Oosterdam - Aug 23-30

[cruzalot]

Just got back from the Aug. 23-30 sailing of the Oosterdam. The ship was completely full - apparently Farm Bureau Insurance had chartered this week and the previous week. We were not with the Farm Bureau group.

 

Cabin - We were in the Aft Suite 6158. Great cabin. You could feel lots of motion/vibration though. I did have to take dramamine on 3 different occassions. Maybe under calmer seas you wouldn't notice the motion.

 

Dining Room - We had the late seating and it was good. My husband preferred the Pinnacle Grill but I thought the food in the dining room was as good as any of the other cruise lines. Loved being able to have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. Also had lunch there a couple of days.

 

Entertainment - Unfortunately, we never saw a show. The Casino seemed to keep a hold on us. We had intentions to go to shows, just never made it there. While on the subject of the casino - this was the absolute worst casino staff (pit bosses mostly) that we have ever come across. As long as the dealers were winning - the pit bosses would just stand at different tables and appear to be so happy that the "house" was winning. Heaven forbid that you win - when someone did win a pretty good hand - the pit bosses would stand over you like you had somehow cheated. Don't ask me why we kept going back. On most cruises, we win a little one night and give it back the next, pretty much breaking even or down just a little at the end. Not this one. We left a pretty good chunk of change there.

 

Ports - We only had rain in Juneau. Rest of the week was fine, with the exception of wind in Victoria.

 

My biggest disappointments might have to do with the fact that this was a Chartered ship. In the future I will try and find out this type of information before booking. The "spa" told us that they only sell a certain number of the Hydropool/Thermal Suite packages so that it would be remain a calm and relaxing area. Okay, lets face it, they sold as many as they could. Every single time - no matter the time of day or night - that we went to use the pool or thermal suite it was completely full of insurance agents talking rather loudly in what I thought was supposed to be a quiet place.

 

This was our 10th cruise - previously we have been on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruise lines. This was our first Alaskan cruise - and while we both thought it was beautiful and we enjoyed it, I think we prefer the water activities that are offered in the Caribbean.

 

We flew into Seattle on Wednesday evening. Stayed at the Crowne Plaza (which I do not recommend). The taxi from the airport was about $32. You can buy a shuttle ride from the Crowne Plaza to the Pier for $12 per person. There were 4 of us and we hired a car service (Lincoln Navigator) for the same $12 per person. We had the same car service pick us up at the Pier and take us to the airport and that trip was $75. We were at the airport by 8:45 a.m.

 

If anyone has questions, I will try to answer them.

[NYGirl1002]

How do you find out if it's a charter before time? Now I'm getting a little worried for my cruise.

[RuthC]

This doesn't sound like a charter so much as a large group. On a charter only the people involved in the group, or booking through the chartering agency, can sail.

 

Unfortunately, there's no way to be sure if there's going to be a large group on any given cruise. That information simply isn't given out. One of our CC members keeps a list of known group sailings. There's a sticky at the top of the page with a link.

[PathfinderEss]

Ruth is right, just sounds like a large group which can happen on any cruise ship and cruise line.

Sounds though, like you had a good time and made some decision on wanting to take more Caribbean type cruises. Something you don't know until you've try these other types of cruises.

How did this cruise on Hal compare to your other cruises on Celebrity, RC and Carnival? Just curious...

 

[cruzalot]

The Farm Bureau agents told us that their company had chartered the Oosterdam for 2 weeks. They also mentioned that the company had reserved it 2 years prior to sailing. It was mentioned that none of the suites or penthouse were occupied by Farm Bureau guests. Might be why we couldn't get a balcony and had to pay more for the suite (which was fine). We were originally booked on the August 9 trip but had to reschedule. I would guess that 85% of the guests were with Farm Bureau.

 

As far as comparing with the other cruise lines - we love the large Royal Caribbean ships. They usually have entertainment that we don't miss and the promenade makes those ships feel even bigger. Everyone told us that we would be the youngest people on HAL - not true. We were probably the average age but that might have something to do with Farm B. being on board. HAL does seem to cater to an older group but that was fine with us. I get tired of announcements every 10 minutes on some of the other cruise lines. I know how to read the daily paper and pretty much know where I am supposed to be and when. And if for some reason I don't make - so be it. Our first trip on Celebrity was a bit stuffy - lots and lots and lots of tuxedos and formal gowns, but since RC has bought them, they too seem to be a little more affordable, making them a little less stuffy. We were on the Carnival Conquest in May and I will not make that mistake again. I don't think I have ever witnessed so much under age drinking and then having them get sick on the stairs and in the elevators. Not for me. Again, might have just been the week we chose.

[PathfinderEss]

We were on the Carnival Conquest in May and I will not make that mistake again. I don't think I have ever witnessed so much under age drinking and then having them get sick on the stairs and in the elevators. Not for me. Again, might have just been the week we chose.

Thanks for your prospectives on the different cruise lines, we once ran into that same problem on RC over New Years with the under age drinking. Like you, we won't make that mistake again either.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for the report.

[MacTexas]

What was wrong with the Crowne Plaza Hotel?

 

Did you do any shore excursions?

[weacat]

Hi - I was on the same cruise this week. The "Farmer's" had about half the ship occupied - about 1000 people. It wasn't a chartered ship - they just bought half the staterooms. They had the same number the week before. (We were on a mini family reunion and we had no problems booking verandah staterooms)

 

I was worried when I heard that half the ship were with this group, thinking that certain venues would be closed to the regular guests, but that never happened.

 

I was able to get a week pass to the Hydropool and had no problems with crowding or loud guests. Everyone seemed respectful of the peaceful setting. My only complaint was that the closed the Hydropool at 4pm on Friday for cleaning and it was closed the rest of the cruise.

 

This was an amazing cruise and my family had a great time.

[cruzalot]

What was wrong with the Crowne Plaza Hotel?

 

Did you do any shore excursions?

 

The Crowne Plaza was a very basic Holiday Inn type hotel. Elevators were VERY slow. On Saturday we waited 15 minutes an elevator - every time one came by it was completely full (they only had 3 working elevators). We finally got on an elevator going up - from the 7th floor to the 32nd floor and stayed in it till it came down - stopping at every floor on the way. For a few more dollars we should have stayed at the Sheraton.

 

We went on a sea otter tour in Sitka and saw lots of otters and whales. In Ketchikan we took the Misty Fjord Wilderness excursion which is basically the same tour we took in Sitka. The one in Ketchikan was much better (only because of the Misty Fjords). We were scheduled to take the helicopter flight to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau but it was cancelled due to weather. We found out later from other passengers that you can get a taxi in Juneau to take you to Mendenhall Glacier for about $25. Much, much cheaper than the helicopter.