Oosterdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We must begin by stating that we are not new to cruising having used Royal Caribbean and Carnival in the past. This was our first experience with Holland and also Alaskan cruise. You not have a bad cruise to this destination as the environment is beautiful. Holland American seemed to do many things right, like as a smooth embarkation and debarkation process. The food was lack lusture and the biggest issues was the staff approach to portions. This was further complicated by the language barrier which is present with most boats. They could improve by asking how much you want and changing servers as they appeared to be in different to many quest request staterooms were fine. The activities were par for most boats but geared towards an older crowd and were mid fifties. This is not a boat kids limited things for them to do. The boat seemed to close down about 11:30pm daily ad I felt cheated as they started to prepare for next weeks quest during day five. We couldn't find a drink on the final night of the cruise and that is a shame. We felt like they were saying good bye to soon. All together my wife and I would cruise Holland American again if the price right but they would have stiff competition if carnival offered the same price.

My family just returned from our cruise and we loved it! Beautiful scenery, wonderful food, and great on-board entertainment. The ship staff was very attentive, and we all had a super vacation. The only disappointment was with a couple of the excursions we booked through Holland America. The Mt. Roberts Tramway was overpriced since we could have bought our own ticket at the pier for $10 instead of the $30 we paid in advance. Also, don't waste your time and money booking the excursion to see Fortress of the Bear. It was a shabby, rinky-dink enclosure with 5 bears inside. Not worth it. Otherwise, every other excursion was just as we hoped. Would definitely recommend this trip to others!

This was a very special trip that my brother and I made with our 86 year old mother. I had cruised before but never with Holland America. I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the ship and the service we received. We enjoyed each port and we went on the Seaplane over the Misty Fjord in Ketchikan. It was the highlight of our trip! We would have liked to have had more time in Ketchikan as it was a really fun little town. This is the perfect ship for older folks as it is fairly easy to navigate with walkers and wheelchairs. It is a smaller ship than I have previously been on and I didn't find that much to do although we weren't interested in many of the activities such as the art exhibit or jewelry sales, etc. We did attend the shows in the Vista Lounge and they were very good. We mostly ate in the Lido Restaurant which is a buffet and the food was good and plentiful but at times it was very crowded and impossible to find a table. The crew was outstanding and everyone we worked with did everything they could to make our trip enjoyable. There was an elderly woman in a wheelchair at our muster station who was cold and was unsuccessfully attempting to zip up her jacket. One of the crew saw this and immediately came and asked if she'd like assistance and he very respectfully helped her with her coat. The only real complaint we had was the strong smell of cigarette smoke in the assembly area just outside the elevators we used. Our room was near this area and we did not smell smoke there but it was very strong near the elevators. We were on the Main Deck near the Atrium. The Atrium was actually an enclosed area where you could arrange for shore excursions on one side or take care of ship concerns on the other with a bar in between. HAL does have very good mattresses on their beds and ours was okay but they were beginning to reach the point where they needed to be replaced. It wasn't a concern for us as we were comfortable. I would have liked to have found an area on board ship where we could have sat comfortably inside a quiet area and enjoyed the views. The only place we could really do this was at the Lido pool area or outside on the small deck. It was often too cold and windy outside and the Lido pool area was very noisy and usually had a lot going on. We didn't use the pool or the hot tub because it was very small and because the area was often so noisy and crowded with other activities that crowded the area. Lines for the Alaskan Salmon Bake and the Dessert table were very long and, again, it was very difficult to find a table to sit at. These were very small concerns as the trip itself was very lovely. We all had a wonderful time and this is a trip my mother will never forget. Unfortunately, we were unable to go up into the Tracy Arm Fjord because of high winds and ice but our captain took us into an alternate fjord that was not so narrow and it was beautiful. We didn't feel that we had missed anything. I would definitely recommend this cruise and Holland America to my friends and family.

Itinerary in N.Z and Australia was excellent. Food and presentation were excellent Stateroom upgrade was superior Entertainment was below expectations Shore excursions excellent but much over-priced Captain was very personable and excellent Crew members were friendly and helpful Attention to repeat cruisers was superior

Very enjoyable cruise and friendly and helpful staff. Would appreciate you considering doing away with smoking in designated areas of the ship.

Great cruise all the way!!! Even though we could not get into one port because of weather issues we did not feel deprived in any way! Highly recommend the Holland America cruise line and the Oosterdam.

We enjoyed the trip. We were surprised by how much the ship rolled in heavy seas. The crew went out of their way to satisfy the guests and the food was good. The ship was much cleaner than I had expected ... the crew was constantly cleaning. Our bed was excellent. The shower was small but otherwise excellent. There was a good variety of shows and the casino was enjoyable.

This is a great ship, but so many older people, we felt sorry for the very young couples

great trip

The ship is 9 yrs old & has probably not been refurbished during that time. The shower in our cabin was difficult to stabilize, i.e. the head holder was loose. One elevator at midship was non-functional. During the cruise there was a problem in the engine room which led to our reaching the final port a bit late.

This was our first cruise on Holland America although it was our fifth and best cruise. The best slogan I can give it was everyone on board was Looking Our For Us. From the disinfectant for our entrance to the dining room to the care of the passengers, HAL rates tops in cleanliness and presentation.

A good ship. A little two slow to make the last day in Vancover BC worth while

We were disappointed in the desk staff, as well as other things that we have mentioned below.Also, there was no phone list so that we could contact Main-tenance, Housekeeping, Room Service.

no comments

What an amazing experience. Have cruised many times, but this one was exceptional...great food, outstanding service, liked the smaller ship feeling, lots to do

Overall impression was totally great. neither me, nor my7 husband expected to be so impressed with the cruise, but we were.

Loved the ship. Loved all the activities on the ship. Enjoyed the cruise very much.

Overall, it's a good cruise. Everything worked out as expected. The service from cabin and dining room though, made this cruise line worth of reconsidering.

Good staff,nice ship

My overall impression of the ship was very positive