Good Cruise - Some Issues
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 56
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
Excellent - very smooth
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
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
Cooking classes, team trivia, spa, hair salon and other activities were great - there were a sufficient number to satisfy anyone.
Entertainment
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
Waiters, stewards, etc. were excellent. Oddly customer service was terrible - not well trained, gave false information, and no followup.
Ship Quality
Excellent. Staff constantly cleaned and the ship sparkled.
Cabin / Stateroom
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
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
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 Chiapas (Tapachula), Mexico
Went on the floral plantation tour. VERY long difficult drive to the plantation which was wonderful to see. Took up most of the day.
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.
Disembarkation
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!