We just returned from a very memorable journey on the ms Oosterdam. We sailed on July 13 from Seattle. We spent the night before at the Holiday Inn Express in downtown Seattle. A short ride to Pier 30, this location was OK. We were told that it was closer to Pike's Market than it was, but that was alright...we were pooped from a long day of travel anyway.

EMBARKATION Embarkation was simple and hassle-free. It's a lot less luxurious than the Disney cruise we went on last year, as the embarkation takes place in a warehouse-type building. Still...it's very simple, and easy to figure out your way around. We were delayed 45 minutes during the embarkation process, and there weren't many chairs, so it meant standing. We didn't care, though! We were heading on a cruise...plenty of time to relax later. Upon boarding the ship, we realized that the delay came from leaks in the ceiling. There were several buckets spread about Level 2, but it seemed they disappeared by mid-afternoon. We were immediately escorted to the Vista Dining Lounge...that was so relaxing and much less congested, I hear, than trying to haul luggage around in the Lido buffet line. What a great treat to be welcomed with shrimp, pasta, and chocolate mousse!

CABIN We were pleasantly surprised with our verandah cabin on floor 5. It was shorter in length than the Disney line, but it had tons of storage! I loved the bathroom...the tub was huge, the water pressure was great, the amenities were wonderful, and the towels were large! The beds are also worth bragging about. The sheets are wonderful and so is the comfort of the mattress. There is a mini-bar in the room that is restocked daily. There was no alarm clock/clock in the room, so I was glad I read about that ahead of time. We truly enjoyed the balcony, especially with so much Alaskan scenery to see at all time. We were on the inner passage, and it seems like there is always a change in scenery. We were on our balcony a lot...taking pictures of all the scenery as it passed by. Read more