Oosterdam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our 64th cruise on a variety of ships including 5 world cruises but the first and last on HAL. The weather was great, accommodations comfortable, some great ports for fun in the sun, embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly.
Our love for ballroom dancing turned into a huge disappointment. HAL has a reputation for great ballroom music and dancing. Not on this trip. "The Band" played jazz at every opportunity. They started with a nice dance tune and soon turned it into a jazz number. Certainly not conducive to ballroom dancing. "The Band" was used to back up stage shows thus leaving us without dance music. Several people, who came to dance, registered their disappointment with guest relations. They solved the issue by providing recorded music when "The Band" was not present. Unfortunately, the choice of music left something to be desired. How does one dance to Dixie, Little Brown Jug, and Battle Hymn of the Republic. Who was responsible for the choices? Certainly, it could not be the cruise director.
The Lido (buffet) was used by most passengers for breakfast and lunch. Its layout is a disaster. There's no self-service, consequently congestion and lines. Even worse on a sea day when the ship is full. There are a number of locations with different types of breads. If you want yours toasted, you must take it to another station with only one toaster which doesn't work very well necessitating passing the bread through twice. If you like cream cheese with your lox and bagel, the lox is at one station, the bagel at another, and the cream cheese often limited to strawberry cream cheese (ugh). Tables were not cleared in a timely fashion. I never anticipated busing tables on my vacation in order to get a seat.
Cabin Review
Signature Superior Verandah Suite
The cabin was roomy, much storage, very good verandah, very comfortable with a top notch cabin attendant. The walk-in shower was very, very small. The hand held shower made it difficult to shampoo my hair. Every time I turned around, the shower curtain moved and water splashed on the floor. The decor was uncoordinated and unattractive.
Port Reviews
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
Too congested both in port and in Fort Lauderdale Beach.
St. Maarten
Nice to be able to walk to the walkway along the beach.
St. Lucia
Not interested in more shopping.
Barbados
Excellent day at the beach. This is the Caribbean! Blue water, white sand.
Martinique
More shopping, but colorful.
Half Moon Cay
Good walking along paved paths throughout the area. Loved seeing the sting rays. The barbecue was okay. Ribs disappointed. Never saw such thin ribs. Plenty of tables and benches under cover from the hot sun.
Samana and Cayo Levantado
Got off the ship and soon returned. Didn't feel safe.
Bonaire
We had a great beach day on Kline Bonaire. What beautiful blue-green water.
Curacao
The floating bridge is always fun. The town itself does not look as prosperous as it was several years ago. It's still colorful and quaint from a distance. When you get up close, you can see the struggling businesses.
Aruba
Another wonderful beach day. Aruba continues to look like it's prospering. Taxi drivers are not as aggressive as they once were.
Grand Turk
This island has seen better days. There were many signs of neglect. The littered beach was such an example.
St. Kitts (Port Zante)
Another glorious day at the beach. Truly beautiful.