Review of Oosterdam 9/6-913/15

[Stokeset]

DH and I returned in the early hours Monday from our Alaska land sea excursion with HAL (D2L). I’ll be posting the specifics of that trip on the Alaska board later this week, but wanted to post on the HAL board first, as this was our first time with this cruise line and we were excited to experience all they had to offer. First of all, thanks to the veteran HAL cruisers and specifically, those that have sailed the Oosterdam for all the info provided prior to this adventure. She is a lovely ship and we enjoyed our time on board.

 

We found Capt Michiel Willems to be exceptionally personable, and who I understand is new to this ship; the crew appear to be adapting well to new leadership, as I did not note any side-bar conversations of discord, unhappy faces, or undertones of complaints in my conversations with crew members or in walking about. Having recently experienced and adjusted to a similar change in my own work, I know the signs of an unhappy crew, and all I saw were some very hard working people striving to please their customers and provide a memorable experience.

 

Having sailed other lines and classes of ships, I noticed the differences and was able to make what I feel are honest comparisons. The Oosterdam is a very classic ship, its use of wooden paneling in the décor reminding me of what one would have found in a bygone era. Reinforcing this traditional perspective is the lovely promenade deck that completely encircles the ship and the numerous alcoves that provide areas for private conversations or time alone. Because there is no centralized atrium ascending the height of the ship, I found it difficult to maintain my bearings on this ship, which is normally not a problem for me. I suppose this is because I am a visual and global learner, and I need a point of reference. Others may not find this to be a problem, but it took me about 3 days to feel confident in my chosen directions.

 

We made great use of the Crow’s Nest: kudos to Miguel for his fine bar-tending skills; Explorations Café with Czara having my early morning coffee preference down-pat by day 2; the library- I especially enjoyed working on the 1000 piece puzzles on those rainy early mornings/late evenings.

 

We did early seating on the upper level of the dining room- table for two. I want to point out that we always request a table for two when we cruise, and this is the very first time we got what we wanted from night one. Seems in the past we’ve had to wait/struggle to have this preference met. Also, we noted that tables for two appeared to be plentiful, which was unique in our experience. We found the food to be very good, and in this department, I will not make a blanket statement that one cruise line’s food is better/worse than another. I am a foodie and understand that serving hundreds of people at a given time is a difficult task, so for any chef and staff to maintain uniqueness to the dishes is nigh on impossible. Hot foods were delivered hot and cold delivered cold; food was well flavored and some night’s dishes were far superior to others. We have found this to be true on all cruise lines we’ve experienced. We did make use of the Pinnacle for one meal and I’d rank that as one of the best we’ve ever had on a cruise.

 

We had a balcony (8026) and were very pleased with the roominess and features. Handa and Dewa provided professional and unobtrusive service. The bed and pillows were extremely comfortable, far surpassing other cruise lines we’ve been on. Thanks to whatever powers that be who make these decisions- a good night’s rest can make all the difference when traveling!

 

We attended a majority of the shows and found them delightful. Enjoyed some “down” time in BB King’s (flew home with the band), and lost some/won some in the casino. Met some delightful folks from all over the world and enjoyed their company on both the inland and cruise portions. Will not hesitate to recommend or use HAL in the future. Again, thanks to all who contributed.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise in Alaska.

[NattilyAttired]

Thank you for posting your review. We were also on this cruise and we enjoyed it very much. (You probably saw us in the BB King Lounge most nights!) We have cruised with HAL before several times, and to us the service and attitude of the staff are what set HAL apart. We had a suite on Rotterdam deck, where Olih and Wayan took exceptional care of us, as did Mei and Paulo in the Neptune Lounge, and Imam and Dezy in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

Rather than write a long and redundant review, here are a few shorter observations based on our recent experience:

 

Service continues to be HAL's best asset. We had memorable service experiences all around the ship. We are outgoing people and often engage staff in conversations; not everyone does this. It makes a difference.

