HAL's Oosterdam

I finalized blocking a group last night. On Holland America's Oosterdam, for an Alaska sailing in June. I am already excited. The Oosterdam is one of my favorite ships, and the first one on which I discovered really being pampered.

At the right is a picture of an elevator door. It's typical of the beauty of the Oosterdam. There are fresh flowers everywhere. The public spaces are elegant and quiet.

I fell in love with the "Crows Nest" bar. It's at the top of the ship and looks out over the bow. Scotty and I have looked for a similar bar on every ship we've sailed, but Holland America's are the best.

As I said, the Oosterdam is the first ship on which I really felt pampered. The mood was set as we walked down the hall to our cabin. We were at our door, about to go in, when the room steward saw us ... "Hello, Miss Maureen ... Hello, Miss Rita". This man had never seen us before in his life! But he made us feel like we were his most important job. There was always ice in the ice bucket. He knew we liked to sleep late, so we were one of the last cabins he made up in the morning. He knew when we went to dinner, so that's when he made up our room for the evening. And there was always a smile and a cheery "Hello".

I talked about tipping in an earlier post. He received a generous extra tip from the both of us. He made the trip so special. That's one of the things that makes Holland America so special. Come with me in June and find out for yourself.