sometimes nature provides all the décor a cruise ship needs
It’s sometimes hard to put a name to the décor on a cruise ship. For a short description on Holland America Oosterdam, subdued opulence with an old time charm comes to mind.
wall mural
Hallway paintings frequently depict Dutch old world scenes, often with sailing ships.
hallway
hallway decor
The hallways themselves often have their own look.
one stairway shows different renditions of Holland America ships throughout the years
one stairway has engraved plaques
Each of the stairways has its own style of artwork, which helps in getting around the ship if you recognize whether you are on the aft, mid, or forward stairway by the pictures on the walls between decks. It also helps in knowing when you’ve reached the right deck without looking for the deck number if you use that stairway often enough to know which picture is on the deck you want – like the one where your cabin is located.
floor mat in an elevator
Anyone who loses track of the day of the week need go no farther than the nearest elevator. All the elevators have day of the week mats which are changed daily.
Gallery Bar
Ocean Bar
Each space in the ship like bars or restaurants has décor that sets it apart from the others, yet blends with the general appearance of the ship.
giant wooden elephant
Some places hold hidden surprises like the large wooden elephant hiding under the stairway in the sort of secret hallway leading to the lower level of the theater.
tile inlay in a hallway
Even the floor has a fancy tile inlay in one hallway.
ugly headless statues
While a lot of the artwork is tasteful and nice, the ship does have some of the ugly statues that seem to be obligatory in cruise ship art since most ships have some pretty ugly statues around somewhere. The Oosterdam has headless statues in some places and some that are just heads elsewhere. A bit grisly actually those decapitated bodies and bodiless heads.
ship model in a case
Other than the ugly statues and odd bit here and there, overall the décor of the ship is nice.
A crystal globe is the centerpiece of the Oosterdam’s atrium. Sometimes the world turns within its golden frame and sometimes it just sits still.
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