First cruise
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 7
Review summary
We enjoyed our first cruise and are looking forward to the next one. We are an older couple that were looking for relaxation and not non-stop entertainment. Oosterdam provided what we were looking for, but may not be a good fit for families.Embarkation
no issues
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We ate at pinnacle Grill one night and the food and service were excellent. We stuck with the buffet for the rest of the cruise.
Onboard Activities
I attended a couple of the test kitchen demos and the talks about the ports we would be visiting.
Entertainment
The dueling piano players were very good.
Service and Staff
We had consistently good service. Our stewards greeted us by name from day one. Personal preference is to not have quite so much contact with the ship staff. It was clear that they were all looking for mentions in reviews (especially the wait staff).
Ship Quality
A section of deck 3 was cut off for much of the trip.
Cabin / Stateroom
We had more space than we expected.
Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Very busy port, but we didn't have any issues. We took a shuttle from hotel to port and back. It was raining when we arrived. The clothes in one of our bags were pretty wet when we unpacked in the cabin.
Thumbs Up
0
Nice area. We did not do an excursion, just stayed in the cruise ship area and ate lunch at the Beached Whale. Great jerk chicken.
No excursion. We walked up to one of the forts then walked back through town and stopped at a local place for lunch and drinks.
We took a tour offered by a local at $25 per person. He brought us to the high point on the island overlooking Megans Bay where we had our Banana daquari. On the way back our guide asked if anyone planned to stay at the beach, and when he didn't get any takers, he completely skipped the beach.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)
Highlight of the trip. We did the eco glass bottom boat tour, but the highlight was just spending time at that beach. Also recommend the lobster on the beach.
Disembarkation
No issues.