Oosterdam is looking tired

[summersigh]

Why would you assume that I'm young? My kids have gray hair!:D

We're retired, raised our bunch of kids (who all now have a bunch of their own kids).

We're probably older than you are, but we're hardly "tired".

No, actually, we are tired of the entitlement attitude we see way too much of.

 

It may not have been intended so ... but the tone I felt in your post was that you were snickering at older folks - which is not unusual when some younger folks refer to the HAL demographic.:)

 

Personally, we see a lot more of the entitlement issues in younger folks than the HAL demographic. I taught school for 38 years and based on that - I believe the worst is yet to come.:rolleyes:

Edited March 4, 2016 by summersigh

[Aquahound]

Does anyone know if the Oosterdam is due for a refit and update any time soon? We are just off the 10 day Southern Caribbean and she is in need of some love. While she was clean and seemed mechanically sound, the carpets were tattered and the decor was off by a few decades. Just my opinion.

 

Yeah...the ship does feel kinda tired. This was in my stateroom above my balcony door. When it rained outside, rainwater actually leaked from this into my cabin. I reported it to my stateroom attendant and he said maintenance was aware of it. He said this problem existed in several rooms.

 

Edited March 4, 2016 by Aquahound

[sambamama]

I thought the Oosterdam looked fine. I was on in mid December. I had superb service in the MDR, from both my waiter and the assistant waiter. Actually, even with the cutbacks in staff, both my cruises in 2015 had the best service I have ever had in the MDR. I always get fixed late sitting. I will say that not too many were eating at the late sitting. My table was a table of 8-4 people never showed up, one single man came every night (except the 2 nights we ate at the Pinnacle together) and another couple joined us about half the time.

[ozcruizer]

What a bummer!

 

We were on the Noordam in October and 'tired and dated' were not words I would have used to describe her. In fact we noticed new carpet in a number of places from our previous cruise in May 2014. Probably there were other improvements too. We just settled in and enjoyed the cruise with no complaints other than low temps in some public areas.

[stickey_mouse]

We were on the Noordam in October and 'tired and dated' were not words I would have used to describe her. In fact we noticed new carpet in a number of places from our previous cruise in May 2014. Probably there were other improvements too. We just settled in and enjoyed the cruise with no complaints other than low temps in some public areas.

 

Glad to hear this! We will be on the Noordam in 2 months.

[Boytjie]

Zuiderdam is butt ugly, the ugliest ship I have seen. The ugliness goes beyond carpet color.

I think Holland America interiors are unattractive across the board.

 

You haven't been on the Pride of America, huh? :D

[sammiedawg]

You haven't been on the Pride of America, huh? :D

 

No, I cannot get past the ugly brochure pictures for NCL.,

[Boytjie]

No, I cannot get past the ugly brochure pictures for NCL.,

 

Good. :)

[Willem Ruys]

and although booked for 63 days on 3 rounds of back to backs we jumped ship after 31 days. No department seemed to get anything right...from an embark on Jan 8 that was only a LITTLE more fun than embarking in a Soviet prison transport at Vladivostok; to dirt on statues, inattentive housekeeping, dinner menus that compared poorly to United States Lines Third Class menus from their PRESIDENT HARDING in 1934; to lido lunch menus that were designed to get you to choose a ready made sandwich and toddle off on your way or choose from a factory cafeteria selection of regrettable food; to unschooled cooks unable to make what the menus required; to stale cereal served for suite breakfasts in the Pineapple...to greasy saltburgers swimming in lard from the Dive-In...the food was atrocious; the Front Desk staff indifferent to hostile - though that may be because the Guest Relations Manager may have been having a LOT of bad days; to the worst musical combo we have ever heard shattering the noise in the Ocean Bar; to uninteresting movie selections; to nearly no activities to attract the experienced and jaded travelers like us (very few of which get offered unless there is a fee involved) to a full power failure while docked at the pier at Fort Lauderdale while waiting to take a delayed sailing...and a few other issues.

 

Mariner Parties were, well, lets just say that by cruise 2 (from Jan 18) of the six of us President' Club members who were then on board, NONE of us showed up...the unusability of the Crows Nest because of the scream fests disguised as trivia (Wasn't Trivia one of Morticia Addams' relatives) contests... or private use by music groups to the exclusion of the rest of us.

