My first cruise

Oosterdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 51

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5
Verified Review
Oosterdam

7 Night Alaskan Explorer (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 25, 2019

Ship: Oosterdam

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 8137

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

I was stunned to see a bill at the door last day of almost $1500 for all the assorted charges - they charged about $15 a day per person for the room to be cleaned... in the Crows Nest coffee, tea, etc, was not free as it was around the ship... felt nickeled and dimed all throughout. I could have taken my daughter to Europe for what this entire cruise cost us.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
very friendly staff

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
people cleaning it all the time.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
tight quarters, but clean

Ship tip

Bring a deck of cards to help pass the time of seeing all that water for hours and hours

Ports of call

Juneau, Alaska

3 out of 5
Could not find a place for lunch - just shops trying to get you to come in and spend money

Sitka, Alaska

5 out of 5
Really enjoyed Sitka! Great town - took the shuttle and had a great time.

Ketchikan, Alaska

3 out of 5
Lots of shops and places to spend your money I took one look at it and went back to the ship.

Victoria, British Columbia

1 out of 5
we got there so late in the evening and only had maybe 3 hours - did not leave the ship - the bus to get into town was $18-20 each way - I was in a party of 4 we all agreed that there would be nothing open of interest for the roughly $200 expense just to get to town. Stayed on board. We were looking forward to seeing the gardens and tea rooms but none were open at 6:30 pm.

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 51

3 Comments

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

katierney23    4 years ago

Could not have said it better than JT1962. My wife and I always figured an additional $200 per port for excursions, the $32 per day for tips, and about $50 per day for drinks. Again, this is typical for most cruise lines.

CruzeFan    5 years ago

Not sure if this was your first cruise or not, but the charges you mentioned are common and additional on almost all cruise lines and is listed in the information when you book the cruise. The daily service charge is for cleaning the room, food service and behind the scenes workers who prepare the food, wash the linens etc. The additional charges for beverages and specialty foods and other items (Other than what is provided free in the dining rooms) is also common across all mainstream cruise lines. The websites and information on board provides information on what is and is not included in the base cruise fare. It is always good to read the details and fine print so you are not surprised by getting a bill. The general rule should be that if someone asks for your room card when you order food or a drink and asks you to sign something, then there is a charge. There are cruise lines that offer an all-inclusive experience where you were not charged additional fees, however the base cruise fare will be 2 to 5 times what Holland America charges.