Oosterdam Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,087 reviews

Oosterdam - Alaska

Review for Alaska Cruise on Oosterdam
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andy2xus
First Time Cruiser • Age 20s

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Sail Date: May 2004

I have never written a cruise review before because we've never been cruising but I just had to! Please be patient, because we (husband and I) are still so amazed at what took us so long.

Just got home from the MS Oosterdam's maiden voyage to Alaska and our first cruise ever. Wow, we're hooked! First, we chose Alaska because we're not hot weather fans. We chose Holland America because we like a more sedate vacation, and our parents like HAL better than the other one they went on (this is their sixth cruise). And we chose the Oosterdam because 1) it starts in Seattle (we live just outside of the city) and 2) it's newer than the Amsterdam, which is also out of Seattle. Plus we wanted to be one of the first out of the block to Alaska.

The EMBARKATION process was a little rough. HAL has a new terminal in the middle of the working harbor and I guess they were still getting used to it, this being the opening day of cruise season. It was confusing and the building is like a warehouse with minimal restroom amenities. The check-in staff was not particularly computer-literate and the dim lighting made it worse for them. But they were nice. As Deluxe Verandah Suite (S) passengers, we had our own line and that made it more tolerable. We were able to board the ship in a half hour of arrival at the terminal and went to the Lido Deck and sat out by the pool until our cabins were ready. HAL has a nice early embarkation deal where you can board early and have lunch from the Lido Deck. Evidently, the Oosterdam had been sitting in Seattle for several days prior to this cruise, having been repositioned across the Panama Canal, so everything was sparkling clean, clean, clean!

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