Secrets of Oosterdam

[celle]

Hi. we are contemplating a long, repo cruise on Oosterdam. Last year, we did one on Volendam and I found it very useful to see some posts that told of things we might not otherwise have discovered - such as how to access the "secret" outside area on deck 6, cabins in a certain class that were better than others of the same class, etc.

 

So, does anyone have any tips on aspects of Oosterdam that are less well known? I'd really appreciate your help, if you do.

[Kamloops50]

Hi. we are contemplating a long, repo cruise on Oosterdam. Last year, we did one on Volendam and I found it very useful to see some posts that told of things we might not otherwise have discovered - such as how to access the "secret" outside area on deck 6, cabins in a certain class that were better than others of the same class, etc.

 

So, does anyone have any tips on aspects of Oosterdam that are less well known? I'd really appreciate your help, if you do.

 

I'm looking at doing the Oosterdam in April 2015. Interested as well.

[trixiee]

Interested here, too! :)

[aliaschief]

I'm looking at doing the Oosterdam in April 2015. Interested as well.

 

If you book this cruise we already have a great Roll Call going. Please join us.

[celle]

So, can anyone tell us anything more about Oosterdam?

 

I've seen the descriptions of length, tonnage etc and found a few photos, but I really would like to hear some advice and experience from people who have cruised on her.

[Crew News]

I'm not sure what you see on the link below are "secrets" but they are operations behind the scenes.

 

All of the food prepared must match the photographs posted in the kitchen. The right and left floors of the bridge are glass that allows the First Officer to look down and dock the ship with what looks like a computer mouse. All trash on the ship is sorted and recycled in the smallest volume possible (all glass is crushed and paper is compressed) because the cost to remove it from the ship is by volume (size of container).

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=882

[celle]

Thank you. That was interesting. I did the behind-the-scenes kitchen tour on Volendam. Some things looked similar.

 

Any tips on things like: Where's a good place to sit quietly and read? Good and bad cabins? Pleasant lounges? Selection of books in library? Which pool is best? Adult/child areas? Anything people particularly liked or disliked?

 

All information welcome!

[luvteaching]

We were on the Oosterdam in June 2013 and really enjoyed the ship. The library was well stocked. It is in the Crows Nest area as is the Explorations Cafe (for those who want specialty beverages).

 

The Lido pool is often the busiest, especially with kids, as it is covered. The Seaview one is uncovered and not as busy.

 

The behind-the-scenes tour was $150.00/person and I'd been waiting years to take it. This year I had a lot of on-board credit and did it. There is a lot of walking and a lot of stairs so it's not for the mobility challenged (hence why DH did not do it). We went everywhere from behind the stage to the crews quarters, recycling area, etc., etc., etc. and our final stop was the bridge. We had our picture taken with the captain (the picture was delivered to the room the next night) and found that area fascinating. After the tour we went up to the Crows Nest and could order any beverage of choice. We were given a HAL tote bag with a cookbook, a book about steering the ship, and a nice set of 6 cordial glasses. It was one of the highlights of my 7-day cruise to Alaska. The downside is it is held on Ketchikan Day. I've been to Ketchikan at least 6 times so I hopped off and did a very quick shopping trip then came back on-board for the 8:30 tour. We weren't done until 11:00 so it made it difficult to get back off to do much.

 

There are lots of nooks and crannies to curl up with a good book (or your Kindle,etc) and what works for you will be different than what works for me. I love that 3 times around the promenade deck is a mile and it's such a nice place to walk. I love the chocolate croissants, bread pudding, and room service!

 

Enjoy!

 

Karen

[esimon]

We love the crows nest on all the Dam ships and can't imagine the one on the Oosterdam will be any different.

[garydm]

We have been on the Oosterdam 4-5 times (Alaska, Med, Mexico, etc.) and I think the one word of wisdom I would suggest is to book an SZ Guarantee. We have done that a number of times and found this to be a tremendous value with upgrades and upsells typically provided. We actually did have an SZ one time and it was great.

 

Gary