 

We have been offered congratulations after Mariners' Receptions because with over26000 days (over 3500 including suites) by any number of strangers. I finally started saying, "Please, don't congratulate us. Any idiot with 20 years and $2 million to spend during that time can get to be a member." We found the OOSTERDAM just hapless, hapless in every department. We loathed our time onboard her. Maybe she doesn't like us; we sure as hell don't like her. And yes, she does look tired and dated...All HAL has really had that has kept us coming back was the crew - so many friends on so many ships but look for changes to come soon. I know more than I care to spill. I have vented long enough. So don't look for us aboard the OOSTERDAM EVER again. NOT going to happen...not willingly...Geez we were glad to get off her!

[iancal]

I keep hoping that changes are coming. HAL needs a kick in the backside and a shot in the arm. They are falling behind their competitors.

[baggal]

and although booked for 63 days on 3 rounds of back to backs we jumped ship after 31 days. No department seemed to get anything right...from an embark on Jan 8 that was only a LITTLE more fun than embarking in a Soviet prison transport at Vladivostok; to dirt on statues, inattentive housekeeping, dinner menus that compared poorly to United States Lines Third Class menus from their PRESIDENT HARDING in 1934; to lido lunch menus that were designed to get you to choose a ready made sandwich and toddle off on your way or choose from a factory cafeteria selection of regrettable food; to unschooled cooks unable to make what the menus required; to stale cereal served for suite breakfasts in the Pineapple...to greasy saltburgers swimming in lard from the Dive-In...the food was atrocious; the Front Desk staff indifferent to hostile - though that may be because the Guest Relations Manager may have been having a LOT of bad days; to the worst musical combo we have ever heard shattering the noise in the Ocean Bar; to uninteresting movie selections; to nearly no activities to attract the experienced and jaded travelers like us (very few of which get offered unless there is a fee involved) to a full power failure while docked at the pier at Fort Lauderdale while waiting to take a delayed sailing...and a few other issues.

 

Mariner Parties were, well, lets just say that by cruise 2 (from Jan 18) of the six of us President' Club members who were then on board, NONE of us showed up...the unusability of the Crows Nest because of the scream fests disguised as trivia (Wasn't Trivia one of Morticia Addams' relatives) contests... or private use by music groups to the exclusion of the rest of us.

 

We have been offered congratulations after Mariners' Receptions because with over26000 days (over 3500 including suites) by any number of strangers. I finally started saying, "Please, don't congratulate us. Any idiot with 20 years and $2 million to spend during that time can get to be a member." We found the OOSTERDAM just hapless, hapless in every department. We loathed our time onboard her. Maybe she doesn't like us; we sure as hell don't like her. And yes, she does look tired and dated...All HAL has really had that has kept us coming back was the crew - so many friends on so many ships but look for changes to come soon. I know more than I care to spill. I have vented long enough. So don't look for us aboard the OOSTERDAM EVER again. NOT going to happen...not willingly...Geez we were glad to get off her!

 

This post, and thread, is making me VERY nervous. We have reservations for the May 24 voyage on the Oosterdam and final payment is due in 2 days! We don't get to cruise that frequently (compared to many people on CC) and haven't been on HAL since 2009. But after having a recent disastrous experience on the brand new Regal Princess (talk about rude Guest Relations - the manager told me I was a liar!) we decided to give HAL another try.

 

We're not in a suite so I don't know if they're putting any improvements in standard balcony cabins. I remember the food on HAL being very good but I have to admit I have had mediocre service on HAL and excellent service on other lines.

 

The itinerary is unique for a Med. cruise (ports in Spain, Gibraltar, Corsica, France and Italy) and thats why we chose it.

 

Reassurance ASAP please!

[Aquahound]

This post, and thread, is making me VERY nervous.

 

I wouldn't get too nervous about it. Aside from the photo I posted of the rust and leak in my room, the only other major neglect I saw was in the Queens Lounge. The dark blue paint on the ceiling was peeling and large flakes were actually falling. Otherwise, I wouldn't say the ship was that bad....certainly not as bad as Willem made it sound. I was ready to get off after 10 days, but that's only because 10 days is my mental limit on a boat.

[DaveOKC]

This post, and thread, is making me VERY nervous. We have reservations for the May 24 voyage on the Oosterdam and final payment is due in 2 days! We don't get to cruise that frequently (compared to many people on CC) and haven't been on HAL since 2009. But after having a recent disastrous experience on the brand new Regal Princess (talk about rude Guest Relations - the manager told me I was a liar!) we decided to give HAL another try.

