Oosterdam 2/26/05

[ianj]

Bit slow in posting my review, but things have been moving slowly this last week.

 

After 20+ cruises this one ranked very close to the top, though the weather could have been warmer with the first two and last two days temperature in the mid 60's, the three port days in between in the mid 70's. Excellent staff and crew all around, spotlessly clean and a beautiful ship throughout, we often stopped just to admire the many works of art on board.We’d definitely take this ship again, I have a hard time thinking of any negative aspects.

But before the story of the ship, I'll cover the preliminaries. We arrived the day before, for one night at the Holiday Inn Bayside, that's the one on the other side of the bay, they picked us up at the airport within 10 minutes of calling and I would recommend the place to anyone. It's a fairly typical Holiday Inn but the staff make it stand out, they have a free shuttle to the port at 11, 12, 1 & 2pm and they were also kind enough to drive us down to collect the Trolley for a city tour. We booked online at $98 per night for a poolside room, if you're considering Holiday Inn, join the Priority Rewards club, it gives you extra privilages and we received a small gift, two free drinks and excellent service, you can join for free at https://secure.ichotelsgroup.com/h/...e&offerId=WBJHI

 

EMBARCATION/DISEMBARCATION:

Well organized, we arrived at the terminal just after 1pm and it took about 30 minutes from taxi to ship. On board you wait until they announce that the cabins are ready, so we had something to eat in the Lido restaurant then made our way to the cabin around 2pm. The benefit of all this is clearer at disembarcation, when you're allowed to stay in your cabin until ready to get off and room service is available up to the last minute. This was really a good feature compared to other experiences we've had at disembarcation and when our turn was called we were off, found our luggage and were in a taxi within 20 minutes, even the taxis were well organised, as soon as you arrive you're given a numbered ticket and each person is allocated a taxi in order, all controlled by a pretty stern looking dock security lady, no pushing or line jumping and all quite civilised.

 

THE CABIN:

We had a verandah cabin number 6148 which wasnt overly spacious, but was more than ample, good size shower and a sitting area in addition to the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on. We really enjoyed the verandah, our first, the only downside if you consider it so, is that we tended to spend more time in the cabin since we could step outside so easily. Budi, our steward kept the place spotless and the Champagne bucket filled with ice.

I must mention that if you havent booked yet and you intend getting an outide cabin then make sure it's an even numbered cabin, that way you'll get the best view on the way down as the ship sails closer to land than it does on the way back and more importantly, when you anchor at Cabo you'll have a spectacular view of the arches.

 

FOOD AND DRINK:

We dined at 5.45pm, upper restaurant, table 25 and our waiter, Bakat, was pleasant and professional, a minor irritant though with the wine waiter, who twice took a drink order from me then didnt bring anything, I think he had to many tables to take care of.

We were fortunate to have wonderful tablemates, four other couples from various parts of the States, so dinner was never boring.

Food was good and well presented, though not the best I've had, I only had one appetizer that I didnt enjoy and that was the chilled avacado soup which I thought had way to much pepper in it.

We dined at the Pinnacle restaurant on the third night, it is physicaly very beautiful and the steak was perfect, though the experience was a little marred as our corner table had a view into the kitchen and the noise of dishes etc was with us throughout. If you're going, ask for a table away from the kitchen. I dont think I'd 'do' the Pinnacle Grill again, the food was good but the food in the main restaurant is also good and doesnt have the extra tarif.

Breakfast we had on our verandah from room service, a full cooked breakfast is available and always arrived right on time. For lunch we alternated between pool deck Grill/Lido and room service, which was as good as I've had anywhere, with great choice including icecream, though I found they werent always interested in picking up the trays after, HAL requests that you call to have your tray picked up rather than leave it in the hallway.

The price of drinks on deck and in the bars is expensive, $5.26 for a scotch, which is in line with most other cruiselines, but encourages us to bring along a bottle of our own regardless of ships policy on bringing liquor on board.

 

MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT:

Vista Lounge-

Cruise director Peter Daems was entertaining and always ready to tell you 'a little story' and while I found most of the entertainment average, there were exceptions.

A couple of stage productions by the cruise cast. I haven't been to one of these in a while, as after you've seen 5 or 6 of them, they all tend to look and sound the same, but for some reason we ended up going and were pleasantly surprised by the talented cast, we actually enjoyed them.

A singer, Bobby Black, he had the voice but was just missing something, slightly boring, except for his rendition of 'Mustang Sally'. There was also a 2 man acrobatic act, like something you'd see on the Ed Sullivan show, they were a bit dated, but fairly good at what they did. (Incidently, we met them at the airport when we were leaving San Diego and they told us their contract had been unexpectantly terminated as many passengers had complained about them, not sure what the complaints were about, I can only think that people gave them low ratings on the comment cards, they seemed like nice enough guys to talk to).

A female comedian, can't remember her name, think it's a psychological block, my wife almost died laughing at her while I sat practically unaffected as did the guy next to me, perhaps we didnt relate to her humour which was all based on 'womans problems'.

We missed the juggler and magician but were told they were quite good.

