Oosterdam March 7-14 review

[nw gardener]

This is a quick review of our Oosterdam Mexican Riviera cruise. We booked this cruise a year ago to replace our cancelled Cuba cruise . And just barely squeezed this one in!

 

We almost cancelled due to Covid19, but decided to go, and glad that we went as we were able to unplug a little from the virus craziness.  The ship did not sail full,  500 less passengers,  and it made for a very uncrowded ship with no lines.

 

The ship - first time on the Oosterdam for us and we had SB5191,  a corner aft suite and loved the balcony.  We had a lack of hot water for a day that took maintenance a couple of tries to fix, but the concierge Christine and Carlo were great handling that.  Sewer gas smell on deck 2 mid ship,  and a loss of all power our second sea night for about 30 minutes were the only other issues experienced.   The crew were outstanding at every level,  I can not say enough positive things about them. Constant cleaning and a healthy ship. We ended up with extra OBC from not cancelling and the hot water issue (400 $) and I signed it back to the crew. After learning on Saturday morning  catching up on email  before disembarking,  I feel better doing that.  Very bittersweet getting off and many of the crew  clearly struggling with the news.

 

Ports- all new to us and I don't know why living on the west coast we haven't done this before!. Puerto Vallarta we did the Las Caletas beach getaway and that was the most relaxing for us, no news to watch and no cell phone,  beautiful weather and lots of drinks.  Mazatlan did a private tour of the  city to see the sights.  Cabo did our own thing,  shopping and lunch and drinks. 

 

Entertainment and dining-  BB Kings were just ok,  not the best group we have encountered as the vocalists were overpowered by the musicians.  Post modern jukebox was good,  great vocalists but not a fan of some of the song arrangements.  Did not do Lincoln stage or Billboard. Spent a  lot of time on the balcony.  Dining in the MDR was very good,  great servers and my diet will need to start today.   Did the Lido for lunch as  we love the salad  station. Pinnacle grill for breakfast was always quick with attentive service.

 

In closing,  obviously a little more stressful cruising with the rapidly changing virus situation  but we are glad we went.  We enjoyed ourselves.  We have a AK cruise at the end of May on the Oosterdam booked (before the outbreak and also in a Neptune suite) that most likely will be cancelled by HAL. We will wait and see how things progress and hold onto the booking until the decision is made by HAL or the government and go from there.  The virus situation is so incredibly fluid and fast changing.   My thoughts and prayers are for all the crew, and thanks to providing us a wonderful vacation.

 

 

 

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review!

[seaoma]

58 minutes ago, nw gardener said:

We ended up with extra OBC from not cancelling and the hot water issue (400 $) and I signed it back to the crew.

 

So kind of you to do!

[nw gardener]

It was an easy decision.   I don't need to buy stuff in the onboard shops,  we already had prepaid gratuities,  and DH doesn't drink and I don't drink much,  and I could see the possible ( at that  point) shutdown looming and knew how hard it will be on the crew. 

[conwakr]

Thanks for the update.  We are wait and see for this same itinerary next month post 30-day shutdown also booked from a cancelled Cuba. Also wait and see on Alaska.  I'm glad you got your trip in.  Those friends of mine who did manage to squeeze in trips also remarked how mentally refreshing it was to be away from the stress of the constant news cycle.  

[jimdee3636]

It's refreshing in these troubled times to read something positive about a cruise experience. We were on the Oosterdam in December for a similar Mexican Riviera cruise, and loved the ship so much we booked (while onboard) a 28-night Sydney-to-Seattle cruise for April of 2021. Let's hope the world is back to normal long before then.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[Seasick Sailor]

We were on the same cruise. Thankful we were able to get off in San Diego. 

 

[ElkGroveCruiser]

We were also on the same cruise and we too highly praise the high level of service from the crew.  Everyone we encountered, and I mean EVERYONE was smiling and courteous and seemed genuinely happy to be speaking with us.

Our only complaint is the entertainment.  We just wish that HAL would book some more guest entertainers.  Perhaps it's just us, but the evenings seemed a little sparse entertainment wise.

[melakwa1]

My wife and I were on this cruise as well and had a wonderful trip. This was our first Mexico/Pacific trip and enjoyed the port calls very much.  We were very lucky to have been able to fit this cruise in without being affected by the suspension of all sailings. And although the ship was not crowded, the crew spent a lot of time and effort keeping everything spotless and staying positive in a very challenging situation.  I hope for their sake this shutdown does not last long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Oosterdam cruise.

 We regularly increase the Hotel Service Charge, a very simple proceedure.. 

[sansterre]

Thank you for this post.  So glad you had a good cruise.

Can anyone speak to the disembarking procedures?

Did you go through any health checks?

What about flying out of San Diego?  Any difficulties?  Lines?  Crowded conditions?

We are currently having a great cruise on the Eurodam, disembarking in San Diego on Wednesday and wondering what to expect.

 

[melakwa1]

Sansterre,

 

We were among the last groups to disembark, but from the time we stepped on the gangway to getting our cab to the airport, it was not more than 15 mintues. Crazy. No health check, no lines.  San Diego airport on a Saturday early afternoon was quick and crowds were small.  Security was maybe 5-10 minutes.