Aloha! and Mahalo! Hawaii was great!
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Hawaii
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 96
Review summary
Holland America staff/crew were very gracious and accommodating; ship was comfortable. Hawaii is a beautiful state.Embarkation
Embarkation went very smoothly considering the quantity of passengers boarding for this cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We ate in the main dining room, the lido dining room, and ordered from the Dive In. My wife especially enjoyed all the lamb dishes served in the lido dining area.
Onboard Activities
The only activity we took advantage of was bingo. We did attend the first onshore journey session which was very informative.
Entertainment
Main Stage presentations were varied and great; we enjoyed the piano players in the Billboard area most evenings after the Main Stage presentation.
Service and Staff
Our room stewards knew our names as soon as we arrived in our room; they were very attentive and aimed to please us. Our primary lido attendant greeted us by name and looked out for us and the couple traveling with us.
Ship Quality
Holland America ships are always clean, the Oosterdam was tastefully decorated for Christmas. The room stewards were constantly cleaning the hallways; nothing was out of place. All officers, we noticed, would pick up things off the floor that were dropped, they wouldn't pass it by or call a lower ranked staff/crew member to tend to it.
Cabin / Stateroom
The bed was wonderful! The sleep sofa was soiled and should have been replaced; drapes and carpeting need to be replaced; we understand the Oosterdam is scheduled for updating shortly. Bed linens and towels were fresh and clean.
Ship tip
I would wait until it is updated.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
We went on the Historical Hilo and Akaka Falls tour. Enjoyed the Lyman Museum and Mission House; visited the macadamia nut factory and store; the Akaka Falls were breathtaking.
Took the Discover Maui's Coastal Treasures along some treacherous roads; van driver was skillful in maneuvering her vehicle; scenery was awesome.
We would suggest either a smaller vehicle [other than a van] or a different route.
We took an independent photo tour the first day; driver was very knowledgeable about photography and various cameras, tablets, cellphones. The second day we toured Pearl Harbor and the Mighty Mo; stopped at the Punchbowl Crater on return to the ship. Memorial very impressive.
Rode in a glass bottom boat to tour the Kona Reef; nothing too spectacular. Returned to the ship after-wards.
Toured the Grand Canyon of the Pacific in a 12 passenger van; van was very difficult for senior citizens to crawl over the wheel well to get to the back seat. I understand there were 2 of these vans and I think they should have used a mini bus that would have been more easily accessible for all passengers. This was our first visit to Kauai and I'm sure we would have enjoyed it in a different mode of transportation. Our driver/guide was very knowledgeable and did his best to show us his island.
We took the Bufadora Adventure. Our guide was very knowledgeable about his country; the bus was comfortable but the windows should have been replaced, they were very cloudy.
We would recommend deleting this from the schedule and perhaps visit another of the Hawaiian Islands.
Disembarkation
We were about an hour later than scheduled disembarkation and we were anxious about meeting our plane schedule. Once we disembarked, taxi ride to airport went smoothly and airline staff were efficient in checking us in for our flight.