Oosterdam

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Holland America Line
Oosterdam

SHIP OVERVIEW

Oosterdam, a Vista Class cruise ship, brings high style to the high seas with thoughtful upgrades and stunning artwork. Guests will have plenty to do on board when not taking in expansive views or stretching out in spacious staterooms. Begin with an exquisite breakfast in the Dining Room. Unwind with a massage at the Greenhouse Spa & Salon or challenge the family to an air hockey game at High Score!

  • CRUISES
  • STATISTICS

STATISTICS

  • Year Built

    2003
  • Year Refurbished

    2016
  • Year Entered Present Fleet

    2003
  • Country of Registry

    Netherlands
  • Tonnage (GRT)

    82,305
  • PAX (basis 2)

    1,964
  • Max Pax (inc. Uppers)

    2,588
  • Passenger Decks

    11
  • Number of Crew

    812
  • Officers' Nationality

    European
  • Cruise/Hotel Staff Nationality

    International

STATEROOMS

  • Suites

    162
  • Balcony

    0
  • Oceanview

    165
  • Oceanview No Balcony

    0
  • Oceanview With Balcony

    0
  • Balconies

    495
  • Interior

    160
  • Accessible

    20
  • Total Number of Accommodations

    1000
  • SUITE
  • BALCONY
  • OCEANVIEW
  • INSIDE

Deck Plans

SHIP REVIEWS

OVERALL RATING

4.1

Star Star Star Star Star
Based on 35 reviews

SUBMIT YOUR REVIEW

Cruise reviews reflect the opinions of travel editors and cruisers/ readers and may not represent those of our company.

SUBMIT A REVIEW

South America

JANUARY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Good service, friendly and attentive staff, clean room and ship. Good entertainment.

CONS

RECOMMENDED

Yes

We enjoyed the cruise very much. Shore excursions were great.

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Thanksgiving Cruise to Mexico

DECEMBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Staff and Lincoln Center Stage

CONS

Entertainment in the Main Theater and food

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Neither the entertainment nor the food approached the quality of prior cruises on HAL.

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Wonderful experience!

OCTOBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Amazing staff and amenities, very safe and fun cruise line.

CONS

Not enough activities that pertain to a younger generation

RECOMMENDED

Yes

For as much money as we spent, we felt bored at times while on the ship. It would be nice to have activities designed for all ages, not just the older generation.

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Wonderful trip.

JULY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Great food. Informative lectures, good shows.

CONS

Can’t think of a single one.

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Had a great trip. The staff is wonderfully always smiling and very helpful.

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Amazing Experience

JUNE

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

CONS

RECOMMENDED

Yes

We liked the fact that this was a smaller ship, with less passengers. Our cabin stewards were AMAZING! Very helpful and tended to our stateroom with so much pride in their job. A huge bonus, was the fact that each day there is a Catholic Mass on board the ship, such a treat for us. We found that the bartenders were not that friendly, and didn't seem to be interested in their job. The wait staff in the dining room was hit or miss. Some were friendly some, not so much. Overall a beautiful holiday!

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Cruise to Alaska

MAY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

The staff was very nice and helpful.

CONS

Food was just okay

RECOMMENDED

No

<div>My husband was not thrilled with the food. A cake was presented for his birthday, which was very nice and tasty.</div>

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Recent cruise on the Oosterdam

APRIL

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Smoth embarkation and disembarkation.

CONS

Music too loud in shows. No singers and dancers

RECOMMENDED

No

<div>We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation onboard.</div>

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Not up to Holland America Standards

APRIL

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

We got a Neptune Suite for our anniversary. It was terrific. The Neptune Staff was dynamic. Our room stewards were the best. I got a villa on Half Moon Cay, well worth it.

CONS

Desserts seemed to lack taste. The soufle and the Chocolate Lava Cake had the same taste. The soufle did not even come up past the top of the holder it was in. The Chocolate Lava cake came cold, with no melting chocolate in the middle. The Chocolate Surprise at night, had a few servers carrying trays of chocolate, but when it was gone, you never saw them again.

