Oosterdam, August Alakan 7 day cruise

[craigc43]

This is our first cruise of any kind and we're still a little unclear about dress codes on this ship. The literature says that you should wear "smart casual" all nights on board, but two nights are "formal" and that both protocols should be observed anywhere on the ship during that evening.

 

Our local AAA adviser has been on this cruise and said a lot of people that eat at the buffet and just roam around at night wear jeans and something nicer than a T-shirt.

 

We're the casual type and like to wear jeans; is that going to be OK most nights, if we're not eating in the nicer restaurants?

 

Also, is there ever anyone offering scooters or other transportation from the ship up to the town or staging areas for excursions (for those with mobility issues)??

 

Thanks,

 

Craig

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

You will need to rent a wheel chair or scooter before your cruise.

 

Check out these link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

 

and from HAL's site:

 

PLANNING & ADVICE

 

 

 

 

 

Mobility Equipment

 

For the safety of all our guests and crew and to enhance accessibility, Holland America Line strongly recommends that all personal electric mobility equipment meets the following criteria:

 

Width: 23" maximum in order to be accommodated in a standard stateroom, unless collapsible to a width of 23" or less

 

Weight: 100 lbs. maximum without battery

 

Batteries: Must be Gel or Dry Cell or AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) only

 

 

 

 

 

We recognize that for some people, a larger scooter may be essential. If you believe you need a larger scooter, please contact our Access & Compliance Department so that we can discuss your requirements.

 

For the safety of all guests and crew:

 

Scooters and other mobility equipment need to be securely stored and charged in the guest's stateroom; not in hallways or elevator lobbies.

 

Scooters left in hallways and elevator lobbies could restrict people needing to travel through these areas in an emergency, particularly other guests using mobility aids, since they would have no way of getting by a scooter left in a hallway.

 

 

 

Holland America Line is no longer able to provide complimentary wheelchair assistance for any purpose other than embarkation, disembarkation, and emergency situations. Holland America Line wheelchairs are not available for shore excursions or for use on board. If you will require regular use of a wheelchair, we recommend that you bring your own wheelchair with you. You may also make advance rental arrangements prior to your sailing and have a wheelchair delivered directly to the ship for use on board and in ports of call.

 

Special Needs at Sea and CareVacations/CruiseShipAssist are vendors we recommend for delivery of mobility devices. Please contact these vendors directly for pricing and availability. Their contact information is listed below for your information.

 

 

Special Needs at Sea

Phone: 800-513-4515

Fax: 800-513-4516

Email: info@specialneedsatsea.com

Website: http://www.specialneedsatsea.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

CareVacations/CruiseShipAssist

Phone: 877-478-7827

Fax: 800-648-1116

Email: csa@carevacations.com

Website: http://www.cruiseshipassist.com

 

 

 

 

 

Please be advised that all pre-arranged mobility equipment rentals must be made by the guest and the third party provider. Consequently, you assume the entire risk of utilizing these third party services subject only to whatever terms or arrangements are made by you or on your behalf with the service provider. Refund issues must be dealt with solely between you and the service provider. We recommend contacting one of these companies to confirm your arrangements as soon as possible in order to ensure the availability of your specific requests.

 

 

 

 

[ChaCr]

We just returned from the August 1 sailing. We saw everything. Tux, suits, very nice dresses, (no gowns) shorts on the first and last night, jeans, and one tee shirt at a smart casual dinner. In the theater for shows, the dress was quite casual--even on formal night.

 

On smart casual nights most of the guys had chinos/dockers and golf or knit shirts. dress shirts, or short sleeve shirts. Women usually wore dressier outfits. But not overly fancy. It was pretty casual. On formal nights most men wore suits or sport coats.

 

c

[DSimmons]

We were on the Oosterdam to Alaska in 2007. Great fun. Cruise attire is definitely more casual than years past. They have many different areas to dine, but I don't think jeans would be appropriate for the main dining room or other nice restaurants. But ok for buffet/snack bars.

 

Casual pants (e.g. nice dress pants, dockers) with nice shirts seemed to work, but a nice jacket, or dressier is preferred for main dining room. Treat it as a fun opportunity and reason to dress up..You'll simply feel like you are on a more elegant experience, but truthfully you can go on this cruise in a very casual attire. I just recommend taking advantage of having a fun night out and getting dressed up.