Oosterdam Review
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Additional details
****LONG REVIEW*****
We had a great time on HAL's MS Oosterdam. I was crazy enough..I mean cheap enough....to book me, my wife, my 17 year old daughter and my 70 year old uncle in a VC Verandah on the starboard bow. We wanted to take advantage of the very discounted 3rd and 4th person discounts. I really thought we would be okay in our 174 square foot room, but we caught a huge break the Tuesday before the cruise. The world's greatest cruise consultant called me and emailed me and said that there was a cancellation in Suite 7065, a Deluxe Verandah (Balcony) Suite directly across from the Neptune Lounge that we could have for a total of $498.00 more. I did things right this time and told her immediately to book it.
The reason I got the call is that I had received the same upsell offer 13 days before our cruise. The email came out at 12:01 p.m. and I was on the phone shortly after that. The consultant said there were three rooms available in the Deluxe Suite category.....all of the Superior Suites being offered at $198.00 extra were gone. I made the mistake of asking questions about the category and which room would be best. It took me about 2 minutes to get through my questions and I decided to book. Wouldn't you know it? During our conversation, the three rooms disappeared. I asked if any more upsells are typically offered and was told that one may come up if there is a cancellation, but the chances were somewhere between no way and no how.
Cabin Review
Neptune Deluxe Verandah Suite
Deluxe Verandah Suite 7065 is located right next to the Neptune Lounge on the starboard (right) side of the ship. The room is very well laid out and gives you lots of storage options. The refigerator is almost completely taken up by a mini bar. There is a sit down bathtub with Jacuzzi jets and a shower head. Next to the bathtub is a standup shower. Our standup shower had a little water leak due to some missing stripping, but they were working on repairing it. There are double sinks in the bathroom and plenty of space. I did not see a 110 plug in the bathroom, so you may need to bring a power strip to run in there. The hair dryer is advertised as being salon quality, but if you really style your hair with a blow dryer, you may want to bring you own.
Watch your step going out on the verandah....there is about a 5" lip that you can trip over. There is a makeup area right outside the bathroom door with a makeup mirror and cotton balls. There is a large mirrored backing on the wall with the head of the beds. The balcony furniture is nice and the table has just been replaced. The curtains keep the room very dark in the morning despite the early Alaska sunlight. The television swivels so you can watch it from anywhere in the room. Very limited channel selection...TNT, ESPN 1 & 2, HBO, FOX, CNN and THE CARTOON NETWORK, along with ship controlled channels for marketing.
The balcony curtains are showing some cracking on the back side which is exposed to the sun.....but no big deal. Nice room.