 

We're not in a suite so I don't know if they're putting any improvements in standard balcony cabins. I remember the food on HAL being very good but I have to admit I have had mediocre service on HAL and excellent service on other lines.

 

The itinerary is unique for a Med. cruise (ports in Spain, Gibraltar, Corsica, France and Italy) and thats why we chose it.

 

Reassurance ASAP please!

 

We were on her in Dec, 2015. While we were a bit disappointed in some things and did not feel that the service was as good as on other HAL ships, it was not all THAT bad.

 

I thought the food was pretty good and did not have any complaints.

 

In short, the Oosterdam is now not among my favorite HAL ships, but I would not pass up a cruise I liked just because of this.

[3rdGenCunarder]

This post, and thread, is making me VERY nervous. We have reservations for the May 24 voyage on the Oosterdam and final payment is due in 2 days! We don't get to cruise that frequently (compared to many people on CC) and haven't been on HAL since 2009. But after having a recent disastrous experience on the brand new Regal Princess (talk about rude Guest Relations - the manager told me I was a liar!) we decided to give HAL another try.

 

We're not in a suite so I don't know if they're putting any improvements in standard balcony cabins. I remember the food on HAL being very good but I have to admit I have had mediocre service on HAL and excellent service on other lines.

 

The itinerary is unique for a Med. cruise (ports in Spain, Gibraltar, Corsica, France and Italy) and thats why we chose it.

 

Reassurance ASAP please!

 

We were on Oosterdam in Jan-Feb and I didn't see any problems. Our furniture and bedding were all in good condition. I didn't notice any tattered carpets. I'll agree some of the decor is dated. Once upon a time, someone at HAL must have loved purple!!!! Our bathroom was dated, but it was clean and everything worked. I'm sure there are problems in some places. Except for a brand-new ship, there usually are. On any mass-market cruise line there can be glitches in service, but we didn't experience any. We had very good cabin stewards and MDR waiters.

 

A Med cruise is usually port-intensive, so if the itinerary is what you want, focus on that. The ship is not falling apart or anything drastic. I have no reservations about recommending her.

[sammiedawg]

Holland America fell hard and fast and it saddens me to read how bad it is. Two of our last three cruises were very disappointing and we have no plans to go back

[summersigh]

and although booked for 63 days on 3 rounds of back to backs we jumped ship after 31 days. No department seemed to get anything right...

 

...the unusability of the Crows Nest because of the scream fests disguised as trivia (Wasn't Trivia one of Morticia Addams' relatives) contests... or private use by music groups to the exclusion of the rest of us.

 

We have been offered congratulations after Mariners' Receptions because with over26000 days (over 3500 including suites) by any number of strangers. I finally started saying, "Please, don't congratulate us. Any idiot with 20 years and $2 million to spend during that time can get to be a member."

 

We found the OOSTERDAM just hapless, hapless in every department. We loathed our time onboard her. Maybe she doesn't like us; we sure as hell don't like her. And yes, she does look tired and dated...All HAL has really had that has kept us coming back was the crew - so many friends on so many ships but look for changes to come soon. I know more than I care to spill. I have vented long enough. So don't look for us aboard the OOSTERDAM EVER again. NOT going to happen...not willingly...Geez we were glad to get off her!

 

I hope that rant made you feel better. You were on quite a roll.

 

Oosterdam : 05 April 2016 - 17 April 2016 : DRY DOCK, Fincantieri, Palermo, Sicily - should alleviate "tired and dated" complaints.

 

As seasoned a traveler you are you probably should have checked on Cruise Critic what big groups would be sailing the same time as you. You certainly would have experienced with "26000 days" time on a ship with a big group.

 

Wow, I'm glad I wasn't a hapless fellow passenger who made the mistake of offering their congratulations on something they know will never be able to happen for them (since few of us have $2 million for vacations). Perhaps a simple "thank you" would have made everyone more comfortable.

 

"over 26000 days" WOW ... for the past 26 years that's 1000 days a year average

 

Maybe if cruising made you this unhappy another kind of vacation may be just the thing. As we say in the south "Bless you little travelin' heart" :-)

[RuthC]

Reassurance ASAP please!

