DAM SHIPS!

I guess the above and anything else DAM was the catchcry for the Mexican Riviera cruise on Holland America Line's the Oosterdam. The cruise and accompanying days in Los Angeles staying at the Crowne Plaza Beverly Hills on the way over ( excellent location, very good service and recently renovated rooms with exceptional beds) and the Wiltshire Grand in downtown LA ( not impressed with service from any of the staff encountered and the rooms were a little tired and really only a good location if attending the convention centre) and flights with Air New Zealand ( very good service, friendly staff )
Classic, cultured, sophisticated and wonderful service probably sums up the Oosterdam. From the subdued navy and white on the outside to the elegant decorations and jaw dropping Waterford crystal globe centrepiece in the Atrium, and roomy comfortable staterooms on the inside the Oosterdam is class all the way.
The check in ( given we started out on American soil from San Diego) was reasonably smooth and efficient. Greeted by staff at the ship's entrance you were immediately made to feel at home and after a quick guided tour we settled into a great buffet lunch at the Lido restaurant - the start of many gastronomic delights during the week.
The combination of 3 days sailing and 3 days in port was great, giving the best of both worlds - plenty of time to experience Mexico and its culture and to make the most of the ship and all it had to offer whilst cruising.
Booking of shore excursions was our first piece of 'work', the hardest part was deciding what to do in our 3 ports of call. I opted for going out of town in Cabo San Lucas to Todos Santos, a charming oasis town and mission. Added to this an authentic Mexican lunch at the Hotel California (the inspiration for the Eagles' well known song).
Second port of call Mazatlan my favourite, and here again I experienced the genuine Mexico visiting the Sierra Madre mountains and the villages of Concordia and Copala ( very unique with its cobble stone streets and colonial lamp posts). This tour also gives you the chance to see local artisans working and of course to purchase some of their wonderful offerings.
Puerto Vallarta our third port and the most well known to tourists had a wonderful 'old town' area and here I decided to try my hand at some Mexican cooking on the 'Taste of Mexico' tour. Our tour took us firstly on a walk through the town itself and then to a restaurant where we made and then ate our lunch - very good I must say!
Onboard ship you could either find a corner all by yourself or otherwise occupy your whole day with the many activities on offer. I became a bit of a bingo fanatic ( I had not been to a bingo game in about 40 years) urged on by Tina who on one occasion actually was calling out BINGO for me when all my numbers came up. Another of the favourite activities were the Trivia sessions, we made up a team - Team Oz, but struggled a bit when it came to questions like " name the running back who was MVP for the finals in 1983?" Our first question was "what is a running back? They did however in one session ask questions about cricket and New Zealand so we scored 2 points there :. For the more serious gamblers there is a casino, there are many bars to sit and savour the view, have a drink or listen to a great tune in the piano bar, a library and games room, a huge internet café so you can keep in touch with family and friends, a gymnasium with an awesome view for the fitness fanatics( I stuck to the walking track on the promenade deck), there were the art auctions and art history talks, tours of the ship's kitchen and cooking demonstrations - amazing, and the 2 indulgence areas, the Green House Day Spa - bliss, and the Dam Signature shops - bliss for me but not for the credit card.
Children are not forgotten with Club HAL. The club caters for 3 - 12 year olds and offers all sorts of wonderful entertainment, the kids absolutely love it and it also gives Mums and Dads a chance to have some time out as well.
The other highlights on the Oosterdam were the wonderful staterooms - large and cheerful with excellent furnishings and extremely comfortable beds and a room attendant who delighted us with his animals, made using bath and hand towels, dinner in the Vista Dining room with exceptional staff who really 'made' the cruise with their interaction with us and magician's tricks, dining in the 5* Pinnacle Grill again with fabulous staff, top class entertainers in the Vista Lounge including the Oosterdam's show cast, Las Vegas magicians, comedienne and Australia's very own virtuoso piano and vocal entertainer Shelly White( we became Shelly's very own cheer squad, Aussie style).
Holland America Line definitely has the wow factor , I found the Oosterdam to be one of the best cruise ships I have sailed on. And, knowing that all the HAL fleet are very similar in style and fit out and offer the same wonderful experience there are obviously lots of places around the world left to cruise to.

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