Family Alaskan holiday
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 32
Review summary
We really enjoyed our experience in Alaska. The best highlight I think for me was the Hubbard Glacier. What a great experience. Also we saw a lot of Orca whales on our way to Victoria, it was a beautiful day for sailing and whale watching.Embarkation
It was quick and easy and we were able to get in our cabin right away which was great.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We had good experiences in the main dining room, the food choices were very good. There was also a lot to choose from on the buffets. We did not try the specialty restaurants
Onboard Activities
There was not a lot for the younger children to do on the ship. They found the pool a little cold. We enjoyed the hot tub. Some of us ventured to the fitness center and found it satisfactory. The crows nest was a great place to hang out. There were a lot of games to play and the view was great.
Entertainment
We enjoyed all the shows, especially the one where the did the film of the four seasons in Alaska with the orchestra playing. The piano duos were also good entertainment.
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
All waiters, room stewards and all ship personnel were excellent and very helpful and professional.
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
We were happy with our cabin, first time experiencing a balcony and loved it.
Ship tip
If you do the Alaska cruise you should have a balcony it was the best place to see the Hubbard Glacier.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
We stayed a day in Seattle after our cruise. Went to the Space Needle and Pike's Place Market. Both are a must to see
We did the whale and glacier excursion. They were good, disappointed in the whale watching, we saw a few but they weren't very cooperative. Before we got to the whale area, we went by a couple of lighthouses which we didn't care to see. Too much time was spent doing this then getting right to where the whales were so it didn't seem like we had that much time there. The time at the glacier area was also not enough. I would recommend doing only one of these, it was too long of a day doing both so there was not much time to see Juneau
We didn't do an excursion. We just explored the city and took in some of the look stuff. We had lunch at the Alaskan Native Brotherhood, they were doing a fundraiser serving fresh halibut and fries - it was very good.
We did the Saxman Village and Totam Pole - it was very good and informative. We then had time to explore parts of Ketchikan. It was a very rainy day but we were dressed for it and enjoyed our time there.
We did our own thing in Victoria, walked to Fisherman's Wharf and downtown. Very scenic.
Disembarkation
Disembarkment was easy, and quick. No problems