My girl friend and I have cruised several times, with our favorite being Royal Caribbean, and least favorite Carnival. However Holland American now takes the top spot. We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise to Alaska via the Oosterdam in late May.

But to be honest, it didn't start the best. We had booked the transportation option from SeaTac Airport thru Holland America. We liked the idea of simply checking our luggage with HAL at the Seattle Airport and not having to worry about it after that. Luggage check in was a breeze, but then we had to wait outside for almost an hour for a bus to bring us to the pier. Although the waiting area was covered, it was still a cold blustery morning and the hour wait was unpleasant. Once on the bus, the driver lost her way, missed the entrance to the turnpike, so we had to circle around back to the airport via side streets in order to find the entrance. I felt we were lucky to have arrived mid morning, because combined with the hour wait for a shuttle bus, then the driver getting lost, we did not arrive at the pier until near 1:00. Still plenty of time to get boarded, but we had envisioned a leisurely morning, instead of waiting in the cold, then taking the long route to the pier.

Boarding the ship was handled quickly. It took us about 20 minutes to work thru the security, get our HAL cards, and allowed to board. We were told our room was ready...which was a pleasant surprise. We had a balcony room on the eight deck, near the rear elevator. Read more