Question about "guaranteed" suite

[PoohQ]

Good morning, All,

 

I lucked into a last minute repositioning cruise on the Oosterdam, from San Diego to Victoria. I was able to reserve a "guaranteed SZ suite". I don't yet know what my room number is going to be. But when I looked at the ship's deck plan, it appears that there is only one SZ suite on the whole ship, on the Upper Verandah deck. Could this be true? Have any of you stayed in an SZ suite on the Oosterdam, and if so, what is it like?

 

Also, I've never been on a repositioning cruise before (it's just a short 3 day one), and I was wondering if the cruise itself will be like a regular one (one that departs and returns to the same port), as far as entertainment, service, etc.?

 

Can anyone help me with my questions? The cruise leaves in less than 2 weeks! Yippee!

[jtl513]

Actually there are two SZs - 6052 and 6117 - and with an SZ guarantee you stand a very good chance of being upgraded to an SY or SS.

 

On a three day cruise the service will be the same but obviously you will miss some of the entertainment of a longer cruise. You will most likely have one formal night and two casual nights.

 

Enjoy!

[bepsf]

Also, I've never been on a repositioning cruise before (it's just a short 3 day one), and I was wondering if the cruise itself will be like a regular one (one that departs and returns to the same port), as far as entertainment, service, etc.?

 

Nope - a 3 day repositioning cruise is never like a 7 or 10 day cruise.

 

You barely unpack before you have to pack up again, the staff & crew don't have time to get to know you so they probably won't bother to memorize your name or preferred cocktail, you don't have time to settle in and truly get to know and enjoy the ship much less make new friends with fellow passengers, and the other pax are generally bargain hunters who won't bother to dress up for formal night - it's much more likely to be a "booze & gambling cruise".

 

That's why I never recommend them for my friends who want to "try cruising".

[InTheWASide]

Gonna have to stop you there. Although we're obviously all able to have our own opinion, I feel that what you've said is nothing more than a stereotype and a load of crap. Why not just say that it's Carnival on a HAL ship?? >end rant<

 

I've been on 2 1-Day coastals and have a 1 day and 2 3-day cruises set for this year. I not only think they're a blast but would hope that the fact I'm going on 5 within 2 years gives you some kind of idea.

 

-----Did they memorize my name? Actually they did. And we had a WONDERFUL conversation and ship tour with the Westerdam's Hotel manager, Ron Bontenbal. AMAZING guy by the way...

-----Did the bartenders remember my favorite cocktail? Yes they did. George in the Lido Bar on the Volendam and BJ at the Atrium Bar in the Westerdam were AMAZING friendly guys. They also knew every drink I ordered. Even some that I thought were totally abstract and maybe specific to the place I first had it... Not the case!

-----Was there anything going on in the Culinary Arts Center? No... but it was a ONE DAY CRUISE so I didn't expect anything to. (Plus I got a tour of the galley, the Pinnacle Grill, the main dining room and some other behind the scenes areas so I didn't even notice.)

-----Were the shows good? We missed the show on the Volendam, but the show "Grand Tour" on the Westerdam was phenominal and because of some particular emotional ties to one of the songs, I even got a little emotional DURING it... Definitely brilliant!

-----The menu/dining room? Amazing as always. I've NEVER had a bad meal on these ships and only wish the previous sailings I've been on were more than one day to SEE if they remembered. (I'm sorta picky :D) But our tablemates were great (and a GREAT cross section of America at our table of 10)

Was I completely and totally depressed I had to get off the following morning? OF COURSE! But it totally had me drooling and waiting to take another cruise. Due to the fact I work literally ALMOST EVERY DAY and it's at times hard to get time off work, I appreciate these cruises as they're affordable, easier to get time off and I can manage a 7 day cruise each year... even if over the course of a 6 month period... :D

 

Plus, my mom has had some medical issues, didn't want to go super far from home or for a long time, but desperately wants to see a HAL ship. So that explains the return to the Oosterdam in September! It'll celebrate Her 60th, my 26th, my best friend's 26th and her friend's XXth (I don't know her :p )

 

So before you start telling everybody it's a booze cruise as though it's official and from the mouth of a saint... realize that the quality of service and entertainment is just as good as I've heard on every other person's 7-114 day cruise mentioned on here!

