Can anyone help with Oosterdam?

[mividajp]

Hi everyone! DH, myself and my in-laws are booked on the Oosterdam Nov 13. We're extremely excited about going, but have never been on HAL before. I'm a huge planner and have been trying to find some answers to a few questions about the Oosterdam.

 

I posted the questions on our roll call, but have had little to no response. Can anyone else help?

 

1. What kind of food is served in the Pinnacle Grill? Is it a steakhouse, Italian, American, European?

 

2. Is the coffee bar in the library free?

 

3. Someone mentioned in a post that they paid $150 to use the hydro pool, steam room, sauna, and stone loungers (Can't remember the official name) for the week of the cruise. Can you use just the hydro pool without paying an extra charge?

 

4. What kind of daily activities are on board the Oosterdam? Bingo, Trivia, shuffle board, classes, sports?

 

5. I see advertisements about a digital workshop. Is this free or is there a charge? Also, is there a charge for the Culinary Art classes?

 

Thank-you for anyone who can help me!:):D

[SwissMyst]

Hi everyone! DH, myself and my in-laws are booked on the Oosterdam Nov 13. We're extremely excited about going, but have never been on HAL before. I'm a huge planner and have been trying to find some answers to a few questions about the Oosterdam.

 

I posted the questions on our roll call, but have had little to no response. Can anyone else help?

 

1. What kind of food is served in the Pinnacle Grill? Is it a steakhouse, Italian, American, European?

Steakhouse, of variable quality

2. Is the coffee bar in the library free?

No, but you can get a pre-paid "coffee card" that reduces the per item charge

 

3. Someone mentioned in a post that they paid $150 to use the hydro pool, steam room, sauna, and stone loungers (Can't remember the official name) for the week of the cruise. Can you use just the hydro pool without paying an extra charge?

There are open access hot tubs and I believer you can buy a daily pass for the spa area pools, and they often have reduced specials during port days when most people have gone ashore

 

4. What kind of daily activities are on board the Oosterdam? Bingo, Trivia, shuffle board, classes, sports?

 

Lectures (very good), kitchen tours, meet the staff interviews, trivia, fee classes, dance lessons, wine tastings, art walks, movies, great library and reading spaces (Explorations Cafe), check out videos, meet and greets if arranged, not many active group outdoor activities like group contests or that noisier sort of thing, but there are on deck yoga and other types of exercise classes

 

5. I see advertisements about a digital workshop. Is this free or is there a charge? Also, is there a charge for the Culinary Art classes?

Fee for digital classes, culinary participation classes charge where you prepare and eat a meal, but there are free cooking demonstrations also available

 

Thank-you for anyone who can help me!:):D

 

Plus there is just something seductive about lazing outdoors on a deck chair watching the world go by with the wind in your hair and the endless sea horizon in front and behind you. We also love all the activity coming into and leaving port that is unique to ship travel. Watching the pilot come on board and jump on and off the moving ship from his little pilot boat often in rough waters is our daily ritual must when there are port days.

 

You get a calendar of events every day so you can plan what you would like to do and when traveling with a larger groups you can all go off in different directions and always meet back up for meals.

[luvs2travl]

The Digital PhotoShop Classes on the Oosterdam are free of charge. Princess Cruise Lines charges a $25.00 fee, but HAL does not. My husband attends them on every cruise we take on Holland America. The dates/times/locations will be provided in your ship's newsletter delivered to your cabin each evening.

 

If you plan on attending, do plan to arrive about 30 minutes before the class starts as there is limited seating. :)

[SwissMyst]

The Digital PhotoShop Classes on the Oosterdam are free of charge. Princess Cruise Lines charges a $25.00 fee, but HAL does not. My husband attends them on every cruise we take on Holland America. The dates/times/locations will be provided in your ship's newsletter delivered to your cabin each evening.

 

If you plan on attending, do plan to arrive about 30 minutes before the class starts as there is limited seating. :)

 

Thank you very much for this correction. Good news indeed.

[cruz chic]

I ate at the Pinnacle grill several times in May 2010 and enjoyed it everytime. It was of very good quality.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Pinnacle Menu - dinner - $20 per person

 

The Beginning:

French Onion Soup King Louis XV - beef broth with aged cognac & caramelized onions, baked with gruyere croutons

Spicy Chicken Coconut Soup - fragrant coconut milk & lemon grass

Lobster Bisque - crème fraiche & aged sherry

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail - brandy horseradish cocktail sauce

Vine Ripened Beefsteak Tomato Salad - sliced purple onion, balsamic vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing

Baby Arugula Salad - tossed with sliced red onion, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and a warm bacon dressing topped with smoked bacon & chopped egg

Caesar Salad - crisp romaine tossed with very own Caesar dressing, grated parmesan cheese, garlic croutons and anchovies, prepared tableside

Dungeness Crab Cakes - spiral shaved cucumber & sweet chili-mustard sauce

Pinnacle Ocean Platter - carpaccio of lightly smoked salmon, accompanied with hot smoked salmon, sea scallops and wasabi cream

 

The Grill:

Filet Mignon, New York Strip Steak, Bone-In Rib Eye Steak, Porterhouse - served with our own hand crafted sauces: sun-dried tomato; Master Chef's green peppercorn bearnaise; horseradish mustard; hollandaise; maitre d' garlic butter

