We did not want a tour with a stop for lunch, just wanted to see the beauty of the Tierra del Fuego National Park. We chose to start @1 hour after the ship arrived so we were not in the mad house of getting on the first tender. Sebastian, our guide, has extensive knowledge of the area and we could not have been happier. I will send you the contact info if you are interested. Cherie