It's almost two years since I sailed on the Oosterdam, so I can't speak to its current condition. I can say that HAL is constantly working to keep its ships in decent condition.

 

Décor on any and all of the ships is not how I would decorate my home, but it is consistent throughout the ship, giving a harmony as you move from one area to another.

 

Food has overall gone downhill on all HAL ships in recent years, that is true. It is also true that I've never missed a meal while sailing. Yes, some nights I have had to "make do", but there have also been some that were delicious.

The Dive-In hamburgers are delicious, IMO, and definitely NOT a "saltburger swimming in lard". :eek:

 

Service on the Oosterdam was probably the best I have ever experienced on any HAL ship (equal to the Prinsendam). Now, some staff is better than others, and staff does come and go, but overall, HAL has excellent service workers. They are what keeps so many of us coming back. :)

 

Head out for your cruise expecting to have a good time, and the odds are that you will.

[Willem Ruys]

That's 2,600 days, not 26,000!

[cruising_Bif]

dirt on statues

haha, still giggling about this one

[cruzeluver]

I immediately disregard any "review" riddled with hyperbole.

[Willem Ruys]

days to ask what we canceled...In all from Jan 8, 2016 through May 26, 2017 we had exactly 300 days of cruises booked in suites in the OOSTERDAM n(63 days), WESTERDAM (from Mar 11 for 56 days), ROTTERDAM from Oct 15 for 55 days) and MAASDAM (from Jan 15, 2017 for 126 days)...getting off the OOSTERDAM after 31 days we canceled 269 days of cruising. So ENJOY yourselves, gang, you won't have to worry about seeing snarky, displeased us...and RuthC, dear...YOU may eat that burger I won't.

[3rdGenCunarder]

days to ask what we canceled...In all from Jan 8, 2016 through May 26, 2017 we had exactly 300 days of cruises booked in suites in the OOSTERDAM n(63 days), WESTERDAM (from Mar 11 for 56 days), ROTTERDAM from Oct 15 for 55 days) and MAASDAM (from Jan 15, 2017 for 126 days)...getting off the OOSTERDAM after 31 days we canceled 269 days of cruising. So ENJOY yourselves, gang, you won't have to worry about seeing snarky, displeased us...and RuthC, dear...YOU may eat that burger I won't.

 

I hope you find a ship/cruise line that had good burgers and makes you happier than HAL has. If you book 269 days with some other line, you'll have high past-passenger status there soon.

[Willem Ruys]

I hope you find a ship/cruise line that had good burgers and makes you happier than HAL has. If you book 269 days with some other line, you'll have high past-passenger status there soon.

 

 

We already have high status with quite a few other lines - Cunard, Princess, Seabourn, NCL...and I think the time for us to sail is long past. I have been sailing since 1956, worked in 14 ships, worked ashore for several steamship companies and in all have sailed in 112 ships. I know we won't find anything new in the current crop of cruise lines so we'll just take aircrafts and wheel around wheelchair accessible cities again. But thanks for the kind thought...

 

It's just SO hard to GO when you KNOW the party (you loved) is over.

[JPH814]

I am somewhat new to the HAL party. But i will say that based on two HAL cruises in the past 9 months that I feel I got my money's worth. Was it as nice as Seabourn? No. But it was not the price of Seabourn either. But service, food and overall experience was worth the price. I have no comparison to HAL 10 years ago, but so be it.

Edited March 8, 2016 by JPH814

[summersigh]

I am somewhat new to the HAL party. But i will say that based on two HAL cruises in the past 9 months that I feel I got my money's worth. Was it as nice as Seabourn? No. But it was not the price of Seabourn either. But service, food and overall experience was worth the price. I have no comparison to HAL 10 years ago, but so be it.

You can see from my signature that we've sailed Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Cunard and Holland America.

HAL has always been our favorite - the service on the Hal ships we've sailed has been every bit as good as we had on the Queen Mary2.

 

We pick our cruises bases on itinerary and sometimes departure port. Hal doesn't sail out of Port Canaveral and it's a one day drive to that port from home while Ft Lauderdale requires spending an extra night at a motel both down and back. The May Carnival trip goes out of Charleston SC which will be very cool for us since we live within a couple of hours from the port. We won't know what to do being home for lunch the day we disembark :D

 

We're thrilled to be back on Hal this coming winter :D:D