It's time for HAL to invest some money in getting some entertainment that people will want to see, look at Celebrity with Cirque du Soleil.

The Great Pretender show, we didnt see so I can't comment, but we did enjoy the Indonesian crew show , some parts are a bit cheesy, but the Indonesian crew seem to enjoy doing it and this percolated down to the audience, it brought back many pleasant memories from a holiday in Bali we had some years ago.

Explorer's Lounge etc-

A violinist, with piano and bass players, playing classics and standards to an appreciative audience. Good bands in the Ocean Bar and the Crows Nest and a competent enough player in the Piano Bar

 

THE SHIP:

Outstanding items worth mention are the general beauty of the ship, the excellent staff in every department (what cruise have you ever been on where a passing officer inquires if you're being treated well and even removes a dirty ashtray from your table) the ship is spotless and it's no surprise that they've earned top marks in the cruise ratings for the most recent two inspections.

The stores on board were not overly expensive and even had a few good deals, they have a free draw on several occasions and if you have the winning ticket and are present the prize is quite reasonable, a thin gold (coloured?) necklace and pendant once, I think.

On the internet and even in their brochures I found the ship looked garish, even gaudy, but it's a completely different story on board, the colours match perfectly and some unusual combinations really work well and as I said already, you could almost spend a day just looking round all the artwork on board.

Since our last HAL cruise, they've changed the tipping arrangements from 'no tipping required' to $10 per person per day. I have a real problem with this being called a tip, why dont they just call it what it is, a service charge and add it to the cost of the cruise, the whole purpose of a tip is to have a direct and immediate effect on the person you're dealing with to give them the incentive to improve their performance. I know it's old fashioned, but it works, we know what happens in communist countries where reward is not based on performance, the entire system becomes mediocre. Anyway I've rambled on enough about that.

Being a long time Princess cruiser, I'm not used to paying for internet access, it's free on Princess after 5 cruises with them. you are considered Platinum level and are granted some useful privileges, one of which is free unlimited internet. Having said that, I found HAL internet access expensive and only used it once, 12 minutes cost $12.95, that's $0.75 per minute + a $3.95 one time set-up fee.

 

SHORE EXCURSIONS:

San Diego:

We took the Old Town Trolley tour it can be joined at several places around town and takes 2 hours round trip to see all the highlights. Well worth it, it showed us enough to know that we will come back some day and spend more time.

Cabo San Lucas:

We were tendered in here but didnt mind as we'd such a beautiful anchorage right opposite the 'arches'(see my comments under CABIN). We didnt book any excursion here and just walked into town to see the main square and do some shopping, didnt find much choice or any bargains, so we ended up in a seafront bar enjoying the 2 for 1 Coronas with nachos and salsa (US$8, 4 beers, nachos & salsa).

Mazatlan:

Basically an industrial port, you get the little train/trolley ride through the dock area to the tourist info center where you're bombarded, first with timeshare offers, then with tour offers. Most were good natured and after 'no gracias' a few times gave up, we accepted a 3 hour city tour $20 each by A/C van with our driver Louis, there's not a lot to see in town but at least it showed us around town though 60 percent of it was shopping stops at places picked by our driver.

Puerto Vallarta:

Tendered in again, despite the fact that we were the first ship to arrive of four that were in port. Again we didnt book an excursion, I had done enough research on line to know what I wanted to see, so we took a $3 taxi ride into town getting dropped off at the near end of the Malecon, a beachfront boardwalk running for several miles. The plan was to walk, shop, make it to the little island in the middle of the river, see the old town and make it back to the main square to visit the Virgin of Guadalupe church where if you make it before noon you can watch two burly guys ring the bells. The plan got stretched a little and we didnt reach the church 'til about 1pm, but we enjoyed it all the same. Taxis are plentiful and easy to hire for the $3 per person ride back to the ship, make sure you tell the driver which gate and it may save you a bit of a walk.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

As I'm sure you've realised we really enjoyed this cruise, I think Captain Van Donselaar and hotel manager James Deering have done it all right, the entire crew does an excellent job, it's a beautiful ship, good food and entertainment, now if only they could fix the weather. I hate to overuse the word, but excellent is the best description, I'd make a point of taking the

Oosterdam again, if the price is right.

[dakrewser]

Good review, thanks. Mostly in agreement with what I found on the O'dam at the end of January (my Pinnacle experience, though, appears to have been much better than yours).

 

 

One disagreement I have, though, is with your statement "I must mention that if you havent booked yet and you intend getting an outide cabin then make sure it's an even numbered cabin, that way you'll get the best view on the way down as the ship sails closer to land than it does on the way back and more importantly, when you anchor at Cabo you'll have a spectacular view of the arches."

 

Which side of the ship is facing the arches is dependent on the tide. So on some cruises the starboard side will have the early view while on others it's the port side. Still, it changes before you leave port so everyone gets the opportunity to see "los arcos," Lover's Beach and Land's End.

[stanford's girl]

Thanks for posting. We'll be sailing on her in Oct. and your review was filled with wonderful insight. Glad you had a great cruise.

