Liberty of the Seas

Posted 06/01/07

I had a chance to sail on one of the pre-inaugural Liberty of the Seas sailings.  She is an amazing vessel.  One note before I go on; I also sailed on a pre-inaugural of Liberty's sister the Freedom of the Seas last year, and even though they are sister ships I liked the Liberty much better.  The feel of the ship is "warmer" and it is definitely more colorful. 

If you are thinking of sailing with her, here are a couple of don't miss items.  The flowrider, which is a surfing machine is one of those things you should try just once; it is only available on the Liberty and Freedom of the Seas.  For adults, the cantilevered whirlpool which overlooks the side of the ship is also something to try.  For the kids, there is a waterpark with plenty of activities.  And like the smaller Voyager class ships, don't forget the ice skating rink and miniature golf course.

Holland America Oosterdam

Posted 12/16/07

I haven't sailed with Holland America for four years, so I thought it was time to go back.  I had sailed with them twice previously; both sailings being mediocre.  So I was pleasantly surprised with the December 8, 2007 Mexican Riviera sailing, my 53rd cruise.

We had a VF balcony guarantee cabin and were assigned a category VE.  The cabin itself was fine, but there was a lifeboat in front of our balcony, so we could not see straight down.  In the future, I would only recommend doing a gurantee for a category VD or above. The vast majority of ocean view cabins and above have a combination bath tub/shower, and of all things I really liked the shower head, it provided a nice strong flow and also had a massage option.  Our cabin also had a flat screen TV with a DVD player.

Food in the both the dining room and lido buffet were very good.  The lido was not self serve, there were plenty of staff on hand to serve the food.  There was a grill area, salad bar, sandwich bar, pasta/pizza area, Asian specialities, and two dessert areas.  Service was mostly excellent; especially our dining room wine waiter who was responsible for all the beverages brought to our table. We did try the Pinnacle Grill one night and thought it was good, but not great; I actually enjoyed the Pinnacle on my two Ryndam sailings better.

Overall, I was impressed with HAL's new Signature of Excellence, and can recommend their Vista class ships.  I give our cruise a solid B+.