 

>true end to rant<

 

 

 

Nope - a 3 day repositioning cruise is never like a 7 or 10 day cruise.

 

You barely unpack before you have to pack up again, the staff & crew don't have time to get to know you so they probably won't bother to memorize your name or preferred cocktail, you don't have time to settle in and truly get to know and enjoy the ship much less make new friends with fellow passengers, and the other pax are generally bargain hunters who won't bother to dress up for formal night - it's much more likely to be a "booze & gambling cruise".

 

That's why I never recommend them for my friends who want to "try cruising".

[Krazy Kruizers]

If you have never cruised before, this 3 day cruise is a great way to introduce you to cruising to see if you like it. The service will be the same. You should have 1 formal evening. You might even have a production show the formal evening. It is sad that you will no sooner be unpacked and will have to repack.

But if you really enjoyed yourself, then you should try a 7 day cruise.

[sail7seas]

If we could go round trip Boston to Boston for 2 or 3 days, we'd be on that cruise in a flash. The nuisance is they are repositioning cruises so you start in one port and end in another. That means the nuisance of getting home. Spoils the fun IMO. Not worth the bother of packing and going for so short a time if I have to deal with an airport.

 

JMHO.......

 

I hate airports. We fly but only because we Must most of the time but when we fly, we make it worth it.

 

[InTheWASide]

Hey Sails,

 

Since I'm here in Seattle, Seattle's always been the start or the end of the one day cruises. And Vancouver is a 4 hour scenic train ride away (and only $30-35)

 

For the Sep 29th cruise with my mom, it's a Vancouver roundtrip so I'll be driving and paying to park for a couple days. Given my mom's medical "stuff" going on, this will be MUCH better in the long run.

 

No airports required for me which is why I love them so much! :cool:

[Bellalu]

Hey PoohQ, my husband and I are on this cruise too! We received an email about it and got a great price. I had never considered taking this type of cruise, but it happens to work out great for us. We live not too far from San Diego and I have family in Bellingham, WA. (not terribly far from Victoria). Top that off with the two facts that I love to cruise and hate to fly...it seems like a pretty cool idea! We'll have to fly back of course, but this will make a family visit seem like a mini vacation...and that's how I see it...a mini cruise vacation (that only involves ONE flight)!

 

We were on the Oosterdam for a week in March and I thought 7 days was just not enough. I KNOW 3 days will go by in a blink...but so what! I expect it will be a fun time. We may even make this a tradition and fly up and sail back when the ship returns to San Diego in October!

 

I think you will enjoy your suite whichever category. We were on Upper Veranda Deck in March and really liked that deck.

 

Sign up on the Roll Call! Right now there are just two couples listed, us and one other. It'll be nice to have more CCers onboard!

[jtl513]

it's much more likely to be a "booze & gambling cruise"

We live 20 miles from Port Canaveral, and many of our neighbors take 3 or 4 day cruises just to break the routine ... with little or no booze or gambling involved.

[caviargal]

JMO, but if my future cruising decisions were predicated on my enjoyment of a short "sampler" cruise, I would never book a longer cruise. Three days in that environment, which IME is decidedly different and attracts a different demographic, is more than enough for me! If I were a first timer, it would be my last cruise.

[PoohQ]

the responses, everybody! This repositioning cruise may just be a short one, true, but it's better than nothing, right?! As far as "the other pax are generally bargain hunters who won't bother to dress up for formal night", well, I'm one of them!:o So I should fit right in.

 

The decision to take this last-minute opportunity for this cruise is based on the fact that it is something I can afford, and I really don't like to dress up anyway, so I have no problem whatsoever about not doing the "formal night" thing!

 

I just want to enjoy a few nights on a sailing ship........:D

[scopewest]

If we could drive conveniently to a port, we'd do three-four day cruises as they'd be easier to fit into our vacation schedules. But having to plan on one day flying in and one day flying out, it kinda blows the whole relaxation part.

 

Even though San Diego is "only" an hour flight from Phoenix, we have to factor in time to get to the airport, get on the plane, or the unexpected, like our flight to SD last December was fogged in at Phoenix and no flights arrived/left for two hours, causing delays. Who would have thought the Valley of the SUN would be fogged in?!?