This was our first cruise! We had read some good reviews of HAL and were impressed with the descriptions and photos of the Oosterdam. It really is a nice, big ship. Our embarkation in Seattle went pretty well. The line looked long, but moved steadily and the staff was very professional and knowledgeable.

We started exploring as soon as we boarded. All luggage had arrived by dinner (1 piece at a time). We enjoyed a nice sunny departure from Seattle as we were eating our first dinner! The food in the Vista dining room was great - it truly was the meal to look forward to each day - ever-changing menu and clever appetizers. We did not try the Pinnacle Grill - the food in the Vista room was special enough for us. All of the servers were attentive - granted they were not "in front" of you at every pace, but were available if needed. Finding available tables in the Lido Restaurant became tricky, we found ourselves walking around trying to find a table the first few times. After awhile, we found a nice nearly-always-empty area in the center, nicer rattan chairs also in this area (at first we thought it was a "reserved" section for handicapped travellers only!) We tried room service one morning - was not impressed - ordered cereal and no milk came with it (even though it was ordered) We received no "room service breakfast order form" after that day (but noticed that SOME rooms had them in their Mail Slots each night before!?)...interesting.

Our room, Deluxe Veranda Stateroom (5158) was nice enough for 2 people, had plenty of storage, decent bathroom, and veranda was a nice bonus. Read more