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A Great Cruise! by
Miles F. from Orange County, California Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: We liked some of the selected ports of call for this cruise. Cons: We didn't like the amount of time allowed in some of the selected ports of call. We have sailed on the ms Oosterdam in Alsaka twice before this cruise. We were pretty excited to be sailing on the ms Oosterdam once again in the Mediterranean.
The ms Oosterdam was in dry dock prior to our embarkation in Venice. The changes was obvious when we came aboard in Venice - new carpeting in public areas, the new Culinary Arts Center (it wasn't there in 2006), and the re-configured staterooms. Otherwise, the ship looked pretty much the same as it did back in 2006.
One thing that we both noticed is the ship seemed to vibrate a lot more while under way than we remembered. We are not too sure if it was an imbalanced prop or maybe we have become more sensitive to vibrations but there was a definite difference. Ship QualityThe ms Oosterdam was as spotless as we remembered it being three years ago. The art work appeared to remain unchanged. Dining/FoodWe noticed a few changes to the meal service since our last cruise on the ms Oosterdam.
First is the selection of meals in the Lido Dining Room was not as extensive as we remembered. It seemed as though the selection repeated themselves at least three times during the twelve day cruise.
Finally, the use of trays in the Lido Dining Room is visably missing. We think this was multi-fold... to save weight hence less fuel consumption, save labor cost in cleaning the trays, and finally to control how much food is taken by each passenger since each passenger must carry their plates and drinks to the table. Stateroom QualityWe had an outside veranda stateroom with a balcony. We loved the layout and sis not feel confined during our entire cruise duration.
Our only "negative" point would be that our stateroom balcony was just above the top of the lifeboats. This prevented us from seeing the ocean passing below us and was a minor distraction when looking outside. Ship Staff QualityAs always the crew and staff of the ms Oosterdam were top rate.
The head waiters came around every night to check on the service and food quality which is a great improvement over previous cruises.
Our servers never forgot to ask us how our food was or if we needed anything further.
Our room stewards Ali and Alim were just fantastic!  21 out of 24 people found this review helpful.
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  Great service, food and shore excursions by
Rosalie from Alpine, UT Sailing date: Sep 2007Pros: The dedicated staff-members who take an interest in each passenger. I would highly recommend the Alaska cruise on Holland America's Oosterdam to anyone who enjoys wonderful food, beautiful scenery, world-class service and clean, well-maintained surroundings on the ship and a healthy dose of pampering!! Dining/Food
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Cruise Hubbard GlacierHubbard Glacier.
We spent about two hours less than half a mile from Hubbard Glacier on the ship in Glacier Bay. We got to watch the "calving" process with binoculars and hear "White Thunder." It was truly breath-taking and probably the high point of the cruise.
Juneau, AlaskaDon't Miss: Mendenhall Glacier, Salmon Bake. Ketchikan, Alaska
Enjoyed the rainforest walk and the totem pole display. Very educational and interesting to us. The Lumberjack show was a lot of fun.
Sitka, Alaska
We enjoyed the Russian dancing and the raptor center very much.
11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Ship was fine. Food was good. Entertainm by
Maggie from Fairfield, California Sailing date: Apr 2007Overall good. Would do Holland American again. Entertainment & Activities
Entertainment: Ship entertainment was not the best.
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Mazatlan, MexicoGreat
Matzatlan was nice, more like Old Mexico.
Don't Miss: The Old town. Puerto Vallarta, MexicoFantastic.
Puerto Vallarta was the best city visited on this trip.
Cabo San Lucas, MexicoVery fine.
Nice and interesting place. Easy access with tender. Friendly people.
Don't Miss: The downtown area for quaintness. 11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Exceeded expectations. by
Charles from Smyrna, GA Sailing date: Sep 2007Pros: Courtesy of crew. This was my first cruise. It will be a challenge to see if anything will ever be able to top: the destination (Alaska), the ship (M.S.Oosterdam), the Cruise Line nor the memories. Dining/Food
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Cruise Hubbard Glacier
Juneau, AlaskaThe highlight of the trip.
Experiencing the grandeur of glaciers will be a highlighting of my life!
Don't Miss: Glaciers. End of season sales!!! Ketchikan, AlaskaDon't miss the Misty Fjords!
Written words nor photographs can adequately give justice to the grandeur of the Misty Fjords! Loved the large boat with cozy inside viewing area, restrooms, yummy snacks and a great outdoor upper deck for panoramic views.
Don't Miss: Wish the time at port was a little longer. The shopping looked great; we had less than an hour after our excursion. Sitka, AlaskaChill in Sitka.
We started the day in Sitka with a guided 2 mile bike ride and then a hike; considering it was in pouring rain, it was quite an adventure. Our mistake was then to book another excursion back to back and attempted to take a Best of Sitka bus tour...we were starving! After three stops, we found our bus back in town (not difficult to do with the size of the city) with a quick stop by the Russian Church. We saw someone with a hot dog across the street and we told the bus drives "Thanks but a hot dog in Sitka has our names on it and that we knew how to get back to the dock." BEST DECISION! Sitka has charming Art Galleries and specialty shops. Not nearly as many Jewelry Shops (don't get me started about Jewelry!
