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Oosterdam cruise ship review December 05 to December 12, 2004 to the
Eastern Caribbean!
Holland America Lines - Oosterdam (Pronounced Oasterdam)
Oosterdam at Nassau pier
Although I have limited cruise experiences, this cruise
review will provide a little insight into my observations while on this
cruise. First, let me start by saying that we traveled as a family group of
eight adults. This alone makes for memorable and treasured times.
Our vacation started with an uneventful flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Although
we had a minor hic-up in getting from the airport to our overnight hotel and
then to the cruise terminal, our vacation anticipation was not dashed. Once
at the terminal, everything was very organized and smooth.
The Ship and Staff
The entry onto the ship had its usual feeling of "Wow!".
The common areas are very well appointed and elegant looking. The very
friendly staff greets their new guests with big smiles and gracious
welcomes. After a brief time enjoyed in the lido dining area, the passengers
were invited to visit their staterooms. (We had early access to the ship, so
the rooms were not all prepared when we arrived.)
Our room was spacious considering that there are about 1800 passengers on
the Oosterdam. The entrance to the room is quite tight with closets on one
side, and the bathroom (with full bath tub) on the other. An easy chair,
love seat, small table and TV on a desk with mini bar were set between the
bed and the glass doors. We were fortunate enough to have a private deck
with a couple of chairs, a footrest and a small table - the perfect place
for our quiet (sometimes) late afternoon glass of wine.
Our room steward, Idham, was a delight to deal with. After meeting once, he
would greet us each time he would see us and call us by name (something that
many people find very flattering even though it is likely part of their
training). Idham quietly and efficiently went about his business always
sporting a big friendly smile.
Our family had a table for eight at the early sitting in the lower dining
room. This table was perfectly sited in a very large window at the very back
of the ship. And we had (in my humble opinion) THE best staff looking after
our table. Our table steward Wahyu is quiet but very efficient and friendly.
His able table assistant Pirsa reflected the friendliness and efficiency.
And then there was our wine steward (and in our case, the entertainment!),
Dino. Dino is very knowledgeable in his trade. Add to that his sense of
humour and desire to please and you have a winning combination. These three
young men complimented each other to provide excellent and enjoyable service
as our dining room "Dream Team" and deserve a great deal of praise for
making our vacation even more enjoyable.
Dino at work?
Wahyu serving
Pirsa pouring
The Dining Room Dream Team!
I found that the food for the most part was excellent and very well
presented in the dining room. Although I ordered items that I perhaps would
not order in another restaurant, I enjoyed every meal. Meal courses came on
a smooth regular basis without seeming to be rushed. For our lunches, we
enjoyed the diverse offerings on the lido deck cafeteria style restaurant.
It is incredible to think that the kitchen staff prepares about 10,000 meals
a day!
After the dining room, our routine included wandering the casino for a
little while, then off to the shows that occurred in the Vista Lounge. Many
lounges offered entertainment into the night (although we were usually too
tired from our daily activities to be able to enjoy them). There are many
cosy areas to enjoy throughout the ship.
The lido pool area was always the centre of activity during the days at sea.
The aft pool was also a very busy area. In these two areas, the lounge
chairs were in high demand. Besides these areas however, there were plenty
of lounges available on the upper decks where you could find a quiet place
to read or just enjoy the sunbathing. (We obviously had terrific weather.)
The spa area looked quite pleasant although we did not use much of the
facilities available. We did use the health gym each morning. It was very
well equipped and had classes running at various times. The tread mills and
cycles were set-up so that one could use them and enjoy the vistas through
the glass wall above the cruise ship's bridge.
We found that the shopping arcade area on board was a little congested. On
the third floor, one could not get to the front of the ship (where the Vista
Lounge is found) without navigating through the various displays and
browsing passengers because you had to walk actually through the shops. As
with other cruises, the ship's photographers were ever present and the
picture displays were vast.
The Atrium was an especially elegant area with a two flight circle stair two
stories high. Because of the timing of our cruise, this area was decorated
for the Christmas season (as were many other areas) which added to the
ambiance. At the bottom of the Atrium is the Olive Pit, a cute little
Martini bar. On one side of the Atrium on the second floor is the optional
dining room - the Pinnacle Grill - which looked quite elegant as well.
Our Ports-of-Call
Our first stop was Nassau, Bahamas. We opted to take the
short walk to the main street and the Straw Market. The shops on the way to
the Straw Market were interesting and loaded with local artwork and crafts
as well as the usual souvenirs. The Straw Market is in temporary quarters.
It was jamb packed with vendors. When we arrived, there were not many
tourists yet and the vendors were just setting up. Even with this it was, at
times, difficult to pass through the various aisles.
The next stop on our cruise was Phillipsburg on Dutch St. Maarten. The port
was full of cruise ships so we anchored and tendered into the Dutch side of
the island. Here we chose a day at a beach on the French side of St. Martin.
After a short bus trip we arrived at Orient Bay on the island's "French
Riviera". Here, the beach area is well organized with areas and lounges
provided for each tour group. The beautiful bay is protected by a small
rocky island. Although the water was a little rough, I enjoyed it immensely,
barely taking time out of the water to have the provided lunch. From the
water, the views of the beach, the hills in the background, and all around
are breathtaking. After the return bus ride to the Dutch side, we spent some
time wandering the shops in the downtown area of Phillipsburg before
tendering back to the ship. Tendering to and from the ship adds to the
cruise experience. And at this port-of-call, passengers were dropped off
perfectly at the heart of the shopping area.
Tortola was the next port-of-call on our itinerary. As we approached the
port, the scenery was fabulous. The British Virgin Islands of which Tortola
is one, are beautiful to sail amongst. We opted to again take the short walk
into the port. There was very little to do and see at the port and Road
Town. If we were to do this island again, we would surely take one of the
organized tours, or take a taxi to the beaches. There were also very few
shops here. The voyage out of Road Town that afternoon was very interesting
and scenic as well. However, shortly after leaving Road Town, a passenger
had a medical emergency. Because we were so close, the Captain diverted to
St. Thomas so the passenger could receive hospital care there.
Despite the diversion to St. Thomas, we arrived on time at Half Moon Cay,
Holland America's private island. If we had one disappointment with our
cruise, it was that we were unable to disembark at Half Moon Cay because of
rough water. (Because tenders are required to go ashore, for safety reasons
the Captain decided to eliminate this stop.) We then proceeded on our last
leg of the cruise.
We arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale with no further
excitement. Our disembarkation went very smoothly and painlessly. Then it
was off to the airport for the journey home to the cold and snow.
Again, we would like to thank the wonderful staff for making our cruise
vacation so enjoyable. Many of these crew members must spend the Christmas
Season and up to a year away from their loved ones to serve their
passengers.
A very special thank you to my "In-laws" for taking us all on this family
pre-Christmas vacation. Unlike Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation, our holiday
was a wonderful family event.
For the actual cruise itineraries for our cruise see
Oosterdam itinerary.
For our cruise's shore excursions see
Eastern Caribbean Shore Excursions.
For more information on Caribbean Cruises, check out some of the other
interesting pages on our
Caribbean Cruises Related Articles
page or one of
the following links.
Caribbean Cruises for great cruise
deals by many of the cruise lines!
Discount cruises for Caribbean cruises,
Alaskan cruises and romantic getaways aboard magnificent cruise ships!
Related articles for Caribbean cruises and
many other cruises and topics!
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