Colorado Lamb Chops - spiced apple chutney & fresh mint jelly

Grilled Veal Chop - marinated overnight in a savory blend of rosemary, garlic & pepper vinegar with scallions

Chicken Breast - stuffed with spinach & garlic herb cheese & served with lemon garlic beurre blanc sauce

Filet Steak Diane - pan-seared medallions of beef tenderloins & enriched with mushrooms & cognac

Filet Mignon Burger - a half-pound of freshly ground beef, fin herbs & truffle-infused

 

 

Sea Food:

Broiled King Salmon - troll caught (for sustainability) in Alaskan waters, quick seared & broiled, served with your choice of lemon garlic herb splash or sesame-soy kalbi

Broiled or Poached Lobster Tail - on a bed of wilted spinach & arugula, mustard seed & "mangochurri" pesto sauce or melted butter

Cedar Planked Black Cod with Shrimp Scampi - roasted garlic & cilantro butter

Pinnacle Signature Skewers:

Beef Delight - beef tenderloin marinated with parsley, onion, thyme, rosemary & marjoram

Tantalizing Lamb - lamb loins marinated with herbs, garlic, cumin, honey, coriandor & red chilies, served with yogurt sauce

Chicken & Turkey Temptation - with onion confit & tomato coulis

Deletable Seafood - shrimps & swordfish, seasoned with lemon, paprika, garlic, mustard, cayenne & dill

Vegetarian Zen - array of mixed vegetables seasoned with herbs de provence

 

 

Side Dishes:

Creamed Spinach, Sautéed Button Mushrooms, Sautéed Onions, Asparagus, Scalloped, Whipped, Jumbo Baked or Shoestring Potatoes and/or Basmati Rice

The Finale:

Not-So-Classic Baked Alaska, Warm Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake, Velvet Soufflé – Chocolate or Vanilla, Creamy Homemade Raspberry Cheesecake, Chocolate And Raisin Bread Pudding, Pinnacle Crème Brulee, Fresh Seasonal Fruits and Berries, Premium Ice Cream or Sorbets and/or the Assortment of International Cheeses.

[BD29]

I just got back from a cruise to Alaska on the Oosterdam - will try to answer your questions:

 

1. What kind of food is served in the Pinnacle Grill? Is it a steakhouse, Italian, American, European? Overall a steakhouse. I had the steak and lobster. The 3 people I was with all had the largest steaks and the food was wonderful. We asked for the lobster mac-n-cheese as a side dish and they accomodated this request. We also made reservations in Canalotto's the italian restaurant. It was good, but check the menu in the MDR to ensure you don't miss steak and lobster night there.

 

2. Is the coffee bar in the library free? No - You will pay for it. You could bring a travel mug, get coffee in on in the Lido restaurant and bring it up with you. I thought all the drinks, alcohol or otherwise were reasonable.

 

3. Someone mentioned in a post that they paid $150 to use the hydro pool, steam room, sauna, and stone loungers (Can't remember the official name) for the week of the cruise. Can you use just the hydro pool without paying an extra charge? We had no spa treatments because we didn't want to spend the money. To use the whirlpool would have cost $20/day. They do have 2-3 hottubs on the Lido deck and I think one on the top deck.

 

4. What kind of daily activities are on board the Oosterdam? Bingo, Trivia, shuffle board, classes, sports? You will get a daily schedule the night before. There are classes in the gym, dancing lessons, trivia, bingo, reading or games in the library. I was looking forward to relaxing, but wanted to "do it all", so didn't relax at all.

 

5. I see advertisements about a digital workshop. Is this free or is there a charge? Also, is there a charge for the Culinary Art classes? The digital classes are all free, but fill up fast. Get there at least 30 minutes early. There is a charge for the culinary classes. Someone posted about signing up before the cruise. I tried to do that, but HAL said they didn't allow people to do that. On board, they did have people who signed up ahead of time. There are several mixology classes - learning to make martinis. They were $12.50 and you get to make and drink 3 martinis.

 

Hope that helps!

[jjb415]

"1. What kind of food is served in the Pinnacle Grill? Is it a steakhouse, Italian, American, European?

Steakhouse, of variable quality"

 

So true.

[mividajp]

Thanks everybody for the answers! Appreciate everyone chiming in.:)

 

Now I have an additional question.....BD29 mentioned they made reservations at Canalloto's is that also a specialty restaurant? I'm assuming the cover charge would also be $20/pp or is it less?

 

Is there a place on HAL's website that has the charges for all the "extras" on board or do you just have to wait until you board the ship? I've looked all over the web site and can't even find where they mention extra charges!:confused:

 

Either I'm looking in the wrong place or it's not there! HELP!!

 

Thanks!:p:D

[Tarey]

Canaletto is at one end of Deck 9 - separated a bit from the Lido (buffet) restaurant. It's free. The menu is the same every night. I highly recommend reservations. We are there mid-way through our recent cruise and were very sorry we didn't discover it before. We tried to make reservations for the rest of our cruise but it was booked solid. Great service and ambiance. The "cotton candy plate" at the end was very amusing.

[mividajp]

Thanks Tarey! Good info!:D

[Tarey]

I would make reservations as soon as you board - really. I thought it was that good. Much better food and service than the MDR. Lemoncello dessert was especially great.