RECOMMENDED

No

<div>In the Lido Market (buffet) they had the names of the desserts on display, however, nothing was marked so you had to try to guess what name went with what dessert in the display case. One night, they had &quot;no sugar added&quot; chocolate. I guess I picked the wrong one because my blood sugar level that night was 395. In the Pinnacle Dining room, we went there for breakfast. My daughter ordered the pancakes on the menu and it said that it came with bananas and blueberries. When the pancakes arrived, it had bananas only. My daughter asked about the blueberries and the staff member said that they did not come with blueberries and walked away. A few minutes later, she came to check on us and I asked her for some blueberries and she then brought the blueberries. The presentation of the food was so bad we ended up talking to the Restaurant Operations Manager. He seemed VERY CONCERNED about the problems. (I can&#39;t say enough good things about him!)</div>

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Escape from the cold!

FEBRUARY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Great staff, outstanding food

CONS

Somewhat lacking in communication

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Great trip with outstanding dining experience, great staff and entertainment.

SCORECARD

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Oosterdam sailing to the Hawaiian Islands round trip from San Diego

FEBRUARY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

All staff were kind and considerate and helpful....a real mark of Holland America's cruises

CONS

Missed having a good ship's library....missed perks of old: ice carving on deck, kitchen tour to watch bakers, vegetable chefs decorate and carve food items; space for very popular activities not adequate: example: Lincoln Center Stage space woefully inadequate....a guest would have to go and hour or more ahead of the concert scheduled time just to get a seat; screening room was also too small for the audience it drew.

RECOMMENDED

No

<div>It has been nine years since we did deep water sailing, primarily with Holland America....and now we are ready to do more of it. We noticed some changes in the last decade.....we prefer the smaller ships but then we very much enjoyed the new activities offered with more space: The Lincoln Center Stage is a fabulous success....will probably choose a trip based on the availability of that offering. Missed basics such as trays in the Lido....am sure it better controls waste to have staff control the servings, but it is very awkward to try and carry several dishes and a glass to a table. Also, doesn&#39;t seem to be HAL without someone doing ice carving! As always with HAL, room and dining room stewards were top notch. Will look forward to sailing again with HAL very soon.</div>

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cruise

DECEMBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

loved the cruising

CONS

getting on getting off the ship

RECOMMENDED

Yes

the cruising and food and land excursions were great but getting on and off the ship was a pain

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December in Hawaii

DECEMBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Food, staff, room

CONS

Entertainment/ education

RECOMMENDED

No

<div>Cabin crew and dining room staff were superlative, and our room was wonderful. The string quartet was a delightful and informative change from the low level pseudo Vegas acts in the theater. American test kitchen shone. The many days at sea without a naturalist or historian dragged on and on. We had expected informative programs daily like those on a recent HA Alaskan cruise.</div>

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Oosterdam Trip

JANUARY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Good service. Much to do on sea days.

CONS

Ship is worn in places and needs refurbishing

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Great new innovation in music in Lincoln Center Lounge. Every type of music from B.B. King's all-stars to classical. Stop at Belize was a waste of time.

SCORECARD

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tale of two cruises, 1st half,2nd half

NOVEMBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

weather, crew

CONS

boarding line 100yds plus line long

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Virus on previous cruise caused disruption in most areas

SCORECARD

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Great time in the Western Mediterranean

AUGUST

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

The ports and tours were great. The staff was very friendly.

CONS

Dinners were good, but the selection of entrees could have been better.

RECOMMENDED

Yes

The singers and dancers were very talented and entertaining, but they only performed 3 times on a 12 day cruise. The B. B. King band was very good.

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Ooesterdam

MARCH

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Amenities

CONS

None with this cruise.

RECOMMENDED

Yes

<div>This cruise was so great, weather, food, meeting new friends at our dining table, and working with our long time friend and hard working cruise consultant!!</div>

SCORECARD

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Oosterdam cruise, west indies

FEBRUARY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Most islands visited were interesting

CONS

St. Thomas has become a zoo. Seven ships in and down town filled with tourist junk. Do not go there.

