Alaskan Cruise
Oosterdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 47
Review summary
I would never cruise with Holland again. Heard it was the best for Alaska but ship and food were not. Loved Alaskan ports. Pick a different cruise line.Embarkation
Process took quite a bit of waiting in line time. We have definitely been to other cruise ports with different cruise lines that was much better.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The food on the Oosterdam was terrible. Worst cruise ship food we have ever encountered. Only ate at the main dining room a few times. It was not worth the trouble so we just went to buffet other nights. First time we have ever been to a buffet on-board and been unable to find food we enjoyed. They did have a dive-in restaurant that served burgers, hot dogs, and fries, that was pretty decent but only open for lunch.
Onboard Activities
The pool was empty most of the time because the water temperature was cold. We participated in trivia a few times but it was pretty lame. Cruise director wasn't good.
Entertainment
We took in some of the shows on the main stage. The dancers were horrific. Not worth watching. The comedian was pretty good. The magician was alright. The nature programs were mostly just watching videos and someone onstage talking intermittently. Definitely not as good of shows as we have seen on other cruise lines.
Service and Staff
The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is because the uniformed officers were very impersonal compared to other ships. They were not friendly at all. The room stewards excelled. The waiters were great. The staff in the buffet dining area were friendly and energetic. Only staff we encountered that were unfriendly besides the uniformed officers were some of the bar staff.
Ship Quality
While the ship was clean it was definitely not well maintained. Many areas the tiles were coming undone and several areas in need of maintenance. Our balcony room needed a definite update. The floor in the bathroom was spongy and the sink had several cracks in it. The room stewards kept it immaculately clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
The size was good in this room. Balcony was nice. Small of course. Two chairs and one small table but large enough for us. The bathroom needed definite updates. We had plenty of room to store everything we brought with us. Room stewards were excellent. I would have given it more stars if the bathroom had been updated.
Ship tip
Pick a different cruise line.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
This port was nice but difficult to get into and out of without paying a large sum for transportation. Went to visit the Space Needle as well. Hotels are expensive here.
Nice port. Plenty of different things to do. We did the Mendenhall Glacier and Whale watching. Rainy day but saw plenty of whales. Not a spectacular day for view in the glacier but still nice.
Beautiful glacier. The captain was great about turning the ship so everyone got a chance to view it for a long time. Loved this.
Many things to do in this port. Shopping at shops owned by locals instead of the cruise industry made this a favorite stop. Many Alaskan made options. We went to the aquarium which was really great especially for kids because they have a great touch tank. They also explained the raising and releasing of salmon. We went to the totem park which was very interesting. We all enjoyed this port the most. We were sad we didn't have as much time there.
This port was nice. Lots of shopping and excursion options. The negative to this port is that you had to take a shuttle bus ride to get there but the positive it is free.
Have to take a shuttle to get there that cost $15 roundtrip. Expensive for a short trip but we were only in port from 6 to 11 pm and we were traveling with a child. Town was clean but there wasn't much to do in the way of excursions due to the time of our stop.
Disembarkation
Hands down best disembarkation experience we have ever experienced cruising. We got to pick our time. Our group was called earlier than expected. Luggage was sorted into groups and numbers. Quick trip through customs.