We were aboard the Saturday, September 9, 2006 sailing of the Oosterdam out of Seattle to Alaska. We flew into Seattle the day of the cruise and used a local town car service instead of booking transfers. There were 4 in our party and this was cheaper and more comfortable than the bus transfers.

We arrived at port and turned in our luggage. I had arranged and confirmed a wheelchair to transport one member of our party aboard ship. It was not available. However, they did escort us to a quick check in and provided seating until a wheelchair was available. The rooms were not available when we boarded so we headed to Lido for lunch. It was crowded as is normal for the day of embarkation. Food was good and the wait staff was excellent. They carried your trays to your table and even got your drinks for you. After lunch we checked our cabins and they were available. We had rented a wheelchair from Care Vacations and it was ready and waiting in the cabin.

The inside rooms in this category are extremely tiny. Don't know the square footage but, they are much smaller than the interior cabins on Carnival. However, the room was very nice and the cabin steward attended to our every need during the cruise. The bathroom was quite roomy compared to the cabin. HAL does provide a fruit basket in every room - Ha! - 2 apples, a pear and an orange in a tiny little bowl. Read more