This was my thirty-third cruise overall and my sixth with HAL. It was also my second time on the MS Oosterdam; the first was Alaska Sept. 2004.
Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived at the pier (tent) at 11:00 AM and were onboard by 11:30. I gave my bride a brief tour of the ship and she seemed genuinely pleased. The cabins were available by 1:30 PM and I have to say we were extremely impressed. We had requested a Deluxe Verandah Suite and ours' was located on the stern, port side, deck four. The balcony was huge. It wrapped around the stern and was large enough to have a party for twenty persons. It was just great! We also enjoyed the exclusiveness of the Neptune Lounge and the numerous functions hosted by the Captain and Hotel Manager
The cabin was very spacious and my wife liked the separate dressing area very much. There was a complimentary bottle of champagne from the Captain and we saved that for my birthday which was one half way through the cruise.