 

HAL has completely lost the handle on dress code. Yes, this was Alaska, which is more casual, and it was cold and rainy for several days. But at night, very very few people dressed up. Gala nights are not gala by any stretch. We dressed up every night, because we like to, but not many others did anything more than a sport coat on gala nights. (yes, there were exceptions, but only a few.) It didn't bother us, but HAL is now far less formal than Silversea or Oceania, our other lines of choice.

 

The food is good to very good, but not exceptional. But hey.... there are many people sailing on this ship who paid $400 or $500 per person for a WEEK, and they are getting room and all you can eat for that price. Does anyone really think the food is going to be exceptional at that price? We don't. Oceania has better food, but it's also more expensive. HAL is still just fine with us.

 

The BB King All-Stars were the best entertainment we have seen at sea. We danced every night.

 

The worst aspect of the cruise, in our opinion, was the constant salesmanship aboard the boat. The people in the workout room/spa were relentless about doing "foot scans" and then selling you a package of workouts to help solve whatever problem they diagnosed. The shops on board held all kinds of ridiculous "sales" with raffles and "discounts" and "trunk shows" and different shoddy merchandise for sale every single day. Really tacky. There is a "fine art studio" on Deck 2 that sells lithographs of bad art and they hold "auctions" there all week. Do people really buy this stuff and take it home? And of course then there are the photographers always taking photos and selling them. (When we embarked in Seward, just after security and before boarding the ship there were 50 people in line anxious to get on the ship but they had to endure the photographer first...we went right around them and boarded.) Finally, there are drink packages and beverage specials and the like, all of which just serve to annoy. We had no problem tuning this all out, but this is something we have not experienced to the same degree on our other preferred lines.

 

All that said, we still like HAL, and will sail with them again. Because it is cheaper than the other lines, we get a nicer room here and enjoy the superior service and just tune the other stuff out.

 

K and L

[GeezLouise1]

Oh dear! OP "flew home with the band". Was there a replacement band or is that it for BBKing for the next (and last of the season) Alaska Cruise? :confused: Glad to see that your trip was successful in most ways!

Edited September 16, 2015 by GeezLouise1

[DavyJoneses]

Thanks for the review. We sailed on her last year and enjoyed it very much.

[BSR]

Enjoyed the reviews. We are sailing this week on her.:)

[SilvertoGold]

OP: Thanks for this review! Really happy that you liked HAL!

 

Especially glad you had no problem with the table for 2. That can be a big deal and it is great not to have to argue it!!

 

Michiel Willems has been on the Oosterdam for some time. We had him in June and thought he was certainly very amenable and went out of his way with interacting with the pax!

[kftw]

Thanks to the OP for their review.

[kevingastreich]

"Do people really buy this stuff and take it home? And of course then there are the photographers always taking photos and selling them. "

Umm..We do. :rolleyes:

[oliver1821]

Thanks for your review. Will be sailing on her in 30 days!!

[Stokeset]

Oh dear! OP "flew home with the band". Was there a replacement band or is that it for BBKing for the next (and last of the season) Alaska Cruise? :confused: Glad to see that your trip was successful in most ways!

 

I didn't get to ask the members the circumstances, but as the ship was returning to Seward, I'm guessing they had completed their scheduled time and another band was coming in.

[Stokeset]

Thanks for your review. Will be sailing on her in 30 days!!

 

Will you be doing the 10 or 21 day cruise? I absolutely love Bonaire- best snorkeling ever! Hope you have a wonderful time.

Liz

[tassietravellers]

Thank you for your review.

 

We will be on the Oosterdam next June, not Alaska (that's on our bucket list, so hopefully soon) but in the Mediterranean, so it was good to hear some about life onboard :-)

 

thanks Deb

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Oosterdam cruise.

[GeezLouise1]

I didn't get to ask the members the circumstances, but as the ship was returning to Seward, I'm guessing they had completed their scheduled time and another band was coming in.

 

Thanks for that! Hope there is another band coming!:)

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for posting your review.

Glad you had a good cruise.

[Aquahound]

Thank you. :) I'll be on Oosterdam next month, so I really enjoyed your review.