[ianj]

One disagreement I have ........... you'll have a spectacular view of the arches.".

Thanks for clarifying that,DK, it was so nice to have the view right outside the cabin when anchored, it would have been good to share advance info with others, but I guess it's fairer if it's sometimes one way then another.

[Bfson]

It's more than just the tides. A week after your cruise when the O'dam was at Cabo, she used both bow and stern anchors so she did not swing with the tide. The even numbered outside cabins saw the rocks all day, the odd numbers saw the beach. It may be a combination of tides, wind, waves and ???

[dakrewser]

It's more than just the tides. A week after your cruise when the O'dam was at Cabo, she used both bow and stern anchors so she did not swing with the tide. The even numbered outside cabins saw the rocks all day, the odd numbers saw the beach. It may be a combination of tides, wind, waves and ???

 

That's more likely. I know I woke up to los arcos and was watching the beach when the last tenders were coming in...

[Sillyjilly]

ianj,

 

How would you compare Hal to Princess? Is the food similar quality? I've been back and forth about changing my Dec. cruise to the "O".

 

We loved the Princess Diamond, food, service & ship. I'm a little worried this ship will seem too small after being on the Diamond. Any advice? Thanks, Jill

[ianj]

ianj,

 

How would you compare Hal to Princess?........... Any advice? Thanks, Jill

Hi SJ,

We've been on 10+ Princess cruises and only 2 HAL, we've never been on the Diamond so I cant make any comparisons to it.

Comparing Princess to HAL is a complicated story of quality vs price. Our last Princess cruise on the Dawn in Oct 2004 finally tipped us over the edge and food quality was part of it. We went back to Princess after a Nov 2003 trip on HAL's Volendam which we loved but thought we'd try Princess one more time. It was a real disappointment, problems with food, service, cabin steward etc culminated with the carpets and bedding being completely replaced and the cabin cleaned from top to bottom, mid cruise. On the positive side, Princess staff did react and solved most of our problems, but it was enough to convince us to try HAL again and I'm happy we did, dont know if it's only the Oosterdam, but food and service are definitely better than anything we've experienced on Princess recently.

At 82,000 tons, the big 'O' is a big ship, but the inside does look small, they say it's designed that way deliberately to promote that 'small ship feeling'. The atrium is beautiful, but half the size of most of the big Princess atriums, main passageways seem to be narrower... but having said that, I wouldnt let that put you off, there's plenty of space and never felt crowded, (except at the American Idol competition in the Queens lounge where you had to be a half an hour early for a chance to get a seat)

[Sillyjilly]

Thanks so much for all the info. I wish I could just make up my mind and stick with it! We only live 20 minutes from the Long Beach pier, so that plays a big part in it. I just think it might be nice to try something different, but not so sure I want to drive 90 minutes to try it. After reading the rev's review I thought for sure I was gonna go for it, but then I chickened out. I'm just a very indecisive person. Lord help me. :p

[Sillyjilly]

Have you seen the menu's on the Hal Menu thread? Just curious if the "0's" are the same or similar? If you have the time, I would love it if you could check for me. That will be the final straw that tips me in Hal's direction. Those menu's looked absolutely wonderful. Yum! :D

[dakrewser]

Have you seen the menu's on the Hal Menu thread? Just curious if the "0's" are the same or similar? If you have the time, I would love it if you could check for me. That will be the final straw that tips me in Hal's direction. Those menu's looked absolutely wonderful. Yum! :D

 

While not identical, they're very similar. If food is important, go with HAL.

[Sillyjilly]

Since I hate to cook, a delicious meal is very important to me. Hubby too. We just cruise to relax, read, swim & eat. :D Thanks for the tip. My hubby is gonna kill me for changing my mind AGAIN. :)

[Jemima]

This was our seventh cruise, sixth HAL cruise, first cruise on vista class.

Best:

- Best service of any cruise.

- Best dining room food of any cruise

- Best Lido breakfast and lunch buffets of any cruise

- Tie for friendliness of fellow passengers. Ties with our previous Mexican Riviera cruise (10 days).

- Best embarkation experience

 

But:

- Shore excursion choices haven't changed much in 2 years

- Cabin (obstructed outside) at least seemed smaller than our outside cabin on our last cruise (Rotterdam)

- The Oosterdam tendered in Puerto Vallarta while the Ryndam and a Carnival ship docked. Tender to tender pier was fine in the morning, but a huge step down in the afternoon. Many required assistance with this.

 

Observations:

- Median age slightly lower on this cruise

- Late dinner times just weren't acceptable to most. 5:45 and 6:15 were filled every night except barbeque night. 8:00 and expecially 8:30 reportedly had lots of empty spaces every night.

- Shopping in ports seemed to be less popular than in other cruising areas.

- There must have been few spring breaks this week. Those children who were aboard were well behaved and having a good time.

- Big turnouts for trivia on seadays, possibly the most of any cruise we've done.

- Much higher percentage of cruisers from western US

- There was almost never much wait for an elevator

 

We discovered:

- We'd rather not repeat ports

- Fully obstructed cabins are a big improvement over inside

- Seven days just is too short for us