Don't Miss: Make sure you see what a temperate rainforest is all about. Very interesting! 10 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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GREAT, I had a wonuldful cruise. by
Lisa M from Highland, ILL. Sailing date: Oct 2008Pros: the shows Cons: cant think of anything I loved everthing, I will be back. Very clean. The staff was great.
Lisa Ship Quality
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Mazatlan, Mexicovery dirty town. The shirmp feast wasnt worth the money, but the food was very good
Don't Miss: n/a Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas, MexicoThe funest excursion. I got to catch a fish
Don't Miss: Chileno bay sail &snorkel 11 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Pleasantly surprised. by
Janda from Bethel, NC Sailing date: Jul 2007Pros: The staff- they clearly work hard to satisfy your every request. Everything was very well organized, from arrival to embarkation; it was a little bothersome to be photographed and invited to purchase drink tickets in the line, though. Getting on board, the stateroom was more comfortable than I expected, and there were plenty of places to walk and see so as not to feel confined. Definitely recommend getting a verandah suite-- there were blankets so you could sit outside even in the chilly weather. The staff was cordial and accommodating. A great variety of food, well prepared and well-presented. I'd go back in a minute! Dining/Food
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Cruise Hubbard GlacierWow! A glacier close-up!
Our ship approached much closer than the others that were there at the same time-- probably a quarter of a mile from an actively calving glacier-- and then stopped and did a 360 degree rotation so everyone had a front-row seat. An unforgettable sight.
Juneau, AlaskaYes, it's a Rain Forest.
Take the Glacier Gardens and Rain Forest tour if you enjoy seeing interesting and beautiful plant life... and expect rain and fog in the rain forest.
Ketchikan, AlaskaGo fish!
We went fishing in a group of 4 with our guide, who handled everything with ease... even when our lines kept getting tangled he kept his cool. The scenery was outstanding, and then we went to a camp in the woods where they cleaned and cooked the fish we had caught. If you like to fish, take this tour. If you don't like to fish, try it anyway, because this may change your mind.
Don't Miss: Fishing. Sitka, AlaskaExperience nature in comfort.
We took the Captain's Choice nature cruise and beach trek- saw sea otter, bears, eagles; met some new starfish and explored the forest with a naturalist guide.
Don't Miss: Nature hike. 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Great service, great people, great ship! by
Marilyn from Southern California Sailing date: Oct 2006Pros: The variety of experiences that are available and a crew that really seems to care about each traveler. It was perfect. The ease of traveling, the cleanliness of the ship and the graciousness of the entire crew. We had such a wonderful time as we celebrated our anniversary on board. See you again soon! Entertainment & ActivitiesActivities: I am limited on my activities but there was something for everyone to enjoy - even spectators!
Entertainment: The entertainment was very good. 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Number 1. by
Fabrizio from Riverside, California Sailing date: Dec 2006Pros: Relax and good service. Great Service, Lot Of Fun. Entertainment & Activities
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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A perfect cruise! by
Michael L. from San Diego, CA Sailing date: Sep 2008Pros: The incredible staff of the ship Cons: Nothing This was a wonderful cruise on a great ship. The staff were amazing and very pleasant to be around. We had incredible weather in Alaska (blue skies) which I hear is unusual for this time of year. There was plenty to do on the ship, never a dull moment and the spa was incredible! Ship Quality
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Juneau, AlaskaDon't Miss: River Rafting was GREAT! Ketchikan, AlaskaDon't Miss: Bear watching at Neets Bay was GREAT!!!! Lots of bears Sitka, AlaskaDon't Miss: Bike & hike was GREAT! Victoria, British ColumbiaI would rather have skipped this port.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Cruisin. by
LuAnn from Seattle, WA Sailing date: Jun 2007This was our first cruise and it was amazing. The staff was SO PAMPERING. I could get use to this lifestyle very easily. We were amazed at the staff's ability to remember our names with so many passengers. They all were always more than friendly. We loved the decor of the boat and the food was exceptional. As far as the Inside Passage - it was wonderfully beautiful and we will someday do it again. Our favorite was the beauty of Sitka and Hubbard Bay. Entertainment & Activities
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Cruise Hubbard GlacierHubbard Bay.
Hubbard Bay was very pristine, peaceful, and eerily quiet. I expected to see dinasaurs to walk out to the water.
Don't Miss: The whole thing! Juneau, AlaskaDon't Miss: Whale watching. Ketchikan, Alaska
We took a hike that took a couple hours, recommened by the locals (also on our room TV the night before). It was not a hike for the first time hiker and was good exercise for the moderately in shape. On top of this trail we were on snow with an incredible view of Kethikan. Creek Street was our next stop.
Don't Miss: Creek Street. Sitka, AlaskaSea Otter & wildlife quest.
Besides the sea otters and eagles we saw quite a few whales. A truly great experience.
Don't Miss: Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest. Ask a local where to see the most eagles. My husband walked off the main streets to the docks where they were cleaning fish. There were two Sea Lions that are there daily w 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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