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September22, 2003 - 7 Seas Cruise News >> |
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Hi Cruise Fans, Welcome to another edition of the 7 Seas Cruise News. In this special edition, I want to wrap up the fantastic cruise Pat and I were so fortunate to take aboard the Oosterdam, Holland America's lovely new ship. Over the next few weeks, I'll tackle the ports of call we visited one at a time. The ship??¦ She's huge. Since we haven't sailed Holland America before, it's difficult for us to assess how different the Oosterdam is. However, we talked to dozens of Holland America Mariners (frequent passengers) and through their eyes, we were able to understand what a leap this ship makes from others in the fleet. The exception is the Zuiderdam, which is a similar ship in terms of size-if not in color scheme. Apparently, the Zuiderdam is a wild departure from the HAL norm. The Oosterdam, as we understand it, is more like other HAL ships in terms of tasteful décor, but its sheer size sets it apart. Having said that, let me add that some Mariners were not "wowed" by the Oosterdam. Sure, everyone agreed that the service was pure Holland America, but the scale of the ship changes everything. As for my opinion, I thought the space on the ship was fabulous. It never felt crowded-even when all 1800 passengers went to breakfast at the Lido within a span of 45 minutes. It still worked. There was always a table available with a fresh orchid plant blooming and silverware wrapped in a blue cloth napkin. And lots of smiling fellas whisking away your trays. Same for the corridors and public rooms. I never saw a crowd. There are plenty of public rooms with plenty of chairs. In terms of space, I think the Oosterdam compares favorably to the Grand Princess. She feels less like a giant hotel and more like a ship. And that's the idea-at least to me. Cabins are nicely sized. Our category "B" balcony cabin was plenty large for us. There was a fold-out sofa bed suitable for a third person, but using it would compromise the space somewhat. There were huge overhead cabinets, suitable for souvenirs, guide books, film, camera and binoculars. And there were three fantastic closets with the option of fold-down shelving or hanging space. There was a safe in one closet, but ours was pre- locked and even our clever steward couldn't figure it out. There were locking drawers on the nightstands, but we never felt the need to lock anything away. The beds were comfortable, if firm. The sheets were so new that I found them somewhat stiff, but let the laundry work on them another 30 or 50 times and they are sure to soften up. Pillows were great. There were two on each bed! Some of the ship's best features are four glass elevators at midships that serve all floors and have a great view. I also liked the casino which was small enough to be friendly, but large enough to be fun. There were dozens of nickel slot machines for us ' high rollers,' too. The two-level dining room has windows on three sides. At the early seating, it often meant that the drapes had to be closed or low-angled rays of the setting sun would blind sections of the room. We had a nice table for 6 and when one couple changed tables (was it something I said??!?), that left us with Doris and Beverly-two enchanting women with great tales to tell, well-developed senses of humor, and a common spirit of adventure that made each dinner as fun as it was tasty. As for the food, overall it's a B+. The Lido offerings were the best of any ship I've sailed on. Lots of variety. Freshly made-to- order sandwiches for lunch. Good pizza. Even better fettucine! In the dining room, food was consistently good, if a trifle "blah." I kept ordering the dishes marked as 'spicy' in hopes of getting some zing. Didn't happen. The chocolate cake dominated the desserts. It earns every superlative! And the selection of sugar-free desserts and ice creams draws a loud "Hurrah!" from me and a hundred or so other diabetics on board! It made eating lavishly so easy for us. And we are grateful! So, were there short comings? Only a few, and relatively minor. There are no dance hosts on board for this 12-night Baltic cruise. Holland America adds the male dance partners on 14 day cruises or longer. I think a few dancing men would have been a nice addition. Not for me, but for gals like Doris and Beverly who really like to dance and missed the opportunity. And then, there was the incident of the lifeboat. On our return from Visby, Sweden, were ushered into the front row of the lifeboat being used for a tender. When a particularly aggressive wave broke over the bow of the boat, we watched as a fellow passenger was drenched as water poured through a hatch and, more strangely, through a public address speaker over her head. She was soaked. Let's hope this lifeboat is repaired or retired soon-long before someone' s survival depends on it! My only other disappointment was with the quality of the port lectures. Like most cruise ship port pitches, these focused on the ship's tours. That's nice, but some of these ports were perfect for independent exploration and the ship offered very little help except for two page hand-outs with port maps. I hope most of us who went off on our own did some reading and preparation on our own, because what the ship offered was inadequate. For example, in Tallin, Stockholm and Helsinki, the ship offered a complimentary shuttle bus into heart of town. We took full advantage of it in Helsinki, riding both ways, but we didn't even know about it in Tallinn. And in Stockholm, the line was so long, we decided to walk into town, but then, we had no idea where to catch the shuttle in town to return to the ship. A simple indication on the map would have made it all so easy! As for shore excursions, we did a Moscow excursion and another in St. Petersburg. They were both flawlessly and professionally run. As for the other ports, we opted to see things for ourselves. This resulted in 3- to 5-mile strolls each day. We needed the exercise anyway, and this way, we could stumble upon some great "extras" along the way. Those who took ship-organized shore excursions seemed generally pleased with their value. Ranging from $39 to $189 for day- trips (and almost $500 per person for Arctic Circle and Moscow adventures), shore excursions can virtually double the cost of a trip. Plan carefully if the Baltic is in your future. Overall, I think the ship would be a good choice for non-smokers, adults and older kids. The children's facilities are fine, but not up to Carnival standards. As for the smoking, you can, but there are few designated smoking places. Even on deck! Next week, we're back to cruise industry news. And the first of our Baltic ports-Oslo, Norway. See you then! In the meantime, Pat is back in business. If you want to price a cruise or just talk about one, send Pat an e- mail at cruiseplanners7seascruises@msn.com or give him a call (toll-free in the U.S.) at 1- 866-424-1090. Until then, be safe and avoid hurricanes! Teri |
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