Our 11th Anniversary Cruise.

Item: Oosterdam
Rating: 4
Author: VanC

Oosterdam Cruise Review to U.S. - Pacific, Northwest

VanC

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 0

Helpful Votes: 6

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

3 Night Pacific Northwest (Vancouver Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 29, 2007

Ship: Oosterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 17 years ago

Review summary

The ship had a pretty good flow in terms of moving from front to back of the ship. The Lido deck was good in the sense that the food was sectionalized (fruits, vegetables, hot food etc..) this way a person does not have to stand behind someone who is taking salad before arriving at the hot food station. Our stateroom was always maintained clean, but toiletries were not replenished automatically. Due to the function room being occupied by people who are in some sort of workshop/meeting, we did not get to see any movies. Kids facilities were always closed for my young son & they took him in if there was not a lot of older kids in camp. Gift shops were lacking in merchandise selection. Cruise lines should always carry enough merchandise as people are there to buy, running out because of end of season should not be a reason. Sizes of clothing were also difficult to find.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

The quality of food was not very tasty. I have cryised with this line before and food was good/better. The selection of desserts were poor.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Saw a magic show and that was quite amazing and entertaining. The dance show was ok.

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

Lacking in enthusiam by staff to interact with kids. Schedule was not good & facilities were limited.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

No one particularly stood out to be commended.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Good overall layout, except our cabin was near the front and lots of activities are in the aft of the ship. The ship was well-maintained, fresh flowers in many of the public areas. Decor is typical of most HAL ships.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Having the upgrade to our balcony cabin certainly made up for the other shortfalls. Good size, well decorated and the bed was nice & firm. Great to have a bathtub as well.

Ports of call

Victoria, British Columbia

3 out of 5

We have been to Victoria many times and chose to stay onboard.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Empress Hotel

Seattle, Washington

5 out of 5

Niketown, Nordstrom, Old Navy's are good for shopping. Pike Place Market is more for sightseeing things (flowers, fruits etc...). Don't miss this place though as one of the fish vendor has a unique was of selling their seafoods. Ross "dress for less" is a waste of time, too long of a lineup. Space Needle is a distant from the downtown core, but worth a visit if one has never been there.

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Don't Miss: Pike Place Market

Pros: Cabin upgraded to balcony!! Round trip cruise. Provided shuttle from pier to downtown Seattle.

Cons: Food was below my HAL expectations. Server was not attentive, appeared to be new. Never saw our stateroom person during the cruise. No organization of the shuttle line up at Seattle's pier. Also, told everyone had to disembark due to immigration, but officials did not even look at our documents.

Recommends Oosterdam? Yes!

1 Comment

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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