Chose cruise for its itinerary. Hadn't sailed on Holland-America in many years but had concentrated on Celebrity and Princess for several cruises on each and were pleased with both of them. Oosterman proved a very pleasant surprise. Entire ship was in excellent condition. Excellent cabin for handicapped. Service personnel were also excellent. Most of entertainment was very good, especially ...
We took the 31 day cruise option (Nov 15-Dec 16 2023) - Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aries with the express purpose of doing the Straits of Magellan. We have cruised HAL many times (we are 4 Star travelers) and have enjoyed every trip. This cruise was also a wonderful experience - except for the entertainment, will get to that in a moment.
We stayed in a Neptune Suite and it was as has always ...
We flew from London Heathrow to Miami 2 days before the cruise via British Airways. Flight was on time and very pleasant with great food and service onboard. On reaching Miami we were transferred to Tony Hotel on South Beach where we stayed for 2 nights. Hotel was art deco style and in an excellent location next to many bars and restaurants. We had a very pleasant stay in Miami and did a hop on ...
We choose this cruise for the itinerary. We had previously been on the Oosterdam and like this size ship. One thing to know about South America, is that most of the ports are industrial ports and require a shuttle to the cruise port entrance for any independent tours and in Buenos Aires, all passengers including those on Holland America Tours. Just keep this in mind when choosing the starting ...
My wife and I wanted to go thru the Panama Panel, and see Macho Picchu, which this cruise covered nicely. Missed the political upheaval in Peru by about 2 wks, so lucky there. Traveling to 3rd world countries, Ecuador and Peru, is always a worry, so we had purchased a Medjet membership for the voyage, plus the optional extraction for political upheaval. Fortunately we didn't have to use, but ...
The Oosterdam is one of the older Holland America ships but is attractive, well maintained, and comfortable and has probably the best service, certainly the friendliest service, of any of the Holland America ships that we have sailed on. The officers, too, are unusually cordial and went out of their way to greet and chat with guests. What I liked best about this 17-day Panama Canal transit cruise, ...
My wife and I just completed a 17-day cruise on February 22 on the Oosterdam from Fort Lauderdale (February 5) to San Diego. The food and service were great. The ship was clean and crisp. The staff was always friendly and helpful. The headliner shows each evening were top notch. The Lido Market was well organized, much better than other cruise ships. However, we probably will not book ...
I choose Holland America because we do not like the mega ships...I like to feel that we are at sea! I thought the food was the best I have had comparing with other cruise lines. The service was outstanding, friendly and fun. I would be hard pressed to look elsewhere. There was wonderful entertainment in the evening at the Gallery Bar. Two duel pianists played and sang 50's to 90's music. We ...
We chose this cruise because we live in the Seattle area and love not having to deal with air travel at the conclusion, also because my husband can only walk with a walker. We were familiar with all the ports (only one tender port), and we like longer cruises. We booked the Signature Suite. We needed extra room for the walker and no accessible rooms were available. The first glitch we ...
This was our 3rd Winter in a row to sail the Oosterdam for our COLD weather get away. We weren't disappointed. Having never sailed from San Diego, we didn't know what to expect. We stayed the night before at Springhill Suites, right across the street from the pier. We easily walked across the street about 1045 the morning of the cruise. There was a long line in the terminal, but it moved ...