Oosterdam Review
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Additional details
We chose this cruise because my mother-in-law started talking about wanting to take a cruise the very day my husband and I returned from a 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise in March. We opted for a Seattle roundtrip cruise, to avoid having to hassle with flights, since we live in Seattle. We chose the Oosterdam because we had enjoyed our recent cruise which was also on Holland America.
My mother-in-law is in her late 70's and the friend she invited along is quite near a hundred! A few days prior to the cruise, they decided to get scooters, since they don't get around very well anymore. This ended up being not as hard as it seemed it would be. We purchased scooters because it was less expensive to do that then to rent them, what with all the security and damage deposits, and such. We had the ladies take Scooter 101 in the driveway the night before we embarked on the cruise. It worked out well, since we weren't flying, we just had our ride take the scooters on a small trailer.
Embarkation was wonderful, and far better than we had feared, with our ladies and their scooters. The staff made every effort to guide them to where they could be most easily be assisted, and we all ended up boarding first! However, when we found our staterooms, which were next door to each other, which was great, we found that our fears were correct in that the scooters did not fit into the room.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
We loved having a veranda stateroom, our first! It was really nice in Alaska to have the extra big "window" even if we didn't spend a lot of time out on the veranda. The bed was extra comfy, there was plenty of storage for all of our stuff, and our stewards kept everything exceptionally clean and tidy.
Port Reviews
Seattle
We live near Seattle, and although we don't often find ourselves in the city, we did enjoy our drive there. The terminal was easy to find, and unloading was easy.
Juneau
We walked next door to the terminal and rode the Mt. Roberts Tramway up the mountainside. The line was long, however, and they really crowded a lot of people into each car, so one didn't have a very good view on the ride up or down. It is a nice view from the top, though.
We also walked around Juneau and did a little shopping. Our last stop was Trove, a shop across from the tramway. What a fantastic place! I could have been happy just visiting that one shop.
Sitka
We took the shuttle into town, and from there took a tribal shuttle out of town to Fortress of the Bears, and then to the Alaska Raptor Center. Both were fantastic! I really enjoyed seeing the bears. These are 8 bears that were taken in when they were orphaned. Typically such bears were shot, because there was nowhere to take them. The Fortress was delightful, watching the bears playing together and eating the fruit tossed to them. Made for some great pictures! The Raptor Center was also terrific. It is where various raptors, like eagles and owls, are taken to rehabilitate before being released back into the wild. Or, some who are unable to return, are kept there and cared for. It was awesome seeing these birds up close.
We returned to the town following the tours, and did a little shopping before it was time to return to the ship.
Ketchikan
We enjoyed the ease with which we could get off the ship and be right there in the town of Ketchikan, since we were, after all, touring with our senior ladies in their scooters. We visited a Totem Center, which was a hike, even with the scooters, but it was an interesting opportunity to learn more about totem poles. We visited Creekside, the shops on the other side of the creek, which have been there many, many years. We were amazed that there were a few open before 8 am, and all soon after that. Our ship arrived in port at 7 am, and only stayed until 1 pm. But, we were able to wander through town after the totem center, do some shopping, and make it back in time.
Victoria
I have rated this port as average, but it could be so much higher. Unfortunately, we didn't arrive in Victoria until after 6 pm, and we weren't able to get off the ship until after 7, I think, because a few passengers had apparently not turned in their Canadian Customs paperwork. It took forever to work our way to the front of the line for the shuttle into town. They told us one could walk there, but it would take about 40 minutes. And, since we were with our senior ladies and their scooters, that was out of the question. But, the line for the shuttle bus was very long, even though they were double decker buses, and they came one after another. Just very time consuming.
Once we arrived downtown, we realized, disappointingly, that nearly all the shops were closed. Only the bars and restaurants were open. Very disappointing. It would appear to be a great place to visit, when they're open. We live in Seattle, so a return visit is a possibility; I felt badly for those who traveled far and won't likely ever be able to return to Victoria, as it is a beautiful city.