Good Cruise - Some Issues

Oosterdam Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 53

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5
Verified Review
Oosterdam

22 Night Panama Canal Westbound (Ft. Lauderdale To Seattle)

Sail date: April 13, 2019

Ship: Oosterdam

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 4093

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

I loved being on the cruise and the people I met, but the customer service was terrible despite the fact that the servers, waiters, stewards were all exceptional. I will go back again and in fact booked my next cruise while on board but was able to pick my own room this time and will to have two men outside my window all day!

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Excellent - very smooth

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Main dining room food was very good - needs more light/healthy entries however when asked, they were provided. Pinnacle was way too much food. Lido Buffet was a zoo and I preferred not to eat there.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Cooking classes, team trivia, spa, hair salon and other activities were great - there were a sufficient number to satisfy anyone.

Entertainment

2 out of 5
This was an older crowd and the entertainment was lame. No stage shows - gymnast, harpist, puppeteer, comedian, singer. Only the last two were enjoyable.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Waiters, stewards, etc. were excellent. Oddly customer service was terrible - not well trained, gave false information, and no followup.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Excellent. Staff constantly cleaned and the ship sparkled.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
Nice room - supposed partial obstructed view. The obstruction was a lifeboat. That was not a large problem, except two men worked on it daily and it was disconcerting and uncomfortable to see two men when I was in my room so I had to close the drapes. Might as well have been in an inside cabin. I complained three times over two weeks before I got a response from customer service and I made them give me another cabin - only for the last four days of the cruise. Also disembarkation was poorly handled.

Ship tip

Enjoy

Ports of call

Cartagena, Colombia

5 out of 5
I took a private taxi and enjoyed the tour I took with him.

Fuerte Amador, Panama

2 out of 5
Nothing much here

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

2 out of 5
Took a tour to Esparza - a small town. Thought we would visit the area and the town. Only went to town square to see eight grammar school kids dance and their mothers in the PTA sell their handmade items and then back to the ship. Very lame!

Puerto Corinto, Nicaragua

5 out of 5
Visited the banana plantation. It was a wonderful excursion.

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

5 out of 5
Visited Antigua - quite a way from the port, but worth it. Beautiful old colonial city.

Puerto Chiapas (Tapachula), Mexico

5 out of 5
Went on the floral plantation tour. VERY long difficult drive to the plantation which was wonderful to see. Took up most of the day.

Huatulco, Mexico

4 out of 5
Went on the Mezcal/cricket tasting tour ending with a cooking class to make shrimp tacos and tomatillo/avocado sauce. Lots of fun. Beautiful place.

Manzanillo, Mexico

4 out of 5
Took the city tour and enjoyed all the views.

Disembarkation

1 out of 5
Terrible. Had to wait several hours to disembark, difficult to get breakfast in the dining room that morning. All the people leaving at San Diego were asked to leave the same time as all the people staying who booked trips and anyone else who wanted to leave. There was do much of a crowd on the A level you couldn't get out of the elevators there! Also they only had one disembarkation point and should have had two - and they only had one person scanning cards for the first half hour or so..... Very poorly handled. Also customer service gave incorrect advice about my luggage and the luggage handlers on the ground couldn't find my suitcase because of it. They also had never heard of Luggage Forward which was a service HAL recommended!
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