Best vacation ever

Item: Oosterdam
Rating: 4.8
Author: eldigphoto

Oosterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean

eldigphoto

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 57

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5

7 Night Tropical Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 19, 2019

Ship: Oosterdam

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Our first cruise. We were with the Mercy Me group. Approximately 1/2 the ship was with Mercy Me. Due to high winds and rough water we only made 1 scheduled port and lost 1 stop. But our amazing captain moved us to 2 other ports for our safety. We have heard this rarely happens. We enjoyed our time so much we will be cruising again next year too.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Fast moving and workers polite

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Evenings are in main dining room.... lots of choices and great food. Lobster melted in my mouth. Buffet had so many choices like made to order omelets and salads. Desserts are delicious.

Explorer's Lounge

4 out of 5

Viewers are wonderful here and seating is pure luxury. Many have nice conversations or are working on puzzles. Only negative is this area is quite cool from air conditioning.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Pools were wonderful with hot tubs available, ample lounge chairs on many decks waiting for you,

Guest Services / Excursions

5 out of 5

Tia is so knowledgeable and listens to what type of excursion your looking for. Make sure you explain health concerns or limitations. Many different types of excursions to pick from. Book early as they fill up fast. If we miss a port or bad weather canceled your excursion then your money is refunded to your ship account.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Not our big thing. Plus we went to our groups activities

Children's Programs

We did not travel with children

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Room stewards always looking for ways to make your stay better. All personnel polite

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

You are always seeing staff clean and paint daily...

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Cozy but not overly tight. A closed curtain is over the bed to give an illusion of a window. Bed was very comfortable. Bathroom larger than expected and shower was great. Very clean

Ship tip

Amazed at how quiet the ship is... no need for ear plugs

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5

No excursion but ate at 15th Street Fisheries... fun place to see fish and eat great seafood

Thumbs Up 9

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island) Did not visit port

Too rough couldn’t dock

Thumbs Up 0

CAP CANA (PUNTA CANA), DOMINCAN REPUBLIC Did not visit port

Couldn’t dock here either

Thumbs Up 0

Grand Turk Island Did not visit port

Couldn’t dock here either but went to Samana DR and San Juan

Thumbs Up 0

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5

Went to coconut cove all inclusive beach $59.95 per person. Had a great ride to beach and saw rural Scenery. Beach fantastic and food was local items cooked to perfection and drinks to wash it down. The views were breathtaking. Would do again

Thumbs Up 10

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Fast and Uber ride back to airport

5 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

eldigphoto 5 years ago

Mercy Me is a Christian band that we paid extra to see on this cruise. Only available to book through Inspiration cruises.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

eldigphoto 5 years ago

Had a fantastic time and can't wait till next year. Captain could not control the weather and took us to different ports.... Great Job! Entire voyage was great. The ongoing maintenance of the ship was suprising as the workers paint daily to keep the ship is great shape. All the workers we talked to had a very positive image of working for Holland America and loved their job.

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

SusanStarrs 5 years ago

Mercy Me is a fantastic contemporary Christian band. What a wonderful week that must have been!

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

onlysail 5 years ago

Whats a mercy me group ?

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Most Boring Ship EVER!

Good but not great!