Food for Thought

Oosterdam Cruise Review to Mexico

PaulF6

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 32

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Sail date: December 01, 2009

Ship: Oosterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 14 years ago

Review summary

Although I was in the company of my wife's family who have previously cruised together, this was my first cruise. It was New Years Eve and we were a group of fifteen in an eight room row of verandas. Ages seven ... to a blind ninety. If you love ships, the Oosterdam is a classic. For my taste, too often cruise ships look like floating boxes. The Oosterdam has a grace and shape in the water that is unmistakably nautical.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

First of all, as a first-time cruiser, I didn't exactly realize the role that eating assumes during such an experience. I was hoping to see whales and well, let's just say that there were times when it looked at the very least like anchovies were feeding into the middle at the Lido. Now really, how can people complain about the quality of food when what is offered is unlimited? The teenagers in our group called room service every two hours (they still seemed to be losing weight) and there was pizza and spaghetti and ice cream everywhere at all hours. On board, you could actually sense the ninth floor Lido Motherlode of twenty four hour food two floors away. Sit down was totally different. The service was five star and uniquely personal, and the food was an excellent A-. I often sat down next to Audrey a ten year old in our group and she just loved getting dressed up. And dessert.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

If i were in charge of entertainment, I would allocate at least a portion of that budget to the creation of personal movie-making. Teach people to film and capture. A twenty six year old in our group made a movie of our entire one week cruise. He shot it on his telephone and edited it on his computer. That's what I would do for entertainment. Give young people cameras and have them interview their familes and have them approach and joke with old people they don't know. Teach passengers to edit these films and to present them. Holland You-Tube. Who needs song and dance? The entertainment on any cruise is the passenger. Families filming families. Couples extending into families. Singles sharing their space.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Children have a lot to say. Be sure to include them on the movie review at Holland You-Tube.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

This is important. If there is only one reason to take this cruise, it is to interact with the Filipino and Indonesian staff. To begin with, they memorize your name before you get there. My children don't even do that. In fact, to be honest, they are role models for my children and for a whole boatload of Americans. They are polite and honestly humble. They work hard and they endure leaving home to provide for their families. They are genuine and patently more real than the cruise itself.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Less is more. I love the complaint that there are occasional sections in need of varnish. Indeed, although that criticism may be true in isolated circumstances, there were more than a few fellow passengers on my trip who needed a bit of varnish themselves.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Basic Holiday Inn

Pros: The boat cut through the water like an old Mercedes without traffic on the Autobahn. From the veranda, the sounds of the everpassing thirty foot wake was inspirational. The Pacific seemed immense but polite. Going to Mexico, eating at the Trough, or doing the clubs were entirely secondary.

Cons: Some of the people in the elevator.

Recommends Oosterdam? Yes!

1 Comment

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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