Great Excursions

Oosterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 43

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Oosterdam

7 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 10, 2017

Ship: Oosterdam

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 1104

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

At 70+, we enjoyed the Dolphin Encounter and Secret River excursions.  There were several dolphin encounters to choose from, so be sure to get the one at the Marine Institute at Roatan, Anthony's Key, Honduras.  What a beautiful experience!  Waist deep in blue water so clear you can see the bottom, the dolphins come right up to greet us and let us touch them, plus perform tricks and smile for photos.  These dolphins are free to come and go through a shallow barrier enclosing the large lagoon (unlike the poor dolphins swimming in an area as small as a tank, in Mexico).  Secret River was an awesome walk in the river, through underground caverns covered in stalactites and stalagmites.  Well protected by wet suit, life jacket and lighted helmet in the river, my only complaint was the walking speed through Cozumel (to the buses) and down the gravel paths to the river--a bit too fast for us old folks, but we managed.

 

The service people on the ship were all outstanding, from cabin stewards to waiters.  We enjoyed the creative chef's menu offerings; and the many choices on the buffet.        

 

The only complaint we had was our room was too cold, and no way to stop the constantly blowing cold air.  The second night I asked for another blanket and was a bit more comfortable; but my husband caught a cold during the cruise, from the draft; and is almost well now, two weeks later.

 

We enjoyed all the ports, as two of them we took excursions and the other two we enjoyed shopping for locally-made products in Guatemala and Mexico.  Perfect!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

Did not do onboard activites.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

No children with us.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
All good.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Wonderful comfortable bed. Bathroom was adequate and always clean... plenty of towels. Room stewards were great. All service people on board were friendly, positive. The only complaint was the cold air constantly blowing on us at night. Too cold for senior citizens!!!

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

Santo Tomas De Castilla, Guatemala

5 out of 5
Plan to shop for souvenirs here. This is a treasure trove of market stalls filled to overflowing with their hand-sewn and hand- embroidered textiles--tablecloths, place mats, shirts, etc. etc. I bought a $20. flowered bag for myself and two little elephant backpacks 2/$15. for our grandnephews. So cute with the colorful striped fabric. Also bought some turquoise and red coral jewelry, $35. each. The Guatemalans are hospitable and easy to bargain with. They all know a little or a lot of English.

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 43

1 Comment

Other reviews of this sailing