Oosterdam Review
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This was our second HAL cruise, first time on the Oosterdam. Embarkation was very fast and really well organized. HAL has its act together. Our obstructed oceanview cabin on Deck 4 amidships left ample space above the lifeboat. The safety drill was held an hour before sailaway. Names and cabin numbers were called and marked off lists. Almost everybody paid attention to instructions.
We found the food in the MDR excellent, compared to our 16 cruises on many other cruise lines. Even going for low-fat, low-cholesterol was easy and delicious. Early fixed seating being so popular, the dining room was crowded and quite noisy. The tables are very close together.
We sailed into a howling storm with 35 ft waves right the first night and a lot of people got very sea sick. We were happy to be on a lower deck amidships and rode it out with our usual SeaBands and ginger pills. The first 24 hours the dining room was sparsely populated.
Cabin Review
4065 was a great place to be during the stormy beginning of our cruise. Comfortable cabin size with sofa and chair, wonderful bed, plenty of view despite "obstructed ocean view". Plenty of light. Nice-size bathroom with tub. Plenty of closet and cabinet space but too few hangers. Liked the desk with its make-up mirror. Very quiet cabin location, but close to everything.