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Holland America keeps cutting back. Little at a time. However, I believe it is still the best choice for an affordable cruise. May become a problem in future as cuts could reduce quality so not much different from other cruise companies.

SCORECARD

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Eastern and Southern Caribbean on Oosterdam

FEBRUARY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Same friendly staff, nice itinerary, Pinnacle Grill great, afternoon tea always nice. Several good movies, entertainment fine

CONS

Food in Lido OK but just not as creative or tasty as before. Whole ship is looking a little shabby..

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Ship had norovirus on previous trip so staff very tied up with sanitation and monitoring people the first few days - did a great job considering. We miss having lectures about our destinations that involve more than just shopping.

SCORECARD

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Southern Caribbean

FEBRUARY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Excellant dining and staff

CONS

Needs refurbishing

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Refurbishing has been scheduled

SCORECARD

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Nice, but wait until after its refit

JANUARY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Smaller ship (only 1980 passengers)

CONS

Older ship, but going in for refitting Spring 2016

RECOMMENDED

Yes

For a first ocean cruise experience, the Oosterdam was fine. I prefer the size of the ship to the 4000+ mega-ships we saw en route: easier to get around and get off (although it was usually a bit of a scrum when disembarking). The food was good, and even though we had open seating in the main restaurant, we rarely had to wait, especially if we were willing to share a table. We enjoyed meals in the Canaletto (but they need to learn not to serve the pasta and the main courses at the same time), and the Pinnacle - both worth the extra money. Our stateroom with verandah was very nice, and a perfectly adequate size. Overall I would recommend the ship, especially after its refit which should take care of some of the normal wear and tear and signs of age it was showing.

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Oosterdam

NOVEMBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

size, not too large, excellent staff

CONS

most of entertainment after 9 p.m. food in dining room not as good as it used to be. Also our server had too many tables no time to even have a few words with him

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Enjoyed the cruise. The people that work on the ship are amazing and work so hard, they are a real pleasure. Just have noticed things are not quite as good as they used to be ex., the dinner meals. Also wondering why wifi is not provided without a cost. We have traveled all over and wifi is readily available everywhere.

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Oosterdam review

OCTOBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

good size, good service, friendly staff

CONS

dull variety of dinner selections

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Overall good

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Alaska Southbound

SEPTEMBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Great Excursion, Culinary Classroom, Great Food specialty restaurant

CONS

Sports Bar was awful, Casino didn't have much selection

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Our stewards were a little on the lacked side. We only saw them once. Never experienced that before.

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Alaska Land & Cruise

AUGUST

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Cruise pretty much top notch

CONS

Land portion hotels were in need of renovation

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Westmark in Fairbanks, the bathrooms were outdated & tile in tub area & floor were rusty & dirty. Mt McKinley outside of Denali was dark & outdated & the carpet was dirty. The bathroom had very little space to set your toiletries in trying to get ready.

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First time in Alaska!

AUGUST

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Great service, lovely ship and well-organized

CONS

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Our family had a wonderful time onboard the Oosterdam. Loved being on a smaller (but not too small) ship and enjoyed seeing the beautiful ports in Alaska. Staff onboard went out of their way to make sure everything was wonderful. Our cabin steward, dining room staff and everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful.

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Very nice family vacation

AUGUST

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Very organized, curteous staff, clean rooms, great ports of call

CONS

Only

RECOMMENDED

Yes

We had a great time on the Oosterdam. Just the right sized ship, beautiful stateroom suites, loved the Neptune Lounge feature -- so convenient and helpful staff. Very well organized regarding getting off at the ports of call and making it a seamless process.

SCORECARD

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Alaska

AUGUST

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Weather......Denali Park.....Trains....

CONS

Dining Room not consistant with taking orders or offering more coffee etc.

