Holland America Oosterdam--11/26/11

Holland America ms Oosterdam

My husband Chris and myself went on our first cruise ever this past November. We had been cruise hold-outs for quite awhile.  We had been afraid of forced fun. I was afraid of the motion--I have severe motion sickness. After doing more research on cruises and after hearing other people's experiences we realized that forced fun was a thing of the past and that I should be fine with the motion as long as I was able to get a prescription motion sickness patch. The fact that I am working towards my CLIA ACC and one of the requirements is to have personal cruise experience sealed the deal.



Decorated for Christmas

 Summary:
Our cruise was fantastic! We had a blast--we are now hooked on cruising! The ship (ms Oosterdam) was beautiful (it was even decorated for Christmas which was a great surprise). The crew was amazing. The ports were a fun experience. The spa was AMAZING (I did my professional duty and made sure it was up to par for you!)! We met some really nice people. And last but not least, the food on the ship was great.

Pinnacle Grill

Food:
We booked the flexible dining option. The first night we ate in the dining room. We were sat at a table with some very nice ladies. We very much enjoyed their company and conversation. The problem with dinner that night was the service.

The service was inconsistent and slow—definitely not up to par with the rest of service we received on our cruise. We were sat at the same time as few other tables immediately surrounding ours. These other tables were served in a much more timely fashion than ours was. Their drink and food orders were taken long before we were given menus. This got to be very frustrating as we waited quite awhile to get menus, then to have our orders taken, then to receive our food, then to have plates removed, 'rinse and repeat' with each course. Our table mates were planning to see one of the shows after dinner, but were not able to make the show because our dinner took so long. We got out just before the show was scheduled to end.



We did not go back to the main dinning room for the rest of the cruise, instead we ate at the Lido deck buffet and the Pinnacle Grill for the rest of the trip. The food at the Lido buffet was great and the staff were very helpful. The one night that we did eat at the Pinnacle Grill was excellent.  The food was amazing and the service was exceptional, everything we were hoping to get while on a premium cruise line. We also ordered room service a number of times.



Dessert from Room Service



Crew:

The crew was very nice and greeted us wherever we were. They went out of their way to assist any way that we needed.  The cabin stewards asked us what are names were on the first night, and somehow they remembered it and always called us by name for the remainder of the trip.

Itinerary:

Our ports were San Diego (embark), Puerto Vallarta (2 days), Cabo San Lucas, and San Diego (disembark). We also had 3 days at sea.



Towel Monkey!!!



Cabin:

Our cabin was a balcony located close to the aft of the ship. The balcony was amazing.  It was very spacious and had a couple nice sized deck chairs and a small table.   We had a fabulous time just sitting and relaxing while watching the waves and dolphins go by.  The dolphins were showing off for the cruise passengers and were jumping completely out of the water; seeing them was a real treat. Our stateroom itself was very nice, the bed in particular was very comfortable. Our cabin was kept very clean thanks to our helpful cabin stewards.

Spa: I had two treatments done at the spa, both of which were phenomenal. The first was a treatment combo of a facial and full body massage followed by a wrap. I was fully relaxed during and after that treatment. The second treatment I had was a fire and ice manicure. My hands looked and felt amazing afterwards. The spa facilities were very nice and tranquil. If you are looking for a little extra pampering on your vacation, I highly suggest visiting the spa!

Conclusion: We had a wonderful week on board. We are looking very forward to our next cruise--wherever that might be! The average age of the guests on board appeared quite high. However, that did not bother us as we would much rather be around an older crowd than children or a party crowd. Holland America is a premium line so you can expect to be treated to a more refined experience than the mass market lines offer.


Me holding my ultra strawberry lemonade and Chris' mojito