Our 6:30am alarm certainly came early for these two retirees who don't normally get up that early. But our seven day cruise was now over. We showered, dressed, and went up to the LIDO for one last breakfast meal. Around 7:15am, the first announcement came over the PA system that our EXPEDITED group was free to disembark the Oosterdam. However, we weren't supposed to be disembarking until 7:45am, so our timing was slightly off. We finished our meal and made our way back to our stateroom, gathered our roll on suitcase and backpack, and made our way to a forward elevator which whisked us down to level 2 where we were scanned off the ship for one last time. We walked through the terminal and at the exit door there was a Customs and Border Protection Agent who gave a quick scan of our passports and we walked out into the morning warmth and sunshine of Seattle. Our friend, Bob, was waiting for us and we were thankful for him taking us home. Both of us had responsibilities at church this morning so the ride was especially helpful.
Below are some final thoughts about our cruise.
1. A cruise to Alaska is a special journey, and I highly recommend it. We've done two cruises to or through Alaska this year and I could go back tomorrow and we just may.
2. As a ship, the Oosterdam appeared to be in fine shape. Captain MacBeath is a very young captain hopefully with many years ahead of him.
3. For us, there were way too many sales pitches. Given it was the Oosterdam's last Alaska visit, many Alaska items were heavily discounted and promoted. We would have enjoyed more enrichment presentations.
4. For the first time we were able to have a balcony stateroom and it was wonderful for this type of cruise. For our typically longer cruises an inside stateroom will continue to work, but I can foresee more window cabins in the future.
5. The music walk on the Oosterdam was terrific, and we really enjoyed the dueling pianos.
6. The service in the Main Dining Room continues to be slower than our taste in dining. If you have the opportunity to enjoy a Sel de Mer meal in the Pinnacle Grill, do it!!!
7. It is always fun seeing crew members from other cruises we have sailed on. There were 5 on this cruise: a wine steward, a Lido server, two Club Hal leaders, and a security person.
Now the wait begins until we return to Asia for more sailing time on the Volendam. 150 days can't come fast enough.
I hope you've enjoyed this trip report. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.
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