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Seemed to be an unusual number of staff who were "trainees" in different areas around the ship. Front desk not sure of correct answers and conferred frequently with other staff members. Transfer Cancelled but no good explanation to explain why. Room Steward failed to leave forms or instructions to resupply fruit or water purchase. Needed more communication. Good system in the dining room for open seating. Very good response to people who needed assistance both on and off the ship.

SCORECARD

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Fantastic Voyage!

JUNE

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Service is top notch, size of ship and number of passengers were perfect - never felt crowded or rushed. Logistics were programmed perfectly. Top professionalism and friendliness throughout.

CONS

I honestly cannot come up with any cons -- they even arranged perfect weather! :)

RECOMMENDED

Yes

I've travelled with other lines - Holland America is tops in my book.

SCORECARD

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Alaska land/cruise trip

JUNE

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Nice clean ship, lots of stops.

CONS

Clientele a little to old. Ship much smaller than previous cruises.

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Overall trip very nice, saw a large chunk of Alaska. Some of the excursions very expensive for a person could have done on their own.

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Fantastic Cruise

MAY

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Entire experience

CONS

None

RECOMMENDED

Yes

Fantastic experience, no glitches or bad experience on any part of the cruise

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Ship Review

SEPTEMBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Great Staff. This ship is for the older generation.

CONS

RECOMMENDED

Yes

The captain made sure we saw the glacier up close by stopping and turning the ship from side to side. He also pointed out whales and other wildlife his spotters saw along the way. He seemed to enjoy the voyage as much as his guests.

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The staff was the best!

SEPTEMBER

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Everyone member of the staff, from steward to wait staff, to cruise director was hepful and considerate.

CONS

The food was ordinary and the Lido buffet was verylarge and sprawling, making it difficult to organize a meal. The quality of the excursions was mixed.

RECOMMENDED

Yes

It was our first cruise and we had a lot of fun. We'd certainly consider going again.

SCORECARD

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Our First Cruise To Alaska 2014

AUGUST

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Holland America has got it down to every detail. Excellent service and good food abound.

CONS

Internet and phone service while on board was very expensive and extremely confusing.

RECOMMENDED

Yes

The Oosterdam was a well maintained ship filled with a gracious and very accommodating crew. The stateroom was kept clean and orderly with small personal touches every night from the pursers. Being a foodie I have to admit that the food was much better than I had imagined, in fact it was very good with a large, ever changing selection. The land excursions provided by HAC were fantastic and well executed by the excursion teams, definitely worth the extra money.

SCORECARD

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Alaska- Glacier Discovery

AUGUST

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Good service, good docking location, plenty of activities.

CONS

Cabins showing some wear

RECOMMENDED

No

The friendly Filipino staff was a big hit with the passengers. I was impressed with the health precautions taken by Holland America. There was NO self service at buffet or beverage stations for the first two days of sailing. Frequent hand washing and use of the well placed hand sanitizers was strongly encouraged. The Captain was extremely personable during the cruise. He came on the PA to announce whale sightings and areas of interest. This made it especially interesting for first time Alaska cruisers.

SCORECARD

  • Staff

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  • Entertainment

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HAL Oosterdam August/4/2013

AUGUST

Star Star Star Star Star

PROS

Roundtrip Seattle means no passport needed

CONS

RECOMMENDED

No

<div> With stops at Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, plus a day sailing Tracy Arm, the Seattle Inside Passage cruise on the Holland America Oosterdan is the perfect Alaska getaway for first timers and avid cruisers alike!</div> <div> &nbsp;</div> <div> Onboard venues offer the best in Culinary Arts presentations, Digital Workshops, port shopping talks, a movie theater, ship library, and so much more. Be sure to plan a stop at the spa, shopping at the onboard shops, an evening at the Vista Lounge or just reading good book. Your cruise vacation can be as active or relaxing as you choose.</div> <div> &nbsp;</div> <div> Whether exploring one of the ports of call or relaxing during an at sea day there is truly something for everyone on the Holland America Oosterdam!</div>

SCORECARD

  • Staff

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  • Dining

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  • Entertainment

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  • Activities

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  • Cabins/Staterooms

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  • Itinerary/Ports

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  • Value

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