Oosterdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Everything was in good working order and we always saw someone cleaning something. Everyone we came in contact with was friendly, greeted us with a smile and was right there to help you if you needed it. The food was wonderful and well presented.

Overall impressions were excellent. I have no important complaints

Our first cruise, and we want to go again. In fact, we enjoyed it so much we would like to seek employment as a ship chaplain!!

The ship and it's staff were most gracious, clean, shinny and always courtious . . .

Very upscale, tasteful.

Staff is very attentive and attempt to learn your name and preferences. Ship staterooms are well laid out with plenty of storage and a large bathroom. Linens are spotless and clean if a little worn.

The ship is beautifully decorated and appointed in its design. It is well laid out with regard to getting around and not getting confused as to where you are. Most of the rooms have balconies and windows to the outside, and the rooms have lots of good storage space for clothes and empty luggage. The rooms are nice size and very comfortable beds.

This was our first cruise and it was wonderful. The ship was beautiful and the staff was exceptional. The food was delicious. The only drawback was the kids program. It didn't deliver what it advertised. The scavenger hunts they had for the 8-12 year-olds were unsupervised around the ship. If your "tween" didn't have parent permission to do this then they had to go to the 3-7 year-old room and color.

The ship was beautiful, well appointed, very clean and easy to move around. Announcements by the cruise director kept you up to date on activies and the captain made announcements about the ship's progress. When one of my shore excursions was canceled, I was notified promptly and had sufficient time to book a new one. The dining choices were great and the meals were tasty and of good proportion.

We just got back from an Alaskan cruise and all I can say is from the time we entered the ship till we disembarked we were treated like royalty. I am so glad that we decided to go with Holland America. I have cruised brfoe but not with them,I would not go with anyone else again but Holland America. The ship was very user friendly. We were upgraded twice,and I believe it was simply because we told them about our Honeymoon. The staff was the best,they always remembered who we were,( Our Names ) and always said hello. I got a message at the spa and it was wonderful. Our room was always kept spotless,and the food,Oh the food,.......it was simply divine. When we showed up for dinner the server remembered what we liked to drink. He always brought my coffee srtaight away with dessert. Our Captain always liked to get us into port early,in fact we ported everywhere an hour early,and two hours early back home. It was great,it gave us so much more time in port. The shore excursions that were offered to us were great and we did everything that we hoped to do. I would definately recomend this shipping line,this ship and this cruise to anyone who is considering an upcoming cruise to Alaska. This was a very nice ship,not like who I cruised with before.I have to mention one more thing. The shore excursion co-ordinater was so great about where to go and what to do,and she was always in town while we were in port helping us with directions and things like that, We never felt that we would get lost or not find something we were looking for. She was at our service all the time. Overall,don't miss out on the time of youy life,that is what we had.

I feel the casino cheated me out of $5.00. the robes are not one size fits all.

It appears that Holland America has gone casual and can not maintain the higher standards they were know from for years. Acceptable but somewhat disappointing.

Holland America is not what it used to be. Compared to Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, it is a step down. Food was mediocre (much poorer quality than Celebrity and Royal Caribbean), waited for hours for room service, and in general a lower class of and cruder passengers, casual dining dress code encouraged sloppy attire (jeans, bare midriffs, etc) at dinner. I do not think we will sail with Holland America again.

Overall the experience was one to remember. I found that this cruise, its ship and people were much better than the first I took. Everyone made it their duty to insure that I had an exceptional time. Negative can be counted on one hand and dealt with the food becoming mundane as the week closed as well as the Lido deck being what it was. However quanity and for the most part quality was good. The Captain did a good job in maintaing a smooth ride as well as keep people in the know.

The Cruise was planned so far in advance. We were excited indeed, and being our first cruise, we didnt know what to expect. From boarding process in Seattle, to the debarkation, we were very impressed. The Oosterdam is impressive, the staff were amazing, the food, and overall dining on all parts of the ship were amazing. So, why, you ask, the kunundrum? We were free to do what we wanted, but my wife and I love travelling with no itenery. We simply go. The cruise had us enthralled, and we enjoyed excursions like Mendenhall Glacier and Salmon Bake, Kayaking in Sitka, and Rain Forest Canopy Zip lining through Ketchikan. (Our favorite) But, still, something missing. I cant put my finger on it, but something.... In any event, thats my problem. This ship is not overrated, and is fantastic. The entire staff, from the Captain (Mercer) to the basic engineering staff were utterly amazing. I cant say enough! Lots to do, more to eat than even I could imagine, and impeccable service in our suite.

Alaska cruise is one that neither words nor pictures can describe. The best cruise we've ever taken. This is our 3rd cruise on the Oosterdam and it, along with Captain Mercer, is our favorite.

We sailed the Oosterdam on her last trip to the Mexican Riveria for the season...she is now off to dry dock and then on to Alaska. This was a wonderful cruise. The service was the best in all areas of the ship. The Hotel Manager was outstanding and the staff spoke of him with such great regard. We were invited to a number of gatherings which was very nice. The Captain was quite visible and approachable. Our room steward was a delight he kept our room immaculate and was able to sneak in when we were gone, yet was right there when we needed something. The Dining Room staff was also excellent and we found the food very flavorful and good. The only issue was that some of the entrees were quite small and when my husband said something to me the waiter immediately asked him if he wanted to order additional servings or get something different. The Lido on this ship was quite good as was the food. The casino was nice and had a lot of variety penny, nickel, quarter, dollar and five dollar slots. The staff again focused on service and making the customers comfortable whether we were winning or losing. Various card games and a number of different tournaments were held. The Spa was very nice and the gym was well appointed with all the equipment. Special classes were offered some with a separate charge others complimentary. The ship sponsor a "Cruising for the Cure" non competative 3 mile walk and a very large number participated. In the past I had read about all the issues with the broken Azipod on this ship, but even though we were in an aft cabin we only noticed it at dinner. It is scheduled to be fixed this week during dry dock. So what did I like most about this cruise, the lovely cabin, great balcony, outstanding service and just a feeling of being special, plus just feeling like I could do as little or as much as I wanted to. Perhaps the best inidicator of this ship is that the staff love it, they truly care about the people they work with and many of the staff have had long contracts on this particular ship. I would sail on this ship again in a heart beat.

Great ship, appointments, layout and cabins. The SY Verandah category is well worth the price! (Large picture window..as well as sliding door to the verandah ..draperies controlled with a remote control!).

The overall concept and decor really need to be updated. WHile the ship was clean it looked very old even the uniforms the staff had on were outdated with very dark colors.

We had such a wonderful time on our cruise and were so impressed by the Oosterdam. We never felt like it was crowded and often wondered where everyone had gone! There are so many public areas and things going on in so many of them that the crowds were dispersed throughout. The onboard activities seemed to be nonstop and the shore excursions were very well organized. We thought Holland America did a fabulous job.