Cruising isn't the same anymore
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 65
Review summary
Please stop pushing products so much in your activities, it really ruined the cruising experience for me. I will have to be convinced to get on another Holland America cruise now unfortunately. The events were scarce and repetitive. It seems most people would rather sit in their rooms watching movies or staring out of the windows than go to another trivia, bingo or scrabble event.Embarkation
We arrived close to the end of boarding, but there was no embarkation photo staff present.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food was good, but not like I had previously had on a Holland America ship. I specifically chose this cruise line because they stood out in the food department and this was my brother and father's first cruise. I was not impressed and many of the same dishes were served repeatedly, or very slight variations of the same thing.
Onboard Activities
The only reason I chose poor instead of terrible is because I won bingo one day. The same activities were offered day in and day out. To be fair, this was my first cold weather cruise so I didn't know what to expect. In the past I have had a hard time deciding which activities to go to, on this trip it was finding one that I was somewhat interested in. I found that there were a lot of sales pitches that I do not remember from cruising years ago, it could be that I have gotten older and pay more attention now. Couldn't even get a massage without having product pushed on me!
Entertainment
The dance shows were good, one of the comedians was good, the other was extremely cheesy.
Service and Staff
Staff were very friendly and accommodating.
Ship Quality
Standard cruise ship for Holland America, exactly what I expected, may be time for some updates/renovations though since the carpet and couches seem to be showing excessive signs of wear and tear.
Cabin / Stateroom
About what I had expected. Thought we would have 4 bunk style beds but ended up with a Queen, bunk and sofa bed. In the past I have had good luck with the bunk style beds but this one was somewhat uncomfortable. The sofa bed was much more comfortable than the bunk. The room was a bit tight for 3 people, I definitely wouldn't recommend it for 4 people but to be fair these rooms are designed for 2 people. The bathroom was larger than I am used to on a cruise ship. The room steward was great.
Ship tip
None.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Nice city, we did our own hiking tour from the docks, about a 9 mile hike, beautiful and only saw one other person on the trail. No bears though, much to my dismay.
Wanted to see bears, the afternoon arrival into this port set us up to fail on this part though. No bears on our excursion. Others did luck out on a longer bear watching tour though.
No excursion. Walked into the city from the port to do some souvenir shopping. Late arrival, didn't think there would be much to do but the city was bustling with lots happening.
Disembarkation
Quickly got off of the boat, very smooth.